TL and TL-S front/rear sway bars upgrade info

[Aviography]

They do fit the I4, other than you have to bend an exhaust bracket a little bit to clear the rear bar.

[GenXer]

Originally Posted by Aviography

How? I would be happy to edit that post if you can identify why it is "little misleading".



Makes sense to go with the same year front and rear bars, I went with the 07' TL Type-S parts since they were less expensive and likely easier to get as compared to the 04' parts, and they fit my 05' car just fine, plus I wasn't going to go half-way with the hollow regular 6-speed bars if I was going through the effort of changing these out, so I went straight to the TL Type-S bars and never looked back, the car is just a pleasure to drive since this transformaiton and better tires.



The 04'-07' bars are interchangeable in terms of mounting, but I want to caution against mix and match between base/auto, 6-speed, or Type-S parts since you may end up with unpredictable and undesireable handling characteristics near the limit, I feel Honda has done an increible job in the Type-S front/rear sway bar combination to balance performance and safe handling behaviours.

I agree with your observations. I just wanted to point out to everyone that there are many different part numbers. You did not mention year model and many times they are different depending on year model. The A01 is actually a "Sport" for 2004 while you have it listed as "Base". I dunno maybe it's listed as "Base" in another year model? I think that's why people are seeing different prices when they look up the bars, because we all may not be looking at the same year models.

As you pointed out, the later model bar is much cheaper and that is what I went with, the -A21. Thanks for your original post. That is what got me really going on researching this.

[GenXer]

I mounted my FSB tonight, the -A21. It was a major pain just as everyone says. In fact, in hindsight I would take it to a shop and have someone with a lift do it.

Here's a few of my observations, while it's fresh on my mind. I don't recommend newbies to do this mod, unless they want to learn by hard knocks and find out the limits of their will, not to mention exploring the extent of their knowledge of foul words.

1. First you have to get the car pretty high so that you can maneuver the bar out easily. Just a typical floor jack is gonna be iffy. I ended up jacking one side of the car up and setting it on my old steelies to gain a few inches, then jacking up the other side as high as I could go. It wasn't pretty but I had jackstands everywhere. In fact I have 2 jacks, one of which I used to gradually lower the subframe.

2. I used the Neuspeed instructions that include dropping the subframe. I do not see how anyone could install the bar without doing that. It was a pain even with doing that.

3. The rear bolts for the sway bar bracket are hard to get out. You can kind of get a socket on them with the subframe dropped, but I just gave up and used an end wrench. A racheting box end might be a nice thing to use.

4. With the dropped subframe you have to pry one end free from under the subframe and the start wiggling it out. I pried it out opposite the side with the hard lines. The old bar will pry out from under the subframe, but the trick is to orient the bar in the right way.

5. After passing the subframe hurdle, I wrestled the bar around and kept trying to get just the right angle. Getting the car high enough helped, but I was still having issues. I noticed that it kept hitting the header/cat so what to do? I quickly spun off the 3 nuts and dropped the cat/exhaust down. The bar then slid right out.

6. Going back in was so much easier to me. I think it took me 3 times as long to get the old FSB off. The new bar looks mighty close to the subframe in the center but the driving test yielded no noise.

Driving impressions...(I already had a 20mm rear sway bar and coilovers). The car feels more neutral and the front seems to be flatter in turns/curves. I took a few hard turns and the tires are definitely the weak link now. I can feel them give it up even as the car stays flat. Also, I have pretty new tires so naturally they are a bit "wiggly" with the tall tread blocks. I went around a curve that I normally would have taken at 60, and now I can do 70 (and maybe more but I won't) while feeling in control.

Before the installation, the rear felt stiffer and the front moved noticably more than the rear. Now...while it isn't as earth-shattering as the new RSB and change to coilovers, it's a worthwhile improvement. For me, the ride quality feels about the same as it did before, going straight down the road. In short, I'm happy. It made enough of a difference that I will have to relearn a bit of how my car reacts.

