Does anyone have the Progress rear sway bar installed on there car?? im wanting to see if it actual looks like what turbotechracing.com has pictured




13.1 @ 115

i have one on my 97 Z, and i actually ordered mine from TTR over a year ago. it does not look like the pictured sway bar on TTR. and if you're comparing to other availible rear sway bars, it doesn't look or mount the same way either.
heres an installed pic (its a bit old) posted by kardain back in Feb:

what progress did was eliminate the end link bushings by just welding a tab to the sway bar and using a longer bolt to mount it to where the lower rear strut bolts to the axle.
heres an Addco rear sway bar for comparisson(i believe eibach rear sway bars mount the same as addco):

to mount the Progress bar, you need to remove the lower rear shock bolts(do one side at a time) get it where you want it, then you have to drill holes in the rear axle to mount the D bushings. the e-brake cable will rub very slightly against the sway bar when installed. it's close, but i've never had an issue with it.
i loved the way the car felt after i put the bar on. really did help keep everything planted in the corners. more so in combination with the front bar, but it was still felt.

just for good measure, heres a link to the post i got the pics from: clicky

hmm thanks for the info....ill prolly just get the eibach setup then thats what i had on my last cavalier




13.1 @ 115

wow that progress bar is tiny.

i would think it would be plenty for a z24 or LSS though as they have the rear bar running through the axle....

i do love my addco. its a very nice piece. i wouldnt give it up for anything...



Stand in the corner and SCREAM with me!!!!

Jon D ..... What kind of brace do I see in that picture with the progress bar?
Its behind the filler neck!

I believe Kardain has a mini trailer hitch setup on his sunfire.

my guess is a trailer hitch...



Stand in the corner and SCREAM with me!!!!

dam I thought it might have been something new I could make!
lol but I already have two new projects im working on, for the J!

they involve brakes and suspension

now your gonna see a whole bunch of j's with a resse hitch to stiffen up the rear haha

in all reality it most certainly would...

but ugly as sin! no thanks!



Stand in the corner and SCREAM with me!!!!

I have the progress bar on my Z24 right now and I had it installed before I bought an Addco. I installed the Addco, it was nice but noticed a slight response delay in the suspension more than I had with the progress bar. I have since taken the Addco off and reinstalled the progress bar. Will never part with my Progress. Also, the bar is 22mm, actually not very small, and has almost no energy absorption unlike the Addco's and Eibach's. Just my $0.02


"Never argue with an idiot. They'll drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience!" -Anonymous

^^ good argument. i never thought that it being directly connected like that it would help but yes u are most definitely right.

however, it IS still smaller than the addco. its 25.4mm or 1 inch.

when i had my tie bar hooked up with my addco the rear became a whole new animal. i couldnt believe how much better the car felt.




Stand in the corner and SCREAM with me!!!!

You will loose some in the end links from flexing -vs- being solid with the progress bar.

^Yeah, it is ~3mm smaller, however I do like the response I get from it. I also have the FE3 twist beam too so, but did on both setups too. I see/feel the Progress bar as a better solution. I have not yet mixed the tie bar into the mix tho. I do see the tie-bar changing the articulation characteristics of the axle, but I don't see it changing the articulation characteristics of the sway-bar. So I'm pretty confident the Progress sway-bar will still show some response benefits in that situation as well.


"Never argue with an idiot. They'll drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience!" -Anonymous

i have the OEM tie bar with my progress rear, and you can most certainly feel a difference. i rode around with just the rear sway bar for like a year, and felt like it drastically helped the rear end out, but after installing the tie bar, i wondered why i waited so long to get one, lol. it feels so much more stable around corners. and almost completely deminishes any skwirly characteristics. i love the combination. i feel like the progress bar is a definate better solution with the design of our rear axles, because it eliminates the endlinks. on our cars it seems like the endlinks on the rear sway bars would be the weakest point, even with a 1" bar, having rubber bushings with like a 3" bolt between the lower shock bolt and the sway bar seems like a point of flex to me, compared to just a metal tab welded to the sway bar and bolted to the lower shock bolt. i dont think i'll ever need to change the setup, to me it feels perfect for the car. but thats just me in my own situation. might not feel rite for someone else.

a lot of variables create different suspension feel...

i am using koni yellows and eibach sportlines, which IMO is one of the absolute best setups you can get for these cars. so my 'feel' is going to be different than someone with a different set-up.

i am liking the progress bar more and more after reading what you guys have to say about it though.

is it still available for purchase? or is it dis-continued? might have to pick one up just to try and see if i like it better....



