Springs, Struts, Swaybars, Bushings, Tower Braces & more
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By teal_dx
#8731 Suspension Techniques rear sway bar install.
(I made a separate thread for the front sway bar install HERE)

Here's the parts for the rear:
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And as with the front bar, the directions were vague and shitty. I'm not a moron but I felt like a retard trying to figure out what the hell they were talking about.

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This kit uses different mounting points than the OEM rear sway bar does. The outer mounting bracket uses the lower shock bolt. First you must unbolt the shock and turn it 180 degrees.
After I did this, I couldn't get the bolt threaded back into the welded on shock nut from the other side. The bolt had been replaced once long before when the OEM one (with the tapered end) snapped on me. This one was also a tad shorter. So I bought new OEM ones ($13 each) and it went right in.

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Here is the shock re-installed 180 with the welded on nut now facing the rear.
If you're lucky, you might be able to compress the shock enough to rotate it 180 degrees without dropping the lower control arm. After having the right lca bolt break on me, I was able to compress the left side and rotate it without unbolting the left lca.

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For the inside bushings, they mount to the subframe where the lower control arm bolts to. There were already holes there. All I had to do was enlarge them and ream the bottom one a little bit to one side so that it would be directly below the top one. The surface is not flat, the bottom bolt uses a spacer (included) between the bracket and the subframe.

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Here is a shot of the back view of the bushing mount area.
On the right side, the inner LCA bolt was the one that snapped on me. I thought that I had to move the LCA out of the way to tighten the nuts on the back of the bolts that held on the sway bar to the sub frame. So this time I wasn't going to chance another $13 bolt and there was just enough room to tighten the nuts from the back with the LCA in place. It was tight and I swore and dropped the bolt/washer like 10 times befoe I got them started... but still worth the time it took to leave the LCA in.

There's 2, you can only see the top one in the pic.

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bolted in place, I now have to install the endlinks.

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I hope this bar clears a 3" exhaust :eh:

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The "L" brackets are seen here, bolted on with the shock bolt. The end links connect the sway bar to the LCA using this "L" bracket. A pretty good idea by the engineers over there at ST - If it clears the exhaust...

I tightened the endlinks and put the car down. Maybe it is in my mind, but just by pushing down on the rear, it already feels more stiff.

We'll see soon...
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By ku
#8805 very nice
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By chnzgoofball
#8814 i thought with anything bigger then 13mm sway bars u need subframe reinforcement or it will rip apart?? thats what i heard??
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By -EJ1- COUPE
#8830 nice. about the exhaust just run it straight down the center and cock it to the side :woot:
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By chnzgoofball
#8846
teal_dx wrote:I've heard that too. I know the reinforcement is mandatory with 22mm rear bars. Mine is 19mm... now I'm concerned lol


sorry hahah just watching out i bought a 21 mm but didnt get a chance to put it on cuz of that reason :cry:
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By Greasedmonkey
#8925 Someone needs to take apart the rear suspension and give it the full work over.
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By teal_dx
#9006 I'll probably keep it on and take it easy for now.. Then buy an A-Spec subframe support and put it on soon. That looks like one of the best pieces out there for this problem.
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By stefan
#9018 Great write-up!
Looking good, and a subframe re?nforcement brace is also a nice upgrade to prevent your subfr. from tearing of the car.
Looks good to ;)
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By teal_dx
#16600 I'm not sure, as my dx didn't come with any front or rear swaybars.

The bigger the bar, the more difference it makes. So a bigger bar should be a step up from stock. The ST rear bar is an average upgrade at 19mm, lots of people go for the 22mm rear.
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By martino
#16602
teal_dx wrote:I'm not sure, as my dx didn't come with any front or rear swaybars.

The bigger the bar, the more difference it makes. So a bigger bar should be a step up from stock. The ST rear bar is an average upgrade at 19mm, lots of people go for the 22mm rear.

i read somewhere that the thicker the bar, the more rigid it is, and it kinda takes a bigger toll on the chassis and suspension parts. i wanted to get an integra sway (i think it's around 22-23mm), but when i read it, i just decided to get the OEM 15mm one. haha easy for us here in the PI to get surplus japan parts, so we got choices. but i gotta say, y'all got tight-ass branded parts there. wish them parts were as cheap here haha!
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By projecthonda
#16616 i heard that if you installed a bigger anti-sway bar to a car not fitted for it can cause a crack on the LCA :?
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By teal_dx
#16622 Not so much the LCA as the whole subframe itself. Too large of a rear bar will eventually cause subframe tear out. Soft springs will make it happen even sooner.

The solution is to add strength to the mounting point with a subframe reinforcement kit. I bought the ASR brace. Beaks makes a kit as well.