[python6mt]

@GenXer, congrats on getting yours in, and thanks for the review. I'm hoping I can get to it the weekend I do my t-belt, fluids, and valve adjustment.

One thing, though: I was looking through the FSM (which imparts just enough knowledge to be dangerous) and it says to replace the subframe bolts, as well as the self-locking nuts and gasket if you disconnect the cat. Any thoughts on whether that's actually necessary?

[GenXer]

Originally Posted by python6mt

@GenXer, congrats on getting yours in, and thanks for the review. I'm hoping I can get to it the weekend I do my t-belt, fluids, and valve adjustment.

One thing, though: I was looking through the FSM (which imparts just enough knowledge to be dangerous) and it says to replace the subframe bolts, as well as the self-locking nuts and gasket if you disconnect the cat. Any thoughts on whether that's actually necessary?

A gasket change on the cat couldn't hurt since it's a thin metal ring and gets a crush on it when installed. I'm changing to a new cat soon so I did not bother. I did not replace the subframe bolts and see no reason why to do it. They were not very tight (which surprised me), and at such a low torque I doubt there is any bolt stretch. I've had the nuts for the cat off several times and no issues there, but they are not self-locking either.

[Ivantheterrible]

Would the 17mm bars work ok for the i4 model?.


2006 Honda accord i4 ex-l with 77,000miles

[NGEunit01]

Yes, the 17mm works in the I4. Just bend the exhaust bracket a lil bit.

[The Pope]

Originally Posted by Ivantheterrible

Would the 17mm bars work ok for the i4 model?.


2006 Honda accord i4 ex-l with 77,000miles

If you have no intention of installing the FSB, yes.
If you're planning on installing the FSB later, I'd go with the larger RSB.

This advice goes for the V6 as well.

[houseofcharm]

With the myriad of replies, does anyone know, since this was '06 recall, were the o7 cars already, or at some VIN, upgraded with the newer parts?

[GenXer]

I edited this post because the information in it was wrong. I had my FSB installed incorrectly. That's what I get for working on a car when I'm tired. I should have seen it right away but did not. It bothered me that the bar was hanging so low...something did not look right. This afternoon I thought about it again and almost laughed out loud because I realized what I did. I had the endlinks turned downward. 15 minutes later, fixed. Let that be a lesson to never rush a job or do something when you are tired.

[GenXer]

Originally Posted by GenXer

The new bar looks mighty close to the subframe in the center but the driving test yielded no noise.

This above is incorrect. The bar has plenty of clearance. Read my previous post.

[python6mt]

Originally Posted by GenXer

A gasket change on the cat couldn't hurt since it's a thin metal ring and gets a crush on it when installed. I'm changing to a new cat soon so I did not bother. I did not replace the subframe bolts and see no reason why to do it. They were not very tight (which surprised me), and at such a low torque I doubt there is any bolt stretch. I've had the nuts for the cat off several times and no issues there, but they are not self-locking either.

Thanks for the info. I really can't wait to get these on the car! Then I'll probably want better tires... If you give a mouse a cookie...

(I need better ones anyway, the dealer installed the cheapest they could, of course, and they're downright worthless when it even thinks about raining)

[Ivantheterrible]

Could someone help me with the part #'s or point me in the direction of where I could find them for my 2006 i4 sedan? Thanks for any input! I can't wait to do this mod!


2006 Honda accord i4 ex-l with 77,000miles

[ypsibird]

Originally Posted by Ivantheterrible

Could someone help me with the part #'s or point me in the direction of where I could find them for my 2006 i4 sedan? Thanks for any input! I can't wait to do this mod!


2006 Honda accord i4 ex-l with 77,000miles

Go to page 1 of this thread. I4, V6, coupe, or sedan they're all the same.

[Ivantheterrible]

Is there a website that has them cheaper than the rest? Does anyone have a link of where to get them? Thanks again!


2006 Honda accord i4 ex-l with 77,000miles