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View Full Version : Progress sway bar install w/pics



Cone Killer
11-21-2002, 08:01 PM
So it's been 3 weeks since I orderd my sway bar and after calling the guys at MMR.com twice I found out that it was shipped and had been signed for almost a week ago and of course who ever shipped it did not leave a note. Jerks!@#@# anyways...here are the install pics. If you have more specific questions I can get into more detail later. It was a pain the the butt, but I did it with my floor jack and some...ok...a lot of elbow grease. I didn't know I was ordering a sub frame bar either, but I put it in just the same. I had to take out the lower A-arm bolt and replace it with the one provided. Other than that it was painless.

Here's what the contents look like.
http://www.trailingsilence.com/dave/ephatch/package.jpg
Here's the RSX Type-S sway bar before I took it off. Notice the bushings are stretched too far because I did not get new ones to accomodate the larger bar.
http://www.trailingsilence.com/dave/ephatch/rsxswaybar.jpg
Here are the three sway bars (Si, RSX, Progress) together for a visual comparison.
http://www.trailingsilence.com/dave/ephatch/compare.jpg
Here are the final product shots. http://www.trailingsilence.com/dave/ephatch/progress1.jpg
http://www.trailingsilence.com/dave/ephatch/progress2.jpg
The bar comes very close to the muffler, I'd say 1/4 inch!
http://www.trailingsilence.com/dave/ephatch/progress3.jpg

JSIR
11-21-2002, 08:12 PM
wow, that is some heavy duty kit, looks well engineered. I like how they give you the side clamps to keep the bar from shifting, at least they thought about that.

So how do you like it ? , does the car drive any differently ?, I would imagine oversteer is now pretty evident, which is a good trait if one knows how to control it. Any noises from the rear end ?. cool kit.

Cone Killer
11-21-2002, 08:20 PM
Originally posted by JSIR
wow, that is some heavy duty kit, looks well engineered. I like how they give you the side clamps to keep the bar from shifting, at least they thought about that.

So how do you like it ? , does the car drive any differently ?, I would imagine oversteer is now pretty evident, which is a good trait if one knows how to control it. Any noises from the rear end ?. cool kit.

I just took it for a spin and I did not hear anything...but my radio was up too loud to hear much of anything. It did feel much more stable and turn in is much more responsive because of less body roll. Overall...AWESOME!!

02blksi
11-21-2002, 08:58 PM
looks great!! BTW I pmed you back

also please explain the following : thanks --Joe :)

ssvr6
11-21-2002, 09:12 PM
Looks great! What did it run ya?


Steve

CgSi
11-21-2002, 10:11 PM
I'll take the RSX bar off of you if you're selling it !


PM me !

Thanks

JSIR
11-21-2002, 10:41 PM
Originally posted by 02blksi
looks great!! BTW I pmed you back

also please explain the following : thanks --Joe :)

those are the stock endlinks that get re-used. One end attaches to the chassis, the other end to the anti-sway bar. If their threads are relatively new and in good shape they come off just using a 14mm deep socket and a decent sized ratchet, spray lube helps. Once they get a bit rusty/dirty you may have to use a metric hex key inserted into the endlink (to keep it from rotating), and crack the nut off with a 14mm box-end wrench. You have to remove both rear wheels to access the end link mounting point to the chasis, I used a breaker bar with long extension and deep 14mm socket to get them off the chassis.

Quicksilver
11-21-2002, 11:24 PM
I am SO glad to see they don't use that powdercoated baby blue color for their production swaybars. The pictures on the website made it look awful.

You say that the bar fits pretty close to your muffler, are you running stock or an aftermarket muffler?

Thanks for the info and nice pictures!

IceD out N CALI
11-21-2002, 11:32 PM
looks good

02SilverSiHB
11-22-2002, 05:22 AM
Damn, so that reinforcement bar acts like a tie bar in a way, so the tie bar I have will pretty much be usless when I order my progress sway bar.

Cone Killer
11-22-2002, 05:35 AM
Originally posted by Quicksilver
You say that the bar fits pretty close to your muffler, are you running stock or an aftermarket muffler?


Looks like a stock muffler to me:D
http://www.trailingsilence.com/dave/ephatch/progress3.jpg

ssvr6
11-22-2002, 08:10 AM
Originally posted by 02SilverSiHB
Damn, so that reinforcement bar acts like a tie bar in a way, so the tie bar I have will pretty much be usless when I order my progress sway bar.

That's cool, I'll take it!

