scheißterhöffer

Redemption day for scheißterhöffer! Managed to get the Comptech RSB installed today with the help of my buddy, an impact wrench, and some dogged determination in spite of the somewhat stripped hex threads. Generally rainy out and busy with some other stuff so I haven't had a big chance to drive it and feel the difference. But I'm curious, is it necessary to get an alignment or anything after this work?

Thanks for the input.

By the way, joerockt and others, thanks for the install guide and pics, input. Made it relatively easy, removing the end link bolts notwithstanding.

joerockt

Glad it helped you out

No alignment is needed. However, you may want to re torque everything after driving around for several miles.

Killdozer77

OK so I got a progress RSB a couple of weeks ago (first mod!) and I got around to intaslling it today. I had borrowed a floor jack and jack stands. I was very excited to do the install today, however, it didn't work out. I jacked up the car until the jack was fully extended and the freaking wheels didn't even get off the ground! The frame was still several inches away from being able to get on the jack stands! I had the jack positioned at the spot just in front of the center of the rear bumber. So my question is what's going on here? Is the TSX an unusually high car (I doubt it)? Did I have the floor jack positioned in the wrong place (I doubt that too)? Or is the floor jack I borrowed a piece of @#$%? Any thoughts?

Reach

If you borrowed a little (standard) floor jack and tried to jack it using a center jack point, you're not going to get very far. You need to jack on the frame next to the tire, there is just enough space to jack there and still slip in a jack stand, then move to the other side and repeat.

You need a pretty hefty jack to get the car high enough from either of the center points, so it does all depend on what kind of jack and where you jack from.

Spoon

Yeah, I encountered the same thing a few months back. Unless a jack can get to about 17-18 inches, it won't do a damn thing for you at that center point. It's not so much that the car is high as the center point is, 11 inches if I recall - I measured it 'cause I, like you, was was like, 'what the hell?' Me, I got a higher jack, but you can try the method Reach suggests - I did try that out of frustration but maybe it was just the jack/jackstand combo I had that didn't work. Good luck, I'm sure you'll dig it once you get it on, I know I did.

aaronng

Get a huge piece of concrete, place it under the jack. Jack the car up and put the stands underneath.

If your car is lowered, you're SOL.

Killdozer77

Thanks for the input. I tried aarong's suggestion with the concrete block yesterday but the blocks I happened to have laying around weren't big enough. Next weekend I'll see if I can pull off Reach's suggested method. Thanks again.

jlukja

When I was using my dad's jack I ran into the same problem. I made up my own spacer. I cut a 6-inch section of a 4"x4" piece of wood and used it between the jack and the jack point. It got the car high enough to slip the jack stands under it. I do not recommend this method for raising your car all the time but in a pinch, it'll do.

The next weekend I went out and bought this: http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

With a 21" lifting range it got the TSX high enough (on both the front and rear jacking point) to get the stands in without a problem.

scheißterhöffer

If you have a rolling jack (not the one that comes with the spare), only do this if the huge piece of concrete is big enough to accommodate the wheels of the jack. As you jack the car up, the jack has to roll forward, as the jacking point is moving forward as well. If you do this in a way that will not allow the jack to roll forward while jacking, it will start to lean up on its toe and may eventually drop it.

Killdozer77

Yeah I noticed that issue and realized my chunk of concete was too small. Putting two pieces of concrete next to each other could work but it just seems real suspect to me.

I followed jlukja's link to the Jack he recommended and man, it got some really negative reviews. That surprised me. I mean how hard is it to make a jack that works?

Thanks again for the input.

aaronng

Yes, that's right. That's why I said huge. I thas to be about 2x the length of the jack itself.

kyotousa

is the new Comptech RSB CG color? close to silver black ....

cuz i just got one used...the seller said it's one or 2 months old

jwood_06TSX

I just finished the installation and took her for a drive and tightened everything down and WOW is that ASS tight as a straight guy in prison!! It def should have come with this standard because the handling is so improved! It was actually very easy and took me 1.5 hrs and thanks to MrHeelToe how informed me just un-bolt the exhaust pipe from the muffler, the rear sway bar slide right through nice and easy And of course thanks for the illustrations joerockt cause that made my life sooo much easier! You guys on this forum are awesome and a plethora of knowledge!

joerockt

^^^Nudder satisfied customer

kennungesser

Ok, after freakin out and canceling my Tein springs (I was afraid I would open a can of worms, tire wear ect.) I just ordered the RSB from Comptech. This will me my first "big" mod, other than the Comptech short shift kit. I LOVE that by the way!! I read the the rear can "break away" easier with the RSB installed. Wont the VSA help with that, or is it just something you can play with, and still remain in controll of? I kindda like the idea of being able to swing the ass end around alittle bit. Not that it will ever be a drift car.

