Progress sway bar + perches review/picz
#1
Progress sway bar + perches review/picz
I just finished installing the Progress perches + rear anti-sway bar. I didn't know what to expect performance wise, but I was pleasantly surprised! You can feel the stiffness right away and take hard turns with much more confidence! I can't believe how solid the car feels now! I highly recommend this mod.
Overall, the install was easy! It took approximately 1.5 hrs. The instructions say to put the car on stands and take off both wheels... I didn't see the need or advantage to this.
Here is how I did the install:
1. Jack car up and place two (2) 4x4" side by side under each back wheel and lower completely. This seemed to give me the proper height to get under the car and places the suspension in its "normal" stance. If wheels are left hanging, bar is impossible to install.
2. Take off ALL factory hardware with 12mm and 14mm sockets. Therez really no particular order to this, just save all bolts/nuts since anything that bolts back to frame is needed.
3. Bolt perches to frame with factory bolts. These are the only factory bolts you re-use.
4. Bolt sway bar to perches with clamp. Make sure you grease (supplied) the INSIDE of the D-shaped rubber bushing that goes over the bar and in between clamps. Don't tighten completely!!! You'll see why later.
NOTE: be sure sway bar is facing correct way, or you'll have to unbolt everything just to turn it around!!! Ends face front of car, bend goes down!
5. This is the tricky part. Install ends this way (refer to pic): bolt end, washer, rubber bushing (nipple down), sway bar end, rubber bushing(nipple up), washer, spacer, washer, rubber bushing (this last bushing sits on washer welded to axle).
Now, underneath the axle where bolt comes out, finish like this: washer, rubber bushing, washer, nut.
Herez the challenge. That bolt is barely long enough for all of that. You have to squeeze everything together as hard as you can to start the nut a few turns. Now don't tighten it yet. Do the exact same thing on the other side.
6. Tighten step 5 down until you see about 1/8" of the bolt on the other side of nut. This seems to be the proper amount on my car. Don't forget to tighten step 4 too!
DONE!!!! After you drive it around a little, make sure and check everything is still nice and tight. If you look throught the rims, you can see the end of the bolt underneath the axle.
Overall, the install was easy! It took approximately 1.5 hrs. The instructions say to put the car on stands and take off both wheels... I didn't see the need or advantage to this.
Here is how I did the install:
1. Jack car up and place two (2) 4x4" side by side under each back wheel and lower completely. This seemed to give me the proper height to get under the car and places the suspension in its "normal" stance. If wheels are left hanging, bar is impossible to install.
2. Take off ALL factory hardware with 12mm and 14mm sockets. Therez really no particular order to this, just save all bolts/nuts since anything that bolts back to frame is needed.
3. Bolt perches to frame with factory bolts. These are the only factory bolts you re-use.
4. Bolt sway bar to perches with clamp. Make sure you grease (supplied) the INSIDE of the D-shaped rubber bushing that goes over the bar and in between clamps. Don't tighten completely!!! You'll see why later.
NOTE: be sure sway bar is facing correct way, or you'll have to unbolt everything just to turn it around!!! Ends face front of car, bend goes down!
5. This is the tricky part. Install ends this way (refer to pic): bolt end, washer, rubber bushing (nipple down), sway bar end, rubber bushing(nipple up), washer, spacer, washer, rubber bushing (this last bushing sits on washer welded to axle).
Now, underneath the axle where bolt comes out, finish like this: washer, rubber bushing, washer, nut.
Herez the challenge. That bolt is barely long enough for all of that. You have to squeeze everything together as hard as you can to start the nut a few turns. Now don't tighten it yet. Do the exact same thing on the other side.
6. Tighten step 5 down until you see about 1/8" of the bolt on the other side of nut. This seems to be the proper amount on my car. Don't forget to tighten step 4 too!
DONE!!!! After you drive it around a little, make sure and check everything is still nice and tight. If you look throught the rims, you can see the end of the bolt underneath the axle.
#4
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I have this mod also, and I must agree that this thing works wonders for handling, just compare the progress bar to the stock bar...you can bend the stock bar with your bare hands, the progress you can stand on it and it wont move. Im waiting to put on my tein coilovers next weekend, combined with the lower tie bar, and the sway bar, then my car should be REALLY fun to drive. But yes good write up, I will move this to the how to's.
#7
Originally Posted by reTro
Straight from RRM:
Perches: $80
Swaybar: $170
Perches: $80
Swaybar: $170
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#8
Originally Posted by captain150
About $300 Canadian, should look into that, looks like a good mod. Did you need to use a torque wrench for any of the bolts, or just "tighten" em?
#9
Originally Posted by reTro
The only thing you could really torque would be the bolts holding the perches to the frame. They seemed pretty tight, so I just tightened them about as hard as I could.
#10
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Originally Posted by captain150
Thanks I think I should give RRM a call.
RRM has the cheapest price I could find on the sway bar and perches so yeah go with them. And I tell you what, this was the best mod ive done to my car by far. Its actually something you can FEEL. But I recognized it made the car ride rougher.
#14
Originally Posted by BLKRalliArt04
RRM has the cheapest price I could find on the sway bar and perches so yeah go with them. And I tell you what, this was the best mod ive done to my car by far. Its actually something you can FEEL. But I recognized it made the car ride rougher.