suspension help

So I think i'm done with trying to make my accord fast (will cost more than i'm willing to spend) and am looking to make the suspension a little better.  I was reading through previous posts and people seem to have had good luck with the ebay strut bars.  Would this one suffice?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/STRUT-TOWER-BAR-FRONT-HONDA-ACCORD-98-99-00-01-02-4CYL_W0QQitemZ160158924635QQihZ006QQcategoryZ33591QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

or too cheapy?  If too cheapy can someone point me in the direction of a better one?  Is the install on this really as easy as it seems or has anyone run into any problems?

I don't know if I want to do coil overs just yet.  My struts are stiff enough right now and I don't want to go and replace something that's not broken.  What should come next then?  Any suggestions?

any strut bar works, you're just basically paying for the name and how it looks.

Went with NRG on cardomain for 45 bucks.

I've seen some cheepies that are made from thin walled tubes of metal.  Stay away from them.  A kit that a friend had me look at comes to mind ..... Megan Racing 3 pack for a civic.  You can find cheap solid aluminum bars with steel ends that work fine (like the one that you posted the link for).  For a greater effect on handling and given that you like your shocks & springs, I'd look at upgrading the anti-sway bars.  They will keep the car level around corners.  I have Comptech which are kinda pricey, but I've seen a lot of poeple very satisfied with the 17 and 20 mm rear anti-sway bars from a TL.  You might want to look into that as there are many write-ups on the topic on HAF.

I saw the write up for the 20mm from an 04-07 tl, how about a 19mm?  Anybody know what tl that would come from?  Is it a direct bolt on or is there any fabrication needed?  From what I read from other posts I need the sway bar and also the bushings is there anything else that I missed?  I will defintely look into this.  Probably wait till Dec. until fall quarter is over before I would do an install.   Thanks for the help gentleman.

it's 20 or 17 from the TL, not 19 unless you mean aftermarket.  Unfortunately they don't make the bushing kits for the 6th gens.  I've seen DIY's where people fill in the OEM bushings with roofing poly-sealant and get nice improvements ..... I'm thinking about doing that.

Maybe an aftermarket front sway bar?  Lower tie-bar?  I got mine on ebay for $25 shipped.  Same style as the strut bar that you posted.  Pretty soon I'm going to have to set up a photo gallery.

Maybe i'll do something like this:

http://www.filtsai.com/accord/sway_bar/index.php

And it's an 19mm...anybody know what year tl type s had the 19mm?  If i'm understanding that diy correctly, i'll just need new brackets from the tl type s?

What's lower tie bar?  All these bars are confusing me lol

sway bars are actually a torsion spring.  They move when you hit a bump.  Moving parts have a bigger effect on the suspension.  The Strut tower bar and lower tie bar are fixed and simply support the car from flexing under hard cornering.  Your car can have the sway bars (actually anti-sway) as well as the strut tower bar and tie-bar upgraded.  They don't make a rear upper or front lower bar for 6th gen accords.  No X brace or W brace either.

Anti-sway bars + springs + shocks/struts make up the moving support parts for the suspension

Strut tower bar + tie bar make up the additional chasis support available for your car

Lower Tie Bar on a Civic


...... and there's the anti-sway bar above it.

If you're looking for a rear sway bar, go with aftermarket instead of getting the oem tl. The progress sway bar on ebay is 24 mm and I have heard great reviews from it. The 04 TL application of the progress sway bar fits onto the 6th gen but not sure of other models.

I have Comptech anti-sway's and I love them.  I'd have to disagree about finding larger aftermarket bars meant for other model cars.  While this method is ok in compairing cheepie parts, the better aftermarket parts are tested for the specific model.  I don't think that if my sway-bars were tighter or stffer, I'd get better handling from them.  If you make things too tight, your car slides because it's as if there were no suspension, just solid linkages.  I've tested this with making my dampers too tight to see what happens.  Different application, but the same principle.  From my research, I think Comptech makes many of the best parts for our cars.  If bigger were always better, 50mm bars would be stock!