As for the muffler. I wonder how this will work with those that have aftermarket units?


Steve

HondaMan
11-22-2002, 08:43 AM
That looks sweet! I think that will be my next purchase or a mid-pipe or both...hehe! I actually wish they painted them that freaky green color so they would match my Progress springs! ;)

Cone Killer
11-22-2002, 11:25 AM
Originally posted by ssvr6

As for the muffler. I wonder how this will work with those that have aftermarket units?

I bet it would be better in most cases as most aftermarket exhausts are much smaller than the original, but I do remember reading somewhere that it might interfere with an aftermarket exhaust.

nikkotyper
11-22-2002, 11:28 AM
Originally posted by Cone Killer
Looks like a stock muffler to me


Cool. Seems like a very nice product. When you get a chance to do some extensive testing (like auto-x) scribe a sentence or two of your impressions.

PwrDbyB&K
11-22-2002, 11:31 AM
they look phat. They are definatly next on da list

fishboy
11-22-2002, 11:43 AM
will the rsx progress front bar fit in our si also?

atl-si
11-22-2002, 12:22 PM
Very cool! Progress looks good!:p

Quicksilver
11-22-2002, 02:08 PM
will the rsx progress front bar fit in our si also?

Fishboy, both the front and rear swaybar are the same for the RSX and the Si. The springs are different though.

Cone Killer
11-22-2002, 04:46 PM
Originally posted by fishboy
will the rsx progress front bar fit in our si also?

Don't bother. The front bar is already big enough. You don't want the front end to be tight, you want it lose so you don't have more understeer. Less understeer=better, bigger front sway bar=bad. Don't waste your money just because they sell them. Find out if you need it first.

ColinCivicSiR
11-23-2002, 12:42 AM
A larger front bar is bad sometimes. From what I have read the Progress kit for the EP is well designed and balanced when you get the 27mm front bar and the 22mm rear bar with the cross brace.

I have not yet driven an EP with the progress bar but knowing how tail happy mine can be with the 19mm RSX-S bar I think the 19mm stock RSX-S bar and the 22mm JDMITR bar are probably best for our cars with stock shocks and stock or aftermarket springs.

If you are running the progress rear bar or are planning to, I think the 27MM front bar they offer is your best choice.

The progress rear bar will feel very good and give great balance in the corners (a little oversteer is balanced to me), but this bar will give little or no warning of snap oversteer and on wet or dirty or uneven pavement many will find themselves in the ditch without warning with this setup.

Please don't believe that a bigger rear bar is always better, and don't think that putting on a bigger front bar is bad either. If you opt for the progress front bar though, you must add a larger rear bar or you are wasting your money, your car will become an understeering pig if you have the stock 15mm rear bar.

02SilverSiHB
11-23-2002, 08:47 AM
Originally posted by ColinCivicSiR
A larger front bar is bad sometimes. From what I have read the Progress kit for the EP is well designed and balanced when you get the 27mm front bar and the 22mm rear bar with the cross brace.

I have not yet driven an EP with the progress bar but knowing how tail happy mine can be with the 19mm RSX-S bar I think the 19mm stock RSX-S bar and the 22mm JDMITR bar are probably best for our cars with stock shocks and stock or aftermarket springs.

If you are running the progress rear bar or are planning to, I think the 27MM front bar they offer is your best choice.

The progress rear bar will feel very good and give great balance in the corners (a little oversteer is balanced to me), but this bar will give little or no warning of snap oversteer and on wet or dirty or uneven pavement many will find themselves in the ditch without warning with this setup.

Please don't believe that a bigger rear bar is always better, and don't think that putting on a bigger front bar is bad either. If you opt for the progress front bar though, you must add a larger rear bar or you are wasting your money, your car will become an understeering pig if you have the stock 15mm rear bar.
yeah, I know what ya mean about going into a ditch, happened to my last car, no warning at all, just bam.....spin,spin,spin,spin, see ya :D
As for the front bar, I think I will get the whole setup from progress, as with this car, I find the rear to swing around even with just the stock bar setup.

