# Rear sway bar mounting point?



## wbwing (Feb 23, 2011)

Okay... so this is going to be a noob question. I got under the car over the weekend, thinking I'd locate the stock sway and replace that with the new sway bar. Except... I didn't see anything that looked like a sway bar. I saw the support where the new whiteline sway bar mounts to... but didn't see the old one that I need to take off. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I didn't want to just start ripping things off if I didn't know what I was taking off.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

We do not have a rear sway bar on our cars.


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## kfr291 (Aug 11, 2012)

well then i guess upgrading the sway bar would mean adding it to start


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## kfr291 (Aug 11, 2012)

where are you buying your sway bar from?


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

2011+ Chevrolet Cruze Whiteline Rear Swaybar


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## wbwing (Feb 23, 2011)

Ah. Well that would explain somethings. where on the suspension setup are you connecting the sway bar links?


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

sorry i haven't gotten mine yet.

http://www.whiteline.com.au/docs/install_guides/Z5146_Z5160_Z5192.pdf


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## wbwing (Feb 23, 2011)

Bump. Anyone who has installed them have pointers? The Whiteline documentation says, to uninstall the stock sway bar links, and put on the new ones. But there are no stock sway bar links. Where do hook the links into the suspension?


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## kfr291 (Aug 11, 2012)

look a bit complicated... best to install while on the floor i imagine


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

wbwing said:


> Bump. Anyone who has installed them have pointers? The Whiteline documentation says, to uninstall the stock sway bar links, and put on the new ones. But there are no stock sway bar links. Where do hook the links into the suspension?


http://www.whiteline.com.au/docs/install_guides/Z5146_Z5160_Z5192.pdf

Is this the installation guide you used. Scroll down there is installation guide on the rear sway bar.

1. Raise the vehicle evenly and support with jack 
stands then remove rear wheels.

2. Remove the 2 inner beam axle mounting
bolts on either side of the vehicle 
assemble the swaybar link 
mount placing the supplied 20mm (thick) 
crushtubes between the beam axle mount 
and the supplied swaybar link mount (spacing
the supplied bracket away from the floorpan)
using the supplied 90mm long bolts. 

3.Place the supplied U bolts over the suspension 
beam axle, then secure the swaybar loosely 
using the supplied flat plates, urethane 
bushing’s, bushing saddles and supplied nuts 
. 
Ensure the internal bore of the bushing’s are 
greased liberally and distance between the 
inside of the urethane bushings is 
approximately 605mm. 
4. Mount swaybar links in place making sure the
supplied small washers are between the nuts
and the swaybar. Ensure the swaybar links 
are mounted into the softest hole on the 
swaybar until you are
accustomised to the change in the vehicles
suspension characteristics.

5. Ensure all mounting nuts and bolts are tight
and secure before lowering vehicle down from
jack stands and test driving.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

The rear sway bar kit comea with a mounting braket and mounts to the two bolts in the picture sorry for being black and white.

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## kfr291 (Aug 11, 2012)

yeah i read throgh the directions after seeing all the parts laid out. sorry about that dumb comment


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

Does that help any.

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## kfr291 (Aug 11, 2012)

so inorder to mount the sway bar, you romve those bolts, put sway bar mounts on then re install bolts?.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

kfr291 said:


> so inorder to mount the sway bar, you romve those bolts, put sway bar mounts on then re install bolts?.


From what I see yes because we don't have a sway bar already we have to add the mount. Its well worth it a sway bar is very handy I will be getting it.

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## kfr291 (Aug 11, 2012)

whats more affective a rear sway bar with a tower strut (rear)

or

a rear lower bar and a tower strut (rear)


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

kfr291 said:


> whats more affective a rear sway bar with a tower strut (rear)
> 
> or
> 
> a rear lower bar and a tower strut (rear)


I would say sway bar but I might be wrong has I don't have any yet

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## Poje (Aug 2, 2012)

kfr291 said:


> whats more affective a rear sway bar with a tower strut (rear)
> 
> or
> 
> a rear lower bar and a tower strut (rear)


A sway bar will have a "bigger" effect then any Chassis stiffening Bars, because its directly connected to the suspension and modify its flexibility.

Personaly, thats why i went with the UR bars first, since i liked the way the stock suspension was working, then i installed Coil-overs and maybe in the futur, i'll go for a Sway bar or 2.


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## kfr291 (Aug 11, 2012)

grea thanks guys. that what my plan was. go do the UR struts first then see if i want to add anything from there.


