Run Away

Hello all,

Today I installed a blox 20mm rear sway bar on my '99 Civic Si with an ASR rear brace. The brackets supplied by blox look identical to the factory ones, and are not compatible with the ASR brace as bolt spacing is different and the ASR brace also pushes the bar towards the rear by a couple inches.
I used a set of universal energy suspension sway bar brackets and bushings to fix this. My issue now is that the blox rear bar has a small bend right where the bushings end up (when centered), and this makes my sway bar want to slide to one side.
Here's a couple pictures showing evidence of the bend...see the gap between the bushing and bar circled in yellow?



So I took it for a quick spin around the block (clockwise, all right turns) and took a look under and found unsurprisingly the bar had slid over.
Sway bar in bushings after sliding over:

Passenger side after:

Drivers side after:



Now my best bet is probably to get an ITR bar like everyone else as I know it'll work, but I'm cheap and I've waited through several setbacks to get this bar on so I'm wondering what everyone's thoughts are on putting on some shaft collars (or a strip of rubber and a hose clamp) to keep the bar centered? I know Nissan uses shaft collars from the factory on some of their sway bars. I'd probably go through bushings pretty quick, but would there be any other side-effects? Maybe just for the last 2 autox weekends this year then change it over in winter. Co-driving an STS '95 Neon ACR has ruined driving my car for me.

dirty19

iTrader: (1)

Can you shoot some pics of the end links, and LCA's?
With the gap in the brackets and holes not lining up, it seems it was a bad combo from the start.
Im wondering if the endlinks are partially to blame.

Run Away

What specifically are you looking for? Both the endlinks and lower control arms are stock EM1 parts.
The holes not lining up is pretty normal, adapting ITR sway bars on EK chassis have the same issue/fix. I guess it just turns out ITR bars do not have that small bend in that location.

dirty19

iTrader: (1)

The end links also allow play that let the sway bar move.

alphalanos

Im pretty sure the energy bushings are 22mm

DB2-R81

First off it's an anti-sway bar, second, that what end links are designed to do.

Put two split collars on the bar inside the U brackets for a temporary fix and purchase a bar that fits your bolt mounting and brackets on the ASR brace for next year.

Calif_Kid

If your rear bushings are indeed too large for the swaybar, then you might want to go with greaseable rear bushings. I got mine at Amazon like:

http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Suspens...515460&sr=8-22

As far as the swaybar shifting sideways, some swaybars have built in collars to prevent that. My swaybar didn't, so I ended up buying a few shaft collars from McMaster Carr like you and DB2-R81 mentioned - the shaft collars are listed in the Metric Two Piece Clamp On section in the following webpage:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#shaft-collars/=dt8c4q

I've heard that some people get large washers welded on the swaybar to prevent the sideways movement, but I went with the clamp on shaft collars, and they're working fine. I think that you would probably need to put them outside the rear bushings as there probably isn't enough clearance between the sway bar and the ASR brace to the inside of the bushing.

PS - I had the same type of issue with my sway bar shifting to one side with the thread being https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...ight=calif_kid

- Jim

dirty19

iTrader: (1)

With the correct bushings and some adjustable endlinks this wont happen.
Adjustable ones take alot of play out.
Jim.. those greaseable bushings are the best. Keeps the bar from binding hence it doesnt become a third spring.

STN_Pat

the progress has removable O-ring on the bar to keep it from moving.

the ASR has some kind of welded stopper.

chaging the D bracket won't help in anyway

shaft collar Calif Kid has posted is the solution

descartesfool

Sway bars should have welded stops as shown in picture. But when they don't, as others have said, add split shaft collars. Whiteline makes the fancy gold ones. Try McMaster Carr.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#shaft-collars/=dtf90w

dirty19

iTrader: (1)

Excellent post. this kills all possible ways for it to move.
I like these solutions.

Run Away

You can get energy suspension bushings anywhere from 13mm to 32mm.
http://www.energysuspension.com/prod...-Bushings.html

I'm using the 20mm bushings - part # 9.5124
Thank you, this is pretty much what I figure I'll do. My concern was weather or not forcing the bar to be centered with shaft collars would cause any issues with handling, as it means the D bushings are on a a slightly curved section of the bar.

dirty19

iTrader: (1)

The only real way the sway becomes a third spring and causes more stiffness than is wanted is when it binds. But the energy suspension bushings take care of it with lubrication.

Check out Jim's link above we covered on this subject a while back.
It helped cure my issues.