is it normal for the ST front sway bay to be a pain in the a$$ to install or did i miss something?

 

It's normal. :-)
But the joy of driving after you have installed a matched set front and rear is well worth the pain.

 

Yes... yes it is... to both accounts.

 

make sure youre putting it on the right way. you dont want to go through all that trouble to find out its upside down. trust me, ive been there.

 

Remove the tension rod brackets, then slide them over the swaybar, then reinstall. And yeah, don't put it on upside down...

 

i got it in already and the difference is amazing and i still havent got the back one in yet. i havent got springs or shocks yet what do u guys suggest i use. it"ll be a daily driver and autoX on the weekends and i will be using racing slicks for autoX.

 

D o a search with the term coil springs. You should find a ton of threads on them.

 

if youve got the money, tokico illuminas + respeed coil overs, or illuminas + eibachs(if you can find them). if youre on a budget, tokico HP + eibachs(if you can fidn them), HP+ suspension techniques, or HP + racing beat springs.

for a DD i think HP + ST would be the best, but since you say autox also, id go with eibachs. theyre discontinued so theyll be hard to find.

 

koni 3ways work well

 

has anyone ever used or heard anything about the ST spring sets they're a less expensive than others but im pretty happy with the sway bars.

 

i have a set of ST springs and i LOVE the stance they give the car. i think theyd be the perfect spring for a DD

 

My current setup is Illumina's, ST front swaybar, ST springs. I wouldnt mind a slightly lower spring( due to wheelgap, but some nice 15-17 wheels would fix that). When I had only the springs and old worn out shocks the ride was just O.K. But now that I have the illumina's, I would say its a great street setup. The front bar is amazing, the car is very level through turns, and has a great progressive lean when you really push it.

 

I've found that if I get the die grinder and the rotary burs out and widen the hole in the tension rod bracket on each side, the aftermarket sway bars will slip through the hole just fine, only take a 1/16 to 3/32"nds of an inch off of each side to make then slip through.

 

How do you know if it is upside down? Anyone have a layout (even MSPaint) of how it is going to look installed?

 

Careful inspection of the old bar prior to removal wil give one an idea of how the new one goes back in. If the old bar has already been removed, look at the marks on it, that will tell one which side is up, then lay the new bar next to it for correct orientation and mark it for top.

 

The ends of the bar will be at an angle to accept the end links if you have it installed correctly. Otherwise, they will be at the wrong angle when you try to connect them, which is the point where I realized I had screwed up with my install.

This is really only an issue with the RB bars, due to the fact that they put the decal on upside down...

 

i put in my RB sway bar upside down like 3 times haha.