I bought the '04 TL (6spd) rear bar, bushings, and brackets. No other parts needed.
At first glance, the bends don't seem to match the Accord (Honda bends horizontally around low spot of the body, Acura bends down below), but slipped in without hitting anything. Exhaust is close, but was before, too.
Took out a lot of the roll in corners. Still not enough, though. Looking for recommendations on struts/coilovers. By the time I priced out Koni yellows and some springs, I was close to the price of Tein SS coilovers. Anyone got the Teins installed? Ride impressions? I don't want much drop (maybe 1.7-2 front, 1-1.5ish rear). Also don't want it to ride like an old pickup, either!
I hope you dont' have snow in your area... replacing just the back sway will spin you out in wet weather...
MY TL-S still understeered with a Comptech bar, and I know people with rear Neuspeed race bars with no probs with oversteer. A sway bar upgrade will reduce some oversteer, but on its own, no way will it cause enough oversteer to cause you to loose your tail in a FWD Accord that would not have occured otherwise.
Just call me.............Mr Hyde 03 Topaz Blue 540i M-Sport
MY TL-S still understeered with a Comptech bar, and I know people with rear Neuspeed race bars with no probs with oversteer. A sway bar upgrade will reduce some oversteer, but on its own, no way will it cause enough oversteer to cause you to loose your tail in a FWD Accord that would not have occured otherwise.
Think about it... you are going from 13/14mm to what, anything from 19mm to 22mm...the front now leans more (left/right) then the back, putting more pressure on the back tires. The front and back is engineered to work together...I'm not sure how much time you've spent driving in wet/snow conditions, but the back will spin out...
Think about it... you are going from 13/14mm to what, anything from 19mm to 22mm...the front now leans more (left/right) then the back, putting more pressure on the back tires. The front and back is engineered to work together...I'm not sure how much time you've spent driving in wet/snow conditions, but the back will spin out...
L8es
Yeah, a thicker rear bar will decrease understeer, but Hyde's point is that in everyday driving, the Accord has so much understeer to start with you really gotta get something crazy going to actually get it to oversteer. Now in a freak situation where you are overcorrecting, you can get the rear out even with a stock rear sway bar. He's just talking about normal driving. And my stock Accord bar was 16mm, so it's a 3mm increase to the TL-S 19mm bar I have now.
Yeah, a thicker rear bar will decrease understeer, but Hyde's point is that in everyday driving, the Accord has so much understeer to start with you really gotta get something crazy going to actually get it to oversteer. Now in a freak situation where you are overcorrecting, you can get the rear out even with a stock rear sway bar. He's just talking about normal driving. And my stock Accord bar was 16mm, so it's a 3mm increase to the TL-S 19mm bar I have now.
I agree 100%. But going from 7-gen 4-door 13mm or 7-gen 2-door 14mm to 19 or 22 (? 2004 TL) will make a big diff.
The reason why I want to stress my point is because a kid took an onramp too fast on a semi-rainy day and hit the guard rail pretty hard... another one wanted to test out his new rear sway bar and span out on a highway...
didn't mean to argue with anyone, just wanted to give a heads up...
I agree 100%. But going from 7-gen 4-door 13mm or 7-gen 2-door 14mm to 19 or 22 (? 2004 TL) will make a big diff.
The reason why I want to stress my point is because a kid took an onramp too fast on a semi-rainy day and hit the guard rail pretty hard... another one wanted to test out his new rear sway bar and span out on a highway...
didn't mean to argue with anyone, just wanted to give a heads up...
wow, the 7th gen rear sway is only 13-14mm!? about a 9mm difference on the 7th gen accord to the TL's sway. that's a huge difference. I guess that could be a problem. would adding the front sway from a new TL neturalize that, but still allow safe handeling?
I hope you dont' have snow in your area... replacing just the back sway will spin you out in wet weather...
The way the climate's been shifting, we get less every year.
I always take it easy in the wet. I've got a way-overpowered VW bug with fat tires and stiff suspension. It's rear end will come out if someone's sprinklers ran on the street! YeeeHaaaawwww!
Won't push it with the new Accord, at least not until I've had it a few years and know its feel at the limits.
Think about it... you are going from 13/14mm to what, anything from 19mm to 22mm...the front now leans more (left/right) then the back, putting more pressure on the back tires. The front and back is engineered to work together...I'm not sure how much time you've spent driving in wet/snow conditions, but the back will spin out...
L8es
LOL. I've driven in snow/rain, etc all my life. We get that here in the North East. My current ride is actually RWD, so Im pretty sure I have a grasp on things.
Put the thickest bar out there on a FWD Accord. On its own, it wont induce oversteer. Lessen it yes, but turn it into oversteer???....no way. Its dialed in for understeer from the factory, and is a nose heavy, FWD car. That all equals alot of Push when you go into a corner, and a sway bar on its own, wont reverse that. Those guys may have lost their cars, but stock cars can loose their rear ends too in the right situations.
The likelihood of someone getting over their head, and just having an upgraded sway bar as the difference between whether they lost it or not is probably very slim. Thats all I was trying to say.
Last edited by Mr Hyde; 08-12-04 at 06:24 PM.
Just call me.............Mr Hyde 03 Topaz Blue 540i M-Sport
Update: Rear sway bar is installed on my '04 sedan 4 cyl. I got the 20mm TL-S bar. I took pics, but need to get the film developed. I'll post them when available.
The installation was pretty simple. When finished, the bar was almost touching the exhaust hanger. I just bent it (hanger) down about 1/8" to make sure it cleared. It may not have been an issue if I had left it alone, since the hanger is nearer the center of the bar, but I didn't want it to touch.
If you order the rear sway make sure to get the brackets, because the original ones will not fit the new bushings properly.
