xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

i just bought a progress rear sway bar. now i'm worried

gsclifton

iTrader: (2)

I know what you are saying but I hear the knock every time I drive the car. I seem to hear it clunk more at slower speeds in town, but then again I have not been on the highway since I found the broken mount. Sometimes the clunk is really loud and other times it is pretty subtle.

I would just go ahead and install your Progress Bar. I do not have any regrets with my sway bar. This annoyance now will most likely fade once I find a competent welder who can fix the problem. I still think the sway is well worth the low cost and low effort involved on the install.

The only thing I am miffed about is Acura. However, I see their side of the warranty issue. But if they are going to “warranty” Comptech parts (as long as they are available) they could have done something IMO. I mean how exactly could I have installed the sway in such a manner that would have f-ed up the mount after 2 years? I just do not get how adamant they were about it since I self installed the part.

moda_way

gsclifton, if you find a good welder, they'll probably make it stronger than stock.

waTSX

I like my bar, but I wish I'd known about this before I had it installed. I have better rubber now too, and that can't do anything but increase stress on the suspension.

gsclifton, sorry to hear about your problem.

vidgamer

I'm hoping this is a rare occurrance. Kinda makes me nervous, as well, about getting an RSB.

PrecyseStylez

I have the Progress rear sway as well and i hear the same clunk! Only at low speeds mainly going over bumpy roads but for some reason its louder depending on the wheather..haha (that i've noticed). I thought it was my struts but i just installed the Tien Flex and i still hear it! I gotta get on a lift ASAP

Rocket_man

Could just be the stiffer bushings. I hear my poly bushings every time I drive over the 'tire shredder' at work. It is worse in colder weather.

To be honest this has got me a little concerned too. I haven't had my bar on very long but I did put stiffer poly bushings instead of the supplied rubber bushings. I could easily swap the rubber bushing back but I like the feeling of the stiffer back end.

I've never heard of any other TSX'er having this problem and the RSB is one of the most common mods out there. I'm thinking maybe this was caused by an impact with a pot hole or something like that. But that would have had to be a hell of a hit.

gsclifton...

Do you see any signs of fatigue cracking on the other mount? Unless you drive in circles all day I'd expect roughly the same stresses on each side of the car. For one side to have completely failed and the other side showing no signs of cracks, I'd have to say this was an isolated incident and impact driven vice fatigue driven. If you look closely at the crack do you see signs of corrosion inside some of the cracked area and less at the point of failure? In other words can you tell if the crack was progressive over time or a sudden break.

gtrpickr

I think there is a TSB on the rear sway bar -

kyotousa

u meant on endlink? and i don't htink there's one

Still Water

I know there is one for the Accord endlink. Do a search and you'll find it. I haven't heard about one for the TSX other than the rearend alignment issue. If anyone knows about this issue for the TSX please enlighten us so we can bug the dealerships to stock the replacement parts.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

so did you ever get this fixed? i'd be interested to hear what happened.

gtrpickr

When the alignment shop told me the right rear camber was out, I immediately called the dealer and they told me of the tech service bulletin and they took care of it. they also realigned it as it pulled to the left after they did the work.

IneedaTSX

Well I was driving home tonight started to hear this loud thumping.....got under the car and look what I found

gftgrill

IneedaTSX, what bar/bushings are you running?

IneedaTSX

Sorry for going crazy with the pics everyone.

Its a comptech sway with energy urethane bushings, but tomorrow it goes back to stock

hrj

iTrader: (1)

OMG, I have to check mine tonight.

Reach

I checked mine yesterday, after reading this thread again. Progress bar, on the stiffer setting, no breaks / cracks after over a year of use.

I'm sorry to hear of the misfortune.

afici0nad0

is it possible that the urethane bushings are adding too much stress to the mounts?

jlukja

Thats it, I'm crawling under to check mine at the next opportunity. I may consider going back to stock as well. Its nice to have an upgraded bar but not at the expense of busted mountings.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

You can still use poly bushings for your stock RSB to get the most out of it. Energy Suspension p/n: 16.5138

Rocket_man

These two mounts broke in exactly the same place and I think both were running the Comptech with the poly bushings. So am I. I looked under my car last night and didn't notice anything, but my bar is fairly new. I did notice how flimsy the mount is though. Looks like 1/8" stamped steel.

That thing was a PITA to get in, I'd hate to swap the stock bar back (good thing I kept it). I wonder if putting the Comptech rubber bushings would help.

I guess people better start checking their cars, especially cars with some miles on the RSB.

Doesn't Acura's A-Spec suspension include a stiffer RSB?? If so does anyone know what size it is?

moda_way

After looking at these pics, I'm worried too. It looks like there are some side-to-side forces and makes me wonder if the progress bars tabs help to create side-to-side stability. The first pic looks like there is a fold in the metal and finally a snap at the stamped parts. I think I need to find a good welder here and weld that area up.

curls

This is scary (and odd that it just started happening to people so recentyl!).

