>>Somewhere along the way you switched out the rear springs (green to yellow). Could you expand on that?
>>
>>Thanks!

Minimiller,

WELCOME to MCO!!!
:smile:

Jim is right, the car with the yellow KW springs belongs to DavBret (Ryan). The other photos have the H&R springs.

Randy

 

OK All,
I've moded my way up to.... the rear sway bar.

I've read the "How-To"... a couple o few times now :smile:
Totally outa my league as I see it.

I did the air-intake solo.... a snap
I watched the exhaust mod.....less of a snap.....but certainly do-able given the correct tools/equiptment. As was noted in many posts...the rubber thingies....did cauz issues.
Now...the rear sway bar....just seems ...like a total farm-out to a person who does this for a living kinda job.

This latest mod is actually gonna cost me money to have it installed...( I was bartering on the the exhaust mod.... as I run (2) computer training schools.....an offer classes in return for free installs :smile:
My exhaust friend (now that does sound wierd...lol)....won't touch this job. He states..." too much can go wrong"

Is $100 bucks toooo steep for this install of the rear sway bar??????
Any advice???

Thanks,

Peace,
D

Randy I'm sure you'll read this....I call you Monday ....Thanx

 

Dennis,

$100 is what I charge, so I don't think that's too bad considering what's involved. Let your exhaust friend (not that there's anything wrong with that) know that there are no alignment issues, and that may help a bit. It all just unbolts and then bolts back up.

Talk to you on Monday!

Randy

 

If I can do it by myself, anyone can. The spring install is not for the timid, but this was a walk in the park. Took me about an hour start to finish.

It's just three bolts to remove the spring/strut, 3 more to undo the sway, 4 under the car, yank it out, then replace the bar and then the bolts. Very simple. No alignment to mess up.

If you can remove bolts and reinsert them you can do this mod. Seriously.

R

 

Simple mod. And so worth it even if it were hard. The car feels like it should if you ask me. I used to think the run flats sucked but with the sway bar now I can live with them a bit longer. It's like saving money.

 

Randy.. or anyone else who can help. What are the torque specs on the bolts that need to be removed/re-installed?

 

this may sound like a stupid question...but is this for the cooper or cooper S or both?

 

It's not a stupid question.

The springs are specific to the Cooper or the Cooper S
The sway-bar will work on both.

 

>>Randy.. or anyone else who can help. What are the torque specs on the bolts that need to be removed/re-installed?
>>

... from the first page ...
the clamps to the subframe - 19nm
link to trailing arm and link to bar - 56nm

... and subframe to body - 100nm

 

8ball thanks. :smile: I should've re-read the thread, instead of just the first post.

 

Ditto. I bought the rear swaybar from Randy and installed it in under 2 hours yesterday. I would say to ease installation and save time, make sure you have sockets for all the sizes - 13, 16, 21mm. And the factory bolts are on really tight, so I had to use a rubber mallet to loosen some. Also a 17mm cone wrench (they're available at any bike shop for $5) helped get the drop link removed from the swaybar. Now that I've done it once, I could do it in about an hour again.

I got the 22mm swaybar from Randy, and have to say it really has transformed my MCS' handling. Initially, I thought it made the car more loose on high speed turns, on the canyon roads I regularly drive. But then I glanced at the speedo and was doing 60mph -- about 5+ mph faster than ever before, still with no tire squeal. I feel way more in control driving fast. And it's easy to induce a little oversteer if you have to. I also have 17" run flats and will replace when I wear them out, but with the swaybar I can live with them until then.

Next on my list: supercharger pulley, springs, intake, exhaust.

 

Qusestion for Randy,

I've got a new bar from Mini Madness but it doesn't have the bushing stops welded on to keep it from moving side to side. Does this matter?

Also with three positions now available, is the stiffest too insane for street?

Thanks :smile:

 

I would contact MINI Madness and get a bar with the stops. It sounds like an oversight on their fabricator's part.

 

I thought they worked out a slightly different bend profile which served to keep the bar centered without need for the washers.

 

Silver, I was part of the group buy and I have installed the bar you have. I was also concerned too as the bar is straight across the top and doesn't have stops or the bend that the stock bar has so it seems it should slide back and forth.

I went ahead and installed it and in fact once everything minus the wheels are installed you CAN push/pull the bar back and forth such that it will bump the springs. I have mine on the stiffest setting but I don't think it matters, you would be able to make it touch either way.

