I want to swap out my front swaybar to the JCW bar and was hoping these instructions would allow good access to remove and replace the bar. Anybody who has done this care to have a look an comment on these instructions and what else I would need to do?

 

Much easier to drop the subframe completely to get the sway bar out. Just dropping the rear like that doesn't give enough room to get the bar out.

 

Thanks for the input. I have read mixed information regarding dropping vs lowering the back of the subframe. Several people have done it that way and seemed to work out okay. Hopefully they will chime in.

Hotchkis had great instructions for the R53 and it involved lowering the back of the subframe. It looked like it was not that bad of a job on the R53.

 

Just drop it out because the two bolts on each side of the sway bar that bolt the control arm bushing housing to the front subframe will not want to budge. The are large M14 bolts that seem to be torqued to yield at the factory. When I had mine out, it took an 18" breaker bar with a 16" extension pipe to get those babies to budge. I would not want to be under the car when you're applying that much torque. Something will go wrong. Depending on how much winter weather and rain you've been exposed to, you may even need to have a torch to heat the bolt.

While you're at it upgrade to the Powerflex control arm bushings. That is the reason I dropped mine. They make the car feel so much better than stock during hard breaking and turn-in.

 

I am not really sure I want to go through the hassle of dropping the subframe without a lift... My car only has 5,000 miles on it so the control arm bushings obviously don't need to be replaced, but I am sure it would feel nice.

One reason as to why I want to put the JCW front bar on is so I can be stock for autocross and keep the rear Hotchkis competition bar. I guess I could keep the standard 22m front bar in and go to the JCW 18mm rear. That would count the front bar as the modified bar and still be legal in D-stock.

However I really liked the H-sport last season and it would be a shame to go down in size. I measured the JCW bar and I am measuring 18.79mm thick...

 

I dropped mine with only jack stands. It can be done in a weekend. You will slap yourself if you go through all that work and don't replace the bushings. The stock ones are garbage. You will be glad you went to the Powerflex regardless if the stock bushings have a lot of life left. The terrible squishy front end nose dive during hard braking that sends the front wheels toeing in at the grace of the jelly bushings is GONE!

The front JCW sway bar is thinner I thought the JCW package suspension beefs up the front and rear bars together. Stiffening up the rear makes the most difference and you already have the H-Sport competition rear sway bar.

 

No, the JCW front bar is 24m and the standard is 22mm. The JCW rear bar is 18mm (I measured 18.6mm).

 

I believe the stock bars are 22 mm front and 17 mm rear. The sports suspension takes that to 23 an 18 mm, respectively. The JCW goes to 23.5 and 18.5 mm, respectively. FWIW I think the increase in the size of both bars in the MINI options are great for both the track and autoX. For a dedicated autoX car, either the sports or JCW front bar would work really well with the H-sport bar. Much better overall roll stiffness than just the stock bar with the H-sport and the car should still have really good rotation. At least that was my experience with going from a stock S w/ a 20 mm RSB to my current S with the sports suspension.

Let us know how the change out goes.

 

I had saved these instructions:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...tallation.html

Don't know how they compare, but it was a recently done job.