How to Install a Rear Sway Bar
If you want a car that handles well and performs when turning through hard corners, the best thing to do is to install sway bars on your vehicle. Most cars come with a front sway bar from the factory, but not every one comes with a sway bar for the rear. Installing one should take about an hour and, when done, will make your car perform and handle better, keeping the wheels planted through the corners. In this case, the vehicle is a 2000 Volkswagen GTI, but the process is similar for other vehicles as well.
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Things You'll Need
- Jack
- Jack stands
- Sway bar kit
- Tape measure
- 3/8 inch ratchet and socket
- Open-end wrench set
Instructions
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1
Lift up the vehicle using the jack, and place it on jack stands. Make sure the vehicle is secure before you crawl underneath it.
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2
Coat the inside of the sway bar bushings provided with the kit, using the bushing grease provided with the kit. Then push the sway bar bushings onto the sway bar until they're on the straight section of tubing in the middle of the sway bar.
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3
Slide the brackets provided with the sway bar kit over the torsion beam connected to the rear suspension. This hooks in place and clicks onto the beam on both sides. Use the tape measure to ensure that the brackets are spaced evenly side to side, and then bolt the clamps provided with the kit over the sway bar bushings on the sway bar, using the 3/8 inch ratchet and socket and an open-end wrench.
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4
Lift the jack onto the bottom of the torsion beam by the shock mount until it contacts the bottom of the beam. Then unbolt the shock, using the 3/8 inch ratchet and socket. Assemble the end links by threading the heims joints into the threaded assembly with a lock nut in the middle. Measure it using the tape measure so that the threads are halfway out of the collar. Bolt the heims joint to the shock hole using the longer bolts in the kit, then bolt the other end to the sway bar. The part of the link that isn't threaded should go on the shock mount bolt. Repeat this process on the other side of the vehicle.
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5
Lower the vehicle off the jack stands, using the jack, and place it on the ground.
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