Whiteline rear swaybar install and review UPDATED AGAIN installed lateral locks on swaybar

L8apex

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Picked up the Whiteline rear swaybar for the 2016+ Civics. Part number is BHR97Z and it will fit the FCs, the FK7 and FK8 so pretty much the whole lineup. It’s a 22mm solid spring steel bar with 2 settings, and comes with 2 new urethane bushings.

The fit of the bar is pretty much spot-on, and the bushings fit in the saddles perfectly snug. I used the factory endlinks and while it will bolt up to both settings on the bar, it more naturally fit the stiffer setting, which would make it the standard setting. Therefore the softer setting would mimic a 21mm swaybar, still stiffer than the OEM CTR 20.5mm.

I would recommend replacing the endlinks soon or when the OEM breaks, but definitely replace them if you would like to use the softer setting; the OEM endlink bushings are stressed too much in the softer position. The Whiteline endlinks (part# KLC217) also allow some adjustability to get any tweak out of the bar.

Driving-wise, I would say it would be a slight improvement on turn-in, but I haven’t tried it on my normal winding road commute. I did go from a CTR bar to this so I wasn’t expecting a night and day difference, but I like the adjustability, and the quality’s very good.

I’ll be pairing it up with the Whiteline front swaybar (BHF97Z) shortly, but that requires dropping the subframe and steering rack so I’ll need probably a good half day. I didn’t include any install pics, the rear bar replacements have been covered already, and they are fairly easy to do anyway.

I did include pics of the bar installed, as well as comparison pic of the Sport vs CTR vs Whiteline rear bars. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Honda Civic 10th gen Whiteline rear swaybar install and review UPDATED AGAIN installed lateral locks on swaybar F3C96190-6084-4EF1-BBE6-E92918F03211


Honda Civic 10th gen Whiteline rear swaybar install and review UPDATED AGAIN installed lateral locks on swaybar 4C8D1318-B186-4206-819D-62E37208970C


Honda Civic 10th gen Whiteline rear swaybar install and review UPDATED AGAIN installed lateral locks on swaybar 0B5F657A-6E92-4068-A80F-CD1A814A4718
 
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L8apex

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Ok update time. I finally found a chunk of time to install the Whiteline front stabilizer bar (BHF97Z) on my Civic Sport. For anyone choosing to attempt it, it’s not too complicated, just a lot of work. I did mine on the ground, with hand tools, and hand torqued everything afterwards. That took about 3 hours start to finish. It might go faster for yo with an extra pair of hands, and the car up on a lift, but the amount of work is the same.

The subframe has to be dropped down and the power steering rack needs to be taken off of it to remove the stabilizer bar. And the front pipe should be unbolted so you’re not fighting it. You can probably just unhook the rubber hanger, but the hooks on the exhaust and the subframe will tend to get in the way of dropping the subframe straight down.

Installation is the reverse of removal. I would recommend that you pay attention to the bolts as you remove them and note how the subframe sits in relation to them. The holes are larger than the bolts so it is ideal to install them roughly in the same spot so the caster and/or camber are not affected too much. You will need an alignment after since you won’t be able to match it exactly. But I got lucky and was close. The steering wheel is a tiny hair off center. I won’t align it just yet, but I’ll wait for my one year/10k mile mark to check the alignment.

Here are some pics of the install process:

Honda Civic 10th gen Whiteline rear swaybar install and review UPDATED AGAIN installed lateral locks on swaybar 61CF9876-8B90-4EBB-80BC-B184C418099E


Honda Civic 10th gen Whiteline rear swaybar install and review UPDATED AGAIN installed lateral locks on swaybar 0B563E3D-4DEB-444C-B48D-7C65AE46A8E9


Honda Civic 10th gen Whiteline rear swaybar install and review UPDATED AGAIN installed lateral locks on swaybar 3C93461E-2AE8-483B-9365-1C165519A200


Honda Civic 10th gen Whiteline rear swaybar install and review UPDATED AGAIN installed lateral locks on swaybar E35F25DC-2532-4067-9A41-BD70761CE1E2



Initial review, as expected, it wasn’t a major change. I’ve only been driving a day and it already feels more “complete” front to rear. It feels like the initial turn-in is more direct, that I’ve had to correct my line as it cuts in earlier than what I’ve been used to. Maybe it’s just in my head as I don’t have any instrumented tests to back me up.