Stand in the corner and SCREAM with me!!!!

z yaaaa wrote:a lot of variables create different suspension feel...

i am using koni yellows and eibach sportlines, which IMO is one of the absolute best setups you can get for these cars. so my 'feel' is going to be different than someone with a different set-up.

i agree with that100%. for me, and my style of driving, and the way i like a car to respond, the setup i have feels right. minus the crap strut mounts i have, im very happy. i think i may like to try a spring with less of a drop, maybe like a pro-kit, just to see how it would feel with the control arms leveled out , but i'm skeptical, because i like this setup so much. that and i like how the sportlines level out the factory rake of the car.

i bought mine from TTR about a year and a half ago. they still have em listed on their site. they aren't the same color they used to be. they used to be this bright blue color(seen in above pic), now theyre more of a gunmetal color. dunno if that matters to anyone.

Good info in here, I'll definetely be considering the progree rear sway more heavily now.

Well, I have gained enough confidence in my decision on using my Progress bar that I recently sold my Addco. The other 'pro' of the design is that it is so simple in design that one could copy the design with a simple bender and a MIG welder using a much larger/smaller diameter bar to suit the suspension characteristics. There is nothing on there but two tabs welded on the ends, two mounts on the axle in the middle, and two bends both on the same plane. Very simple, effective and easy install. Not to mention the increase ease of implementing a tie bar onto it aswell. Two more tabs horizontally on each end, and throw a bar between...bam...done, and right inline with the forces line-of-action that the tie bar is meant to stop.


"Never argue with an idiot. They'll drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience!" -Anonymous

ugh, you know what really pisses me off about hearing about this progress bar? the fact i could use the first OEM tie bar i had made as it does not fit with the addco. it runs right through where the end links are.

dark gunmetal in color? @!#$ i am sold... ill be buying one now.



Stand in the corner and SCREAM with me!!!!

Interesting info on the bar.
After looking at the design of the bar and finally getting a good picture to see how it all works, it's a nice piece.
I would also think that with the endlinks being solid and a direct hookup to the twist beams that the physical size of the bar would make it smaller since there's no bushings on the endlinks and the transition from going straight to corners would be more pronounced than with rubber or poly endlinks.

My only concern with the Progress would be the D-bushings, their mounts, and how long they would last with the D-bushings being the only thing that is going to contain the sway bar.

The other selling point that I like is that you don't have all that hardware you need to mount the bar as you would with the Addco or the Eibach for that matter. This would basically be a weight savings to the rear axle which is always a good thing for unsprung weight.

Damn, like Brad I've got to do more homework on this and may change the setup on the 'blu with a Progress bar.
Maybe.


Misnblu.com
Newbie member since 1999
Thank you Dave and JBO!

^^
Yeah, i'll have to mess around with one, one day.

-M


Remember....syringes go in the RED waste basket.

Misnblu wrote:Interesting info on the bar.
After looking at the design of the bar and finally getting a good picture to see how it all works, it's a nice piece.
I would also think that with the endlinks being solid and a direct hookup to the twist beams that the physical size of the bar would make it smaller since there's no bushings on the endlinks and the transition from going straight to corners would be more pronounced than with rubber or poly endlinks.

My only concern with the Progress would be the D-bushings, their mounts, and how long they would last with the D-bushings being the only thing that is going to contain the sway bar.

The other selling point that I like is that you don't have all that hardware you need to mount the bar as you would with the Addco or the Eibach for that matter. This would basically be a weight savings to the rear axle which is always a good thing for unsprung weight.

Damn, like Brad I've got to do more homework on this and may change the setup on the 'blu with a Progress bar.
Maybe.

That pic is actually the older style bar(light blue) which I have also, but my D-bushings I believe are better. Mine mount on the top and bottom of the bar. 4 bolts total, in that pic it looks like a P bracket with 2 bolts total, but I could be wrong.

Also, did I not try telling people about this bar for years now, seriously........

I have been running my Progress bar for about 4-5 years now, still same bushings in like new condition. No issues.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Friday, December 11, 2009 7:56 PM

"Never argue with an idiot. They'll drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience!" -Anonymous

another added bonus to this bar is the fact it tucks up and over the bottom of the axle so you can still use it to jack the car up on.

i really get annoyed with having to jack each side up individually in the rear because my addco is in the way...



Stand in the corner and SCREAM with me!!!!

Joshua, you're always right, and we mere mortals must be relegated to living life by finding things out the hard way.
And thanks for the good review on the bar.

Brad, I never use the rear axle to lift the car so that's never been an issue with me.
It's still a good selling point though and one to consider.

Hmmmm, decisions, decisions.


Misnblu.com
Newbie member since 1999
Thank you Dave and JBO!