PRODUCT DETAILS
Progress Technology 27mm Front Sway Bar - 2002-2006 Acura RSX & 2002-2005 Honda Civic Si
Most people upgrading a Honda chase rear bars, because rear roll stiffness is what fixes understeer. So why a front bar? Because if you've already got a big rear bar in and the car is now looser than you want, or if you're chasing overall body roll rather than balance, the front is where you go. This 27mm Progress bar replaces the thinner factory piece with stiff alloy steel and cuts roll at the end of the car that does most of the work.
What A Front Bar Actually Does
Worth understanding, because the effect is different from what a rear bar does.
A bigger front bar increases roll stiffness at the front, which reduces overall body roll and keeps your front tires flatter to the road through a corner. Flatter tires mean more of the contact patch doing work, which is real grip rather than a theoretical gain.
The balance effect is the opposite of a rear bar. Where stiffening the rear moves the car toward rotation, stiffening the front moves it toward understeer. That's not a downside, it's a tuning tool. If you've fitted an aggressive rear bar and the car has become nervous or too eager to step out, a front bar brings it back. On a car with a lot of power going through the front wheels, controlling front roll also helps put that power down on corner exit.
Where This Fits In Your Setup
Being straight about it: for most DC5 and EP3 owners chasing sharper turn-in, a rear bar is the first move. This front bar is the second.
Run them together and you've got a car that rolls less overall while keeping the balance where you want it. Run this alone and you'll reduce body roll and firm up the front end, which suits someone who wants a flatter, more planted car rather than a more rotational one.
Either way, the 27mm is a substantial increase over the factory bar and you'll feel it immediately.
Cold-Formed And Precision Welded
Progress cold-forms these and welds them precisely, which matters on a part that spends its life being twisted. The bar is stiff alloy steel rather than the thinner material Honda used, and it's finished in powdercoated metallic gray so it holds up underneath the car where it sees road spray and salt.
It comes with polyurethane bushings, and those are doing more work than people realize. A bar only resists roll if it's held firmly, and factory rubber bushings deflect under load so the bar starts working late. Polyurethane barely compresses, so the bar begins resisting the instant the chassis loads up rather than after the bushings have finished moving.
Grease The Bushings
The one piece of advice that determines whether you're happy in a month. Polyurethane bushings need proper lubrication on the inner surface where the bar rotates. Use the supplied grease or a quality poly-specific product, and be generous.
Skip it and you'll get a squeak that turns up a few weeks later and never goes away on its own. It's the most common complaint with any poly bushing and it's entirely avoidable in two minutes.
A Note On Shipping
Heads up: a front sway bar is a long, awkward item and this one may incur oversized shipping charges. Not a surprise for a part like this, but worth knowing before checkout rather than after.
Fitment
2002-2006 Acura RSX
2002-2005 Honda Civic Si (EP3)
End links are not included. This bar is not adjustable, it's a single fixed rate.
Who Should Run This Bar
This is for the DC5 or EP3 owner who's already sorted the rear and wants to flatten the car out, or who's found their setup has gotten too loose and needs front stiffness to bring it back. It's also for anyone chasing overall body roll reduction rather than a balance change. Grease the bushings properly, bolt it up, and enjoy a front end that stays flat when you lean on it.
Fits: 2002-2006 Acura RSX and 2002-2005 Honda Civic Si (EP3). Diameter: 27mm. Position: front. Material: cold-formed alloy steel, precision welded. Finish: powdercoated metallic gray. Adjustment: none, fixed rate. End links: not included. Note: may incur oversized shipping charges.
2002-2006 Acura RSX Base/Type S
2002-2005 Honda Civic Si