Definitely recommend it especially with the stiffer rear bar on my car. Right now I have the front set to the softer setting, and the rear to the harder setting. I’m not sure exactly how it compares in torsional strength to the OEM CTR, since that’s hollow and the Whiteline is solid. The Whiteline front bar was definitely heavier than the Sport bar; I’d be curious to see how the weight compares to the CTR.

Brief note though, I would like to eventually get the Whiteline front adjustable endlinks (KLC140-335) to go along with this, you'll definitely need it if you go with the stiffer setting. The stiffer setting brings the bar closer to the lower control arm so you'll need a shorter than OEM length to avoid any interference. The factory links will soon wear out dealing with the stiffer bar so I'll replace them when that time comes.
 
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L8apex

L8apex

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Latest update: recommend purchasing Whiteline’s lateral locks for the front sway bar KLL127. I had noticed when I rotated my tires that the front swaybar had started to “walk” over to the right side. It got so far that the bar started to make contact with the right side control arm and the left side of the subframe. Probably part of the reason Honda bonds the bushings to the bar.

Luckily, Whiteline offers these lateral locks for different bar diameters for this specific issue. Unlucky for me, I had to install it with the bar and the subframe already back in the car. Not impossible, but a bigger pain in the ass than the extra 30 seconds it would’ve taken me while everything was apart.

These work on any manufacturer’s swaybar, as long as there is enough straight section on the bar for them to sit flush on. They also come in different diameters for different size bars. They mount on the bar right up against the bushing to prevent any side-to-side movement. Be sure to install them either both onboard or both outboard of the bushings to center the bar. Here are installed pics and you can see why it would’ve been great if I did them during the front bar install:

Honda Civic 10th gen Whiteline rear swaybar install and review UPDATED AGAIN installed lateral locks on swaybar 4958D968-4356-48DE-B22C-D430439B92DF


Honda Civic 10th gen Whiteline rear swaybar install and review UPDATED AGAIN installed lateral locks on swaybar 5C8C370C-8F59-40A4-A2D9-DAAA23E42F09
 

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Is there any creaking/squeaking with these sway bars? I had some Hotchkis ones on my last car and the squeaking was awful.
 
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L8apex

L8apex

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Is there any creaking/squeaking with these sway bars? I had some Hotchkis ones on my last car and the squeaking was awful.
I haven't experienced any kind of squeaking or creaking as of yet with these, although I have heard that over time, it does happen especially with polyurethane bushings. I think the key is using the correct and correct amount of lubrication during install. A common fix too is to use teflon tape on the bar only on the section that comes in contact with the bushing. But like I said, no I haven't heard anything yet.
 


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L8apex

L8apex

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Was thinking the same thing
Actually wasn’t too bad. On older vehicles,with different mount setups and more ancillaries, there was more to remove, and every little thing adds up. Here, it’s literally just the subframe, unbolt the rack from the column. Ball joints get unbolted instead of getting popped off. Would’ve been faster with air tools.

Just FYI, the Honda flat rate time to do this job properly is 2.2 hrs. So 3 hours on the ground is about right. Any more and you’re taking off too many things.
 

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Can't wait to install the rear Whiteline bar on my Si. The front bar doesn't look too difficult to do yourself, but I am trying to stay legal for SCCA G Street class which only allows one sway bar change.
 

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Installed the rear Whiteline 22mm bar and adjustable endlinks last night. Taking the old bar out was a breeze and almost as easy as the rear bars on the NA/NB Miatas. 2 bolts on each saddle and one bolt on the rear control arm holding each endlink in place. Putting the new bar in was just the reverse of the removal and just as easy. The hardest part for me was tightening the flange nut down on the endlink because you have to use a 5mm allen key to keep the ball joint from spinning while using a ratcheting box wrench.