Mine is making a creak noise over speedbumps and large dips in the road -- hopefully its just the poly bushings that need lube. I might just throw the Comptech rubber ones back on though if this problem is isolated to POLY bushings (??).

gsclifton

iTrader: (2)

Damn, I am actually glad in a way that I am not the only person with a failure.

My wife and I have been sick with the flu. I have not had time to get to a welder. We have just been using the CR-V for running around. I hope to try and get this sorted out soon, but we are supposed to be in Houston this weekend.

IneedaTSX

I think that the rear sway cracked my mount a few years ago. I have been hearing this knocking for literally 2 years. It would come and go, I just kinda lived with it. Then last night it must have broke completely, it was the loudest I have ever heard it.

Funny thing is 2 acura dealers have looked at it, never even found anything.

I guess the only good thing is I finally know what that damn knocking noise is!!!!

gftgrill

let us know what the dealer tells you.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

good lord.

i'm beginning to wonder if the prospect of a $145 mod to improve handling is even worth the risk of the broken mount. particularly in NYC where the roads are littered with bumps and pot holes.

have any progress sway bar owners incurred this damage too? seems like it's only comptechs? probably wouldn't make much difference?

moda_way

Well, there are many conditions that could contribute to this failure. What are the model years of the cars? I think both are 2004s.

All I know is this makes me want to check and re-check my sway bar.

Additionally, is this specific to a side of the car. Maybe there is a manufacturing defect.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

mine's an '07. from what i've read, the broken endlinks issue was addressed in the '06 models?

but if the whole mount just breaks. i don't know. i'd like to hear what the dealership says when some of these guys go back to stock and get it fixed under the warranty before i install mine.

llJrockll

iTrader: (2)

I don't think it would make much or any difference. If anything the progress swaybar is thicker than the comptech, so I've heard.

jlukja

I seriously doubt any dealership will be willing to cover it under warranty. They'll take one look at the aftermarket swaybar and say that it voided the warranty. And they would be right.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

i meant if he's planning to change the bar back to stock and then take it to the dealership. just wanted to know what the service people might say regarding welding it, or replacing the mount, etc...

llJrockll

iTrader: (2)

Not unless you put the stock sway back.

That's why it's allways good to keep OEM parts when switched to aftermarket parts.

I honestly don't see why people sell their OEM parts, when they might be needed in the future.

afici0nad0

i'd like to hear the responses from others on this theory too.

PJS

I suspect anyone trying to get a free repair by reverting to the OEM bar before turning up at their dealership is in for a rude awakening.
There will be tell tale signs that the OEM will look too clean to have been on the whole time.
The bolts will show signs of having been touched - wrong torque as well?
Honda/Acura may have seen this happen before with non OEM bars, and therefore know the loading capacity it takes before this section breaks.
So, be prepared that you might not get the favourable result you expect.

To a degree, I'm not surprised this has happened now that I'm aware the Comptech bar is 22mm thick, and could be of a different shape to that of the OEM, and is more than 300% stiffer.
Of course, if could be less for one reason or another - only Comptech themselves would know the actual stiffness difference.
Makes you think why the Swift one is still 15mm and 132% stiffer. Maybe they have info or tested the strength of that section to see what it could take statically and repeatedly before material fatigue set in.

Wonder what %age Progressive's is?

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

progress is 22mm as per the information in excelerate's group buy thread in the blackmarket section.

jlukja

I'm not an expert on this but I thought that the mount is used more to guide the swaybar through it rather than oppose any flexing of it. Anotherwords I expected the bushings to keep the bar in its relative position and keep it from hitting the undercarriage but not to experience forces that would break the mounts off. For this reason I suspected that, if anything, the endlinks would be the most likely points of failure due to a stiffer bar. Do the mounts really see such high stresses?

PJS

Thanks xjohnkdoex - found it on their site.
It's not that that interests me, but the actual stiffness percentage.
Suffice it to say, just had a chat with them and I'll be getting the numbers through soon, hopefully.
Mentioned this thread, and it would seem it is a Comptech specific problem only. So Progress owners can rest easy.
Apparently what's been happening with the Comptech one in some cases, is the bar slips left or right, and this is what's creating the additional stress on that mounting area.
Progress done testing on some driving school TSXs, and went up to 27mm in their design. They had to beef up the endlink and mounting area to prevent the issue, so consequently have dropped back to a 24mm bar for them, and 22mm for road users.
They also welded butts either side of the bushing mount point on the bar, so as to prevent the slippage.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

good information to know. thanks.

aaronng

When one side goes up, the other side has to come down.