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## blk88verde (Apr 30, 2011)

> A sway bar will have a "bigger" effect then any Chassis stiffening Bars, because its directly connected to the suspension and modify its flexibility.


I would say that a sway bay would be better especially if you are planning on autocrossing. The chassis braces/tower bars with the sway bar would be even better for tracking or autocrossing. I am very satisfied with the tower bars and chassis braces - the car feels way more solid than stock and is more responsive to steering inputs. Personally, I have no plans to add a rear sway bar.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

I am going to add rear sway bar first then, then I will probably add the strut tower bars front and rear.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Slightly off topic, but doesn't the Z-link do the exact same thing as a rear swaybar? Certainly looks like it to me, only difference is a new leverage pivot point centered one foot back from axle.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

Hey guys, I can be a huge help here. Shoot me questions. I just installed one today. 

H3LL is right, the pic he posted with the 2 bolts, those bolts come out and new bolts come with the kit. There are 3/4 inch spacers to lower the attach bracket below the stock attach bracket. 

I didn't get a chance to take pictures because I had to get it installed before my friends wife found out I was putting it on his car. It's not too bad, the set of directions that says to remove the stock bar, don't get used. 


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## wbwing (Feb 23, 2011)

I looked through the instructions I had again... apparently I missed a page. Thanks for posting that! I'll try again and see what happens. I'll take some pictures while I'm down there if I figure it out.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

CruzeTech said:


> I didn't get a chance to take pictures because I had to get it installed before my friends wife found out I was putting it on his car. It's not too bad, the set of directions that says to remove the stock bar, don't get used.
> 
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com App


This is for there front sway bar link kit.










2011+ Chevrolet Cruze Whiteline Sway Bar End Links


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

Maybe this will help. The 2 bolts that H3LL posted a pic of get removed on both sides and whiteline supplied longer bolts with spacers which raise the bracket (or lower, depending on which way you look at it) then the bronze L bracket goes between the head of the new bolts and the spacer which goes into the frame. 

Frame bolts are 19mm (x4)
Youll need a 17mm for the bolts to tighten the sway bar end links
And a 18mm to remove the stock long bolts. 
And 14mm socket for the center brackets. All sockets should be deep. 

You'll also save yourself a lot of time if you attach the sway bar end links to the bracket that attaches to the car before you install the bracket. Because you will see once you get the bracket up in there, the only way to tighten the upper sway bar end links is with a open end 17mm wrench using 100 turns. Ask me how I know?










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## blk88verde (Apr 30, 2011)

> Slightly off topic, but doesn't the Z-link do the exact same thing as a rear swaybar? Certainly looks like it to me, only difference is a new leverage pivot point centered one foot back from axle.


The Z-link also known as a Watts Link - is only for locating/stabalizing the axle and assures the axle moves (when encountering bumps or cornering loads) as engineered. It does not resist body roll, that is the function of a sway bar.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

And if you want to know if the sway bar does anything, even on a solid rear axle... The answer is **** yes!! And with it set at only halfway. 


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

This has some Information about the new Holden Cruze with suspension upgrades on the SRI 1.6T.

Holden Cruze gets $19,490 price tag, 1.6-litre turbo availability | CarAdvice


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## Silver LT RS (Jun 4, 2012)

Rear sway bars can have a very dramatic affect on controlling body roll. Back in the 70s, I had a home made conversion van that i decided to put wide tires on. After putting the wide tires on, the rear tires would rub the fenders every time i would go thru even a slight turn at slow speeds. So, not wanting to raise the rear suspension, i decided to try adding an after market rear sway bar. The rear tires never rubbed the fenders again after that, even fully loaded and burning thru a turn. And, it did not affect ride quality at all. So this may be my first suspension mod on my Cruze.


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## kfr291 (Aug 11, 2012)

so i get the idea behind it, but the diffrent holes. how dot hey adjust the stiffeness or softness ( sorry for being a noob) figured this would be the best time to ask these questions


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

kfr291 said:


> so i get the idea behind it, but the diffrent holes. how dot hey adjust the stiffeness or softness ( sorry for being a noob) figured this would be the best time to ask these questions


Do yo see the three holes on the bracket and sway bar the link kit mounts there and yo move the link ball joints in those three holes to set stiffness.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

Having only modified RWD cars I was wondering if adding a rear sway bar without altering the stiffnes of the front bar could have the same affect as it did in my car. That is heaps of tail slides, especially in the wet. Cure was heavier bar at the front and fitting a LSD as the inside rear would get light and spin far to easily. Just asking?.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

The problem with the rear on the American cars, Cruze Eco anyway, is that it doesn't have a bar at all. So at highway speeds swinging the steering wheel from left to right would cause the car to fishtail. The sway bar, as you know, would keep the rear planted when you jerk the wheel left to right and the rear doesn't have to follow after you jerk the wheel in either direction, because the rear is planted. 


