Cusco F/R Swaybar review...

Well, I finally installed the Front and Rear Cusco Swaybars. A friend of mine helped me with the whole ordeal, so props to him! THANKS MAN!

Next, let me tell you, the install on the rear isn't that difficult, once you can figure out how to get the bar out...and putting it back in is just the same kinda pain in the arse! Be warned! Bushing bolts are 12mm and Endlink bolts are 14mm. We did not really have to take off the endlinks, to do the job...so it wasn't that difficult...but taking the bar out required a bit of fuss, and then, putting in the new one required the same fuss...not rocket science, but a tad frustrating. Tightened, and torqued it all down, and it's good to go.

The front, however, is a MAJOR pain in the A DOUBLE DOLLARS! It requires A LOT of work...although not too many tools. Both of our arms were pretty much jell-o by the time we finished. Be even MORE warned!!! There is a 'brace' that must be removed, in order to take the bar out and to put back in...it requires 10 bolts (14mm (and two are a bolt & nut combo)) to be removed. Let me tell you, the beer guzzling, can crushing gorillas at SIA must have some kinda crazy going on with torque specs! Then, remove the bolts from the endlinks (14mm) and bushings (12mm). I don't know of, or believe, that there is a way to snake the bar out from the front, without taking off this brace...and we thought about it for about an hour, before we decided to take the bolts off.

I won't post the torque specs and technical stuff, as you can search for that yourself...as I did! There are other threads out there with this info.

Now, on to the review. Since we did the install in two parts (rear first, on day 1, and then front (today)) I have a review of both actions...rear only, and front and rear together.

First, the review with the rear. I can tell that the car corners slightly flatter with the rear bar on, and doesn't really create any steering woes. I was able to take turns, at legal speeds!, a little quicker. No upsetting the rear there. Car felt good, no rattles, no issues, and definately no squeaks from the rubber bushings supplied with the bar. Fitment is perfect, and no issues with weight in the car (that I have noticed thusfar).

Now, the front. The car used to feel a little 'squishy' when going around rotaries, where the suspension would be almost bouncing around, when taking the turns. Once the new bar went in, this is almost all gone. I have not felt that sensation at all. The car can corner TONS better, the steering feels tighter, and I think my steering wheel almost took itself off-center...which it has been, since it came from the factory.

Combined with the rear bar, the front bar makes the car a whole different animal. There is basically no 'sway' left in the car (and mind you, I still have RE-92's and stock wheels/springs/suspension parts). Turns feel much better, and I don't think I can upset the balance unless I REALLY push it hard, which I don't believe the street will see too often. It turns nice, feels nice, and well, if you can see them, they look nice.

Let me know if you have any questions...but given that I just finished the front bar a little while ago, and took it for a test drive, I figured I would give the preliminary review. I will add to this thread as I have a little more seat time, but let me tell you, rotaries are no longer a match for the stock suspension, with these two pieces.

Now, only if I could come up with the strength/time from myself, and my friend, to do the lower arm bars, for both front and rear....as I am itching to get those in now! I am almost sure they will only make the car handle with the verve that it was meant to, coming from the factory...but then, people would still say, STOCK SUCKS!

I tried to post this in the 'Review' area, but maybe I am not l33t enough, at this time, or there is no true was to post a review there, to my knowledge. I don't have any pics...as there was barely any time to take any...but if anyone would like, I can take pictures at a later time. My sincerest apologies, but there was NO WAY I was taking out the 20D and getting all sorts of 'Cosmolene' on it! Mind you, there is TONS of it underneath the car.

Take care...and, oh, thanks to Rallitek for their sevice, and help with all the parts! Thanks Sean and Bernie, and members of LGT.com!

Thanks for the review and cautionary tale of difficulty installing the fronts.

What are the dimensions of the Cusco front and rear swaybars? Is the rear comparable to the JDM 20mm rear bar? Since you did both, you could have gone more radical on both ends and still be balanced.

Thanks again.

The front is 23mm, as compared to the stock 21mm. The rear, I believe is 21mm or 22 (don't know why I can't remember, though someone correct me if I am wrong) and I cannot recall what the stock rear sway bar size is...but it's really small compared to the cusco one. Neither of the Cusco ones (the blue bars) are adjustable...so, once they are in, they are in...with no more adjustments to be made. There used to be Gold Cusco bars, that were adjustable, but most do not carry them, and the company, I believe stopped making them.

I do not have any real world experience with the JDM 20mm bar...but lots of people have many good things to say about them. And, you really can't go wrong with OEM quality...but for me, the price of 1 bar vs. 2 was the deciding factor. Worth it, IMHO. There are no fitment issues at all...everything lines up nice, and fits the way it should. No noise, no creaks, nothing...just nice smooth ride...and I will have to comment on that once I have more seat time. Hope that helped.

