dsc888

Hi Guys,

It's been a few days since I last posted. Well, I got my Comptech RSB yesterday and just installed it with the help of my dad. And we did it WITHOUT removing the exhaust system ! Here are some tips for your folks who are on the fence about the mod:

1) You should jack up your car using the designated rear tow hook jack point so that you can place the car on jack stands at the specified jack stand points at the base of the rear door edge just inwards of the side skirt. There should be an "arrow" molded into the skirt to indicate the "bar" that will withstand the weight of the car. If you have a standard 14 inch floor jack like I do, you may need to use several pieces of 2x4s to help shim up the height of the jack as most jack stands are too tall to fit under due the angle of the car after it's jacked up at the very rear .

2) Shoot a little WD 40 or PB Blaster onto the threads of the sway bar botton endlink. It will have rust regardless and let the rust dissolve for a few minutes before attempting to work loose the nut. You need a 13mm or 14mm open end wrench along with a 5 or 5.5mm allen wrench (to hold the thread). Work slowly or else you may strip the nut and you are screwed ! The brackets with the bushings are 12mm and any socket set from Sears will get the job done in a jiffy.

3) Now here's the part you guys are waiting for . First, get an assitant. I got my dad who is always more than willing to help . You need to ROTATE the original swaybar COUNTER CLOCKWISE and work it out the passanger's side. It will definitely scrape a little but that's OK. Another awesome tip is to PULL DOWN the exhaust pipe as it's on rubber hangers. It will GIVE just enough to let your rotate and slide it out .

4) Re-install is actually not that bad. Once your determined the proper orientation of the bar, you need to essentially rotate it in making sure you can clear all the trailing arms in the rear suspension. You WILL scratch up the bar a little but it can be done. The key is to have someone else under the car to help you clear all the exhaust piping and suspension pieces. Remember again that you can pull downwards on the exhaust a little to help with clearance. It's mostly accomplished in the rotation of the RSB around all the little obstacles.

5) Hand tighten the bracket with the bushings first and tighten the end link nut with the allen wrench and open ended wrench next to spec. Then go back and tighten the bracket bolts to spec. THAT'S IT! .

I did a tire rotation along with the RSB install. I figure I saved $105 in total. $90 in labor for the RSB and $15 for the rotation. HA! It took a total of 2 hours to do mostly because I had to figure out how to get the rear wheels off due to the low clearance of my floor jack. Dad made things a lot easier. Nothing like some good old fashioned male bonding .

Good luck guys. I have not tested the setup yet as I am too tired now. I will do a further write up later on the handling changes. If it's anything like my Camry TRD swaybar upgrade, it's all about neutrality with only minimal ride penalty. The bar is very heavy and thick compared to the factory one.

dsc888

dcarlinf1

Nice write-up!!

So, are you saying that the rear wheels were off the car when you did this?

Also, for those considering this, even though we know it is possible to do the install without removing the exhaust, actually removing it is not that big of a deal. Just 3 bolts at the cat and then 5 hangers. It is pretty easy to do. It's much easier than removing the front bumper to install the Injen CAI.

dsc888

Yup. It's always easier to do it with the wheels off. That's because you need to snake out the OEM bar through where the wheel is and to snake the new one back through the wheel well. But you are correct about removing the cat back. It's a snap but something that I found to be unnecessary and may help persuade others to follow suit .

dsc888

dcarlinf1

That explains a lot. I tried to get the bar out without removing the exhaust with the wheels still on the car. I gave up and just dropped the exhaust. Live and learn.

tizo

just finished putting my sway bar in... under 20 min... w/o removing the exhaust... no jack... no help... 6 bolts...
all you need is a 14mm open end wrench (and maybe a 3/16 hex wrench if your bolt turns with the 14mm nut) and 12mm socket and extension... the bar will pull out easily if it`s turned the right way... putting it back in was, some how, even easier...
this is definitely an install that shouldn`t be made out to be difficult... the hardest part is bringing out the tools and getting on the ground...

