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JDM 20MM Rear Sway Bar Install Instructions (w/pics)


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I finally got my JDM 20mm rear sway bar installed, according to these instructions, and as others have said, it was a piece of cake! Thanks Subietonic.

phoenix96

2006 Legacy GT Ltd · 2011 Outback 3.6R Ltd · 1992 SVX

2006 Outback 3.0R VDC · 2009 Forester 2.5X

2002 Outback VDC · 1996 Outback 2.5L · 1986 GL-10

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I finally got my JDM 20mm rear sway bar installed, according to these instructions, and as others have said, it was a piece of cake! Thanks Subietonic.

Absolutely, this was easy. Just came back from a test drive after installing my JDM rsb. Awesome! The difference is very significant, a very worthwhile mod. Now, can't wait for my JDM GT Bilstein setup to arrive and I will be all set, suspension wise. :)

 

And, yeah, thanks for the instructions!

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  • 1 month later...
Thanks for the write up, it was very easy instruction. The JDM bar feels priceless, its a new car. BTW, does the sway bar helps the traction of the car, mine feel faster after the install? :icon_bigg
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Like my wagon, and this is the only suspension mod that I've done, it will feel much more buttoned down through the twisty/turnys so essentially, it does help the traction in that respect. More force (or resistance depending on how you look at it) is being applied to the side opposite the inner wheel during the turn, keeping the outside wheel planted.

 

You should also feel that your wagon turns in more sharply on the hard rights, lefts making it easier to negotiate those 90 degree side streets.

 

Glad you're enjoying it.

 

SBT

- Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum -
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  • 4 weeks later...

i just pulled out the JDM sway and reinserted the stock sway.

 

when installing the JDM sway, i spent about 2.5 hours trying to pull out the stock sway and inserting the JDM sway. it was a complete PITA!

 

when doing the removal/install this time, i had my rear wheels off and the job was so simple! i didn't even need to unhook the rear mufflers. total removal and install took about 20 minutes!

 

so if your having problems getting the bar in/out, get the rear on jackstands and try removing the rear wheels!

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  • 1 month later...
I didn't take the wheels off and it was a breeze. I just dropped the cans.

 

:whore:

 

I reverted back to the old days when I had on the hog-zaust and I disconnected the cans from the Y pipe so I was able to slip the old bar right out and the new one in.

 

I didn't have ramps or jackstands so I just did one side at a time by jacking it up a bit. I did however take off the tire on the side I was working on so I could get to the endlinks better.

 

Feels pretty good so far, definately a worthwhile mod... I got a great deal on mine used as well so I couldn't pass it up.

JDM GT Bilsteins (F-Tanabe R-Pinks)

JDM RSB - Modded Kartboy SS - Subaru Momo Knob

Subastyle Grille

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  • 3 weeks later...
I bought that USED 20mm JDM bar that AVO had at the end of September. I recieved it yesterday and it was BRAND NEW with the original Subaru part number sticker on it. Bonus! and it only cost me $100 shipped to Canada. Thanks AVO!
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  • 2 weeks later...
I bought that USED 20mm JDM bar that AVO had at the end of September. I recieved it yesterday and it was BRAND NEW with the original Subaru part number sticker on it. Bonus! and it only cost me $100 shipped to Canada. Thanks AVO!

 

So you were the one that got the deal..........:(

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I have cobb front and rears coming. This will be a big help for the rear but I heard the front is much harder. Looking for a front sway bar post too.

 

I wouldn't consider it 'harder', just a bit more time-consuming - there's more bolts to remove. You've got to remove the plastic undertray and then one big metal brace that has lots of tight bolts. You don't really need to wait for a walk-thru: it will be pretty obvious when you get under the car. On the plus side, there's no exhaust hangers to deal with!

Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

 

In other words: SEARCH before you post!

