this should be easier... searched but noone seems to be using it.

i've been dd/autoxing the progress 22 mm non-adjustable bar w/ the oem-type poly endlinks for the last 8 years on my 91 crx. tokico 5ways/gc 400/500 without any subframe issues, though i do have a lower tie bar.

i'm building another h1/hpde (also some autox) crx and will be changing to an adjustable bar w/ spherical endlinks. ad shocks w/ ers 500/750.

so the question...

has anyone got any experience w/ the progress competition bar?
http://www.progressauto.com/Ci...s.htm
the one on the right...

i'm not sure how the design compares with the st design and i'd like to hear some thoughts concerning the difference in mounting points. (subframe vs the st brackets) and see some pics of it on a car.

i'm also concerned about the mounting point on the bottom of the shock on either bar, as the ad fork isn't straight and flat like most shocks.

thoughts? flames?

 

im intersted in the same question... especially since i already own one (except its sitting on the work bench instead of under the car)

 

The only comment I've heard was a complaint about the adjustable feature... instead of having individual holes like many bars, the bar is just slotted, relying on clamping force to prevent the endlink from sliding.

 

I raced with one on my crx for 2 seasons. The adjustable feature is not an issue, I liked the slotted version over the "3 hole design" allow me to adjust in small increments rather than be stuck with the pre-drilled holes.

I had no problems with the bar, I also welded the mounting brackets to the subframe vs. using the 10mm self tapping bolt that comes with the kit.

As for pics, umm....geezz would have to pull several old video tapes to find you a pic, didn't get a standard digital camera untill last week.

As long as you weld the mounting tab to the subframe, you won't have an issue. I also had to mount the shocks carefully, due to the supplied bracket, the bottom of the shocks (koni's) have the nut welded on so you must rotate the shock 180 degrees, it was no big deal.

On a semi wet track, (mid ohio misting rain), i found the bar to be perfectly suited to my needs for the road racing spring rates i used, pretty stiff in the rear, semi soft up front....

If you really have to have pics, I can attempt to find them on my video camera.

I sell them and install them at my shop on all crx's i work on, that is how much I approve of them.

 

i have an adjustable bar on my integra. the endlink slipped last time i was autoxing, therefore i pretty much did my last runs w/o a sway bar. i haven't really had much of a chance to tinker with the settings itself, since i just set it at mid stiffness and left it as is. i do wonder though, on how well the bar transfers energy and torsion due to the design of the endlink. the endlink consists of a lot of pieces assembled together and i feel like there is a lot of places for movement. maybe someone else with similar experience can elaborate on it. for the most part, i think its a good sway bar, but if i had to do it again, id get a standard 22mm that isnt adjustable.

 

chris- thanks for the info. you answered everything clearly and i'm quite familiar with the car so don't kill yourself for the pics. i am still a little unclear on the way the endlink mounts as the progress pic doesnt show all of the hardware, but i'm assuming it uses the same L-brackets at the bottom of the shock fork as their other bars. also- check im, as i have been meaning to get in touch with you for a while.

sdchump- could you elaborate on the endlink design a little more? i've never actually held that particular link, but it looks like a solid spherical link, that would only allow movement in the directions you want it to while providing much better energy transfer than a oem-poly type link. is it a tolerance issue?

 

its not so much the portion of the endlink that the bar attaches to via a bolt. its more of the overall endlink itself. the endlink is basically two heim joints screwed into a threaded barrel. that allows for adjustment up and down for the length of the endlink itself, but i feel it allows for more movement. My main problem is with the way that the endlink attaches to the lower control arm. Basically, a bolt goes through the lower mounting point of the shock and holds a piece of L-shaped steel. Then another bolt, bolts into that to hold a U-shaped piece of steel, that forms the bottom 'cup' that the endlink goes through. That bottom U-shaped piece can be seen in the picture of the endlink on the progress website. so my main problem is that connection between the L-shaped piece and the U-shaped piece. Even with the bolt tight, the U-shaped piece turns under force so that allows some movement. Also, the endlink isnt held in very tight, due to the method they use. The endlink is held by a bolt applying pressure to the endlink via the U-shaped metal piece and a couple of spacers. Therefore, with enough force, the endlink can move back and forth, on the axis of the bolt. With all this motion, i.e. twisting and a back-forth motion, i wonder how much force is lost and what kind of delay in response there is when im going through a bunch of different turns in succession.

I hope some of this made sense. Let me know if you want me to elaborate or if someone else has had experience, please throw in your two cents.

 

 

well that post was supposed to show you how Progress uses their heim joint system on the rear bar, but the link didn't post.

If you go to http://wwww.progressauto.com and click on their systems for roll bars, you'll see how the slider system is employed.

Mine never slipped on me and I follwed the recommended torque value that came in the directions, I believe it was about 12-15 lbs. I believe, but don't hang me if my memory lets me down.

chris