Hello to everyone,

i have just bought a used 22 alta sway bar from a friend of mine and i dont have any instructions of how to install the sway bar.
I went to my Mini Service and they told me that they need about 4 hours to install it..
I know that the bar needs 30minutes to 1 hour for installation
so please ALTA or someone who knows please help me..

Thanks a lot,
Haris

 

Here are the instructions for the 19mm. they are exactly the same as the 22mm. Your dealership is crazy to quote 4 hours!

http://www.altaminiperformance.com/s.../ampsus300.pdf

 

4 hours including 2.5 hrs of test drive maybe.

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...&postcount=239

Check this, couple of minor differences/tips b/w R56 and R53 that should make the install easier.

 

http://www.mini-madness.com/pdf_files/instructions/Sway_bar_instructions.pdf

don't know why the link doesn't work without cutting and pasting the URL.

One thing to make sure of is you have 16mm wrench and socket (not a common size). Also, I think it's an 18mm socket for the strut lower bolt. A shorty 13mm box end wrench also helps getting to the clamp bolts in limited space. You also need jack stands or a lift because you'll have both rear wheels off the car at the same time.

I'm no mechanic, but install was quite easy, especially if you have a spare pair of hands. It took me just over an hour working very slowly and double-checking everything.

 

It definitely doesn't take 4 hours to change the rear sway bar....I did mine in like 10min. It's really simple, just disconnect sway bar endlink on both sides, remove the 2 brackets that hold bar to subframe, loosen subframe(like 4 bolts) and then pull it out....it's easy and hard to mess up.

 

How did you get the bar around the passenger side strut? Or over the subframe with just a loosened bolt blocking the way?

Are you saying you jacked your car up, removed both wheels, loosened or removed 8 -14 bolts, removed the stock bar, inserted the new one and then put it all back together in 10 minutes?

Time to go shopping for a new watch, me thinks...

 

In a pinch you can use a 5/8" wrench instead of a 16mm. 5/8" measures .625" and 16mm is .629", so the 5/8" is a little tighter (0.004") on the bolt than the 16mm. Of course it is always best to use the specified tool, but with 16mm bolts the 5/8" works really well.

 

I use 5/8" quite often on BMW's. No need for 16mm. A quality tool will not strip the bolt.

 

Good to know, but I have mostly metric tools and they go 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21. No 16 and no 18 (and I'm not completely sure about 15). Plus the small sizes <10. Both wrenches and sockets. Is the world changing and I'm still left in the 70's?

 

I use 18, 17, 13, 10, 6.5mm, and 5/8" a lot.

 

Thanks a lot guys for all the information you gave me..
I have installed it today in about 1 hour..
Now i have to test it a little bit!!

 

Hey sorry I didn't see this before. The call was made for ALTA and I missed it!
mikeg4572: Thanks for sending the link.

Also, on the tooling issue, BMW and VW are notorious for using 16 and 18mm sized bolts. What is odd, is that most "sets" of sockets skip these. If you plan on doing more on your MINI, be sure to seek those sizes out when shopping for sets. Also, you can grab your local Snap-On or Mac reseller. They are known for having sets with those sizes included.

good luck with the installation!

4-hours is a joke, but I have seen the flat rate quoted as that. They instruct you to completely remove the rear subframe.

adam@altaminiperformance.com