Adding a rear sway bar to ED civic

[90civicGL]

Hey so the ED civic doesnt have a rear sway bar but i want to install one so what exactly do i need?

Is this it?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Honda-1988-1991-EF-ED-Civic-ASR-Reinforcement-Brace-JDM-/370439044481?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item563fe33d81#ht_3569wt_1139

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ULTRA-RACING-19mm-Rear-Anti-roll-Bar-Honda-Civic-EF-/150603872118?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2310b0b776#ht_19431wt_905

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Skunk2-Lower-Control-Arm-Honda-Civic-CRX-88-91-92-95-H-/220631366088?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item335ea779c8#ht_4477wt_905

So theres no stock mounting points for sway bars so how much custom work would i have to do, or does the ASR and lower control arms give me all the mounting points i need?

Does the ASR thing need custom work to install? and how do i know if its compatible with where that sway bar sits? or are they all the same position.

Many thanks, nic

[string]

Either of those will work. The ultra-racing one mounts where the stock one does but is only 19mm. The ASR needs some "custom work" but it's just drilling a couple of holes each side in the floor of the boot.

Edit: Sorry, I missed that you have no stock swaybar so you don't even have the same style stock mounts that the DA has. The ASR has all you need, just need to do some drilling.

[90civicGL]

Either of those will work. The ultra-racing one mounts where the stock one does but is only 19mm. The ASR needs some "custom work" but it's just drilling a couple of holes each side in the floor of the boot.

Edit: Sorry, I missed that you have no stock swaybar so you don't even have the same style stock mounts that the DA has. The ASR has all you need, just need to do some drilling.

Ok so the sway bar attaches to the lower control arms on each side of the car? And then i need to add a support brace so it holds it in place which is what the ASR thing does?

so a car with stock mounting for a sway bar would look like this?
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j470/Nicholas_Semple/Civic/Misc/UR-AR19-144.jpg

But since i dont have them i can get the ASR
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j470/Nicholas_Semple/Civic/Misc/HD0G2313_resize.jpg

So those screw up the top are what i will need to drill into the boot? And this will provide the support i need, i assume the bolts and stuff will come with all the other gear else i can just go to bunnings.

Just to clear things up if i have the ASR mounting thing then i DONT need the brackets like in the first picture? oor i do need the brackets and the ASR is extra support since it is a big swaybar?

Thank you,
Nic (hope the pictures help)

[string]

-nuked-

[90civicGL]

There are lots of different swaybars out there so how do i know if it will line up and fit in the ASR? Or is there some standard they have to follow so they all go the same path and fit?

[string]

There are lots of different swaybars out there so how do i know if it will line up and fit in the ASR? Or is there some standard they have to follow so they all go the same path and fit?

On my DA, with stock LCAs, I use a whiteline swaybar designed for the DC2. The endlink angle isn't fixed so even a few centimetres difference in total width can be made to work. With the ASR you'd probably want to get an ITR swaybar. They're for sale quite frequently on the forums/ebay. You'll have to confirm with the seller of the ASR brace whether or not it comes with the D-brackets and bushings for a swaybar. You'll need those.

[90civicGL]

Ok thank you, ill do a bit more looking around and re-search on what swaybars are good with the ASR and so on, all help is very much appreciated :), if you follow my build thread you will get to see some before and after, but need to get it roadworthy before i go put sway bars and so on.

[90civicGL]

If i got 19-22mm sway bar at the back what size should i be looking at for the front? 24-25mm?

[pat88c]

have look at markismaximus worklog on ED6 civic hatch back he made up custom mounts and rear sway bar off a DA teg

LINK
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?125120-Another-ED-build.../page31

[string]

If i got 19-22mm sway bar at the back what size should i be looking at for the front? 24-25mm?

Leave it stock.

[90civicGL]

wouldnt it be a bit wacky though? Id be moving from 18mm front no rear to 18mm front 24mm rear (if i went ASR rear swaybar aswell)

[90civicGL]

have look at markismaximus worklog on ED6 civic hatch back he made up custom mounts and rear sway bar off a DA teg

LINK
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?125120-Another-ED-build.../page31


yer i saw his work it does look good, but i think i want a bit more heavyer duty. also i think the ASR brace will make it easyer.

[string]

wouldnt it be a bit wacky though? Id be moving from 18mm front no rear to 18mm front 24mm rear (if i went ASR rear swaybar aswell)

In my opinion, the stock handling of virtually every front wheel drive is wacky and also dangerous. The reduciton of relentless understeer is what I call sanity. Put your swaybar on and prepare for your steering wheel to actually do something for once!