cantadaniel

where did you get the sway bar and how much? and where can I get the comptech spring?

cliff

installed mine a week ago, all we used as ramps. didnt even take the wheels off...no jacks either, love the way it handles. comptech springs are comin my way very soon
Cliff

dsc888

Guys,

I had one heck of a drive tonight on the way back from work. The Comptech RSB is definitely the best bang for the buck mod I have done. As I expected, the car did not squeal it's tires as early or as loudly in hard turns. The car, of course, rolled noticeably less on turn in. I used to anticipate the rear rolling on 90 degree turns but was pleasantly surprised by it never arriving. The rear end just stayed planted. That in itself made the car fell much more responsive and ready for the next turn where as the stock bar allowed the car's rear end to swing in a short while after turn in. The difference can even be noticed under normal driving situation. The weakest link on my car is now the horrible EL 42s. They have decent grip if you drove the car at about 5/10s but push it a little more and they let you know regardless of your suspension setup. That should come as no surprise to anyone here.

The ride of the car remained very similar to stock. This makes it ideal for those who still like to add a bit of sportiness to their TL without sacraficing comfort. In theory the ride can actually improve as there is less roll to be felt and a big bump will not tip that one end of the car as much as any roll is counteracted by the other side that does not hit the bump. It's just a theory.

On the flip side, I will say is that the car still handles like a FWD car does albeit with significantly less understeer. It's still front heavy and the balance is still not as ideal as I would like it. Perhaps the A-Spec suspension is the missing link. It's no 3 series but the improved neutrality inspires more confidence. I need to find a safe place to test the limits of the car especially in wet weather. I have this fear in the back of my mind that it will snap into oversteer if I am not careful with the brake or throttle. I know there is VSA but I wonder how well it will work.

Folks, I hope you found this review useful. Those of you on the fence should remember that it's a very inexpensice mod that can be done by a novice who is patient. If worse comes to worse, you can always go back to stock without an expensive trip to the dealer or mechanic. You really owe it to yourself if you have a 5AT tranny. The stock bar looked like it belongs on a Hyundai Excel.

dsc888

dsc888

Sounds great. There were many people who were able to change out the swaybar on their Camrys by backing the rear up onto a curb. I really wished Comptech had given us a clue in the instruction manual that you can do it the way you or I did but I am sure they don't want to be held responsible for those who may complain about scratched underpinnings on their cars. But thanks for giving us your idea.

dsc888

dsc888

Go to www.comptechusa.com and look under Products > 04 TL > Suspension. You should find it pretty easily. You can order it by phone or online. It's $110 plus shipping.

dsc888

dsc888

Excellent. Yeah, I can definitely vouch for what you said. It's such an inexpensive mod and it really works. My 5AT pretty much handles as well as a 6MT now. The 1% weight distribution difference should be offset by the slightly larger size of the Comptech bar. Time to chase down some 5 series Bimmers .

dsc888

kyle-wdp

I did my install a few weeks ago just like this but I left the wheels on. It is really no big deal to leave them on....Great write up though!

dsc888

Thanks Kyle! A little imagination goes a long way. There is definitely no wrong way to install the swaybar .

dsc888

cliff

ill write my review with pics(hopefully) after i get them on the car.

New2004AcuraTLman

Ok, I don't know how you guys were able to install this thing without pulling off at least one wheel while the car is jacked in the air! It took me 2.5 hours to install this thing today ( after wasting an hour on trying to figure out how the hell to get the end link nut off with the damn link bolt turning at the same time. All I can say is whoever said to use some rediculous allen key wasted an hour of my time today. I finally said fuck it and used a pair of channel locks and it took 2 SECONDS to get off. Then once all the bolts were off, there was no way to get the bar off without taking off the wheel ( unless you want the underside of your car to be scratched to hell. So up went the jack and drivers wheels off and slid her out. YES! In went the new bar and I had her bolted down in less than 30 minutes.( 10 minutes of that was putting back the tire and lug nuts to torque specs). I don't know how some of you guys are miraculously doing this in " 20 minutes". It's IMPOSSIBLE unless you can blink your eyes and it's done by wishing it. This is coming from a guy who put his on A-apec kit on so i know how to do things properly

Anyway, it's beautiful! and i will take Cassandra out for a spin tomorrow on some twisties to break it in..(not that you have to but you want to see if i really works right?)

