Front Swaybar Orientation Concern BMR SB044

[s550_kenny]

Hey guys,

I've recently installed BMR Front sway bar SB044 on my '21 mustang gt pp. I'm posting because I'm genuinely confused as to how this sway bar should be positioned. Everywhere I see online, all sway bars are installed with their ends pointing up. However, looking at the instructions for this one, their photo shows them pointing down.

I'm having fitment issues with the end links touching the struts because of this, and some clunking as well. Because I track this car, I'd really like everything to be installed correctly.

This is what their instructions say:

As you can see, they're pointing down, and that's how my sway bar is currently installed. I e-mailed them to check and they said it should be pointing down:

However, another instructional PDF with the same sway bar model shows them pointing up here:

It looks like they revised the sway bars when the 2018 facelift came out, however it's effectively the same bar and same model number.

I'm planning on taking it apart again this weekend, so I'd like to know everyone's thoughts on how they should be oriented. The OEM ones point up, and steeda's bars are installed pointing up as well. Is the guy who e-mailed me and the first instructions wrong? For reference, see how steeda's are installed below:

Additionally, the ends links are really tight on clearance due to my magneride sensors and strut. I've seen some people install them on the inside of the sway bar, rather than the OEM outside install. Again, BMR said they're supposed to install on the outside like OEM but I'm having trouble believing they'll fit due to the magneride strut clearance.

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[kz]

Can you post the link to first instructions ? Things look weird on that picture.

Yes - links generally don't fit with Magride struts - if you install them on the inside, they'll likely bind against the bar.

Try Cortex endlinks which are the lowest/thinnest profile I know.

 

[WItoTX]

The white line endlinks fit, as well as full tilt boogie. But my ftb went bad after 3 years, so I wouldn't recommend them.

 

[s550_kenny]

Can you post the link to first instructions ? Things look weird on that picture.

Yes - links generally don't fit with Magride struts - if you install them on the inside, they'll likely bind against the bar.

Try Cortex endlinks which are the lowest/thinnest profile I know.

Yeah, I found the instructions here on the BMR website: https://www.bmrsuspension.com/?page=products&productid=1496&superpro=0

I believe I also saw the same ones tied to the American Muscle product link.

I'm currently on stock end links and they barely touch the strut on full lock, I had purchased Pedders end links that are coming this weekend too so I want to get everything right before I even attempt to get those in.

I feel like the bar is currently upside down but I can't get a concrete answer from BMR. I should've just bought Steeda lol

 

[s550_kenny]

If after messing with the bar I find the Pedder's links don't fit, I'll return them and get the Whiteline ones as per WItoTX's recommendation. I trust him due to that profile pic alone

 

[kz]

Yeah, I found the instructions here on the BMR website: https://www.bmrsuspension.com/?page=products&productid=1496&superpro=0

I believe I also saw the same ones tied to the American Muscle product link.

I'm currently on stock end links and they barely touch the strut on full lock, I had purchased Pedders end links that are coming this weekend too so I want to get everything right before I even attempt to get those in.

I feel like the bar is currently upside down but I can't get a concrete answer from BMR. I should've just bought Steeda lol

I am not sure it can be installed upside down but one way to to tell is to look at the middle section of the bar whether it goes down or up.

(that installation picture looked off because they took apart the front suspension for whatever reason and that car has their tubular front subframe).

 

[s550_kenny]

I am not sure it can be installed upside down but one way to to tell is to look at the middle section of the bar whether it goes down or up.

(that installation picture looked off because they took apart the front suspension for whatever reason and that car has their tubular front subframe).

Yeah the photo isn't the best

So should the middle section of the bar be going up or down?

 

[kz]

Yeah the photo isn't the best

So should the middle section of the bar be going up or down?

Down or forward depending on the angle of the bar.

 

[thompsje]

Yeah the photo isn't the best

So should the middle section of the bar be going up or down?

Agree with KZ. I have a 2018 non-MR with the BMR front bar and at ride height the ends of the links are level and the middle points down and away from the crank pulley.

 

[GT 550]

OP looking at the images in the first post it does look like they're installed with the end pointing both up, and down. The issue might be the extent to which the bar is rotated along its axis when the pic was taken. Using the bottom of the strut for reference it seems in the first image the bar is rotated clockwise more than it is in the second so if you were to orent them the same i.e. lift the end in the first pic/rotate counter clockwise so it's oreinted the same as the one in the first pic both ends would probably be pointing up.

 

[s550_kenny]

Thanks for the comments everyone.

So I exchanged some emails back and forth with BMR and they insist the bar orientation in that photo is correct. They mentioned the config with the sway bar pointing up was an old design of the bar. I also pointed out another photo on their website where they installed their end links on the inside of the sway bar, rather than the OEM outside. I will try this config when the end links arrived, but I think they'll just bind and hit the sway bar when the wheel is turned.

At any rate, here are some photos of how the sway bar currently sits, the end is almost level, however you can still see it kind of slopes down, matching the configuration in their installation photo.

You can see how close the end link is to the strut in that photo.

 

[Forestlump]

Thanks for the comments everyone.

So I exchanged some emails back and forth with BMR and they insist the bar orientation in that photo is correct. They mentioned the config with the sway bar pointing up was an old design of the bar. I also pointed out another photo on their website where they installed their end links on the inside of the sway bar, rather than the OEM outside. I will try this config when the end links arrived, but I think they'll just bind and hit the sway bar when the wheel is turned.

At any rate, here are some photos of how the sway bar currently sits, the end is almost level, however you can still see it kind of slopes down, matching the configuration in their installation photo.

You can see how close the end link is to the strut in that photo.

Putting the drop link on the other side of the sway bar. IE opposite side to the shock. is going to help the angle of the droplink for certain but the threaded part of the ball joint might also clash with the shock.

You'll ideally want the drop link at 90 degrees from the sway bar and running as parallel to the shock body as possible.

This is the RTR bar and the ends bend upwards. It's a different shape to the one you have though.

 

[s550_kenny]

Putting the drop link on the other side of the sway bar. IE opposite side to the shock. is going to help the angle of the droplink for certain but the threaded part of the ball joint might also clash with the shock.

You'll ideally want the drop link at 90 degrees from the sway bar and running as parallel to the shock body as possible.

This is the RTR bar and the ends bend upwards. It's a different shape to the one you have though.

Yeah I really don’t like the angle it’s Currently at. Thanks for providing your photos for reference.

I’m waiting on my end links to come in and I plan to move them to the inside so that they’re parallel. On bmrs website they place them there and it appears the studs are shorter so they don’t hit the strut but I wonder if I can cut them a little to shorten them just in case.

This is how they place them:

 

[Forestlump]

Yeah I really don’t like the angle it’s Currently at. Thanks for providing your photos for reference.

I’m waiting on my end links to come in and I plan to move them to the inside so that they’re parallel. On bmrs website they place them there and it appears the studs are shorter so they don’t hit the strut but I wonder if I can cut them a little to shorten them just in case.

This is how they place them:

Yeah, that explains that
They definetly look shorter than stock.

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