H-Sport Anti-sway Bar - install notes & driving impressions
#1
07-27-2006, 07:06 PM
H-Sport Anti-sway Bar - install notes & driving impressions
Well, I did my first heavy-duty upgrade recently and thought I'd share my experience with the forum. For those that don't consider this at least a bit heavy duty, you have my respect. Nothing about it was overwhelming, but it was tricky and definitely requires a willingness to get dirty and intimate with your garage floor/driveway -- lots of slithering. Here are my thoughts for those of you facing this excellent upgrade... [For those of you not familiar with this upgrade, it's a biggie. Oft cited as "the best bang for your buck," it overcomes some of the "luxury" aspect of the A6 rides and moves it more in the direction of greater performance with minimal trade-off in terms of ride comfort.]
INSTALLATION NOTES
I used the defacto installation guide, available here. Kudos to Robert Gedeon for this write up. I also used a few other posts that had some good tips, including this one and this one. To the excellent comments made in these posts, I'll add the following...
- Yes, you can do it without ramps. It is, however, a bear. When you get to that last step of having to tighten down the end links (which must be done with the suspension under load for both front and rear) you will really miss the ramps. I actually ended up doing a quick post to check on the possiblity of holding up the rear end while under load by using jackstands under the control arm. This ended up working, but it was not an ideal solution and would have been elminated if I had ramps. For the front, I ended up dropping the car onto some wood so I had the front end up just enough to get under there to tighten up those end links. I suppose if you've got a ton of scrap lumber around, you can jack the car up, do the work, and then drop it on to some lumber for the final tightening of the end links. Ramps on the cheap.
- The flex-head ratcheting wrenches really are a must. You can get by with just the 17mm, but having the 16mm (I didn't) will make removing the rear end link easier, and the 13mm does make getting the bushings on and off quite a bit easier.
- The kit from Hotchkiss now comes with a little tube of locktite so you don't need to worry about buying that if you don't have any.
- If you can, use a good shop jack to lift the exhaust back into place. I was using a buddy's good jack and it made that step a piece of cake.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS (note: I used the firm setting for the rear bar)
After finishing the install and taking a badly needed shower, I went for a LONG drive to get some gas and give things a try. I think the best way of describing the change is that the H-Sports calm the car down. There's just no more drama when getting on it in a turn. Whether you're on a big entrance ramp or making a quick turn at speed, the car just makes the turn. No dramatic attitude shift, no heeling over. It's comparable to upgrading your wheels by going lower profile and wider -- turn-in is improved and it really does inspire confidence. I can actually see getting the tires to break away now because I feel I can push it much more -- previously, I wouldn't push it as much because of all the drama.
What's fun is that you start to sense your speed in a turn using different parts of your perceptual system. Instead of the car's attitude being the primary indicator, you start to tune into how much the side bolsters (I have sport seats) are pressing against you. There is a bit of increased road feel that seems just about right -- certainly not harsh, but more communicative about what's happening with the road.
It was well worth the effort and I'm happy to be part of the H-sport club. [FYI, I paid $357 shipped from www.purems.com which included a time limited $40 off deal.]
INSTALLATION NOTES
I used the defacto installation guide, available here. Kudos to Robert Gedeon for this write up. I also used a few other posts that had some good tips, including this one and this one. To the excellent comments made in these posts, I'll add the following...
- Yes, you can do it without ramps. It is, however, a bear. When you get to that last step of having to tighten down the end links (which must be done with the suspension under load for both front and rear) you will really miss the ramps. I actually ended up doing a quick post to check on the possiblity of holding up the rear end while under load by using jackstands under the control arm. This ended up working, but it was not an ideal solution and would have been elminated if I had ramps. For the front, I ended up dropping the car onto some wood so I had the front end up just enough to get under there to tighten up those end links. I suppose if you've got a ton of scrap lumber around, you can jack the car up, do the work, and then drop it on to some lumber for the final tightening of the end links. Ramps on the cheap.
- The flex-head ratcheting wrenches really are a must. You can get by with just the 17mm, but having the 16mm (I didn't) will make removing the rear end link easier, and the 13mm does make getting the bushings on and off quite a bit easier.
- The kit from Hotchkiss now comes with a little tube of locktite so you don't need to worry about buying that if you don't have any.
- If you can, use a good shop jack to lift the exhaust back into place. I was using a buddy's good jack and it made that step a piece of cake.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS (note: I used the firm setting for the rear bar)
After finishing the install and taking a badly needed shower, I went for a LONG drive to get some gas and give things a try. I think the best way of describing the change is that the H-Sports calm the car down. There's just no more drama when getting on it in a turn. Whether you're on a big entrance ramp or making a quick turn at speed, the car just makes the turn. No dramatic attitude shift, no heeling over. It's comparable to upgrading your wheels by going lower profile and wider -- turn-in is improved and it really does inspire confidence. I can actually see getting the tires to break away now because I feel I can push it much more -- previously, I wouldn't push it as much because of all the drama.
What's fun is that you start to sense your speed in a turn using different parts of your perceptual system. Instead of the car's attitude being the primary indicator, you start to tune into how much the side bolsters (I have sport seats) are pressing against you. There is a bit of increased road feel that seems just about right -- certainly not harsh, but more communicative about what's happening with the road.
It was well worth the effort and I'm happy to be part of the H-sport club. [FYI, I paid $357 shipped from www.purems.com which included a time limited $40 off deal.]
#3
07-28-2006, 02:25 PM
RE: H-Sport Anti-sway Bar - install notes & driving impressions
The install took me longer than usual due to the lack of ramps. Probably around 4-5 hours. People typically quote 3 hours.
IMO, this upgrade is a no-brainer. Pretty dramatic improvement for the dollar. You can spend a LOT of money on wheels/suspension and not get the same results. Go for it.
IMO, this upgrade is a no-brainer. Pretty dramatic improvement for the dollar. You can spend a LOT of money on wheels/suspension and not get the same results. Go for it.
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