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## Poje (Aug 2, 2012)

CruzeTech said:


> The problem with the rear on the American cars, Cruze Eco anyway, is that it doesn't have a bar at all. So at highway speeds swinging the steering wheel from left to right would cause the car to fishtail. The sway bar, as you know, would keep the rear planted when you jerk the wheel left to right and the rear doesn't have to follow after you jerk the wheel in either direction, because the rear is planted.
> 
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com App


On the Cruze, we dont have an Indepedant rear suspension, so in a sense, we dont realy need a rear Sway bar since the 2 wheels are always connected together and on all Cruze, except the ECO manual, we have the Z-link witch help the suspension do its job.

I know that a Sway bar could stiffen it up and reduce body roll, but since yesterday i pushed my car to 129mph and it was stable like it was on rails, even changing lanes at that speed, i would suggest the following mods in order of importance :

1. Better tires (Easy to find a better tire tailored to your needs)
2. Strut bar (TW2-1203)​3. Rear lower bar (RL2-1208)​4. Lower center of gravity (Coil-overs or springs)

5. Sway bar or others... At this point imo you're passed the treshold toward the extreme, so any other mods is your choice depending on needs.


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## blk88verde (Apr 30, 2011)

> i would suggest the following mods in order of importance :
> 
> 1. Better tires (Easy to find a better tire tailored to your needs)
> 2. Strut bar (TW2-1203)​3. Rear lower bar (RL2-1208)​4. Lower center of gravity (Coil-overs or springs)
> ...


Nice recommendation. I have an ECO and I would strongly suggest the rear tower bar too - seems to really stiffen up the car. I realize the tower bar will take up a little trunk space so it will depend on your priorities.


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## kfr291 (Aug 11, 2012)

I was more asking about the physics of how the different holes change things. 

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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

CruzeTech said:


> The problem with the rear on the American cars, Cruze Eco anyway, is that it doesn't have a bar at all. So at highway speeds swinging the steering wheel from left to right would cause the car to fishtail. The sway bar, as you know, would keep the rear planted when you jerk the wheel left to right and the rear doesn't have to follow after you jerk the wheel in either direction, because the rear is planted.
> 
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com App


The RWD car I modified had a solid rear axle and leaf springs. I fitted tramp rods to stop the axle twisting and the rear sway bar wasn't fitted to the standard car. The sway bar works by allowing a compliant ride but as the car tries to lean the bar starts to twist and so keeps the car flat. If the front bar isn't made stiffer the front will still lean and you will find yourself 3 wheeling around corners. My friends had mini Coopers and a back wheel a foot off the ground on racetracks was normal. Once on a dirt track my rear bar lost a mounting bolt and was not working and i dropped 3 seconds per lap until I fitted a new bolt and I got my times back immediately.


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## kfr291 (Aug 11, 2012)

Okay so the different holes change when the bar starts to twist? Or how hard the twist? Sorry I love knowing how everything works 

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## Poje (Aug 2, 2012)

kfr291 said:


> Okay so the different holes change when the bar starts to twist? Or how hard the twist? Sorry I love knowing how everything works
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


Change when it start to twist.

At the 1st hole it wont take much weight transfer to "activate" the bar.

Read this :


