Anyone have experience with a rear sway bar?
- Thread starter chinq6t
- Start date
CX5 has perhaps the lowest body roll for its class and price point along with perhaps being the most composed vehicle ; again at this price point and vehicle category. I am NOT criticizing you but why is there a need to further lower the body roll which in fact cost quite a lot of $$.
Chris_Top_Her
Contributor
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- San Antonio, Texas
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- '15 CX-5 Miata AWD
I have a corksport rear sway bar which I am very happy with. I also have an Ultra Racing rear lower bar (suspension brace). I have not heard feedback from anyone using the megan or hardrace sway bars. I know of a guy who has a JBR rear sway (stock ride height) and he likes it. The cost of a sway bar is not expensive and the change it makes is very tangible. Personally I would lower first, H&R is a mild drop that will still give you a greater ride height than a mazda 6 and won't give you rubbing or bottoming out worries (and thats with 20" wheels). Personally I think the corksport is best value right now because it comes with billet brackets standard. When I bought mine it did not come with those and I spent about $100 on a set of hotchkiss brackets.
I think its like $220 which is not expensive by any means for a legitimate performance part.
I think its like $220 which is not expensive by any means for a legitimate performance part.
Because like others said it's not terribly expensive and it makes a good handling vehicle handle even better. Also, I find it more justifiable throwing money into this improvement over some other projects like wheels. In general cars aren't necessarily cheap hobbies.
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Is lowering pertinent? My hope was just to get the rsb on and be a happy camper with better highway on ramp corner etc. Never considered lowering.
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mazdaspeedmyk
Member
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- 2010 Mazdaspeed3 - Celestial Blue Mica
I have the JBR RSB and it really improved the cornering and handling of the car. Best bang for the buck. I initially wrote about it here:
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6322474
My 2013 CX-5 with around 28,000 miles has started exhibiting more body roll than it did when new. I think it's mostly the anti-sway bar bushings but probably a bit due to the damping rate of the shocks decreasing with time. None of this surprises me because I do a lot of dirt roads which are rugged and give the shocks and anti-roll bushings a workout. I think I might replace the bushings with harder polyurethane. Suggestions? And I'll be looking for shocks too.
Still drives nice but I want to bring it back to the taut feeling it had until this winter.
Chris_Top_Her
Contributor
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- San Antonio, Texas
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- '15 CX-5 Miata AWD
No, it is absolutely not. But if it was something you ere interested in, it's a good compliment. If you want all of the ground clearance, the sway bar will still work well.
Chris_Top_Her
Contributor
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- San Antonio, Texas
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- '15 CX-5 Miata AWD
I'm not sure what the OEM sway bar OD is, but as a generic stiffer replacement (and OEM style) energy suspension offers low price brackets with poly inserts. You just get the bracket and insert for the oem bar size. You can also (or instead) get metal, thicker Moog endlinks for the rear (non adjustable) that actually cost less than OEM.. $25 ea.. Just changing to a stiffer endlink alone makes a tangible difference as our endlinks have a thing shaft with a plastic joint. I replaced my front endlinks with racing beep aluminum endlinks, at the same length as OEM and noticed an immediate reduction of front roll.
Thanks for the tip on the Energy Suspension poly bushings but their website doesn't list any parts compatible with a CX-5.
As to the end links, I haven't checked their condition but, if they have slop already (and I would be surprised if they do), I would certainly swap them out with something that might last longer.
Do you know anyone who has fit the ES bushings to a OEM CX-5 anti-sway bar?
Not necessarily. Stabilizer bars should be seen as fine tuning and should be changed in pairs to control roll. Proper roll control should be done with springs.
Rear stabilizer bars typically reduce the weight transferred to the outside front tire, by loading the outside rear tire. The amount of difference depends on the Roll Axis angle. Less force on the front tire reduces distortion, reducing slip angle, and more in the rear increases slip angle. Increasing slip angle in the rear reduces max cornering traction in the rear and the opposite happens on the front.
Below the limits of traction, the increased rear slip angle of the outside rear tire makes the rear axle "corner" faster than it did, reducing understeer.
Does your CX-5 NEED less understeer? Understeer is safe and comforting compared to oversteer.
Try running 3 psi more pressure in the front than the rear tires (up to the sidewall max) and see if you like the reduced understeer. Air costs 50 cents.
Isn't the CX-5 suspension based on a 3? Maybe the 3 bushings will fit.
If you drill and tap the poly bushing and bracket for an ag grease fitting, you can quickly lube them when they squeak. Be sure to drill a tube to let grease get to the upper half.
That's what I'm trying to determine. The retailer only lists the Miata. If they fit CX-5's, that omission would point to sloppy retailing practices.
What is a "ag grease fitting". Do you mean a zerk fitting?
Chris_Top_Her
Contributor
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- San Antonio, Texas
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- '15 CX-5 Miata AWD
Well, they may not list it exclusively, but its a "jdm" brakcet, and then you get the size for the bar i.e 22mm. Those are the same bushings that jbr included by default and Corksport used to include with their sway bars. Searching autozone brings up a couple compatible brakcets, less tha. $25 ranging from 7/8 to 1". Ill check my oem bar ( with digital caliper) it appears to be 24 or 25 mm based from what I found
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Chris_Top_Her
Contributor
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- San Antonio, Texas
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- '15 CX-5 Miata AWD
No i don't need or want understeer.. I can control that with engine rpms/gear.. if i need??? understeer ( or am indifferent)ill stay in a high gear. When I really want to get a corner or accelerate through it, without lame understeer pulling me out, I drop a gear (or 2) and in combination with my sway bar/suspension mods make the best of my AWD i paid a premium for.. sway bars are often not changed in pairs as the rear is usually enough to correct the understeer some enthusiasts don't want. Most people dont even touch the front. I bought one (not installed yet) mainly because my total suspension mods have preloaded the skinny oem front sway bar so it is less effective. Like you said its about fine tuning; ive tuned out most undesirable (for me) body roll and thats pretty much the weak link right now.
I don't think I need new brackets, just new polyurethane bushings the same size as OEM.
Thanks for measuring your OEM bar. What is the actual diameter your caliper said? I think it's supposed to be 25mm. Interestingly, the OEM parts catalog lists a different part number for the rear stabilizer bar depending upon FWD or AWD. Only costs $74.00. But I just need some harder bushings.
It sounds like you don't need a bigger diameter front anti-sway bar, but rather end links of appropriate length.
Chris_Top_Her
Contributor
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- San Antonio, Texas
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- '15 CX-5 Miata AWD
I haven't measured it yet, it's late and the bar is in the shed. I'll get it tomorrow. I based those numbers off of parts listed for the CX-5. Also I'll double check (because I still have them) but I'm pretty sure the energy suspension bushings are the same form factor as OEM, as the OEM bushing is pretty much identical.
if you do decide to do anything with the sway bar/bracket.. get ready for this
if you do decide to do anything with the sway bar/bracket.. get ready for this
ag = agricultural and yes, I think some call them zerk fittings. I have rarely used them on anything but farm implements.
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