I recommed this only if you have patients and a litte know how and don;t mind getting dirty by DIY, otherwise pay someone to do it because it's not worth the time if you are busy. All in All.. GREAT MOD!!!

cM3go

exellent post, thanks for the instructions and tips!

dcarlinf1

That might have been me The service manual says to use an allen wrench. I didn't. I used channel locks as well. Hey, at least you got it done and are happy with it.

tizo

Quote:

Originally Posted by New2004AcuraTLman

It took me 2.5 hours to install this thing today ( after wasting an hour on trying to figure out how the hell to get the end link nut off with the damn link bolt turning at the same time. All I can say is whoever said to use some rediculous allen key wasted an hour of my time today. I finally said fuck it and used a pair of channel locks and it took 2 SECONDS to get off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by New2004AcuraTLman

I don't know how some of you guys are miraculously doing this in " 20 minutes". It's IMPOSSIBLE unless you can blink your eyes and it's done by wishing it. This is coming from a guy who put his on A-apec kit on so i know how to do things properly...

...a proper size allen wrench does work if you place it in the end of the bolt while turning the nut with a 14mm open end... if it was too hard for you to twist, you should have used a bolt penetrant to loosen it... mine needed neither with the exception of the last two turns on the passenger side... i got the old bar out by turning it from the passenger side and pivoting it towards the driver side front with no problems or scratches... and YES it was under 20mins of total time, once i had my tools out of course... on the other hand, i have no A-Spec kit on my TL, so there may have been some differences between my situation and yours... but i definitely could have guranteed you under 2 hours...

New2004AcuraTLman

Lol, no prob...just wanted to let everyone know NOT to us that because it is so much harder/impossible. I wasted an hour trying ti figure out where the hell to put that thing because no matter how I was wedging it, it was useless. A pair of channel locks or vise grips will get that puppy off in 2 secods flat. I'm really surprised how Accura could put that DINKY sway bar on this car! What were they thinking!

New2004AcuraTLman

was this in the service manual because by putting the allen key on top of the bolt didn;t do squat It doesn't hold the bolt from turning at all ( i'm talking about the 4 protruding lugs on top of the link). There is no hole there. Yes, I did use WD40. If you somehow were able to get that thing off in 20 minutes, congratulations but for 99% of us here it's impossible unless the wheels are off the car. Trying to squish under the car to get to the bolts was the biggest pain in the Arse I ever experienced. There wasn't even enough room to fit both arms or hands under there to hold the bolt and turn with the other. Anyway, it's probably the best investmenet for the money you could make on this car.

P.s, the exhaust did not have to be touched whatsoever. I sid the bar out with one wheel off the car no problem. I suggest everyone who does this to tak the drivers side rear wheel off and it will makes things A LOT easier

tizo

not sure about 4 protruding lugs... i had (4) 12mm hex bolts to remove at the brackets and bushings off center and i had a 14mm nut on either end (2) of the sway bar to be removed... 6 total... both 14mm nuts were on bolts that had a hex opening on the tips of them...

this end, where the nut is screwed on/off ----> IIIIII]

the opening fit a 3/16 allen or properly (as posted by dsc888) a 5 - 5.5mm... it held the bolt from turning while the nut was removed by a 14mm open end or ratcheting open end in my case...

dsc888

cTLgo,

Sure thing, man! I just thought I pass along my own experience for all those out there who wanted to do the mod without paying almost double after the labor. Hopefully this will convince many owners to consider this option now that there is even more feedback.

dsc888

dsc888

That's exactly it. I had to do that same thing on my Camry when I did the sway bar. Again, a little WD 40 or PB Blaster goes a long way to getting the nut free from thread at the bottom of the endlink. In fact, I got the nut to turn on the thread before even using the allen wrench on the driver's side. Then, they rotated together and I had to insert that allen wrench into the shaft of the thread. Good luck, guys.

dsc888

pedalermike

I changed out my sway bar in under 45 minutes (including searching for my wrenches) and without removing the exhaust. This is the easiest mod ever.

