Suspension Techniques Anti-Sway Bar Endlinks.

There's been a lot of confusion regarding how to install the Anti-Sway Bar endlinks and their function.

Here's a very simple guide.


Here is the endlink how it SHOULD be bolted in. The holes in the bracket are used to determine the firm/soft of the bar. To make the ***-end of the car to pivot easier, move the bracket down and bolt it in the "firm" hole. This essentially reduces the amount of roll and travel of the anti-sway bar. The bracket has a lip that is suppose to use the shock as leverage.
This image is with the rear bumper closest to you, on the passenger side.


Top view of the endlink. You can tell how it's bolted together with the spacers.
You can also see the three holes in the sway bar.


Facing the outside of the vehicle, this shows the three holes in the anti-sway bar.
To reduce understeer, move the endlink towards "stiff".

To stiffest setting would be:
"Stiff-Firm". Stiff being the hole on the anti-sway bar that is furthest from the end of the bar and "Firm" being the shock braket hole on top.

The loosest setting would be:
"Loose-Soft". Loose, being the hole on the anti-sway bar that is at the end of the bar and "Soft" being the lower hole on the shock bracket.


As you can see, my bar is set at "Neutral-Soft". The car pivots predictably and handles rather nicely.


Here is how some people have installed it (including me):

http://kazs.info/kam/images/suspension/swaybarlink.jpg
Now, in the above pic, this is not necessarily WRONG. I ran this way for a good year and a half and had NO problems. However, for those nit-pickers, this is essentially "incorrect". If you have it installed this way, don't fret unless it really bugs you. It's actually EASIER to change the settings on the bar this way, since you don't have to remove the shock bracket to adjust the "firm-soft" setting.


http://kazs.info/kam/images/suspension/swaybarlink2.jpg
Here is the lip on the shock bracket that is "suppose" to be against the shock.


To recap, the first pictures are how the bar was intended to be installed. It doesn't mean it won't function properly installed in the later pictures.

The Sway Bar Page
The rest of my articles






[Modified by Driven, 9:27 AM 3/27/2003]

 

Why do some ST bars I see have normal poly bushings on the endlinks and some of them have the endlinks like in your pics? My friend will soon order one and we'd like to know what to ask for to get the one like yours. Is it just adjustable vs. non-adjustable?

 

i don't think so tim. if you look at how swaybar spring rate is determined, those two holes on the bracket don't come into the equation anywhere.

nate-who isn't really impressed with st products


[Modified by solo-x, 6:59 PM 3/27/2003]

 

You're thinking of the rear vs the front. the front has a poly bushing where as the rear is spherical.

 

If you move the bracket down and bolt the bracket in the upper hole, it essentially reduces the travel of the swaybar.

Try it.

 

if anything it will only increase the chances of the bar binding. i've tried that, it ain't fun.

nate-now where are those damn links to how a swaybar works....

 

Nice idea, but wrong. The two holes allow for different suspension heights. As you lower or raise the suspension the working distance from the anti sway bar pivot and shock mounting bolt changes. The working minimum/maximum length the end link is quite small. Moving the bracket on the lower shock mount keeps the distance between the pivot point and shock mount within the working length of the end link.

The placement of the bracket does not affect the bar stiffness, it does affect the lever arm angle or the amount of work the end link is applying to the bar.




[Modified by DB1-R81, 12:00 PM 3/27/2003]

 

Actually, I was reffering to this: http://hybrid2.honda-perf.org/tech/swaybars.html



Maybe this is just how the 5th gen bar is.

 

that's the idea i was trying to convey.

But, with my testing (actually lowering the bracket), it makes the rear of the car to rotate quicker.

Mind you, no other changes were made. So, I'm basing my knowledge on track experience/real world application.

 

Most likely. 2g CRXs/4g Civics don't bolt to the chassis in that location. some of the guys tend to jerry-rig a ITR bar on their CRX/Civic, which bolts as show in the picture. Not ideal, but it works.

 

good work, but the bottom endlink mount is supposed to be on the other side of the bracket that bolts to the shock. you should check to see if anything is binding there how you have it.

 

When I originally bolted it up, that was one of my concerns, but, it doesn't bind whatsoever. I actually had a camera under the car under some cornering exercises. No issues, but it was an interesting video.

I tried to install the endlinks as you described and it would rub against the bracket...


[Modified by Driven, 10:02 PM 3/27/2003]

 

Thank you very much, very informative and helpful.

 

good job man... thanks for helping others

 

Is the sway bar suppose to be installed with suspension loaded or unloaded? And I can't figure out what length the endlinks are suppose to be adjusted to.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Driven &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">&lt;BLOCKQUOTE&gt;quote:&lt;HR&gt; I actually had a camera under the car under some cornering exercises. No issues, but it was an interesting video.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

do you have the video? i always wanted to see suspensions in action. i even enjoy watching peoples wheels in motion on lowered cars on the freeway heh

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Eggman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Is the sway bar suppose to be installed with suspension loaded or unloaded? And I can't figure out what length the endlinks are suppose to be adjusted to.</TD></TR></TABLE>

loaded

 

Those bracket holes are not going to effect the "rate" of the bar in any way.

If changing it makes the rear of the car feel stiffer in any way its because its binding or rubbing on something.

The three holes in the bar itself are the only holes that effect how the bar works when properly installed and not binding. The information given here is correct.

 

here's how i did mine, its the same as driven's but with the endlink on the other side of the bracket. i don't think it makes a difference and I am experiencing no binding, just squeaking from i think the bushings.

 

i guess i installed mine wrong then...i didnt have instructions, but i mounted that little L bracket with the two holes to where the original sway bra link goes to on the LCA arm...how bad is this?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by crxgator &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i guess i installed mine wrong then...i didnt have instructions, but i mounted that little L bracket with the two holes to where the original sway bra link goes to on the LCA arm...how bad is this?</TD></TR></TABLE>
it's not.

Don't worry about it. If you have the bolts on tight, the bracket won't move. I autocrossed my crx with the way you had it installed for nearly 2 years without a problem.

 

will i get rid of more understeer with the way yours is setup? i have the bar in neutral and the bracket on "softest"...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by crxgator &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">will i get rid of more understeer with the way yours is setup? i have the bar in neutral and the bracket on "softest"...</TD></TR></TABLE>
Stiffen the rear bar up and you'll reduce the understeer.

loosen/soften, and you'll get more.

just play around with it until you get it to a setting you like. Real world experience is going to teach you far more than anything ever typed in this forum!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by carsaregood &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">here's how i did mine, its the same as driven's but with the endlink on the other side of the bracket. i don't think it makes a difference and I am experiencing no binding, just squeaking from i think the bushings.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

I have my endlink exactly like this and it binds up alot. Its scareing the crap outta my girlfriend and it scares me when ever it makes a popping sound. It looks like the paint on the bracket right around where the nut is, in the above pic, is scrapped off. That leads me to believe thats where the binding is taking place.

I can't see Driven's pics but should I just switch the side that the endlink is on the bracket? If its still popping I guess I'll end up placing the bracket on the old LCA mounting spot.

Old post, but a good post.

 

Yep! Good post, but no pics anymore!