I just installed my RSB yesterday and am pretty happy about it. I'm waiting to install the Progress Springs. Here are some pics during installation. I took manxman's advice and used Red Loctite 271. I used to have something mounted in the engine compartment of my previous car with a nylon nut which still ended up vibrating lose and falling off somewhere over time. Here are some pics during installation. Took about 1-2 hours to install. Didn't take note of time. I would have save myself some time if I had taken off the wheels but I was too anxious to install the bar. My car is filty atm but i plan on washing it later this week :P.

 

I have mine on the way from New Edge, and from these reviews I am super stoked to get it.

Question: With stock springs does anyone see a need for that hardware kit that Panducky offers? What about with aftermarket springs?
Secondly: Does a front strut bar offer some additional benefits when running the Progress rear sway/is one still recommended?

 

from the readings the progress hardware works fine on stock springs.
as for my DF210's i needed to use lower profile bolt heads.

the front stb is a nice feature to have. highly recommend. there is
a very noticable difference given that you get the right kind. i
have a cusco.

 

i have that hardware kit on for use with the swift springs, well worth the 11 bucks after shipping, i don't think that progress hardware would have worked with the swifts. i had the progress hardware with the stock springs, worked fine too.

bars are suspension tuning tools. i wouldn't get the front one unless you are trying to achieve a particular handling response and that you know exactly what handling response you'll get relative to the stock bar. i think it would be a waste of money to get it for any other reason.

 

kenchan was referring to the Cusco strut tower bar, and it appears that your reply was referring to the BE Front Anti Sway bar. Two entirely different things. I agree with your assessment of combining both the Progress rear bar AND the BE front bar. Not a good idea. You spend a fortune, and the result will be the loss of most of the gains that just one of the sway bars would provide. "If one is good, two is better"----NO.

 

manxman - yah, i did not even assume he was talking about getting
a front sway bar given the understeer i still have from the rear
progress sway bar.

thanks for the clarification.

 

To echo manxman and everybody sharing his opinion.
Stronger/thicker front SB will give you more pronounced/direct turn in crispness, but will create a lot more unwanted understeer even with rear Progress SB!
FYI: I purchased ST front and rear SB for my CRX dozen years ago, but I ended up with a stock front SB and ST rear SB to achieve desired level of oversteer. That is with Koni yellows, too. Now CRX steps the back end out just on lifting off the throttle and tucks back in going back on throttle. No, I do not brake for turns at all with soft compound tires! Koni's are almost full stiff on the back and medium stiff up front.

I am hunting for an even stronger rear SB than Progress for even more oversteer effect since manxman and everybody here states Progress bar leans more toward neutral handling rather than oversteering car. AutoX is my goal and inflating rear tires to bursting point is not the best way to get oversteer, IMO! Last resort would be to get a straight bar in metal shop and put to good use 12 ton pipe bender I have in garage and make one myself. That would give me the freedom of designing adjustable attachment end links for fine tuning.

 

did any of you with eibach pro spings need new hardware to install this bar? i should be receiving mine tomorrow.

 

I recall a post from someone who did require different than stock Progress fasteners, to install the Progress bar with Eibachs. Might have been member "Hocker", but he was instrumental in getting the Panducky bolt kit made to solve the problem. Look through this ten mile long thread and you will find the fastener/spring discussions.

 

Ordered mine today from New Edge...thanks!
Order number 10458.

 

ciburri- im not sure which class you're racing auto-x (nor am i familar
with the rules), but you should invest in some coilovers and try different
spring rate offerings and damp settings from the manufacturer(s).

be much easier than fabricating a new bar... also, how is your rear
toe and camber angles? might want to look into that shimming them
up maybe? im sure you're running around -2 camber up front with
perhaps -0.01 to -0.02 degree toe out each side?

how about running different tire sizes front and back? is that allowed
in your events? most touge bound setups use wider tires in the front
and narrower tires on the back.

you dont need to type out your setup to me. just suggestions. you
type a lot.

 

Thanks very much guys. I was in fact referring to running a front STRUT tower bar with the rear sway, and was curious about that set-up, as it seems nearly everyone has a font strut bar already. I learned from Ivan's very informative and detailed posts that rear AND front sway is not a good set-up-- front cancels out benefit gained from rear.

One interesting note (I am still learning so I ask a lot of questions/talk to different folks), Ben at AJ's said he does not recommend a rear sway on a lowered Fit, but rather he suggests a front sway with dialed in camber adjustments (camber bolt, etc.). He had this whole understeer/oversteer experience laid out that made sense, but perhaps was a little more track oriented. He might not have used the Progress bar either, which I understand has some unique characteristics over other rear sways. I mean, Ben seems to really know what he is talking about, yet the positive feedback from everyone using the Progress bar is pretty undeniable.

I am learning that indeed there is more than one way to achieve improved performance
.

 

Also, remember that the Progress bar costs around $140.00 with no sweat, quick installation. The fat BE front replacement sway bar requires EXTENSIVE labor for installation. If someone else installs it, one U.S. member paid over $500.00 for the BE bar, shipping, and installation.

 

If you're talking a Strut bar, not a sway bar, it may have some small effect on rigidity, but shouldn't change the overall balance of the car. There are people who say no change with one, and people who say otherwise. For a front sway bar, that's been covered above.

 

on top of what manxman said, most people like me are using progressive
rate springs which are fine for street use, but linear is wat most race
oriented folks use. the characteristics of the two springs are completely
different.

linear you get instant load response where as progressive takes a little
compression before the spring is fully loaded...by that time the car's
weight and cog has shifted and who knows where the cog is when
you run lower spring rates with under damped shocks.

 

YAY, just ordered mine today w/ free shipping!! can't wait to slap this baby in...

 

man!!! i hate how ups comes around 6:30-7ish in my area. the wait is killing me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I feel your pain- I'm the last stop on the UPS route in this area. On the other hand, if they delivered at 10:00 am, somebody could steal your package off the porch before you got home.

 

I hear you man. I was itching to install my sway bar before I left to my parent's house and had to wait til 6:38pm to get mine. I just put the stuff in my car and drove to my parents. Didn't install them til Sunday and I got it Friday nite. You'll definitely feel a difference in the way the car handles. I got both the springs and sway bar but i'm waiting on installing the springs. Just sitting there in my room taunting me to install them.

 

well it looks like i have to get the hardware kit...installed it but had lots of noise. handled great though. now the wait continues.....