For reference, the only thing different with my car from a normal LX is 16" alloys and 205/60/16 Yokohama tires.
My first impression was that the car seemed more stable and less "floaty" on uneven road. I then took it to the country where there is almost no cars and "tested" it. I picked a familiar winding road and pushed it a little more. It handled 20 mph curves at 40 no problem. Next, I tried some onramp and offramp maneuvering. Then I took it on a cloverleaf bridge. It stayed flatter in the turn, which I liked. Next, I got alone on the highway and pulled the wheel side to side, feeling the car react. It seemed to want to turn, instead of lean and felt much more neutral to me. The springs/struts are the weak link now; replacing them would make this a truly fun car to drive.
It didn't make my car raceworthy, but it does inspire more confidence and made a much needed improvement. It's a worthwhile suspension mod for less then $60. Oh yeah, it still does understeer.
I attached a receipt for those interested in cost and part numbers.
I bought the '04 TL (6spd) rear bar, bushings, and brackets. No other parts needed.
At first glance, the bends don't seem to match the Accord (Honda bends horizontally around low spot of the body, Acura bends down below), but slipped in without hitting anything. Exhaust is close, but was before, too.
Took out a lot of the roll in corners. Still not enough, though. Looking for recommendations on struts/coilovers. By the time I priced out Koni yellows and some springs, I was close to the price of Tein SS coilovers. Anyone got the Teins installed? Ride impressions? I don't want much drop (maybe 1.7-2 front, 1-1.5ish rear). Also don't want it to ride like an old pickup, either!
I am going with the Basics....I am not a heavy tuner or whatever you call those people, but SS's ousnd like they are bad azz!
I am thinking about dropping, but I can't make up my mind what to do yet. The Tein basics would be in my price range, but I'm not sure what the ride would be like with coilovers. There are many lowering springs available, but Koni adjustables are the only struts I've seen for 7th gen. Accords. No KYB, Bilstein, or Tokico.
Also, a Tein sales rep. e-mailed me that Stech springs are designed to work with stock struts...I'm thinkin' :shocked: based on what others' comments have been about lowering and stock struts. Ah well, gotta save the pennies for now anyway...
if im plannin on gettin a new exhaust (hopefully the EVO2), will the bar interfere moRe, less, or none w/ the pipes for the exhaust. the pics you had up made it look reeeally close. if the TLs bar wont get in the way, im running to the store first thing in the morning...maybe, lol. >:]
if im plannin on gettin a new exhaust (hopefully the EVO2), will the bar interfere moRe, less, or none w/ the pipes for the exhaust. the pics you had up made it look reeeally close. if the TLs bar wont get in the way, im running to the store first thing in the morning...maybe, lol. >:]
holla back~
I can't say how an aftermarket exhaust would fit, but from what I see it doesn't look like a problem since the sway follows the body contours closely and it is above the "tunnel" where the exhaust pipe runs. The new pipe would have to make a hard turn out of the tunnel to have a clearance problem.
I am thinking about dropping, but I can't make up my mind what to do yet. The Tein basics would be in my price range, but I'm not sure what the ride would be like with coilovers. There are many lowering springs available, but Koni adjustables are the only struts I've seen for 7th gen. Accords. No KYB, Bilstein, or Tokico.
Also, a Tein sales rep. e-mailed me that Stech springs are designed to work with stock struts...I'm thinkin' :shocked: based on what others' comments have been about lowering and stock struts. Ah well, gotta save the pennies for now anyway...
I am on Tein S Tech springs now, the drop looks very clean, but now I am hitting the bump stops. Very annoying! Konis are in fact the only shock / strut out on the market. If you go to KYB's site, they show that there is a fitment for the 7th gen Accords, but they are not out yet. So I have decided to go with the Basics instead of the SS. One the money is right, and 2 it does almost the same exact thing as the SS, but does NOT have Adjustable dampening. Basics are the best bang for the buck!
bringing back an old thread...but that's what search is for.
anyway, if we get a CL-S bar for my sister's 6th gen V6 coupe, do we need the same parts that squoink got? rear bar, bushings, and brackets
is the front sway bar a good one to replace too? what other parts would we need to install a CL-S front upper strut bar?
For the rear sway, you'll need CL-S (or TL-S for that matter, it's all the same) brackets and bushings to compensate for the larger bar.
You can replace the front sway bar as well but it's not as big of a difference on the V6s than it is on the I4s. Also leaving the front sway as is will get rid of some of the inherent understeer Accords have, that's why I left my stock front sway.
For the front strut bar all you need is the bar.
You can use all the same hardware for both, or you can buy new hardware if you want.
I bought the '04 TL (6spd) rear bar, bushings, and brackets. No other parts needed.
At first glance, the bends don't seem to match the Accord (Honda bends horizontally around low spot of the body, Acura bends down below), but slipped in without hitting anything. Exhaust is close, but was before, too.
Took out a lot of the roll in corners. Still not enough, though. Looking for recommendations on struts/coilovers. By the time I priced out Koni yellows and some springs, I was close to the price of Tein SS coilovers. Anyone got the Teins installed? Ride impressions? I don't want much drop (maybe 1.7-2 front, 1-1.5ish rear). Also don't want it to ride like an old pickup, either!
Hi
Sounds like a nice upgrade. I'm curious if your coupe is a six speed or automatic. While test driving a drove the TSX, TL, and six speed coupe I found the handling between the six speed Accord coupe and the TL very similar. Both understeered about the same. The automatic coupe was much more noticeable in understeer. The TSX, on the other hand, was in a league of its own!
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Originally Posted by skabone69
I guess that could be a problem. would adding the front sway from a new TL neturalize that, but still allow safe handeling?
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