HR Springs Sport Adjustable Front Sway Bar for Acura RSX

H&R Sport Adjustable Front Sway Bar for 02-04 Acura RSX

The RSX uses MacPherson struts up front. They're simple and light, but they have one weakness: as the body rolls in a corner, the outside front tire tips over onto its outer edge. This is called losing camber, and it means the tire is putting less rubber on the road right when you need the most grip. The more the car leans, the more camber the outside tire loses. A stiffer front sway bar keeps the body flatter, so that outside front tire stays more upright and keeps more of its tread on the road. The car also responds faster. Turn the wheel and the RSX takes a set right away, instead of leaning first and then turning.

A stiffer front bar also has a downside. On its own, it shifts more of the cornering load onto the front tires, which adds understeer to a car that already understeers. That's why a front bar works best with a stiffer rear bar like H&R's 20mm Sport Rear Sway Bar. With both, the whole car rolls less and the balance stays neutral, or tips toward rotation if you adjust it that way. If you're only buying one bar for an RSX, start with the rear. Add this one when you want the car flatter at both ends.

Adjustable Stiffness

The bar's ends have more than one mounting hole for the end links. Each hole changes the length of the lever arm. A shorter arm makes the bar stiffer, and a longer arm makes it softer. That lets you set the front roll stiffness to match your rear bar, your tires, and how you drive. Start in the softest hole, drive the car, and move one step stiffer at a time. If the front starts pushing wide in tight corners, you've gone too far.

50CrV4 Steel, Built in Germany

H&R makes the bar from 50CrV4 chromium-vanadium spring steel. It's the same type of steel used in coil springs, because it twists under load and returns to shape cycle after cycle. The bar is cold-formed, then heat-treated to set its spring properties, and the ends are formed as one piece with the bar, with no welded joint to crack. After that, it's shot-peened, meaning the surface is blasted with fine steel shot to compress it, so fatigue cracks have a harder time starting. Every bar comes out of H&R's ISO 9001 certified facility in Germany.

What It Won't Change

A sway bar doesn't lower the car, and it doesn't change ride height or your alignment. When both front wheels hit a bump at the same time, the bar just rotates and does nothing, so most of the ride stays the same. What you'll notice is that bumps hitting one front wheel come through to the other side a little more. On a daily-driven RSX, it's a small trade for how much flatter and sharper the car feels.

Install Notes

Plan on a few hours with jack stands. On most strut-front Hondas, the front bar runs close to the subframe and steering rack, so you may need to drop the subframe slightly or work the bar out at an angle. Grease the chassis bushings before you install them. Set the end links in your starting hole, and tighten everything with the suspension at ride height. Cycle the steering lock to lock and make sure nothing touches the bar.

Fitment

• 2002-2004 Acura RSX Base and Type S (DC5)