Nodoze2004

Anyone with a 6mt installed this yet? I hear it is a 2mm difference in thickness and am debating whether it is really worth it!

Treblig

I've ordered my swaybar and plan to do the install myself based on this self-help thread. However, I understand that it is best done with both rear wheels up off the ground. What is the best way to do that? I know, I know, with jackstands. But is their a way to jack the entire rear end up to put the jackstands in place, or do I have jack it up one corner at a time?

New2004AcuraTLman

you can do it with ONLY the driver side rear wheel off the car. That is how i did it and it will work out perfectly when you need to route the old sway bar out and put the new one it.

cantadaniel

took to friend's shop and they spend 10 min to install sway bar but spent 30 min to install Injen CAI...charged me $60 for both and gave $10 tip to the mechanic

mbwmn

what is the difference in size?

anyone willing to do a review on a 6mt ride?

i'm debating this purchase....

caball88

not really worth the mod. the 6MT is already thicker and the 2mm is not gonna make a huge difference.

Pro Stock John

So the 6mt is the same thickness as the Comptech one?

Pro Stock John

So the 6mt is the same thickness as the Comptech one?

How flimsy are the stock bushings, are they worth upgrading?

captain

The 6mt is thicker than the auto. The Comptech is 2mm thicker than the 6mt. This same question has been asked before. Many said the difference was small but discernable and in their opinion worth it.

caball88

you mean worth it for 5AT but not for 6MT. 2mm is so small that you cannot feel the difference unless you are trying to shave a couple to tenths off your auto-x. the a-spec suspension on the other hand is probably more worth it if you have the 6MT and want a handling upgrade.

dsc888

The Comptech bar comes with upgraded rubber bushings which means they don't need to be greased. The stock bushings are rubber and you should notice a mild improvement with polyurethane bushings. Please note that the stock 5AT bar is very thin at 17mm.

dsc888

Chingrin

I agree, how much can a few millimeter's effect performance?

dsc888

Don't quote me on this but I believe stiffness increases exponentially as you increase the diameter of the bar. A few mm can mean a pretty significant increase. The stock 17mm bar in the 5AT makes the car feel less tossable as compared to the stock 20mm 6MT bar. However, there are those here who have upgraded their 6MT and only noted a mild preformance increase. Perhaps there is a point of diminishing returns or the driver didn't fully exploit the handling limits of the car.

dsc888

vidoprof

So those of you that did this mod on the 5AT did you then NEED TO DO A wheel alignment???

I am def considering doing this mod ASAP, maybe NOT myself.. but I might have it done... do i need to get the wheel alignment??

If so then I might just wait to get the 18's put on.

Thanks

ryan

captain

Actually I meant it has been reported that the difference was discernable even for 6MTs. 2mm is small measurment when in a vacuum. However, when you calculate the difference in area of a cross section by increasing the diameter of the bar it was significant. There was a posting that someone did this... look at the bottom of the page.

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...mptech+swaybar

Comptech is 22mm, stock TL is 20mm.

Area of a circle is pi*r^2

Area of the stock 6MT bar is 314 sq mm
Area of the Comptech bar is 380 sq mm.

The surface area difference is 21% which would be stiffer and probably noticeable in my opinion and in the opinion of past posters who actually did the install. I will be installing one on my 6mt . I already have the A-Spec suspension so I will let you know how different it is.

Jirzlee

iTrader: (1)

You mean an alignment after installing the sway bar? No, you won't need an alignment for that.