Nice write up, this review thing is becoming a real PITA though, does anyone know how to fix it ?

I only wish I did...as I tried to post this thread in there...but with no such luck. Let me know if/when someone finds a fix...or maybe one of the MODS can copy it over there? Dunno...

good review. Hard similiar experience with whiteline bars.

+1 for doing both bars vs just the rear.

Hello

CUSCO Privides two types, adjustable and non-adjustable.

So which one did you get?

Wonder what is the pro and cons?

Thanks.

Thank you for the followup!

You're welcome. The way to work this morning was really nice. On LARGE bumps, you can feel a little less rebound from the springs/struts, but you can feel the suspension doing what it's supposed to. Nothing that will hurt the kidneys, though...and trust me, 95 is the WORST when it comes to potholes/rough roads. More to come, when I have more time.

Hello

 

CUSCO Privides two types, adjustable and non-adjustable.

So which one did you get?

 

Wonder what is the pro and cons?

Thanks.

I don't think that Cusco makes the adj. bars any more...unless some vendors still have some left overs. I went with the static bars, where they are not adjustable. Front is 23 mm, and rear I beleive is 21mm. I am not sure who has the adjustable ones...but this combo, for me, is perfect. Tightens everything up, does create a little more sense of harshness (only when going over large bumps -- I had to try it...hehe), and expansion joints don't really make the whole car dip up and down anymore. I beleive the suspension now takes care of that, and the car stays flat over those joints. Before, it was like a small see saw when going over expansion joints, now, there's no more forward motion and rear dive, if you will. Not sure exactly how to describe it better than that, though.

Maybe someone with the adj. bars can chime in, and provide a comparision.

As for cons...well, all I can say, for now, is that you will have to adjust your driving style...and maybe you will feel the road a bit more...but to me, that's not really a con, as I like to feel the road...otherwise, I would have bought a lincoln, with massive air suspension.

Hope that helps.

I don't think that Cusco makes the adj. bars any more...unless some vendors still have some left overs. I went with the static bars, where they are not adjustable. Front is 23 mm, and rear I beleive is 21mm. I am not sure who has the adjustable ones...but this combo, for me, is perfect. Tightens everything up, does create a little more sense of harshness (only when going over large bumps -- I had to try it...hehe), and expansion joints don't really make the whole car dip up and down anymore. I beleive the suspension now takes care of that, and the car stays flat over those joints. Before, it was like a small see saw when going over expansion joints, now, there's no more forward motion and rear dive, if you will. Not sure exactly how to describe it better than that, though.

 

Maybe someone with the adj. bars can chime in, and provide a comparision.

 

As for cons...well, all I can say, for now, is that you will have to adjust your driving style...and maybe you will feel the road a bit more...but to me, that's not really a con, as I like to feel the road...otherwise, I would have bought a lincoln, with massive air suspension.

 

Hope that helps.

Thanks! I will place an order for the sway bar soon.

Should be more comfy than lowering the car!

Typically, do we need to do wheel alignment after the sway bars are in?

Thanks! I will place an order for the sway bar soon.

Should be more comfy than lowering the car!

 

Typically, do we need to do wheel alignment after the sway bars are in?

Not that I know of...and I did not notice any irregular behavior after the install. In fact, the steering wheel is now closer to center, for some reason...?! The car doesn't pull in any one direction...so nothing out of the ordinary.

I also have cusco f/r lower are bars waiting to go on the car...just have to find the time (or the right shop) to install them. With those, there is less chance that one will need an alignment...but of course, you can get it aligned after those pieces go in, and should be good to go for a while.

And I think that Rallitek has the lowest prices on the bar...so give them a call, or send them a PM. I haven't been able to find a lower price than 139.99 for each F/R bar. If you can, well, then go ahead and do it...it's definartely worth it, imho.

Hello

 

CUSCO Privides two types, adjustable and non-adjustable.

So which one did you get?

 

Wonder what is the pro and cons?

Thanks.

Cusco/Vacanza no longer offer adjustable bars as they thought people would kill themselves (rear too stiff which made it wanna kick out).

Pros: Flatter cornering (Less noticable than springs/struts/coilovers).

Cons: Any bump you hit on the left side of the car will be felt on the right.

No....you do not need an alignment for just doing sway bars.

This may be WTLW,,,Just a tip fr the rear sway bar,,, Just release the mufflers from their rubber hangers ,,, they will hang down just enough to finagle the sway bars out and in.Gives you the room you need .

Rudy

This may be WTLW,,,Just a tip fr the rear sway bar,,, Just release the mufflers from their rubber hangers ,,, they will hang down just enough to finagle the sway bars out and in.Gives you the room you need .

 

Rudy

Quite a good tip, actually. This will DEFINATELY save some serious frustration. Thinking about it...I could have used that advice this past week...hehe. Oh well...thanks for the tip from all the future installers.

