22mm progress rear sway bar coupe si

Nix said:
Getting the stock end link off shouldn't be too hard. I've done 2 installs already on NY cars that are all salt corroded and rusty. Best advice is to hit all the nuts with PB blaster penetrating oil and to also take a wire brush and clean the threads before you try and take them off. There will be a ton of crud in the threads and trying to remove the nut will just get it stuck.

I got one stuck and it sucked. If you get it stuck and it just won't come off, try to tighten it back down and clean the threads again. Working it back and forth seems to help if there is a thread that is "boogered" and bent over.

Just brush em like you brush your teeth before you start and it will be much easier.

Clean them up real nice before you put em' back on too. Get all the penetrating oil off.
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With a fairly new car (3900 miles) the right end link came right off but the left one (nut) just kept turning like it was stripped. WD 40 didn't work, and was all i had. The other side had the plastic on it so couldn't be held steady.
So if a lubricant doesn't work, the only answer is total destruction? :omg:
 
RedShiftChris said:
Impact wrench normally doesn't work on the rear swaybar. You have to hold the stud with an allen key and turn the nut with a box wrech of some sort (like an open ended wrench). And Nix above has it exactly correct.... wire brush to clean the threads really good and pb blaster (or whatever you have around like WD40... they all work good). And you will be successful. Not hard if you do it that way.

Chris
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I get the box wrench idea... but what's this "hold the stud with an allen key"?
 
in the center of the nut you are trying to remove is a "bolt" with an indentation in the end. You have to stick an allen key in that to keep the "bolt" from turning while you unscrew the nut.

The stock end links are pretty strong despite their thin appearance. I hadn't heard of anyone breaking one.




Make a circle with your thumb and first finger. That is the wrench around the nut.

Stick your other hand first finger in the center. That is the allen key.

Turn the wrench around the allen key to loosen. You may have gotten lucky with the first one.
 
Nix said:
in the center of the nut you are trying to remove is a "bolt" with an indentation in the end. You have to stick an allen key in that to keep the "bolt" from turning while you unscrew the nut.

The stock end links are pretty strong despite their thin appearance. I hadn't heard of anyone breaking one.




Make a circle with your thumb and first finger. That is the wrench around the nut.

Stick your other hand first finger in the center. That is the allen key.

Turn the wrench around the allen key to loosen. You may have gotten lucky with the first one.
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Excellent... I didn't notice the allen key. Thanks amigo!
 
Nix said:
in the center of the nut you are trying to remove is a "bolt" with an indentation in the end. You have to stick an allen key in that to keep the "bolt" from turning while you unscrew the nut.

The stock end links are pretty strong despite their thin appearance. I hadn't heard of anyone breaking one.




Make a circle with your thumb and first finger. That is the wrench around the nut.

Stick your other hand first finger in the center. That is the allen key.

Turn the wrench around the allen key to loosen. You may have gotten lucky with the first one.
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While it's true that nobody's broken an end link with the stock 15mm sway bar (and 15mm is the max... some are smaller) that 22mm Bad Boy from Progress might put more pressure on those end links. Interestingly, Honda has increased the sway bar size on the 2013 SI (17mm?) so i wonder whether the end links are larger as well.

Oh, probably not...and i probably just wasted $68.00 on MOOG.... but if that's the only mistake i made today i'd be incredibly lucky. Thanks again, my man... you're the best!
 
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Hahaha no worries man. I like the look of the MOOGs. I put em' on the wifes car just cause I could. You won't have gone wrong. I hadn't seen them available when I did mine and my stockies have held up. I'd like to replace them anyway just for a fun little project.
 
Nix said:
Hahaha no worries man. I like the look of the MOOGs. I put em' on the wifes car just cause I could. You won't have gone wrong. I hadn't seen them available when I did mine and my stockies have held up. I'd like to replace them anyway just for a fun little project.
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Hey, what are you considering for aftermarket brakes... anything? I'm looking at EBC's Yellowstuff... but heck, on my Accord i was even happy with their entry level "Ultimax". Much better than stock. My main concern is Honda's poor rotor quality. It's very questionable these days... I've warped two rotors already (on my '09 Accord) and my rear brakes (a TSB) were 90% gone after just 15,000 miles. WTF?! So without getting too crazy with the pocketbook, what's your strategy?
 
I never push it hard enough to need anything more than stock. I am currently running EBC slotted front rotors and HAWK HPS plus pads. The rotors I got mostly for looks. My fronts were "warped" and in need of replacement anyway. The hawk pads came as a nice package deal or I would still be running OEM.

The "warp" isn't really the rotor being warped but a transfer of pad material onto the face of the rotor creating high spots. Those are the pulsating you feel in the brake pedal. Resurfacing removes the top layers of the rotor and machines it back down to a smooth surface. Unless the rotor is past the minimum thickness you shouldn't have any issues. In my case getting the fronts machined by a shop cost as much as new rotors due to labor to remove and reinstall.

Replacing them.....it's definitely a job you can do yourself so I just got new ones.


If I was after an upgrade in brake force I would run Brembo blanks and something like the EBC yellows. More aggressive pad with a blank rotor.
 
Nix said:
I never push it hard enough to need anything more than stock. I am currently running EBC slotted front rotors and HAWK HPS plus pads. The rotors I got mostly for looks. My fronts were "warped" and in need of replacement anyway. The hawk pads came as a nice package deal or I would still be running OEM.

