I installed the progress rsb on my 04 5at yesterday and decided to leave it on the soft setting. I also put on the rv6 front strut bar but I doubt that made any difference in the handling. All I can say after driving about 100 miles so far is WOW. The car has a totally different feel to it now.

Ive noticed that the steering wheel seems tighter now around turns and driving in a straight line. There seems to be less play in the wheel. When making turns it also feels like I do not need to turn the wheel as much as I previously did. The rear of the car does not sway as much around small turns. Highway on ramps are were the rsb really shines. I can take the ramps 10mph faster then before with the same or even less body roll. I do a lot of highway driving at 70-80mph and the car seems extremely stable. My steering doesnt seem to shake at those speeds anymore either.

If this rsb has made the car feel so much more stable, then I cant wait to install the type-s front sway bar and change the rear setting to stiff.

I also have my car dropped about 2 inches on megans and the dampening is set to 20 all around

 

Better handling and cornering FTW!

 

congrats!

 

I want to hear how it handles with the FSB done as well...I have heard mixed thoughts on effects...

 

^I put the rsb on the soft setting because of what several members have said regarding the 5AT and its hollow fsb. Basically they have said that you will be slower around turns with the 5AT stock fsb and the progress rsb on firm.

I wont be putting the type-s front bar on for a while b/c you have to drop the subframe in order to do it. I will however, put the progress rsb on firm with the stock 5AT fsb to see if I can validate these claims.

 

Glad you like it. It really does feel like a different car.

You'll like it in the firm position. The steering will feel even more precise and wheel will have even less play. However, you'll see what I mean when you take it to the limit and the rear comes around.

But if your driving style is to hit corners at a moderate speed and then put the pedal to the floor mid corner to accelerate out, the firm setting is not all that bad. You just can't enter a corner as hard or corner as fast steady state. It will also be much more unstable at high speed but it will feel like it's more stable until you pass the traction limit then all hell breaks loose lol.

 

FSB makes a huge difference in high speed stability and overall cornering........ as long as it's coupled with the Progress rear bar set on stiff.

FSB alone would not be good.

IMO, the front made as large or possibly a larger difference in body roll than the rear.

 

Congrats!

 

do i have the same FSB as the auto guys? would a progress RSB on soft or firm be better for me?

 

All '04-'06 ATs had the same swaybars, even an original a-spec.

Autos got a 25mm hollow bar. 17mm rear.
Manuals got a 27mm hollow bar. 19 or 20mm rear.
TL-S got a 27mm solid bar. 20mm rear.

I have the H&R solid 28mm bar, stiffer than it's size would indicate likely due to the material used. It's in the soft setting and I could not imagine how stiff it would be in the firm setting. It's already too much bar for the Progress rear in the firm setting.

 

Well this is getting interesting then. Im really liking the tight feel of the wheel on the soft setting and less play in the wheel feels better IMO. If the "firm" setting enhances these 2 things then maybe thats better for me. Im not really one to take corners/turns/on-ramps real fast but Im always driving between 70 and 80 mph on the highway (long work commute). When you say "unstable at high speed (on the firm setting)," what do consider high speed? Over 100?

Maybe the firm setting would be better suited for my style of driving

 

Are you saying the 04-06 5AT has a stock hollow rsb? or just the front is hollow and the rear is solid?

 

sorry forgot to say i have a 6MT. oh, then i guess the thing to do in my case would be get a progress RSB on the soft setting? or stiffer setting? and TLS front sway bar? what do you think?

 

That's a grey area. I would lean toward the Progress bar in the soft setting with the MT front bar but you would have to try it out to know for sure.

With the TL-S front bar, definitely put the rear in firm.

 

just curious.. why put it in firm if TL S front bar was in?

 

It's for handling balance.

Stiffer rear bar gives it more oversteer (rear end sliding)

Stiffer front bar gives it more understeer (front sliding, car going in a straight line while the wheels are turned)

Just a super stiff rear bar will make it tail happy and too much front bar will make it no fun to drive as the front tires will break traction way too soon in a corner.