That said I centered it up, put the wheels on and took it for a casual drive listening manically for some sort of rubbing or popping... Nothing. Drove a little harder... Nothing.

It seems that even though it could slide it hasn't, or at least not to the point of noticable interference. I would think that this is still a weak point in the design as it causes the mind to wonder if it ever COULD happen and if it MIGHT cause a problem. I hope they modify the design again to fix that for future buyers (and if they do I would not object to getting a fresh version). In the meantime I will track the car and will inspect it afterwords for evidence of rubbing. If so I'll post it here on MCO after George and randy send me the improved bar :smile:

I may add a clamp or weld bead to secure it if it proves to be a problem.

Jim

 

I just installed the Alta 22 mm bar. My back hurts after the 2 hrs it took to do the job. However, it usually takes me 3 - 5 times longer to do mechanical work than it should, so I'm proud how quick I did it. The bar slipped in pretty easy, just a little prying at one end. If I can do this you can too. Quick spin around the block confirms the handling improvement. To be safe though, I put end link on softer setting. I also rotated front to rear for tires, and since there is some wear on fronts already putting them to rear will even them out. The worn tires (corner worn off) also means a little less grip to rear, hence the softer setting on rear bar. I couldn't be happier with the car, pulley, alta intake, rear bar. I guess, need hi performance exhaust and ECU next. Will have to wait a year. Probably best to take in some autocross or drivers schools first.

 

A couple of notes for the MC's out there...

REEEEEEALLY easy install for the MC crowd (MCS would be more involved, more on that in a minute). Total install time was 1 hour flat. I pretty much followed Randy's directions as posted, with the following modifications:

1. You only need to remove one strut... I suggest the passenger side, for no other reason than, uhhh, because! :smile:

2. You don't need to remove all 4 bolts from the rear crossmember! Take both out on the side where you removed the strut (in my case, the passenger side). On the other side, take the interior bolt COMPLETELY out (the one closest to the center of the car), but only loosen the outside one (near the swaybar mounting point).

3. You can EASILY fish the bar out doing it this way - simply start on the side where you removed the strut, pull the crossmember down slightly, and slide the swaybar out over the top of the crossmember bracket. Then, thread the bar through the tunnel and out the other side. We MC'ers don't have to deal with the giant wire bundle in the center of the car that was mentioned in Randy's article because our battery is in the front! :smile:

4. Fish the new bar back in the same way... easy as cake! Loosely put the bolts for the swaybar brackets back in, then, have someone roll under the car on the side where you took both bolts out and push up on the rear crossmember - it rotates right back into place like Randy said! Start the bolts on that side, then hand tighten all 4 bolts... once that's done, set the torque wrench at 100 (see earlier in the thread for all torque specs), and tighten 'em up (our kicka** impact wrench has a setting that's right on 100 - perfect!).

5. Re-install the strut you removed.

6. Choose your swaybar setting... I chose stiff, or the most inboard (closest to the center of the car).

7. Torque everything to spec... double-check your work!

 

great discussion by everyone!

After Randy does my pulley next week (YAHOO!) I was going to save for the Milltek exhaust but the swaybar seems to be a better all-around upgrade.

guess I'll have to find some more side work...anybody need some landscape architecture? how about graphics/caricatures?

 

One more variation of this install...
I only removed the bolts from the top of the struts and left the sensor in place. You can move the struts around enough with the bottom still attached to get the sway bar out.

 

I recently had a rear sway bar on my car. The people who installed it put it on the middle setting. I want to try to change the setting but I want to do it myself.

Is it hard?

 

You'll need to jack up both sides of the car so you can get both rear wheels off at the same time while the car is on jackstands, then you'll just undo the two droplink from the bar, relocate them to the new position, tighten the droplinks, put the wheels back on, and then lower the car off of the jackstands.

 

so, i am assuming it is not possible to do one side at a time. This whole process seems easy enough but i only have one tire jack not including the one the MINI came with.

 

You'll be a lot safer if you go out and buy a pair of 2 or 3 ton jack stands. They are about $20 a pair at a place like Pep Boys or Kragen or Harbor Freight. They are often on sale.

 

You can't adjust the swaybar with one of the rear wheels on the ground. Both rear wheels need to be off so you can get access to both sides and freely move the rearsway.

Definitely get yourself a set of jackstands if you are going to do this yourself do no use two jacks.

 

Some of my friends prolly have some jackstands. Thanks for the info dave. I will probably look into doing this before track day.

-joe