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saleen rear sway bar!
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Diablo3305
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anyone have an idea what bushing size is needed for the 98 explorer? is it the same as the 99? How do I find out the bolt spacing...do i just measure it?
Rob2000XLT
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Will this rear sway bar fit on a 2000? it says 95-99 on their website?? Anybody know?
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These are just estimates: The rear is about 1" thick, stock is about 5/8". I also think it is solid opposed to hollow. The front is the same diameter, but is solid, not hollow. Both new sway bars weigh about twice as much as their stock counterparts.
YetiX
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Even cheaper now!
I posted a new thread yesterday (hadn't seen this one) because Saleen lowered their prices on these even more!!
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I ordered a front one because my stock one is hollow and this one is SOLID. At $34 I probably couldn't get one as cheaply at a junk yard and the Saleen is powdercoated red . Pretty fly for a white guy!
I posted a new thread yesterday (hadn't seen this one) because Saleen lowered their prices on these even more!!
Dead Link Removed
I ordered a front one because my stock one is hollow and this one is SOLID. At $34 I probably couldn't get one as cheaply at a junk yard and the Saleen is powdercoated red . Pretty fly for a white guy!
Diablo3305
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ok, bushings came today...to install this, do I have to jack up the car or anything? I don't ahve much experience with suspension things, so i'm not sure. What do i do, just unbolt the old one and put the new one in? Anyone that has this have any problems fitting the saleen one in? thanks
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The rear one goes on fairly easy. The hard part was drilling out the stock bushings (only the ones on the axle) to fit the new, thicker bar. It's 6 bolts: 4 on the axle and 2 to the end-links. Jacking the car up will actually make it harder as it will put stress on the bolts and make them harder to remove.
The front was a bit tougher, but still easy. There are some bolts on the frame crossmember to remove, and some connecting the bar to the control arms. The only hard part was that the bolts to the suspension are long, about 8" long and were removed from the top. To be able to remove them, we jacked the car up to change the suspension geometry to give us room. When we reinstalled these bolts, we did it upside down (from the bottom), so they can be easily removed when I go off-roading.
Good luck!
The front was a bit tougher, but still easy. There are some bolts on the frame crossmember to remove, and some connecting the bar to the control arms. The only hard part was that the bolts to the suspension are long, about 8" long and were removed from the top. To be able to remove them, we jacked the car up to change the suspension geometry to give us room. When we reinstalled these bolts, we did it upside down (from the bottom), so they can be easily removed when I go off-roading.
Good luck!
Diablo3305
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drilling out the stock bushings? i thought they didn't fit. I got energy suspension bushings that I'm going to use...
YamahaRick
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If you ordered the Energy Suspension bushings as was mentioned earlier in this thread, you should be OK on your 1998 Ex. On the other hand, me and my 96 will have to order OEM spec bushings from Energy Suspension and have them honed/drilled out to the diameter of the new sway bar.
BRacing
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Why?
YamahaRick
why are you ordering OEM bushings rather than the ES bushings? I have a 96 too, and was under the impression that the ES bushing would fit.
YamahaRick
why are you ordering OEM bushings rather than the ES bushings? I have a 96 too, and was under the impression that the ES bushing would fit.
YamahaRick
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Re: Why?
Sorry for the confusion ... what I meant to say is that you should order the ES bushings for the 96 Ex as spec'ed in their catalog for the vehicle, and NOT the universal application as stated earlier in this thread. The universal bushing will work with no mods needed only on the 98-00 Explorers.
And if anyone needs a set of the universal bushings, I'll sell them to you cheap. :-(
Sorry for the confusion ... what I meant to say is that you should order the ES bushings for the 96 Ex as spec'ed in their catalog for the vehicle, and NOT the universal application as stated earlier in this thread. The universal bushing will work with no mods needed only on the 98-00 Explorers.
And if anyone needs a set of the universal bushings, I'll sell them to you cheap. :-(
YetiX
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Hopefully I can clear up some confusion here. I'm finishing up my X tonight and have done A LOT of research on this subject. The 95-97 and 98 and up Explorers have the same diapmeter stock sway bars. The ONLY difference is that the front bar on the 98 and up is solid while it's hollow on the 95-97.
The Saleen rear sway bar is an odd diameter and will require bushings from a different application (or you can drill out the stock ones). Too much thinking for me . . .