The "warp" isn't really the rotor being warped but a transfer of pad material onto the face of the rotor creating high spots. Those are the pulsating you feel in the brake pedal. Resurfacing removes the top layers of the rotor and machines it back down to a smooth surface. Unless the rotor is past the minimum thickness you shouldn't have any issues. In my case getting the fronts machined by a shop cost as much as new rotors due to labor to remove and reinstall.

Replacing them.....it's definitely a job you can do yourself so I just got new ones.


If I was after an upgrade in brake force I would run Brembo blanks and something like the EBC yellows. More aggressive pad with a blank rotor.
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Thanks for the Brembo blanks idea... you're right it's a very easy job. I think even a 2-year old could do it-- as long as their name is Bam Bam.
 
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upgrading the lines to a good set of braided SS will help with pedal feel also. Changing the fluid makes a big difference as well. Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air and it leads to a spongy pedal feel. Most people don't notice but upgrading fluid if you're going to be doing track days isn't a bad idea. Other than that, changing out to fresh stock fluid feels pretty darn good too.
 
Nix said:
upgrading the lines to a good set of braided SS will help with pedal feel also. Changing the fluid makes a big difference as well. Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air and it leads to a spongy pedal feel. Most people don't notice but upgrading fluid if you're going to be doing track days isn't a bad idea. Other than that, changing out to fresh stock fluid feels pretty darn good too.
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As usual all great points by The Master. (Dude, you should be on the payroll here)

I've often heard people forget about changing brake fluid "every 2 years" despite it being on maintenance schedules. No doubt out it, the long term development of moisture is a major variable... really is. (ditto for engine oil) But what I didn't know is that old brake fluid leads to that "spongy feel". And when we feel spongy 'air' we're not feeling actual brake pad against actual brake rotor, which means we need to press harder and harder to get the same braking, if we ever do. We get less braking relative to the same effort, that much is undeniable. The question is when it becomes dangerous.

Ok, so there's no payroll here at 9th Civic. But you get top honors for your volunteer work. Thank you.
 
Hahahah thanks man but I learned it all from the real pros and reading a lot.


To be more complete: Mostly the water absorbed in the brake fluid results in a lower boiling point. The spongy feel is mostly due to air in the system. Old fluid can create the same feel from what I know. Also corrosion of calipers and pistons. There is a minimum boiling point that is considered safe after some % water has been absorbed by the fluid but I just don't remember. The DOT set all the standards.

There are a ton of different fluids available with low moisture absorbency. Most fluids are glycol based and work pretty darn well. If your car is stored and is really only seasonally driven there are silicone based fluids that don't absorb moisture but, any water that does get in will settle in the lowest point of the system. This can lead to corrosion from the pooling.
 
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Changing old brake fluid removes water from the brake lines. Changing old brake fluid is extremely important because new (dry) brake fluid has a much higher boiling point, compared to older (wet) brake fluid. Compressible gas bubbles form when brake fluid boils, which can result in a soft brake pedal.
Once brake fluid soaks up moisture it thickens and will not be able to withstand the heat create under the pressure of heavy braking. What happens next is a significant drop in the fluids boiling temperature (wet boiling point). When the fluid boils it turns into vapor and forms air bubbles, and this can result in more pedal travel to properly apply the brakes (soft pedal). Do not confuse this with "brake fade" that occurs when the brake compounds get too hot as a result of prolonged braking or improper bedding. Brake fade requires greater and greater pedal effort to stop the vehicle while boiling fluid increases pedal travel and makes the pedal feel soft.
 
Nix said:
Changing old brake fluid removes water from the brake lines. Changing old brake fluid is extremely important because new (dry) brake fluid has a much higher boiling point, compared to older (wet) brake fluid. Compressible gas bubbles form when brake fluid boils, which can result in a soft brake pedal.
Once brake fluid soaks up moisture it thickens and will not be able to withstand the heat create under the pressure of heavy braking. What happens next is a significant drop in the fluids boiling temperature (wet boiling point). When the fluid boils it turns into vapor and forms air bubbles, and this can result in more pedal travel to properly apply the brakes (soft pedal). Do not confuse this with "brake fade" that occurs when the brake compounds get too hot as a result of prolonged braking or improper bedding. Brake fade requires greater and greater pedal effort to stop the vehicle while boiling fluid increases pedal travel and makes the pedal feel soft.
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Would this suggest using DOT 4 or DOT 5 due to their higher boiling point?
 
So if I am understanding correctly everything on a 2012 to 2013 is the exact same other than the front sway bar is a little bigger?
 
No, there are quite a few changes. The upgraded rear sway is a swap though. Fronts are totally different. Attachment points especially.
 
Ok I did however get the 22 mm rear progress bar for my 2013 and if the stock front is 18mm this should be perfect for my type of driving?
 
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I have the progress rear bar and moog endlinks, everything else is stock. I can say that the car turns in way better and feels more neutral in steady state turns. I also just saw some pictures of my car from recent autocrosses and i'm definitely lifting a rear tire in some tight turns...
 
kleblanc said:
I have the progress rear bar and moog endlinks, everything else is stock. I can say that the car turns in way better and feels more neutral in steady state turns. I also just saw some pictures of my car from recent autocrosses and i'm definitely lifting a rear tire in some tight turns...
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call me a noob but is it good or bad if you lift a wheel in turns?
 
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