disconecting front sway bar on 1st gen CRX

[iambhooper]

the sway bar was still hooked up on my ITC car. everything i read/hear tells me to disconect the thing. have most of you just left it there, or have you fully removed it? how difficult/time consuming is it to remove? if you left it, did you tie it out of the way?

thanks!
hoop

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hoop
Greensboro, NC
White ITC Honda CRX #4

[Greg Gauper]

You don't need to remove the bar (which is a lot of work).

Just disconnect one link from one side and you will effectively have no bar. Some will claim that the sway bar bushings have some friction and will have a slight effect, but for the most part, it's like running without a bar. The nice thing is that it's a 10 second modification that you can do in the pits during a practice session (two 12mm wrenches to undo and remove the link and you're off), so you can get a true back-to-back feeling of running with and without the bar. Try it, and if you don't like it, no harm, no foul. I think you'll like it without the bar. Yes the car will have a bit more body roll, but you will have a lot more grip up front.

[almracing]

I agree... either keep one end connected, or you can duct tape one end of the sway bar to the suspension. This reduces the "clunking" of a loose sway bar... which can be very disconcerting during a race.

Anthony R.
ITA #86 NER

[charrbq]

Duct tape a vital racing part to the car! Wow! Speaking from experience, either take it off or leave it on. I had a link break in a freak trailer incident (don't ask). Never bothered to check until just before reloading after the race, but the car was an absolute handfull on track. Really darty and unpredictable on a course that I had run only a month before. There are mixed opinions on sway bar application...some even make sense. A lot of fast guys in either camp. I'm not fast, but I like them on the front and rear. It's another item I can use to tune my car's suspension and handling.
If you leave one link attached, you still have the resisitance of the bushings working against the remaining link. Sort of like the left hand not telling the right hand what's going on.

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Chris Harris
ITC Honda Civic

[R2 Racing]

I had a front sway bar on the front of my old '85 and after complaining about how the car just wouldn't bite on entry, a friend of mine suggested unbolting one side of the front sway bar. I did it, ran it like that for a weekend, loved it, promptly fully removed it when I got home, and I haven't used one since.

My advice is to just unbolt one side of it and see how you like it. But for comparison sake, run the car with it hooked up first (I'm not sure if you have yet or not). If you decide to remove it totally you have to remove your exhaust and the front subframe (I think - it's been so long...).

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Kevin
Ruck Racing
'92 ITA Acura Integra RS
'92 ITC Honda Civic CX
'85 ITC Honda Civic S
'95 ITS Honda Prelude Si

[Greg Gauper]

You are correct Kevin, plus I think you have to drop the steering rack, and the sub-frame.

I erred on the side of laziness and just left mine in but left it disconnected http://ITForum.ImprovedTouring.com/smile.gif

[iambhooper]

well, then i guess i will disconect one side of the sway bar.

our next race will be at Lowes next month. a track i have never driven on, and my co-drivers last event there left him without a car.

will a disconected sway bar be to much body roll for a larger tire size... say 205/60/13's? i have a set of 185/60/13's, but i like the gearing chang provided by the taller tire.

thanks!

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hoop
Greensboro, NC
White ITC Honda CRX #4

[R2 Racing]

My '85 is quite happy with 29mm torsion bars, no front bar of any kind (sway or tower), and some 225/50 or 225/45 tires.

[Motor City Hamilton]

There's my question... what tortion bars are you running without the swaybar? I'm on 26mm or really old worn out 27mm bars and the car had way too much body roll without the sway bar. So much roll that I started cutting front tires on the fenders. I'd even like a stronger front sway bar and stay with the softer tortion bars. Any thoughts on that?

[R2 Racing]

Are you asking me? Like I said in the post before yours, our '85 has 29mm torsion bars on it.

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Kevin
Ruck Racing
'92 ITA Acura Integra RS
'92 ITC Honda Civic CX
'85 ITC Honda Civic S
'95 ITS Honda Prelude Si

[This message has been edited by R2 Racing (edited May 31, 2005).]

[iambhooper]

my car has the 27mm torsion bars.

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hoop
Greensboro, NC
White ITC Honda CRX #4