Thanks,
Ken

aaronng

Your rear doesn't break away like a RWD car accelerating in the corner. Instead, your car rotates more when you turn. If you are not used to driving your car, that rotation can catch you offguard. But since it is your own TSX, you'll be driving it heaps and you'll get used to it very quickly.

kennungesser

Cool, thanks. Oh, and thanks for not flaming me on the springs.

Thanks aaronng,
Ken

aaronng

Hehe, it's because between the springs and the rear sway bar, the latter is the best bang for your buck mod as it gives the most obvious handling upgrade!

Killdozer77

Well, I finally got the Progress Bar installed. Once I got a jack that worked, the install was pretty quick and easy. The handling improvemnet is subtle but definately noticeable, especially in hard cornering. The new bar definately does highlight the inadequacy of the stock tires, there is a lot more squealing going on while cornering. What I found strange was, in normal driving the ride actually feels smoother. Is that possible or am I just imagining this?

markm929

I just got my Comptech RSB in the mail yesterday and am looking to install it (1st mod...ever). I noticed most people on here used jacks for install, can wheel ramps be used as well? I have neither, however was looking for an inexpensive way to do it. The other question I had was (don't shoot the noob), I noticed in the pics of the tools required they were pretty standard stuff, however there was mention of specific torques for bolts, is a torque wrench truly necessary or is tight...tight enough? Thanks guys!!

jwood_06TSX

Others can chime in on this, but i just put mine on about 2 weeks ago and didn't have a torque wrench. Basically, just take notice of how hard they were when you took them off and just put them back on as close to that as you can. Make sure you take it for a spin and then get back under there and retighten everything!

Oh, and you should be fine ramps however, it might make it a little harder to get the old sway bar out and put the new one in.

A little side note to help you get it out and put the new one in, Marcus ake MrHeelToe had a suggestion that made things a lot easier and that was, unbolt the exhaust pipe from the muffler (2 bolts) on the drivers side, and the sway bars will slide out and in really easy! Those bolts are on there TIGHT though, so spray em' with some lube (WD-40 etc) and your good to go!

jwood_06TSX

The two bolts on the exhaust pipe on in the middle on the right side of this pic

jlukja

A torque wrench isn't truly necessary. I did my RSB swap without one. I tried to feel the amount of effort it took to loosen the bolts and then apply the same amount of effort to tighten them. Not very scientific but so far so good. If you plan to do future mods then investing in a torque wrench isn't a bad idea. Its a good tool to have in your toolbox and it'll come in handy.

My guess is that doing the RSB swap on wheel ramps may be possible but a little more difficult in removing the OEM bar and fitting in the new one. With the car jacked up and on stands the wheels hang free and the suspension is fully decompressed so it hangs lower away from the underside of the car. On ramps the car would be higher off the ground to give you access but the suspension will still be compressed by the weight of the car which will make access to the bar and bolts more difficult.

edit: jwood beat me to it.

jwood_06TSX

I am learning my way around obtaining info pretty fast thanks to all you guys! It allows the newer, not so noobs to answer the questions that you older guys have answered for us!!

xizor

i would suggest dropping the exhaust off the hangers rather than unbolt the exhaust itself. u just push on the rubber hangers

jlukja

:killer:

jwood_06TSX

I just meant older as in having been on this forum longer thats all......

Xizor - i actually tried to do that and had some problems with it for some reasons and when you unbolt the exhaust, the bar slides into place sooo much easier! Either way will work...just make sure you bolt it back on tight if you go that route

markm929

Thanks guys...this site is a great resource and thanks for your valuable input. Guess I should look to invest in a jack and some stands before I attempt this as it will make it 100x easier. Don't want the first mod to be such a pain that I don't do more down the road. I'll let yah know how I make out.

