Just joining back to this board and saw this...not sure if the user is still around or needs an answer, but "no" you do not need the bar. GM recommends it when upgrading to 20" or bigger, but to my knowledge none of the Acadia/Enclave owners who have upgraded have performed this mod and there has not been any negative outcomes as a result. In my opinion all it will do is strength the chassis a bit more and provide a stiffer ride. If I recall correctly, the difference in diameter between the stock and the larger bar was so minimal that it rendered the upgrade fairly useless. I've had my 20's on since August and love them.