Cone Killer
11-23-2002, 09:30 AM
Originally posted by ColinCivicSiR
Please don't believe that a bigger rear bar is always better, and don't think that putting on a bigger front bar is bad either. If you opt for the progress front bar though, you must add a larger rear bar or you are wasting your money, your car will become an understeering pig if you have the stock 15mm rear bar.

well...here we are driving a front wheel drive car that inherently has understeer. So I add a rear bar to counter the understeer. So why would I want to go back and INCREAS the understeer if I just got a rear bar to do the opposite. I understand that this does not work for every car, but I'm only talking about one car, our car. So, to me "a little oversteer is balanced to me" is not what I want. I don't see the logic in trying to add a stiffer rate to both ends of the car. All you get is what you started with, but stiffer all around. A bar that big in the front WILL give you understeer, and the entire point in getting a rear bar is to get rid of understeer.

natesi
11-23-2002, 01:44 PM
I was thinking it would be nice to put in a larger rear sway bar, but I don't want to do anything extreme. Our car has WAY too much body roll.

How much difference did just the RSX rear sway bar make?

How much time does it take to switch? Is using the existing rubber "bushing" things (like you did) bad?

ColinCivicSiR
11-23-2002, 01:47 PM
Originally posted by Cone Killer


All you get is what you started with, but stiffer all around. A bar that big in the front WILL give you understeer, and the entire point in getting a rear bar is to get rid of understeer.

A 27mm bar will cause our cars to understeer more, IF you do not change the rear bar. BUT we are talking about changing the rear bar as well. Having a 27mm front bar and a 22mm rear bar from the progress kit is about the same as having the 19mm rear bar with the 25.4mm that you have on your car now. So the progress setup will be more balanced than our cars are stock and it will lean less in the front too without causing more understeer.

Cone Killer
11-23-2002, 02:52 PM
Originally posted by ColinCivicSiR


A 27mm bar will cause our cars to understeer more, IF you do not change the rear bar. BUT we are talking about changing the rear bar as well. Having a 27mm front bar and a 22mm rear bar from the progress kit is about the same as having the 19mm rear bar with the 25.4mm that you have on your car now. So the progress setup will be more balanced than our cars are stock and it will lean less in the front too without causing more understeer.

well...this may or may not be true...but I'm not going to do it, and in talking to other autocross champs, been not advised to go any higher than the stock front size . Just to point this out....the GRM sts Si does not have an upgraded front sway bar.

Cone Killer
11-23-2002, 03:07 PM
Originally posted by natesi
I was thinking it would be nice to put in a larger rear sway bar, but I don't want to do anything extreme. Our car has WAY too much body roll.

How much difference did just the RSX rear sway bar make?

How much time does it take to switch? Is using the existing rubber "bushing" things (like you did) bad?

It made a noticible difference. The rear was didn't bounce much at all rolling over speed bumps. The RSX bar was very easy to do. The progress one was semi-easy, but took much longer because of the bolts that I replaced that hold the lower arm to the chasi. I don't think using the smaller bushings is bad, but it would have been easier to to put together with the right size.

spoon3168
11-23-2002, 11:44 PM
ur car is not lower yet right???, if not lower yet ur muffler pipe is going to hit the stabilizer bar when u lower it

fishboy
11-23-2002, 11:51 PM
thanks for the input guys. you guys really know your stuff. i am still shopping around for a rear sway, but i am narrowing it down to either the mugen or this progress. and i will probably leave the front one alone.:)

spoon3168
11-23-2002, 11:56 PM
Originally posted by fishboy
thanks for the input guys. you guys really know your stuff. i am still shopping around for a rear sway, but i am narrowing it down to either the mugen or this progress. and i will probably leave the front one alone.:)
man for the money i might go for JDM DC5 R one instead...coz i think mugen is 25mm ur tail be too happy and is overpriced.... the DC5 R is 22mm i think is $175 US.. EP3 R is 18mm i believe..i don't know anything about the progress? and how much even it cost

JSIR
11-23-2002, 11:56 PM
Fishboy, it looks like the Progress kit is better engineered than the Mugen system. The Progress kit gives you the extra support plate integrated as a tie bar, as well as the side brackets to keep the bar from shifting. You won't get that with the Mugen, I think the Progress kit will be safer from sub-frame damage due to the extra parts.