What we need is a balance. The TL already understeers from the factory, that's why we start with the rear swaybar to bring it close to neutral. If you want to do more you can do the front swaybar too but you want to increase the stiffness of the rear at the same time to keep the same balance.

Personally on mine, the 28mm H&R front bar was so stiff, I had to firm up the rear springs in addition to putting the Progress bar in firm.

 

ok i get what your sayin, so if i just got the rear for now, i should put it on the soft setting because i have the 27mm hollow fsb

 

yeah that sounds like a good idea. im waiting to install all my suspension mods. im going to try the RSB on soft and see how i like it. i am thinking about the H&R front sway bar in the future but iv read on several posts that it is very firm even on soft. if so i am planning on resetting the RSB to firm and making my shocks stiff.

i have a question too. would the increased stiffness to match both sway bars sacrifice ride quality? do you have to take off the RSB to change stiffness settings?

 

You don't have to take the RSB off to adjust, you just remove the end links and put them in the other hole.

It would be a good idea to run the RSB in the firm position if you plan to run the H&R bar. You will see what I mean when you try it but if you have adjustable shocks the car actually rides better when you crank the shocks up to match the swaybar stiffness.

As far as ride quality. Yes it does sacrifice ride quality a litte. Obviously if we're talking freeway expansion joints, speed bumps, and anything that hits both wheels at the same time, ride quality is just like stock. You only notice it when the road dips on one side or going over a pothole with one wheel. Hitting driveways at an angle you can really tell the bars are there. Stock, you can barely tell when each wheel hits. Especially with the H&R bar you can really feel each wheel as it hits the bump of a driveway.

But for the amount of roll stiffness gained the ride quality loss is minimal compared to springs of comprable stiffness. Keep in mind there are tradeoffs with large swaybars.

 

I just got mine today, cant wait to install it on my TL-S

 

i think i will actually go with the TL-S sway bar. i have heard that it is a little less stiff which is good for me because i don't track.

sometimes i just like to drive like i don't value my life, thats all...

it is waaaay cheaper than the H&R FSB too. any1 know the part # just want to make sure. i think it is 51300-SEP-A21

 

so after reading this thread i want to go with a firm setting on a RSB? i have a 5AT TL-s and its my daily driver and i just want to improve my conering. i definetly feel the understeer when i turn.

 

^^^ Buy Progress RSB.

 

You can get away with the firm setting since the TL-S has a stiffer front bar What do you mean by understeer, are you actually getting the front tires to break free in a corner?.

 

well i feel the rear close to sliding

 

The rear braking loose (becoming tail happy) during cornering is oversteer. The front sliding in straight line when wheels are steered is understeer.

All this talk about FSB makes me want TL-S FSB now...

 

^ i see thanks for the correction.

 

I don't understand why you guys don't just get the front and rear H&R swaybars. I plan on getting them with their sport springs and koni yellows. I can't think of a much better setup for the street foir me than that.

 

I think the reason why people go with Progress RSB instead of the H&R Front/Rear set is because most of us are trying to eliminate understeer. Adding a thicker FSB will yield understeer while a RSB will create oversteer. 'I hate cars' has installed the 28mm version of the H&R sway bars and has stated that the Front bar is still too firm even in the soft setting. The Type-S(larger solid bar) and 04-06MT(larger but hallow) Front bars both firmer than the 04-08 Auto bar. Since many of us with the 04-08 5AT are seeking a little more high speed cornering stability along with a balanced feel, we're trying to seek out a bar that is firmer than our smaller hallow front stock bar, but at the same time, not too firm to create unwanted understeer that we were trying to eliminate with our Progress RSB upgrade.

H&R also shows a 22mm set of their Front/Rear sway bars. Perhaps that set will offer a better balance overall. Someone that has those 22mm bars can chime in here. The set is only $208 + shipping at tirerack.

