I have a Progress rear anti-sway bar and love it. A 24mm front sway bar seems like perhaps the next step. Has anyone installed a BLOX or BE-RS 24mm front sway bar with or without a Progress rear. I am interested in your impressions. They are more expensive and from the manual look quite a bit harder to install.

If you have installation information there is already a DIY front sway bar thread that needs a response.

Thanks,

Larry

 

Don't use the diameter of any sway bar as an indicator of anything. Depending on the manufacturer, a large diameter bar can have a lower spring rate, and be softer, than a smaller diameter bar from a different manufacturer. Rather than buy a completely new front bar with unknown handling changes, try replacing the rubber stock front bar bushings with after-market polyurethane bushings, to stiffen the front end. Same amount of labor, but much less expensive and guaranteed improvement.

 

Makes sense.

Do you know who makes a set? The end link bushings are the molded in type, and the manual picture looks like the bar bushings have a lug on the bottom that the generic ones don't have.

 

My experience with after-market polyurethane sway bar bushings comes from off-road trucks/SUV's. I have not really looked into replacing my Fit's stock bushings yet, but intend to in the near future. There are several manufacturers of replacement bushings, and a quick Google search will turn up a lot of info. The VERY BEST that I have used in the past is "Energy Suspension". But to see if they have a generic busing set that would work, you need to measure your front bar diameter in the area covered by the busings, and measure the mounting "hoop" brackets for length, width, depth. bolt hole spacing and diameter. In a lot of cases, if you can find a generic bushing/bracket combination that is generally OK, the lack of a lug (for proper location or other reasons) may not prevent proper operation.

If you do find something that looks OK dimensionally, make sure that the after-market bushing material has either graphite or Teflon mixed into the polyurethane for "anti-squeak" lubrication. Some bushings come with zerk fittings to allow grease to be applied and reapplied, but I don't think that we can reach the fittings for lubrication once the bar has been completely reassembled.

It is just possible that they already have a set of replacement bushings for the Fit front bar. I will take a look at their web site and sizing chart when I have a little more time, and will edit this post with a link to the Energy site.

 

My only experience is also on 4 x 4's. For $20-30 and a couple of busted knuckles I may take the plunge.

Also, I did not mean that the 24mm was of significance, but that is what I have seen adds for. I would like to know if anyone has had positive results with an aftermarket front sway bar, especially with a Progress rear.

Thanks again,

 

I will be following this thread looking for the answers to your questions, because I am interested as well. If replacing the front bar justifies itself, it would be worth the price. I think Sugarfreak (?) in Canada is trying to get a group buy going for the only after-market front bar that has been discussed in the forums.

 

The service manual states that you have to "remove the front subframe from the body" which sounded like trouble. I figured there was probably a way to snake the bar out without doing that, so I did a little exploratory today.

It is really tight, and I think you will have to remove the subframe to get the bar out. You have to remove four bolts and lower the subframe with a jack. I think you may be able to change out the rubber bushings to polyurathane without touching the subframe, but it would be best to have smaller hands than I have.

So anyway, the front bar replacement is nothing like the breeze the Progress installation was. Also, they say do not reuse the 4 special bolts that hold the subframe to the body. Buy new ones

 

They are about $5 USD each so you are looking at $20 USD just for the bolts.