Suspension and Brakes Springs, shocks, coilovers, sways, braces, brakes, etc.

installing sways

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Old 08-12-02, 10:59 AM
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tmasta
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Default installing sways

i was wondering if anyone installed sways in their garages... using jacks, no lift.. and i was reading about the upside down sway thing.... i was kinda confused, it seems as long as the trd sticker is on the driver side.. or the bar curves up its on correctly?? any info would help.. THANKS!!

T
Old 08-12-02, 12:17 PM
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RON430
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tmasta - I did my sways in the garage with the jack stands. Even with a pizza and Pepsi break it is about a two hour job. Hardest part is the bazillion screws that hold the plastic under engine tray on. Doing it yourself lets you see exactly what is being done and insure the install is correct. I loctited everything just to be sure. With apologies to the guys who had the front sway put on upside down, it would take someone who is really asleep at the switch. While it can be done, just keep the bends going in the same direction and everything works out fine. I wouldn't just go by the sticker. They might change that for some unknown reason. It actually is one of the easiest mods I think you can do. You are not tight for room or taking any interior panels off. The bars are hollow with the TRD sways using a greater wall thickness but not increasing the OD, but you will feel a weight difference, so there are no real issues with the bushings or fitup. Like I said, very straightforward and does not require any special tools at all. Just use the jack stands, make sure the car is properly supported, and match up the bends in the bars and it goes very quickly.
Old 08-12-02, 12:29 PM
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tmasta
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thanks! i feel much better since u seem to think its so easy! wish me luck!! one more question. i was told by my friend u may need to preload ( i didnt know what preloading was but my friend told me it was lifting the tire with a jack).. u get the idea. but he said after i lift the tire with lets say another jack i have to retighten the screws.. any idea about this?? he has a s2000.. he said he wasnt sure if it was the same for our cars. thanks again

T
Old 08-12-02, 12:35 PM
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GS400_PUSHER
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I don't think you need to preload it at all man, just make sure when you do the front your steering wheel is straight!!!
Old 08-12-02, 01:13 PM
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RON430
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tmasta - Just make sure you are talking about sway bars. They don't have any impact on whether the steering wheel will point straight ahead or not. It is just not part of what they are involved in. The only time I have read about this "preloading" or chassis distortion issue is with the strut tower braces. Sway bars want to just be connected up to all the links and away you go. I was able to use ramps for my install with no problems so the spring had the weight of the car on it. Don't let any of this confuse you, you will not have to do anything with the springs or suspension components in order to replace the sways. If your friend with the S2000 had to warp the car to get sways on he either needs to have a chat with whoever supplied the sways or get his chassis on a surface plate and see if it is bent.
Old 08-12-02, 02:26 PM
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Ag02M5
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I think by preloading, we mean the car at rest.

The weight of the car must be supported by both tires to attach the sway bars. This is where there is no load on the sways.

Good luck.

I am going to do this mod myself if I ever finds some sways.
Old 08-12-02, 02:55 PM
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RON430
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Actually, I think you could do the sways either way, both wheels supported or both wheels in the air. Anything in between would mean you would have to muscle the bars in place which probably would not be any fun. It is worth keeping in mind that each wheel can still move independently, the bar will just transfer some force so the car tries to stay flat but the bar will flex in torsion. More info than anybody wanted. But for the original point with the friend with the S2000 that was jacking one wheel independently, my guess is that this for STB install, not sways. All this aside, it is still a very easy install that makes one heck of a difference on how flat your GS will stay in the turns. I really don't push my GS that hard and for now, I haven't noticed much, if any, lean in the turns. About the way it should have been from the factory.
Old 08-12-02, 03:26 PM
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Shinchan
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Attention.. use the following instruction at your own risk.

hehe.. I did it in my own garage.. with a one of those ramp that autozone sell.. make sure you are in a level ground... just drive the car up the ramp.. use some kind of block to block the wheel that is not on ramp.. make sure the car don't move and both wheel on the ramp are on it..

Yeah.. I am one of them install them upside down. I was install them at night.. plus .. I have to lie down.. things... get confuse after awhile of rushing to finsh... my wife was cursing...
Old 08-12-02, 04:14 PM
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RON430
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OK, doing it at night increases the odds of getting it upside down. Everything is black or dark blue (the sways). A nice fall afternoon in the driveway sounds better to me.
Old 08-13-02, 05:53 AM
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Shinchan
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hehe.. I am a maniac.. When I received the package... I have to do it ASAP
Old 08-13-02, 07:41 AM
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As usual, I agree with RON430.
Put my TRD sways on yesterday. Under two hours, including coffee break, and it's hard to get it wrong. I matched the new to the old after taking the old one off.
I have ramps that have been with me longer than my wife. I would not get under a car held up with jack(s) unless there was additional support.
Have barely driven it, so more to follow about that.
Old 08-13-02, 11:25 AM
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RON430
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One of the ways to get to be an oldguy is never get under a car on a jack. It will ruin your whole day. Ramps or jack stands only. And blocking a wheel so it can't roll takes ten seconds, no reason not to. So, who's sways are showing up? Are the TRD's finally coming in again?
Old 08-13-02, 11:39 AM
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rominl
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Originally posted by RON430
One of the ways to get to be an oldguy is never get under a car on a jack. It will ruin your whole day. Ramps or jack stands only. And blocking a wheel so it can't roll takes ten seconds, no reason not to. So, who's sways are showing up? Are the TRD's finally coming in again?
steve starts to get stock from trd again, but it's not a lot at all...
Old 08-13-02, 02:50 PM
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Yes, from Steve. I just missed out 3-4 months ago by finding out about the group buy too late.
I think this completes my modifications. After tomorrow, I'll know more, but I think it's terrific.
Old 08-14-02, 09:04 AM
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tmasta
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just wanted to thank you guys for your info. sways were installed the other day and they r VERY nice. about 2 hours for install.. no pizza or coffee break i guess im slow! hehe. but my excuse is that my side skirts r covering my lifting points so its harder to get up!! well thanks again.. and yes steve did get some sways in.. just dont know how many

T


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