[FONT='Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Anti-Roll /Sway Bars can provide adjustable settings in the suspension set up. Especially useful in dialing out oversteer, or understeer handling characteristics and getting a better balanced car. They are the same effect as changing the springs, but their effects are only used in lateral cornering forces.[/FONT]
[FONT='Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The reason this is so useful, is that you can make adjustment to front and rear independently with out affecting other suspension settings. Stiffer settings will reduce body roll, while softer settings will increase body roll. The relationship between the front and rear settings ( roll coupling), will also have a direct affect on the handling of the car. Like most suspension adjustments, it is best to take small incremental adjustments rather then going to one extreme to the other.
It is critical that the right Anti-Roll/Sway Bar is also selected to complement the other suspension components. I would suggest seeking profession advice on the overall suspension set as a whole and not just individual upgrades, when considering suspension adjustments.
 It is generally accepted that it is better to reduce the settings, rather then increase them to get a better balanced car. Softer settings will make weight transfer more gradual, with less abrupt loading, bending into corners rather then darting into them. Great care needs to be taken with too soft a setting as well, if the car has a low center of gravity, a soft setting could result in the car bottoming out. Also camber settings ranges could be affected with a soft setting, where the tyre/ tire exceeds the optimum set up.
Having too stiff a setting could result in poor handling in tight corners, with the inside wheel lifting off the ground. Also if either of the two wheels linked on the axle are on different road surfaces (one wheel on track, other on the side of the track), having a stiff set up will result in imbalances being transmitted through the Anti-Roll/ Sway Bar to the other driven wheel.

Understeer: reduce front or increase rear anti-roll/ sway bar settings.
Oversteer: increase front or reduce rear anti-roll/ sway bar settings.
[/FONT]


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## wbwing (Feb 23, 2011)

CruzeTech said:


> Maybe this will help. The 2 bolts that H3LL posted a pic of get removed on both sides and whiteline supplied longer bolts with spacers which raise the bracket (or lower, depending on which way you look at it) then the bronze L bracket goes between the head of the new bolts and the spacer which goes into the frame.
> 
> Frame bolts are 19mm (x4)
> Youll need a 17mm for the bolts to tighten the sway bar end links
> ...


I'm going to try this today, let me make sure I'm understanding this correctly. I take out the two stock bolts on that bracket, but leave the stock bracket there. I then put the long whiteline bolts through the stock bracket, and mount the whitline bracket to the stock bracket, but with spacers in between. I do not remove or move the stock bracket (or where would the axle mount?). I then attach the endlinks to one hole in the whiteline bracket, and one hole on the sway bar. Now, I get how the holes on the bar work, but does it matter which hole in the whitline bracket I use?


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

Exactly. I'll be doing mine Tuesday. I guess I could do a tutorial. 


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## wbwing (Feb 23, 2011)

Okay guys, I tried to install the sway bar today and struck out. It is a pretty easy setup, but there is one small item that seems to completely confound the whole thing. On the driver side stock mounting bracket for the beam axle, there is a little tab that comes out farther than the rest of the bracket. The spacers provided by Whiteline clear the rest of the stock bracket, but not this tab. On the driver's side, there is no way to fit the mounting bracket exactly as shown in the picture because of this tab. The bracket hits the tab and doesn't seat onto the spacer evenly. I can fit the passenger side bracket on to the driver side and then use the driver side bracket on the passenger side. This places the holes for the end link further away from the beam. However, because of interference from other items of the body, there is no way to fit an sway bar link into the designated holes in this position.

What I don't understand at all is why there is a random tab for no discernible reason on the driver side (there is a hole in the tab), but not one on the passenger side.

There only seem to be 2 solutions, get bigger spacers that are able to clear the tab, or the more likely solution, take a dremel to this protrusion and cut it off. However, I really really don't want to be making any unnecessary cuts, or exposing any fresh, untreated metal to rust. Also, every review/report of the sway bar said it was a really simple install. So I'm guessing none of you have had to cut anything or get bigger spacers. What did you do to get the mounting brackets to fit? Were you able flip them somehow and still get them to work? Please advise.

I can take some pictures of the 'tab' in the morning if it would help.


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## wbwing (Feb 23, 2011)

The picture on the left is the driver side bracket. You can see the tab that coes out and doesn't let the bracket clear it with the spacers provided. The picture on the right is the passenger side bracket. It does not have that tab.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

wbwing said:


> View attachment 13433
> View attachment 13434
> The picture on the left is the driver side bracket. You can see the tab that coes out and doesn't let the bracket clear it with the spacers provided. The picture on the right is the passenger side bracket. It does not have that tab.


good find.


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## wbwing (Feb 23, 2011)

It was certainly frustrating to discover. Like I said in my previous post, I tried swap the whiteline brackets(which is how they are pictured), but there is no way to connect the end links in that position. I'm about to take a Dremel and cut that tab off (I see no use for it). But I really don't want to expose any metal if there is a work around. Can someone that has installed it already tell me how they worked around this issue? Or is my Cruze the only one with the special bracket? I feel that Whiteline would include thicker spacers if every Cruze was like this.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

wbwing said:


> It was certainly frustrating to discover. Like I said in my previous post, I tried swap the whiteline brackets(which is how they are pictured), but there is no way to connect the end links in that position. I'm about to take a Dremel and cut that tab off (I see no use for it). But I really don't want to expose any metal if there is a work around. Can someone that has installed it already tell me how they worked around this issue? Or is my Cruze the only one with the special bracket? I feel that Whiteline would include thicker spacers if every Cruze was like this.


you could always plasti dip them if you use the dremel or paint them which ever you prefer so no rust happens.


