JBR rear sway bar
- Thread starter oldpunk
- Start date
Search for Mazda 3 swaybar size on googe and click the first link. I have pretty good explanation about RSB upgrade. Sorry could not link it here. Its pretty lame to censor other forum link.
I do not have JBR but have Tri Point Engineering. I agree with the comment above about negative consideration.
I run my Tri-Point on softest setting and it could get a bit tail happy if you have to do some emergency braking around corner. The sway rate are about 750 lbs per in compared to about 600 for JBR at softest setting. I also have Koni shock with stock spring. I tried stiffen the rear shock to 1 full turn and the car get too sensitive. I actually just bought a MS3 OEM RSB which I think would be a much better match for us. It should arrive soon and I would be able to give more accurate comparison.
These performance swaybar are designed more for MS3 which have a lot stiffer front swaybar. Ours have 23 mm FSB which probably only 60-70% as stiff as MS3 26 mm FSB. With RSB that are 250-400% stiffer than OEM it will disturb the balance quite a bit. Don't get me wrong they are awesome swaybar but its over kill for a minivan unless you are planning to go auto crossing with it.
I do not have JBR but have Tri Point Engineering. I agree with the comment above about negative consideration.
I run my Tri-Point on softest setting and it could get a bit tail happy if you have to do some emergency braking around corner. The sway rate are about 750 lbs per in compared to about 600 for JBR at softest setting. I also have Koni shock with stock spring. I tried stiffen the rear shock to 1 full turn and the car get too sensitive. I actually just bought a MS3 OEM RSB which I think would be a much better match for us. It should arrive soon and I would be able to give more accurate comparison.
These performance swaybar are designed more for MS3 which have a lot stiffer front swaybar. Ours have 23 mm FSB which probably only 60-70% as stiff as MS3 26 mm FSB. With RSB that are 250-400% stiffer than OEM it will disturb the balance quite a bit. Don't get me wrong they are awesome swaybar but its over kill for a minivan unless you are planning to go auto crossing with it.
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phunky.buddha
Booga Booga?
- :
- DFW TX
- :
- No mo MZ5 want MX5
I love love love my MS3 rear sway- it matches the 5 extremely well with the stock front bar.
Amen brother. I've got the same set up as you except with stock springs.
Indelibility
Member
My JR rear sway bar is treating me good. Only complaint I have is that the poly bushings get noisy. Other that that it handles great!
Indelibility
Member
Yeah, I did. End up greasing it almost once a month.
Wow what a hassle. If you do not want to re-grease the bushing use Moog Thermoplastic universal swaybar bushing. I been using the 1 1/4" version with my Tri Point RSB for more than 2 year and it does not make any noise at, and I never even lube it once.
Moof Universal-Sway-Bar-Bushings
The strap that came with it are junk though and would end up breaking, so use the original strap that came with JBR or Tri-Point.
Moof Universal-Sway-Bar-Bushings
The strap that came with it are junk though and would end up breaking, so use the original strap that came with JBR or Tri-Point.
Indelibility
Member
Might have to do that. The squeaks are common for polyurethane bushings so I can't really complain. A minor trade off for having stiffer than rubber bushings.
phunky.buddha
Booga Booga?
- :
- DFW TX
- :
- No mo MZ5 want MX5
Mine probably rotates more than yours- the BC rear rates are significantly higher in the back vs the front compared to stock.
Replace my Tri-Point RSB with MS3 RSB over the weekend. I definitely miss the direct steering response from the bigger Tri-Point RSB. But its much safer on wet / snowy road. It have a lot less tendency to oversteer during tail braking. Being this is my wife's car the MS3 are better and safer for this application.
I still need to stiffen the rebound on for the rear shock. I have it at 1/2 a turn and I might need to increase it to 1 full turn. This KONI yellow have to be disassembled completely to adjust rebound on the rear shock. Front strut are really easy with just turning a knob but rear have to be torn down completely.
I still need to stiffen the rebound on for the rear shock. I have it at 1/2 a turn and I might need to increase it to 1 full turn. This KONI yellow have to be disassembled completely to adjust rebound on the rear shock. Front strut are really easy with just turning a knob but rear have to be torn down completely.
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- 2008 Mazda5 GT
Do you know if the JBR bushings are made in house or if they sourced them from someone else?
What brand of grease are you using?
My Prothane ploys with Superlube are quiet. My OEM fronts, however, started squeeking this winter >
Why not up the FSB to balance the RSB?
Also, do you have your alignment numbers?
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Indelibility
Member
Huh, thought it could be accessed via the rear cup holders/panel.
the top of the strut can be accessed from that spot, but the rear mazda3/mazda5 koni's are only internally adjustable and require to be dismantled for adjustment.
Indelibility
Member
Ah, that's a pain.
Why not up the FSB to balance the RSB?
This is family car and stiffer is not the direction we want to take with this car. Plus the tire would never have the grip to match anyway. My alignment are stock since the camber/caster are not adjustable on this car.
I've definitely been happy with the addition of the MS3 rear bar setup on the otherwise stock suspension. Pretty decent handling improvement in the twisties. I'd like to upgrade the front bar as well, but the miata still needs a few more improvements before the next track day. I also want to try the koni FSD's on the 5.
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- 2008 Mazda5 GT
totally understand on the family van needs. I don't think the MS3 FSB will be much stiffer since it is only +3mm (13% bigger), unlike the rear which is a +6mm (30% bigger) diff. Sway bars more affect body roll. There are other things that impact ride comfort more. Also, how did u decide to go tri-point in the first place?
I was curious on the toe setting and if the rear might be too aggressively toed. Even with the negative factory setting, over stiffening the RSB will amplify the rotation and a stiffer front can better balance it. Also, alignment specs do go off (pot holes, working on related parts, etc.) as the car accumulate miles.
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I end up with Tri-Point since I bought it used pretty cheap and could not find stock MS3 that time. It was a good experiment and I should be able to recoup all my money when I resell it.
My alignment are checked 3-4 months ago when I get new tires and its dead on.
I got some more time with the MS3 RSB and I like it more and more compared to the Tri Point RSB. On the highway its perfect. The Tri Point combined with stock FSB are a bit twitchy on highway speed. When I have to enter steep driveway the car feel a lot more stable because the suspension are able to follow the road contour better. Around the roundabout it still hold the body pretty level and actually provide much better match for my winter tires.
My alignment are checked 3-4 months ago when I get new tires and its dead on.
I got some more time with the MS3 RSB and I like it more and more compared to the Tri Point RSB. On the highway its perfect. The Tri Point combined with stock FSB are a bit twitchy on highway speed. When I have to enter steep driveway the car feel a lot more stable because the suspension are able to follow the road contour better. Around the roundabout it still hold the body pretty level and actually provide much better match for my winter tires.