Don't have much driving impressions just yet since its only been 10 miles, but on the U-turn I did make I noticed that the car seemed more willing to rotate and my steering wheel seemed to snap back to center. Will report back after another week or so of driving.
Honda Civic 10th gen Whiteline rear swaybar install and review UPDATED AGAIN installed lateral locks on swaybar IMG_3919.JPG Honda Civic 10th gen Whiteline rear swaybar install and review UPDATED AGAIN installed lateral locks on swaybar IMG_3921.JPG Honda Civic 10th gen Whiteline rear swaybar install and review UPDATED AGAIN installed lateral locks on swaybar IMG_3923.JPG
 
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Driving update after a week of daily driving and also an Autocross event where I got to push the car to its limits.

First of all my Civic Si comes with a 18mm rear bar vs the 16mm found on the lower trims, so I wasn't expecting a huge difference upgrading to the Whiteline 22mm bar. This upgrade represents a 123% increase in roll stiffness vs 257% for the non Si owners.

On the street there isn't much difference at all while driving because the main function of the swaybar is to reduce roll in cornering. You would have to be really pushing the car to notice a difference. The car feels ever so slightly more stable in straight line freeway speeds, which is also something I experienced on other cars when upgrading to a bigger rear bar. I would say the most noticeable thing I found was when switching from regular to sport mode, the steering wheel feedback behaves the same. Previously I would really notice a difference when engaging sport mode, the steering feel became stiffer and would require more force to turn the wheel.

On the track the bar does what it is supposed to do by fine tuning the balance of the vehicle and eliminating almost all understeer. I say almost because I was still getting some understeer on a few corners, but I think that had to do more with the fact that I was overdriving the car and asking the front tires to do way too much.

All in all I am very impressed with the cars handling and out of the box Honda did a great job. The biggest added benefit of the stiffer Whiteline rear swaybar is helping to further eliminate body roll without sacrificing ride comfort.
 
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Honda Civic 10th gen Whiteline rear swaybar install and review UPDATED AGAIN installed lateral locks on swaybar 35226797-1A66-4C92-BA73-E12A8721E500 New addition, Whiteline front and rear adjustable swaybar links. Part #s KLC140-335. (front) and KLC217 (rear). I can take pics of the rear for anyone not familiar but they’re difficult to see, and they’re not as pretty as the gold anodized front links.

Super easy to install, again, easier if you did t with the bars but whatever, my labor is free (for my car).

Being adjustable, these are an improvement over stock and vital if you want to adjust any preload out of the swaybar. I knew immediately my front was preloaded because at ride height, when loosening one link, the studs were difficult to remove from the swaybar and the strut body. With no preload, you shouldn’t have to fight the swaybar or the links to get them on.

Not every car is 50/50 balanced side to side, and there may also be some tolerances in the swaybar itself that it won’t sit square. That’s why it helps to have adjustable links, as the left and right side links will invariably be different lengths.

Very necessary when you have coilovers and you’ve corner balanced the car on them, you don’t want the swaybar preloaded to the left or right. You did corner balance your car after you got coilovers right? That’s what they’re adjustable for. But that’s a rant saved for another topic/day. Last tip, adjust the preload out of the swaybar with the driver’s weight in the seat. It makes a difference.
 

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So I went ahead and ordered the Whiteline 22mm rear bar to put on my 2018 SI Coupe. I also ordered the 2018 Accord end links since it looks like those are pretty stout pieces. The car is mainly a daily driver. See any issues with using it at the full 22mm setting and then maybe getting the Ultra Racing Strut Tower Brace to "help" with the front? I really do not want to pull the front cradle at this time. In the future that could happen....along with a tune. :) Thanks!
 

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So I went ahead and ordered the Whiteline 22mm rear bar to put on my 2018 SI Coupe. I also ordered the 2018 Accord end links since it looks like those are pretty stout pieces. The car is mainly a daily driver. See any issues with using it at the full 22mm setting and then maybe getting the Ultra Racing Strut Tower Brace to "help" with the front? I really do not want to pull the front cradle at this time. In the future that could happen....along with a tune. :) Thanks!
No issues at all, run the stiff setting.
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