 

I had a Hotchkis rear sway bar on my SRT-4 (as well as a ton of other suspension mods) and I loved the way it handled. I had it on the stiff setting and it whipped through turns like a RWD car. After I installed the front, it was more stable, but took away the oversteer almost completely. Can't wait to get the Progress RSB on the TL...after it comes out of the shop

 

i thought for the type s models, front sway bar is 27.3 and rear is 18.3?

 

07-08 Base Auto had 27.2mm hollow front and 18.3mm hollow rear.

 

The H&R's are 28F & 22R. The company is increasing the size of the front to balance the increase of the rear. I would find it hard to believe that the sizes are not matched to provide the best results in handling improvement. Are you telling me that using them would result in a negative effect in handling? Nothing personal, but that sounds ridiculous.

 

The Progress RSB is an excellent addition to the TL platform. FWD vehicles are prone to understeer and therefore they will push/plow when cornering. Using a larger rear sway bar, like the Progress 24mm bar, helps neutralize that understeer. In most cases, the front sway bar doesn't need to be upgraded unless you want maximum performance. The RSB upgrade is sufficient for 90% of customers.

 

It's hard to judge by size alone. I can say that the 28mm front swaybar is much stiffer than it's size would suggest.

Sometimes these kits play it pretty conservative since they don't wan't people spinning out of control and trying to sue. Not only did I want less bodyroll, I primarily wanted better handling balance. With the 24mm RSB on firm and the 28mm bar on soft, I still just had too much understeer at first. I guess the real question is, is the 22mm H&R bar stiffer than the 24mm Progress bar. I honestly don't know the answer to that question.

 

By the way the H&R's are adjustable (2 settings). I don't know as much as you about the technical side of handling balance. Logic tells me that H&R didn't go to a 24 inche rear bar for a reason. Why didn't you just get the rear H&R bar? I think you would of been very satisfied. H&R puts alot of research into suspension parts.

 

I probably would have gotten the set but I got the Progress bar as a Christmas gift 6 months prior to doing the front bar. At that time I had no plans to ever do the front.

With both the front and rear being adjustable, you would think a balance could be struck somewhere. However, their 22mm bar had better be stiffer than the Progress 24mm bar (which it very well could be) because with the front in the soft position and rear in the firm it still had just a little too much understeer.

 

H&R does put a lot of research into suspension parts I'm sure; however, they also don't list any spring/tension rates for any of their products. For me, this is a fail on their part. When it came time to buy springs for my Mazda3 two weeks ago, I chose Eibach based on the known spring rates. I read H&R Sports were very comparable to Eibach Pro-Kit, but wasn't about to take the gamble and have my rates be too stiff or soft for my liking.

I went ahead and ordered the TL-S front sway bar and OEM bushings a few days ago for $78.50 shipped. 'I hate cars' suggested I should get firmer bushings, so I purchased Energy Suspension greaseable 27mm graphite impregnated polyurethane bushings. Total cost for bar and bushings was ~$100. That's still $200 less than what one H&R front sway bar would cost me to my door step. I'd use $110 of that difference for TL-S tophat bushings that are 400% firmer than base TL ones to go along with the new spring/shock combo. H&R definitely has some nice bushings that come designed for their bars, but for $300 and understeer even with Progress RSB on firm, I'll definitely pass. There's no doubt buying the H&R Front & Rear sway bar set will make your car corner flatter and handle better, but what it'll do at the limit is still to be determined. Assuming they used similar grade steel to design the 22mm Rear and 28mm Front bars, I'd venture to say that H&R is banking on the safety side and the car will still understeer at the limit regardless of soft or hard settings.

 

Installed a RSB today.
Holly Crap, what a diffrence.

 

That's kind of what I'm thinking but I don't know for sure.

Most people would install the set and take a few corners slightly harder than normal and go "wow, it makes so much difference" and call it a day. Most people will likely never know if it will truly go around a corner quicker than the stock setup and be satisfied by it feeling like it corners better and having less bodyroll.

I would still like to try the set out just to know for myself but I don't have that kind of money to waste.