Cone Killer
11-24-2002, 08:23 AM
Originally posted by spoon3168

man for the money i might go for JDM DC5 R one instead...coz i think mugen is 25mm ur tail be too happy and is overpriced.... the DC5 R is 22mm i think is $175 US.. EP3 R is 18mm i believe..i don't know anything about the progress? and how much even it cost

Progress is a 22mm also and cost less than the DC5 R. I got mine from here (http://www.mmrusa.com/prosway.htm) for 169.95

Cone Killer
11-24-2002, 08:31 AM
Originally posted by spoon3168
ur car is not lower yet right???, if not lower yet ur muffler pipe is going to hit the stabilizer bar when u lower it

I don't think I'll lower it yet. If I do it will only be with the pro kit.

spoon3168
11-24-2002, 10:59 AM
Originally posted by Cone Killer


Progress is a 22mm also and cost less than the DC5 R. I got mine from here (http://www.mmrusa.com/prosway.htm) for 169.95
how u like it now, does it kick out alot or a bit, when u fast corner?? hmm.. i'm still deciding, i might go for buddy club coil over...they are 10k front and 14 k rear

02SilverSiHB
11-24-2002, 12:37 PM
Originally posted by spoon3168
ur car is not lower yet right???, if not lower yet ur muffler pipe is going to hit the stabilizer bar when u lower it
? you're kidding right!? lowering his car is not going to cause the muffler to come closer to the sway bar :rolleyes:

Cone Killer
11-24-2002, 01:09 PM
Originally posted by 02SilverSiHB

? you're kidding right!? lowering his car is not going to cause the muffler to come closer to the sway bar :rolleyes:

right...the sway bar goes behind the muffler but if I was crazy and slammed it, the sway bar might hit the b-pipe.

02SilverSiHB
11-24-2002, 01:14 PM
Originally posted by Cone Killer


right...the sway bar goes behind the muffler but if I was crazy and slammed it, the sway bar might hit the b-pipe.
yeah, if it does hit, you could also just get an aftermarket exhaust....like that DC twin fart can one :D

fishboy
11-24-2002, 01:41 PM
Originally posted by 02SilverSiHB

....like that DC twin fart can one :D

you love it!!! :D :D :D

i always hit the edit button instead of the quote button. does anybody else do this? or is it just me?:confused:

spoon3168
11-24-2002, 07:30 PM
Originally posted by Cone Killer


I don't think I'll lower it yet. If I do it will only be with the pro kit.
ohh yeah by the way how much u pay for the lower tie bar ??

spoon3168
11-24-2002, 07:35 PM
Originally posted by 02SilverSiHB

? you're kidding right!? lowering his car is not going to cause the muffler to come closer to the sway bar :rolleyes:

i wasn't talking about the muffler coming closer to the stabilizer bar, i was talking about the muffler piping...

Cone Killer
11-24-2002, 08:46 PM
Originally posted by spoon3168

ohh yeah by the way how much u pay for the lower tie bar ??

Came with the sway bar...I don't think it makes any difference.

spoon3168
11-24-2002, 09:17 PM
Originally posted by Cone Killer


Came with the sway bar...I don't think it makes any difference.
oh ok thank for the info
how u like it now, does it kick out alot or a bit, when u fast corner?? hmm.. i'm still deciding, i might go for buddy club coil over...they are 10k front and 14 k rear

Cone Killer
11-25-2002, 05:29 AM
Originally posted by spoon3168

oh ok thank for the info
how u like it now, does it kick out alot or a bit, when u fast corner?? hmm.. i'm still deciding, i might go for buddy club coil over...they are 10k front and 14 k rear

I would say so far, not a big difference over the RSX bar. The car still has a tendency to understeer, but this is all irrelevant because I haven't gone to the track yet and seen what happens with my Falken Azenis on. There is no "snap" oversteer or kick as you call it, very streetable.

natesi
11-25-2002, 06:30 PM
Did just the RSX rear sway bar cause oversteer? Would it be a problem for a regular driver like me? I just want to get rid of most the body roll--it sucks.

Cone Killer
11-25-2002, 07:30 PM
Originally posted by natesi
Did just the RSX rear sway bar cause oversteer? Would it be a problem for a regular driver like me? I just want to get rid of most the body roll--it sucks.

I would say it reduces understeer more than creats oversteer. Not a problem for a regular driver as it is a stock honda part.

Quicksilver
12-09-2002, 12:25 AM
Cone Killer - How'd you get a dark grey sway bar like that? I just got mine and it's that dark turqoise color like in the pictures on Progress' website. Not that you can really see it without laying on the ground, but I was just curious if you painted yours or something.

Thanks,

Suk02Si
12-09-2002, 03:56 AM
the Neuspeed bar is supposed to be very similar to the Progress. It looks good though, I might have to get one soon.

Cone Killer
12-09-2002, 05:54 AM
Originally posted by Quicksilver
Cone Killer - How'd you get a dark grey sway bar like that? I just got mine and it's that dark turqoise color like in the pictures on Progress' website. Not that you can really see it without laying on the ground, but I was just curious if you painted yours or something.

Thanks,

I dunno....that's how it came.