anthrax144

I didn't disconnect the battery and I'm not sure why you would need to. You won't be touching anything electrical and the only time I turned the car on was to back off the ramps when I was all done. Seems like a waste of time.

GatorNappr

My sentiments exactly. The factory has to tell you to disconnect the battery to cover their derrierre. if I was working on electrical systems, I could understand it...but still probably not do it. I've worked as a master electrician on hot 480v systems, and know how to keep everything protected and safe.

I was just suprised to see this in a swap that really doesn't touch the electrical system except to plug/unplug one electrical connector.

BUT, the issue could the the combined criticality and sensitivity of the electronic steering rack....

GatorNappr

Thanks, TT. Since this will be predominantly my wife's car, she'll probably want to pass on the exhaust. I'll still check out the Invidia though......

But I'll be driving it on trips and absolutely have to have the good suspension......

gn

anthrax144

Wait, why does it say to disconnect the steering rack wiring? I didn't have to remove anything other than the bolts holding on the sway bars. There was one wire bundle that ran underneath the front sway bar but I easily slid the old bar and the new one past it without issue. Not sure if that was the steering rack harness or not but it really wasn't an issue.

jtrue28

I'm just giving feedback for people who have the AWD, and which also has not been lowered. The difference may have been minimal, but it certainly wasn't worth the money, time or headaches that the incorrect bushings caused.

YMMV.

GatorNappr

First thing on instructions is to disconnect battery (negative). #4 is disconnect steering rack harnass - so I guess I misinterpreted it. I first read it as disconnecting a connector - but it probably is just what you did, just disconnect the bundle from the frame.........I'll do the same....thanks!

I'm a firm believer in learning from others who have "been there, done that..." Best way to learn.

Old Chinese proverb: I hear - I forget. I see - I remember. I do - I understand.
Principle of apprenticeship - mostly lost today except in trades. Best way to learn.

GatorNappr

Agreed.

When did this happen? Recently?

GatorNappr

Anthrax - Absolutely could not remove the original sway bar without disconnecting all 3 of the electrical connectors to the steering rack. Impossible. Once done, no problem.

Looks to me like wiring to the steering rack had to be behind the bar for you to do what you did. Mine was in front of the bar, and had to be completely disconnected in 3 places before I could get the bar out. More on another post after this one......

gn

GatorNappr

Ok, got the bars installed today, not without a few problems - none of which were mentioned here before.

Love the improvement in cornering - no question a big improvement. Two other issues appeared that I will cover later.

Two problems in the install. First one was the top/forward bolt on the driver side sway bar mount was torqued so tight and the workspace so small and restricted that I couldn't get any wrench I had (I have hundreds- almost every type conceivable) to the bolt that had enough torque to loosen it. Literally took me an hour to finally get the bolt broken loose.

Had zero problem getting any of the 4 linkage bolts loose - all came off easily after being soaked in PB Blaster for 30 min.

2nd issue I mentioned in the post before this one. The instructions say to disconnect the main electrical connector to the steering rack to remove the original sway bar. I had to disconnect the other two connectors further to the driver side as well to get the original bar out. Harness was in front of bar, and no way to get bar out without completely loosening the whole harness.

Rest of front install was smooth & simple.

The rear bar however was where the rust on the linkage bolts (only 2 in rear, 4 in front) made it almost impossible to remove the nuts. And I couldn't put a 6mm hex wrench in the bolt because the female hex on the bolt was so rusted that I couldn't get a 6mm hex wrench in the hole. Tried heat - no help. Wire brush on rusty threads didn't work. Finally took a tiny wire brush on a Dremel and cleaned the threads enough to remove the bolts. The 6mm hex design is poor engineering - no way a 6mm hex wrench could take the torque needed to break these nuts loose. They should have put a 10 or 12mm hex end on the bolt instead.

Last item is - the clunk. On over 30 miles of hard driving at every speed between 10 and 75, over all kinds of terrain, good roads, rough roads, smooth roads, interstate - I heard 3 fairly loud "clunk"s - each in a situation totally unlike the other two. Can not make it happen again no matter what I do. Totally weird. Something hit. Once at 15mph on a rough gravel road. Once hitting a bump in a neighborhood road at about 35mph. Once going about 50 on a smooth road with some waves in the pavement. Torqued all bolts to specs. Nothing loose.

Any ideas? It was so rare and unpredictable and unduplicateable, I'm not too concerned about it. But if anyone has a clue, I'd love to hear it.

As for the performance improvement with the F-Sport Sways - major. Very satisfied with them on that point.

Effect on suspension? That's another matter I'll address in another post.

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

Glad to hear you got them installed, The one you had trouble with was the rear ones correct. Those are the same ones I had a problem with and they wouldn't come off. The clunk sound could be the sway bar settling in. If you hear it again than it's something else. Take it on some winding roads.

GatorNappr

BB06 -

Ok, I was VERY surprised to find that with the F-Sport sways in, the effect on the suspension on straight smooth roads, bumpy roads, and interstate - is much stiffer than before, and far more senstive to small bumps and road imperfections. I.e., the suspension in non-turning conditions is much stiffer - even to the point of being almost harsh. Even to the point that I'm actually wondering if the trade off in improvement in cornering is not worth the loss of a ride that absorbs the typical vagueries of the typical road. I was not expecting this at all - and from a technical or engineering perspective, cannot understand how stiffer sway bars would so affect the general suspension on straight roads.

You and every one else have all stated that the ride was not affected by the F-Sport sways - which makes sense.

I understand how changes in road surface that occur on one side of the car that do not occur on the other side will indeed affect suspension - as the stiffer sway essentially adds a stiffer spring to the side of the car that hits a bump when the other side does not. That I expect.

But I do not like - at all - and am totally surprised by the much stiffer ride that exists even on smooth, straight roads. I find my body being hit with forces on the interstate that even my Porsche Cayman doesn't deliver - from what I can only describe as a harsh ride.

I cannot understand it at all, and would love feedback from any here who can explain this. I am not imagining this. I drove the car on every road I could think of today, and on rough roads the ride is plane uncomfortable - not the Lexus GS ride I am used to.

We are driving the car to south Florida next week and back the next. This will be the test to see if the ride is now so uncomfortable that I put the original sways back in and sell these big blue ones on eBay or Craigslist.

But first, I would love for someone to explain to me why this is happening. Seems to me stiffer sways shouldn't be doing this.....

GatorNappr

BB06 - 90% of the roads I drove it on this late afternoon were super-twisty....some very challenging - .handling is superb. Totally quiet as far as noise from the sways. Except for those 3 clunks. That I could not/cannot duplicate -or make happen myself.

Ride? Not so much.........

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

That's intresting, I never had that issue until I installed my lowering springs. Maybe awd system is different, but I never had an issue with ride quality in terms of suspension.

GatorNappr

Hoping I just get used to it. 2,000 miles on I-95 should let me know........

GatorNappr

Uh, found the source of the clunk. I left one of the sway bar bracket bolts loose. Real loose. Completely forgot to tighten it down. DUH! Friend was here and distacting me as I was tightening everything and I forgot the one.

Expecting no more clunks.

Getting old has it's baggage. Forgetting things is the main one....CRS....."Can't remember STUFF!"

Now, what was this thread about????????