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## kfr291 (Aug 11, 2012)

Poje said:


> Change when it start to twist.
> 
> At the 1st hole it wont take much weight transfer to "activate" the bar.
> 
> ...


thanks this helped alot.


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## Poje (Aug 2, 2012)

kfr291 said:


> thanks this helped alot.


NP.

Its all about flexibility and what u want to do with your car.

For a daily driver that you want to have fun in the twisties, then i would suggest the 1st hole or 2nd softest on the Sway bar, about 34 to 35lbs in tires if on 18 inchers and around 13 to 15 on the Pedders all corners. With this you'll have decent confort with tight handling and nice rotation in Corners.

For Autocross, i would go the 3rd hole, 37 to 38lbs in Tires and 18 to 20 on the Pedders. Thats variable, depending on how you want the car to behave, but its a good start and the way i'll personaly set my car.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

Sorry it took so long to get back to you wbwing. Ill be doing another bar in the morning and I will do a tutorial then. I cant see the sleeves you have installed under the Whiteline brackets. Those sleeves should raise the bracket above those tabs. The last one I installed, I don't even remember them being even close. When you get the end links out of the package they are twisted in a Z shape. I twisted them so they made a [ shape and they went in correctly. I think you either have the brackets flip flopped or when you are trying to install the end links you're putting the bolts opposite of each other. Face the end so that the top and bottom bolts are both pointing toward the center of the car. This goes for both sides. If this isn't the way it was intended to be installed, someone please show me how its supposed to go. The directions aren't the best.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

Drivers side of car. 


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

The only thing I can say bad about this kit is that it should have come with more washers. I went to Lowes and bought washers and lock washers for everything except the frame bracket mounts. All pics were taken of the drivers side of the car. 

For me anyway, the kit was a complete bolt on. No cutting. Same with my friends car.






































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## wbwing (Feb 23, 2011)

I was out of town for a bit, but I finally got a chance to get under the car and try again. Maybe I just got the wrong part from the factory, but I definitely ended up having to rotary off that tab. Hopefully the plastidip keeps rust at bay.

I do have a few followup questions. One, the directions first say to loosely mount the sway bar to the beam using the supplied U bolts. At the end it says to make sure everything is tight, so I tightened those the nuts on the U bolts a fair amount. I didn't completely crank on them as far as they would go, but they were pretty tight with large sprocket I was using. That is correct right? I should have the U bolts secured pretty tightly?

My second question is about a knocking noise I am hearing when going over bumps. The car feels great. But I hear some noise that the sway bar is coming into contact with something when going over bumps on the passenger side of the car. Any tips on what I need to do stop this contact?

Thank you very much for your help CruzeTech/HellonEarth


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

Make sure all of the jamb nuts are locked together. I used red loctite thread locker on everything. The sway bar end links come loose. Take a 2 wrenches and tighten the sleeve and the nut against each other. Do this for all of the nuts. 

Also, I know what you're talking about with the U-bolts. I was afraid I was going to snap them. I did the same as you pretty much. Just make them "good-n-tight" I do know they are strong enough to bend them out of a U shape. Ask me how I know this? Lol


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## WhodiSun1 (Mar 3, 2014)

I have installed Ultra Racing Front+Rear strut bars and they have made a minor change in minimizing understeer. I am not sure if I can have both the Ultra Racing rear lower bar and the whiteline rear sway bar on my vehicle togther?


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## TheRealHip (Sep 1, 2014)

CruzeTech said:


> The only thing I can say bad about this kit is that it should have come with more washers. I went to Lowes and bought washers and lock washers for everything except the frame bracket mounts. All pics were taken of the drivers side of the car.
> 
> For me anyway, the kit was a complete bolt on. No cutting. Same with my friends car.
> 
> ...


Those nuts look like *nyloc nuts. *So you don't need lock washers.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

Not using any washers, at all would have me tightening the nuts directly into the sway bar. Which would just eat away at the metal over time, wear the bar holes out and if have to keep tightening it.


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