[markismaximus]

wouldnt it be a bit wacky though? Id be moving from 18mm front no rear to 18mm front 24mm rear (if i went ASR rear swaybar aswell)

increasing the diameter of both would mean you are almost going backwards. Adding a rear bar and leaving the front "as is" will reduce understeer. which is what you want.

if you add a 24mm rear, and 24mm front you may as well leave it as it is.

[90civicGL]

ok so the ED civics understeer a bit do they? and by adding a rear sway bar will lessen the amount they under steer. So a 19mm wont reduce the understeer as much as a 24mm bar? but if i go to much it will start to oversteer?

[string]

If you have no rear swaybar then to say it understeers "a bit" is a massive understatement. It takes far more than just a rear swaybar to get a FWD into steady state oversteer territory. While you still have the OEM springs (or aftermarket lowering springs) there is no rear swaybar big enough to pull you out of understeer.

The "oversteer" that people report with big swaybars is (IMO of course) usually due to driver error combined with a poor setup (fiddling with the dampers when they don't know what they do, for example).

To grossly simplify, you add stiffness to the rear to reduce understeer, and add stiffness to the front to add understeer. To put things in perspective, your front springs are at least 200% as stiff as the rears. Mine are only 80% as stiff as the rear and I have absolutely no problems with "oversteer" in the sense that most people understand it (or, IMO again, misunderstand it).

Adding rear stiffness will certainly give you the capabilities to get into deeper trouble, but it won't make what you are currently capable of more dangerous (I believe the reverse it true, hence why I called stock handling dangerous a few posts up).

[90civicGL]

ok, im learning so much about everything from you, really great advice. + rep for you, i noticed with the skunk 2 coilovers they come in 3 forms, is this what you mean by spring stiffness? they got regular which is front 8kg and rear 6kg then race which is front 10 and rear 8 (probs the one ill get cause its a bit stiffer for track use (am i right?) and then drag which is 10 front and 28 rear (im guessing this would make the rear as stiff as a rock and bad for daily driving)?

So a 18mm front and 24mm rear sway bar seems to be the easyest way for me to go so do you think they would work well/suit the ED civic?

[trism]

I got the skunk proC wih the 8 6 springs when I had my ed. It wasn't too bad. I didnt have a rear sway bar, and it was pretty under steery. But I learnt to deal with it.

[90civicGL]

ok, is the only difference between the skunk 2 sports and proC's the $300-400 and 32 dampener settings instead of 15? Also when i lower the car i need a new camber kit right so i can get the tyres all even?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HONDA-CIVIC-ACURA-INTEGRA-INGALLS-FRONT-REAR-CAMBER-KIT-/230626545136?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35b269cdf0#ht_4436wt_1139

Is this the right thing, after a quick search customers seem to like it and so on, but its a different shape for the front camber then most. Like the skunk 2 front camber looks completely different.

[TheSaint]

with skunk2 shocks and tein s-tech springs i got hardly any camber on my EG sedan
and the little bit that i did get helped performance anyway =)

[90civicGL]

with skunk2 shocks and tein s-tech springs i got hardly any camber on my EG sedan
and the little bit that i did get helped performance anyway =)

I guess i get the shocks first, adjust them to something i like and then go from there with the camber angles and what not.

[TheSaint]

the skunk2 sport shocks arnt adjustable - just so you know =)

[90civicGL]

oh ok, so you can lower them but then they only have one hardness level?

[90civicGL]

i found a guy on ebay in america that sells both koni yellows and ground control coilovers, so if thats still around when it come time to buy coilovers i might go for that since everyone who has them seems to really like them.

[Mikecivic78]

i found a guy on ebay in america that sells both koni yellows and ground control coilovers, so if thats still around when it come time to buy coilovers i might go for that since everyone who has them seems to really like them.

I use Koni yellow and I like em. I bought them from Ebay USA. Can;t beat the current exhange rate.


In my opinion, the stock handling of virtually every front wheel drive is wacky and also dangerous. The reduciton of relentless understeer is what I call sanity. Put your swaybar on and prepare for your steering wheel to actually do something for once!
Couldn't have put it better myself.

[TheSaint]

oh ok, so you can lower them but then they only have one hardness level?

no - you cant adjust them at all - they are just lower/stiffer/better quality than stock
koni yellows are hardness adjustable - but more expensive

if you want to adjust hight and hardness you will need to go up to a proper coilover like tein SS

[Mikecivic78]

Koni yellow are actually slightly height adjustable. For example, on an EK Civic there are 3 rear spring perch positions and there are two on the front. Each perch down is -1 inch height.

Not sure if Koni yellows are the same for your car though.

Of course if you get Koni yellow + Ground control coilover sleeves you have full coilover adjustment.