Install - Hotchkis 25mm Comp Rear Sway

Crappy old OEM endlinks ?

 

That’s what I have on my Hotchkiss 25mm hollow comp rear bar.
They work just fine.
Soft in winter and middle position in summer.

 

Yeah they fail a lot

 

I’ve only had expensive aftermarket
ones fail (heim joints seize up).

 

Well they are not maintenance free. If you live in cold weather you should know that already.

I always lube suspension parts Spring and Fall. It’s a MINI not a Honda.

 

If the noise wasn't there before the new sway bar then it is probably related to that installation. If you haven't already done so, I'd recheck all the fasteners and make sure they are tight. Also check the e-brake cables and brake lines to make sure they are not hitting anything.

 

I was reading this thread and had a flashback to my HS Driver's Ed class. Here's the background:

1. I had a fellow student who had never driven... had never even sat behind the wheel and her parents threw her at this 1 week summer Driver's Ed course and said 'good luck'. She wasn't one of the brightest bulbs in the box to begin with and was prone to panic when she didn't know what was going on. She was also VERY tall... I'm 6'4" and she was close to looking me in the eyes. Let's call her Betsy
2. The vehicle... a GIANT Ford LTD from the mid '80s with a V8. It had an instructor's brake on the passenger side, so that the coach who taught the class could at least stop the car if the student driver was doing something deadly. It had a bench seat across the front that would be set for the driver's size.
3. The instructor: A 'coach' who taught HS football and the occasional history class... you know... the class where you watched more filmstrips and videos than got any real instruction. Also important to note... he was probably 5' tall MAX...

OK. Here we are on day 2 of the week-long driver's Ed. class. Betsy knows that her turn to drive is coming up and she's getting really wound up. Shaking in her seat. I'm trying to talk her down a bit when the coach reads out 4 names... 3 would get in the back seat to watch and learn, one in the drivers seat and the coach would be in the passenger seat. Betsy is going to be our first driver. I wind up in the rear seat directly behind her.

Betsy is completely freaked out. She gets the seat adjusted (slides it WAY back because she is so tall) and decides just to go for it. She plants her right foot firmly on the accelerator and turns the key to start the engine. It fires up and immediately starts SCREAMING... the full force of the V8 shaking the car hard. The coach sees it coming first... she's reaching for the gear selector on the column, planning to drop it into drive with the accelerator planted on the floor. He goes for the instructor brake, but he's only 5' tall and the seat is set for someone who is over 6', so he slides his butt off of the seat, planting both of his feet on the brake and lays almost flat on the front seat, pressing as hard as he can against the seatback with his shoulders. I see what's going down, so I reach up from behind her and pull her right shoulder back, so she can't reach the gear shift. Betsy is now in full panic mode, flailing around, trying to break away from my grip (and doing so at least twice), going for the gear selector with all of her might. The girl next to me is freaking out, screaming at the top of her lungs and has thrown her arms around my neck, hanging on for dear life. I finally hook under Betsy's right arm and get a good enough grip that the coach feels he can let go of the brake. He flops over, grabs the keys and turns off the engine. I release my hold on Betsy and turn my attention to the girl sitting next to me who screams for at least another 10 seconds before going very quiet. We all sat there for 30 seconds or so before the coach gets out and helps Betsy out of the car. We broke for lunch (it was about 11am) to resettle and Betsy didn't rejoin us.

 

My 20 year old GrandDaughter will learn to drive in a 7 Day course in France this summer (if they ever get out of Singapore), the above just makes me glad she is not going to learn to drive at 20 years old in our Country. I cannot imagine the competence level of the local drivers course in any state in the U S., coaches by default were not always the brightest instructions (film strips anyone for history)! I digress, I had drivers-ed in HS in Southern California, at least I survived but I did take a lot of competition classes so I was good on track and so far very lucky with driving on our roads and highways. I first learned to drive at 9 or so on a GMC Pickup on the farm, not saying that was good, just an experience. I can pull a stump out with any old truck with a granny 1st gear. I was a pretty good driver, but at approaching my mid-70s, I am getting more cautions looking for young ones out driving. Knowing that nothing has changed since my DE class and probably agranger's exiciting class with Ms. Betsy. lol

Don