HR Springs 20mm Sport Rear Sway Bar for RSX / 01-05 Civic

H&R 20mm Sport Rear Sway Bar - 02-04 Acura RSX (DC5) / 01-05 Honda Civic

Honda tuned the RSX and the 7th-gen Civic to understeer. When you carry speed into a corner, the front tires hit their limit first and the car pushes wide. That's safe and predictable for everyday drivers, but it's frustrating when you're the one driving. The front tires end up doing most of the work. They're steering, putting power down, and carrying the weight of the engine, all at the same time. A stiffer rear sway bar changes that balance. It makes the rear of the car resist body roll more, so the rear tires take a bigger share of the cornering load and the front tires get some relief. The nose holds its line, and the rear helps the car turn in.

On the road, the RSX or Civic turns in sooner, leans less, and doesn't plow toward the outside of a tight corner the way it used to. H&R sized this bar at 20mm to tighten up the car's balance without making the rear end nervous. It's a good fit for a street car that sees the occasional autocross or canyon road. It doesn't add grip, though. It changes how the car uses the grip it has. Lift off the throttle suddenly in the middle of a fast corner and the rear will rotate more than it did before. Most drivers like that, but give yourself a few drives to get used to it.

What It Does to the Ride

A sway bar only works when one side of the car moves differently from the other, like when the body leans in a corner or one wheel hits a bump. When both rear wheels go over a bump together, the bar just rotates and does nothing, so speed bumps and expansion joints feel the same as before. The one change you might notice is a pothole or bump that only hits one rear wheel. The bar ties that side to the other, so you'll feel it a little more. Most owners never notice the difference on the street, but don't expect it to ride exactly like stock.

50CrV4 Spring Steel

The bar is made from 50CrV4, a chromium-vanadium spring steel. That's the same type of steel used in coil springs, because it twists under load and springs back to its original shape, which is exactly what a sway bar does all day. H&R cold-forms the bar instead of bending it hot, then heat-treats it to set the steel's spring properties. The ends are forged as one piece with the bar, so there's no welded joint that could crack. The finished bar is shot-peened, which means blasting the surface with fine steel shot to pack it tighter and make fatigue cracks harder to start. H&R builds them at its ISO 9001 certified facility in Germany.

Install Notes

This bolts on with hand tools and jack stands. Grease the inside of the chassis bushings before you install them, so they don't squeak later. Leave the end links loose until the car's back on the ground or the suspension is loaded on ramps, then tighten everything at ride height. That way the bar isn't already twisted when the car's sitting still. Before you drive, cycle the suspension and check that nothing's binding.

Fitment

• 2002-2004 Acura RSX Base and Type S (DC5)
• 2001-2005 Honda Civic DX, LX, EX, HX, GX, and Hybrid
• 2002-2005 Honda Civic Si (EP3)