September 16, 1997
By: Robert Leidy

1. Jack the vehicle up and place on jack stands. DO NOT WORK UNDER THE VEHICLE WITHOUT USING JACK STANDS. I used a pair of jack stands on the left and right front jack points, so during installation of the front sway bars the Z3 was kind of doing a wheelie.
   

2. It is suggested, but not required, to remove both front wheels to ease installation. I did not find it necessary to remove the front wheels.
   

3. Disconnect the stock sway bar end links from the stock sway bar ends by slipping the open end of a 16mm combination wrench between the tire rod boot and sway bar. Then loosen the tie rod nut using a 17mm combination wrench. The picture on the right shows how I accomplished this task. Be somewhat gentle so you don't damage or tear the rubber boot on the wheel side of the sway bar.
   

4. Remove the bushing clamps holding the sway bar to the chassis using a 10mm deep socket, and remove the stock sway bar and rubber bushings. After unbolting these clamps the sway bar will be free of the Z3.
   Once the front sway bar was removed I compared it too the replacement front sway bar. As you can see the racing dynamics (green) bar is larger and ticker than the stock (black) bar. In this picture you can also compare the stock rubber bushings (black) to the urethane replacement bushings (blue).
   

5. Lubricate the insides of the urethane bushings with a lithium or moly based grease before installing on the bar in the stock location. NOTE: Failing to grease the bushings will cause them to squeak and wear prematurely. The grease didn't come with the kit, so make sure you have some before you take your Z3 apart. I found some lithium grease at the local hardware store. Would have been nice if they could have included a small tube of in in the kit.
   

6. Secure the new bar to the chassis using the factory bushing clamps. but do not tighten the nuts. Because the urethane bushings do not compress as easily as the factory bushings, it may be helpful to spray the outside of the bushing with lubricant, then secure the clamp with a vise grip while aligning the holes. Make sure the bushing seats correctly in the clamp. I used a little of this lithium grease on the outside of the urethane bushings to make them slide in easier. The warning about not tightening the nuts is because they want the rod to move freely until you lower the car. Then once the bar is in it's natural position under the weight of the Z3 you will tighten it.
   

7. Attach the sway bar ends to the stock sway bar end links. For more under steer, choose the sway bar: hole furthest from the end of the bar. For less under steer, choose the hole nearest to the end of the bar. Don't get too tied up with the two different settings right now. You will enjoy feeling the effect of the two different settings on your own so I recommend you start on the loose/outside/hole nearest the end of the bar setting. I started on the loose setting, then went to the tight setting. I prefer the tight setting on the front sway bar.
   

8. Reinstall the front wheels and lower the vehicle so the full weight of the car is on the suspension. While checking for adequate clearances and proper bar centering, torque the bushing clamp to floorpan hardware to 20 ft/lbs. Okay here's where is gets difficult. The instructions tell you to lower your Z3 then crawl under it and torque these nuts. Well folks most of us don't fit under our Z3 without a little help. I ended up parking the Z3 at the end of the driveway where there is a slight drop off to the street. That way I could lay in the street and get under the Z3 to tighten the nuts.
   

9. Retorque all hardware after 500 miles. At 500 and again at 1000 miles I rechecked the torque and found that additional tightening was not needed. (but to be safe I'll would still recommend checking.

Install Rear Swaybar