Killdozer77

If you invest in a jack just make sure it has enough clearence to get the car off the ground so you don't run into the same problem I did. See above.

Tripnox

I installed this comptech RSB a few weeks ago and I gotta say it's quite an impressive improvement. I just jacked the car up and placed it on some jack stands.

The hard part was getting the bar out. I used a lot of the space in the rear driver's side to push the bar into that area to get the passenger side out first and then it came out pretty nicely.

Getting it in, I just reversed the process and went in within 5 minutes or so. My arms got tired just trying to figure out how to get that OEM bar out.

kennungesser

WOW!! You guys weren't kidding! This thing is awesome! My cousin and I got the old one off and the new one in about an hour, with no problems. Passenger wheel off and dropped the drivers side exahust, smooth as butter. Oh, I may have over killed a little, I used grease AND teflon tape. No noise yet.

We did a before and after test drive along a nice twisty road. It starts going uphill, and turns slightly right at the top( where you can see forever) before dropping down with a hard left at the bottom then back up and to the right, best s curve around! I had Dan watch the I-way (it has a digital speed read-out, very accurate and...COOL) and I just drove not caring about the speed. Just trying to "feel" the car. At one point I did notice the flashing VSA out of the corner of my eye. And I drove it till I felt the "your going too fast, idiot" feeling kicked in. Dan said we hit 75.2 MPH. After the install , did the same run again, again waiting for the above mentioned "idiot" feeling to kick in. This time the speed reading was 95.4 MPH

Not very scientific (or smart for that matter) but you can see the difference. The car is just much more stable and flat. Also, you don't have to drive like that to feel the difference, I could tell on the way home, driving normal, that the car was just more tight.

Great mod!!

Ken

jlukja

I replaced the comptech bushings with energy suspension bushings this morning. Anyone know what the torque specs are for the bolts holding the bushing brackets?

jwood_06TSX

Here are the installation instructions for the comptech rear sway:

http://www.comptechusa.com/store/med...waybar2005.pdf

It shows it to be 29 FT-LBS

jlukja

Thanks jwood. I meant the flange bolts. According to the Comptech RSB instructions the torque specs are:

endlinks: 29 ft-lbs
flange bolts: 16 ft-lbs


BTW, I replaced the Comptech bushings with the Energy Suspension bushings because I was hearing a thump/knock in the back (as many others have posted). I just took a test drive and.......no thump/knock. Car felt nice and tight as I did a number of slalom moves and hard curves around my neighborhood.

jwood_06TSX

Oh yea, i pulled the wrong one off there, looked to quick

I used the bushings that came with it and haven't had a problem yet! Just hope i don't get the noise when the weather changes and stays cold

Enjoy the new quiet ride

Dan Martin

I'm going to have to replace my bushings again...

I heard squeaking again last week, so I jacked the car up and lubed them again. When I had them off the bar, I noticed that the right one was starting to wear out. There were little strings of poly all rolled up inside the bushing, sort of like eraser rubbings. I cleaned the bushings up and re-greased them and now I've got clunking.

I guess the little strings were just taking up enough space to prevent the clunking.

What grease are you guys using? I'm using a thick silicone grease, similar to what was shipped with the bushing. If I get another set of bushings, I'm putting on a set with a grease zirk and greasing the hell out of them every 3-4 months.

jlukja

sorry to hear that Dan. I used the grease that was shipped with the bushings. I greased the interior area (that contacts the RSB) pretty well and still had more than 2/3 of the little tube left over. I'm going to keep that for future use in case I get the thumping or squeaking.

aaronng

I've used white lithium grease as well and it dried out within 1.5 months. I now use Castrol LMM high temperature lithium grease. No squeaks nor clunks for over 3 months.

afici0nad0

joerockt's DIY mentions washers that are included in the kit.

i'm looking at the comptech site, and it makes no mention of washers, although in the pics i can see a pair (http://www.comptechusa.com/store/140145tsx.html).

i'm asking because i just bought a used set. i have the bushings and brackets, but, no washers.

you guys know what size the washers are?

joerockt

Im 100% positive they come with the washers. As to the size, I dont know.