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  • 2 weeks later...
I used your instructions this weekend to install an AVO 20mm bar. They were very helpful. It took me about an hour to do the swap. I thought I could do it without dropping the exhaust but I was wrong. Some of my hour was spent staring at the thing trying to figure out how can this be done. An important part I learned was rotating the bar 180 degrees and then it actually slid out pretty easily. I then tried to reverse the steps for the new bar and it worked almost as easily. So far, no noises or problems. My test drive on regular streets shows much better ability to maneuver the car around - turn in, rotation, steering feel. It is more fun to drive in traffic. On our local twisties, the car is more balanced. It also rotates better and feels . The tail will slide a bit if I brake hard into a turn (this was how I used to have to drive it with the 16mm bar), but acceleration will correct that. Sometimes I actually got a bit of throttle-on understeer which makes sense from the bigger rear bar. Not sure if I've got the balance quite right yet (where I can control the slip angles around a neutral point) but it is definitely more fun to toss around. My only other "mod" is 225/45-17 GForce KDWs. Thanks again for the original post of the instructions. I'm sure they've been useful for many of us and will live on....
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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks Subietonic!!

 

It took me about two hours.

 

I put the car up on jack stands. When I was pulling out the OEM bar, it was apparent that if I took off one wheel (as others have said), I could simply slide the bar out and twist the exposed end as I needed to get the other side out. Simple and easy.

 

If you have the ability to get the car in the air on jack stands, I'd recommend pulling the wheels. Easier to get the bars in and out, and makes access to the endlinks much less..painful :D

 

Thanks again Subietonic! I'd mail you some of the cookies my girlfriend just made, but I don't think they'd get there in quite the same condition as they started.

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Even easier, disconnect the exhaust cans with 4 bolts and slip the bars in and out through there.

 

Definately take the tires off though, way easier to get to the endlinks. I did my car one side at a time since I only had one working jack at the time.

JDM GT Bilsteins (F-Tanabe R-Pinks)

JDM RSB - Modded Kartboy SS - Subaru Momo Knob

Subastyle Grille

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I did it on ramps pretty much as Subietonic described. The end link bolts were the hardest to get at but manageable. With the exhaust cans dropped off the rubber mounts there was enough room to get the bars out and in. I found the important part to getting the bar to slide out easily was to flip it 180 degrees. It then slid out pretty easily. This was after about 20 minutes of jiggling it, staring at it and then re-reading the ST instructions more carefully. The new bar also went in pretty easily in reverse order.
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After having done this twice now - OEM 15mm to LGT 16mm to JDM 20mm - Dropping the cans on ramps is the way to go.
06LOB2.5i MT, JDMRSB, GYTTs, HPS, LGT Mufflers & Leather Wheel, SubiMomo Knob, Inalfa Moonroof, Clutch Switch Bypass, DeDRLd, DeChimed, & Straight Headrest.
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After having done this twice now - OEM 15mm > LGT 16mm > JDM 20mm - Dropping the cans on ramps is the way to go.

 

Did you notice much of a difference going from the 15mm bar to the 16mm in the Outback?

phoenix96

2006 Legacy GT Ltd · 2011 Outback 3.6R Ltd · 1992 SVX

2006 Outback 3.0R VDC · 2009 Forester 2.5X

2002 Outback VDC · 1996 Outback 2.5L · 1986 GL-10

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I just replaced my rear sway bar and it was a breeze. For those of you that have replaced the front sway, is there a trick to unbolting the endlinks? Unlike the rears I don't see a nut on the other side to hold to keep the endlink ball from rotating. It just seems to be a smooth round 1/6" wide spot before the boot . Are we talking needle nose vise grips to hold the bolt from turning?
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After having done this twice now - OEM 15mm > LGT 16mm > JDM 20mm - Dropping the cans on ramps is the way to go.

 

I managed to get the rear sway off and the JDM on without having to drop the cans..pretty easy on the sedan. Took about 4 to 5 minutes of manuevering the bar out. I used jacks to raise the car.

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Did you notice much of a difference going from the 15mm bar to the 16mm in the Outback?

 

Yep, definitely noticable. The as-delivered understeer was just plain scary, and moving from 15 to 16 made it manageable. Recommended if you can get the bar cheap ( No more than $50)...

06LOB2.5i MT, JDMRSB, GYTTs, HPS, LGT Mufflers & Leather Wheel, SubiMomo Knob, Inalfa Moonroof, Clutch Switch Bypass, DeDRLd, DeChimed, & Straight Headrest.
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