^ the TL and the Accord have similar chassis. So anything that was tested and fitted into a TL, can be done the same to the Accord with minor to no modification, but I understand what you're getting at. The reason why bigger sway bars is better for the accord is because we have too much understeer that it kind of becomes dangerous when driving on the freeway in the winter. But bigger is not always better like you said, with a bigger sway bar you run the risk of oversteering.

So if I wanted to use a tl, would I have to use the same year sway bar and brackets as my accord?  Is this a hard diy?

Well yes and no. Yes, you can use parts off the TL or CL that corresponds to the year of your car, but no you dont have to find the exact year. Some 04 TL parts fit on the 6th gen too.
The diy isnt hard, but removing the bolts are a pita.

Got it.  So either 99 or 04 parts for my car from tl or cl.  Do I just need the sway bar and the brackets?  Anything else needed?

are you getting the oem TL sway bar? If you, then you need to get bushings and maybe brackets. If you're getting aftermarket ones, then more than likely they should include everything in it for you.
A majority of the parts from the 2000-2003 TL/CL will fit the 6th gens as well as aftermarket items. The only thing I know will fit for current model TL that will fit our car is the sway bar.

bushings.
 
stevent:  I've also heard good things about progress.  I'm not sure about the material differences or hollow/solid either, but I'm happy with my Comptech's.

Comptech is definitely a plus. They have very good quality stuff. But when I do get a way bar, I'll go with progress since I have heard from other people who have gotten it installed seems really pleased with the results. 

I'm surprised that you don't already have the anti-sway bars with the Eibach/Koni combo.  I almost bought that setup, but I figured that I'd be better off with a matched and tested set.   I got the sway-bars first because as far as suspension goes, they're the best bang for your buck.
 
Swaybars installed ~$400
 
Suspension+camber kit+alignment ~$1600

WTF they charged you 400 just to install the sway bar? You got ripped off.
Installation should not cost that much, more around a 100 bucks or so. But maybe it's because of where we're located.
My set up G/C slevees + Koni yellows + installation = less than 1k or roughly around $999 haha

But yea, Im suprised I havent gotten myself a sway bar also. I should get one soon.
But camber kits are not really necessary. Just get a lifetime alignment which costs about 135-150.

Ok just to clarify...i'm a bit confused...if I go oem tl/cl it should be 2000-2003 part and I should get the oem tl/cl brackets and bushings?  Any idea about how much this might cost for that?  And falkore24 about how much did you pay for your comptech rear sway bar and did it come with brackets and bushings? 

Sorry for all the q's, I'm just trying to understand exactly what I need.  Thanks for being patient and helping out.

stevent: i believe falkore24 meant he paid $400 for the actual sway-bars w/ installation, not installation alone. also, i thought you still need camber even if you get lifetime alignment, cuz alignment doesnt fix the fact that your wheels go like this /...\ when you drop your car. you still need the camber to make your wheels like this l...l again...right?

not necessarily, the alignment corrects the camber, but without a camber kit, the problem will not go away. With a camber kit, you dont have to worry about getting an alignment any time soon. But with a lifetime alignment, you can get by without a camber kit.

quote:

ORIGINAL: ckebottle

Ok just to clarify...i'm a bit confused...if I go oem tl/cl it should be 2000-2003 part and I should get the oem tl/cl brackets and bushings?  Any idea about how much this might cost for that?  And falkore24 about how much did you pay for your comptech rear sway bar and did it come with brackets and bushings? 

Sorry for all the q's, I'm just trying to understand exactly what I need.  Thanks for being patient and helping out.

If you're going oem, then get the sway bar from the 2000-2003 tl/cl and you need new bushings as well. I'm not sure on the bracket yet, but I'll find out and let you know. The TL sway bar is about 128 and installation should cost no more than 100 bucks. The price vaires depending on what bushings you get.

I just found out that you do need new brackets (that corresponds to the sway bar), bushings, and bolts. Some people have said that they got everything from the dealership for around 50 bucks so you should go check that out.