I put on my RSB a few weeks ago and love the handling improvement - LOVE IT! Lately though I've been hearing more clunking noises than I'd like to. Originally I installed everything with hand tools and no torque wrench.

So last night I tightend up my endlinks to spec (22lb-ft, I have sockets which fit over the bolt). I tried to tighten the bracket bolts to spec (33lb-ft), but couldn't. I couldn't because it seemed the bolts were bending the washers as I tried to tighten them with the torque wrench.

Here's my question: are you supposed to use the larger washers included with the RSB in addition to the smaller wahers on the factory bolts? Because for the life of me I couldn't get the factory washers off (I live in the rust-belt) so I doubled up. Would this becausing fitment/seating issues with the bracket bolts for the RSB? It definitely feels solid - maybe even too solid - around the bar itself.

And yes, I lubed the bushings before install. I used all of the lube that came in the tube, in fact.

Thanks for any help!

 

Come on! SOMEONE has to know this!

 

on my CT rear sway the bar was a lil to far to the driver side endlink and that endlink was "clunking" over speedbumps and on acceleration. I took off the bushings relubed them, then centered the bar to the best of my eyesite and my "finger width" check and torqued them to spec (33 ftlbs) and then put the bushings back on checking and rechecking for proper alignment. No more clunks!

 

After original installation, did you go out for a test drive and then come back and retorque everything?

 

I am going to do this on Saturday. And to the above poster, yes, I re-torqued after the first test-drive.

Thanks!

 

Ok, here's the deal. I did this tonight - removed the brackets + bushings, thoroughly lubed the bar and bushings with white lithium grease, and then re-installed the brackets, making sure to center the bar as well as I could. I then tightened the brackets down really good.

Testdrive impressions: still popping. Any more ideas, anyone? Is it just something I have to live with? It's messing with me and undermining my confidence in the car, so now I'm not hitting turns nearly as quickly or as smoothly as I could before this started happening. Damn it!

 

Torque as follows:

endlinks - 29ft/lbs
brackets - 16ft/lbs

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

 

Wow, really? If that's the case I have it backwards - the last figures I saw said 33 for the brackets, 22 for the endlinks! I will look at this again later today. Thanks.

 

if you're torquing the brackets to 33 ftlbs then the bar can't move up or down or even a lil side to side around corners, which is murder on your end links and could also lead to your clunking sounds.

 

No one responded to that question- double up the washers or just use the Progress?
Audioserf, after your reinstall did you change your washer set up?

 

I used the Progress washers and removed the OEM ones. No clunking so far.

I suggest removing the OEM washers if possible and torque to the specs I gave.

 

Cannot get the OEM's off, I tried the day I first installed the RSB. Living in the rust belt sucks. Although I think I read a post once by JTso saying it was fine to double-up.

Anyway, to update: I re-installed the bar, torquing to the specs above. It has not really made a difference. I have actually done some searching on the forums and it seems other members have had this experience as a result of the A-Spec (and in some cases, TEIN Basic coilovers) installation. Fixes range from re-torquing everything, to just letting it go away (or not) by itself.

From all I gather it's not affecting performance but it is very annoying to deal with. At normal driving speeds nothing is apparent, but slow speed-bump and parking-lot maneuvering yields some clunks and some squeaking noises from the rear of the car.