Well, with a little more seat time, I can definately say that things are nice and tight. I can take corners pretty agressively, without fear...but, I still have RE-92's, and I know their limits...so I don't go too crazy. I try to keep everything to within its limits...and not drive like a crazy maroon.

As for bumps/etc. in the roads...I have gotten used to it...and have not felt anything 'unusual' or jarring, that would be disconcerting. The bars do their job, and they do their job well. I believe some of the 'lift' during acceleration has been diminished (although not all gone), but to me, it feels that acceleration is more linear. Still have the studder issue, but having controlled that, when pulling on the on-ramp, I can say the car just likes to move. No if's and's or but's about it. I am sure new tires will help, but maybe once this set is done, a new set will definately improve everything...and firm it up a bit more. I can only imagine what new springs will provide with this combo...but since I have no first hand experience with that stuff (on this car), I can say that this is as good as it gets, for a couple hundred bucks.

I am still waiting to install the f/r lower arm bars...and will add to this as I go along, piecing it all together.

As for tail happiness, I haven't noticed it...but then again, I am not carving corners during rush hour, when most of my commute takes place. Weekends are more fun for that...especially when travelling on the Hutch from NY to CT. (for those of you that know what it's like, on the Hutch/Merritt, this car comes alive, and can take those 45MPH downhills, banked turns with NO problems. Stays very flat...and by the way...I don't even think my gf noticed anything different...which to me, is a plus!).

More to come later.

Awesome review and writeup, thanks!

*Jots down yet another mod on the to-do list*

I just installed my rear cusco sway bar last night, doing the front one tonight. Took me a little over an hour last night to do the rear bar, I just unbolted the mufflers from the Y pipe to help get the sway bar in and out. Spent some time trying to get it in and out though. Was a bit of a pain, and I wasn't really going about it the smartest way, just trying to pull and jam it in and out, haha. Let me just say, just do both sides at the same time, slow and steady does the trick. Put a few scratches on the nice blue paint job trying harder then I should have.

As for how it handled afterwards, really a world of difference, it was raining last night and I was taking turns as fast I did in the dry. It just made the car stick through the turns so much better. Tire squeal was reduced, and turn in is much better. The car is also flatter in the turns a bit. I am guessing when I do the front it will be even flatter.

I have the JDM GT Bilstien suspension on as well. The car feels really good, very glad I got these sway bars.

I ordered this bar, looking forward to it big time. I also have the ions coming.

1 Question: A lot of you talk about the back end coming out. Why does this happen? Is it because the rear is so stiff it just comes out? Anything with snap oversteer? I'm starting to think everytime I push the car the real will come out.

I just installed my rear cusco sway bar last night, doing the front one tonight. Took me a little over an hour last night to do the rear bar, I just unbolted the mufflers from the Y pipe to help get the sway bar in and out. Spent some time trying to get it in and out though. Was a bit of a pain, and I wasn't really going about it the smartest way, just trying to pull and jam it in and out, haha. Let me just say, just do both sides at the same time, slow and steady does the trick. Put a few scratches on the nice blue paint job trying harder then I should have.

 

As for how it handled afterwards, really a world of difference, it was raining last night and I was taking turns as fast I did in the dry. It just made the car stick through the turns so much better. Tire squeal was reduced, and turn in is much better. The car is also flatter in the turns a bit. I am guessing when I do the front it will be even flatter.

 

I have the JDM GT Bilstien suspension on as well. The car feels really good, very glad I got these sway bars.

Which end links are you using? stock? adjustable end links?

I ordered this bar, looking forward to it big time. I also have the ions coming.

 

1 Question: A lot of you talk about the back end coming out. Why does this happen? Is it because the rear is so stiff it just comes out? Anything with snap oversteer? I'm starting to think everytime I push the car the real will come out.

Nah, you should be OK. I can take on-off ramps with more positive feedback, than when I just had the stock bars on.

I am sure with the springs, it will make an even bigger difference, in the way the car takes turns/corners, etc.

Once you get the hang of driving with them on, it shouldn't be an issue. I just know the limits of the RE-92's, so I try to keep it together, when taking turns/corners, etc. Makes me want some decent tires really soon. I would go with snows...but I think this winter, plus another spring, and I should be able to move on out of the RE's. That will also make a huge difference.

Anyway, mmm def...I wouldn't worry about making the rear come out...not with these bars...unless you are pulling some major g's.

As for me, the more I drive with them on, the less I notice that they are there...so it's becoming more like stock now...

Kanos...yeah, the rear is totally easier than the front! By a BIG margin. The front is a pain cause you have to remove 10 bolts, and man, are those things on tight. Too bad I don't have a lift, otherwise, it would have been cake.