Here are some step by step instructions to help you with your RX-8 Sway Bar Bushing installation provided by Eric Eikenberry.....
This isn’t your typical installation simply because this particular RX-8 already is equipped with an oversize anti-roll bar set from Progress Technology. For reasons unknown, the supplied polyurethane bushings had swollen dramatically, clamping the bars into place and dramatically increasing the harshness felt over bumps and dips. Thankfully, Energy Suspension has a solution even for non-standard bushing sizes!
Step_1 Trim the front and rear bar measuring strips out of the back of the Energy Suspension Catalog.
Step_2 Remove the 12mm nuts holding the mount on the front swaybar bushings.
Step_3 Clean the bar, wrap the measuring strip around the bar, and make note of the measurement. Our front bar measures 32mm, though it’s hollow inside for lighter weight.
Step_4 (no photo) Repeat the removal of the mount and measuring for the rear bar too. This rear bar measures 20mm, or ¾”.
Step_5 Remove the mounts and bushings again, apply the supplied white grease liberally to the inside of the bushing.
Step_6 Spread the new bushing and slip it over the swaybar, then rotate it around so the flat portion rests against the flat mount area between the studs.
Step_7 Loosen and remove the 10mm bolt which clamps the ABS wire bracket down.
Step_8 Reinstall the 10mm bolt as shown. Install the new gold-colored anti-roll bar mounts and the OEM nuts on the new Energy Suspension bushings.
Step_9 At the rear, remove the nuts holding the mounts on the rear anti-roll bar bushings.
Step_10 Remove the old bushings and clean the bar.
Step_11 As was done with the front bushings, use the supplied grease to lube the inside of the bushings and slip them over the rear bar. We installed the supplied washers under the brackets because the bushings were a little taller than the mounts. Carefully thread on the nuts (which might require using a pry bar to work the anti-roll bar and mounts up and down slightly) and tighten both sides.
For an RX-8, that’s pretty much all there is to the task. Swapping out the front anti-roll bar requires the removal of one tie rod end, but once that’s accomplished the OEM bar can be slipped through the chassis without dropping the radiator. Even a bar the size of this 32mm Progress Technology unit will slip in without too much work.
The front Energy Suspension mounts are grease-able, so I won’t have to go through this process ever again! That alone is worth the miniscule effort required to change the bushings. The ride offers great transient response, while still remaining comfortable enough for a daily driver.
Next, we’ll install Energy Suspension’s control arm bushing kit and replace the squishy and imprecise rubber sag bushings we’ve all come to hate in this chassis!
by
Eric Eikenberry