What I did was get the Explorer Express rear bar (which is thicker than the Saleen bar) which comes with Energy Suspension bushings which are specially made for it. I then got the front bar from Saleen (same as the stock bar on 98-up except it's powdercoated red) and got ES bushings for the stock size.
Both bars installed perfectly with the bushings which I bought. They are both very straightforward to install as Alec said and I agree that the front is harder but not difficult by any means.
One key thing though, get an 18mm combination wrench before you start. 18mm is not a common size and I didn't have one. HUGE pain in the ass!! Also ratcheting closed end wrenches make the job way easier.
The Saleen rear sway bar is an odd diameter and will require bushings from a different application (or you can drill out the stock ones). Too much thinking for me . . .
What I did was get the Explorer Express rear bar (which is thicker than the Saleen bar) which comes with Energy Suspension bushings which are specially made for it. I then got the front bar from Saleen (same as the stock bar on 98-up except it's powdercoated red) and got ES bushings for the stock size.
Both bars installed perfectly with the bushings which I bought. They are both very straightforward to install as Alec said and I agree that the front is harder but not difficult by any means.
One key thing though, get an 18mm combination wrench before you start. 18mm is not a common size and I didn't have one. HUGE pain in the ass!! Also ratcheting closed end wrenches make the job way easier.
Diablo3305
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anyone have trouble getting the bolts off for the sway bar...jeez they are tight...any suggestions?
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Use a breaker bar or a cheater bar. Simply put, you can stick a pipe over the end of the ratchet to make the handle effectively longer to get more torque to force the bolt loose. Or you can do like I did: have Randall (Mudd*****) help you. "Give it to Randall, he'll break anything!"
Diablo3305
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oh well i got it...just used my foot and held onto the rear hook...just finished installing the bar...going to test it now....
Diablo3305
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just took it for a ride...you can definatly feel a difference. I mean its no sports car, but there is less lean in the turns....overall worth the money...and the installation time....plus it looks nice...now just waiting on my shocks....
BRacing
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still confused...
YamahaRick
I'm sorry i wasn't clear. I understand i reuse the front bushings as the bars are the same in diameter, only the aftermarket one is solid, not hollow.
I was refering to the rear bushings. I planned on ordering the ES universal bushing for the rear rather than deal with boring out the factory ones. Is there a reason the universal ES bushings won't work for the rear bar?
YamahaRick
I'm sorry i wasn't clear. I understand i reuse the front bushings as the bars are the same in diameter, only the aftermarket one is solid, not hollow.
I was refering to the rear bushings. I planned on ordering the ES universal bushing for the rear rather than deal with boring out the factory ones. Is there a reason the universal ES bushings won't work for the rear bar?
YamahaRick
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Re: still confused...
When I "eyeballed" the universal bushing I ordered from suspension.com (using the part # mentioned earlier on this thread), it appeared that the metal backing plate was not "long enough" for use on my 96. When I spoke to Saleen about this, they mentioned that they used bushings for the OEM sway bar and just bored it out to accomodate the larger diameter of the Saleen bar.
Hope this helps ...
When I "eyeballed" the universal bushing I ordered from suspension.com (using the part # mentioned earlier on this thread), it appeared that the metal backing plate was not "long enough" for use on my 96. When I spoke to Saleen about this, they mentioned that they used bushings for the OEM sway bar and just bored it out to accomodate the larger diameter of the Saleen bar.
Hope this helps ...
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YetiX
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FINSIHED!!
Just came in from my test drive. I lowered my X with the Explorer Express lowering kit, installed Monroe Reflex shocks, Saleen front bar with Energy Suspension bushings and Explorer Express rear bar with ES bushings. Stock 15" wheels with Goodyear Wrangler RT/S. All I can say is . . .
HOLY SHIZNIT!!!
The difference is simply amazing! There's a twisty road behind my house and the difference is night and day. It handles better than my '98 Mustang (not GT).
I'll get it aligned tomorrow and it'll be good-to-go.
Pix up soon!
Just came in from my test drive. I lowered my X with the Explorer Express lowering kit, installed Monroe Reflex shocks, Saleen front bar with Energy Suspension bushings and Explorer Express rear bar with ES bushings. Stock 15" wheels with Goodyear Wrangler RT/S. All I can say is . . .
HOLY SHIZNIT!!!
The difference is simply amazing! There's a twisty road behind my house and the difference is night and day. It handles better than my '98 Mustang (not GT).
I'll get it aligned tomorrow and it'll be good-to-go.
Pix up soon!
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