Comparison Between MSP / MP3 and ES / Protege5 Rear End-Links

[njaremka]

it really pains me when i see bad information being spread around this forum, and even more so when i know the right answer, but have no proof to back it up.

well, here's proof that the Mazdaspeed / MP3 rear end links are LONGER than the ES / Protege5 rear end links.

 

[Tom03es]

That's a little more than a smidgen longer like you said in THIS thread. More bad information being spread! (wink)

And damn you! I was going to post the same picture when my MSP end links came in the mail. Oh well.

 

[njaremka]

well, as far as i'm concerned, a "smidgen" is anything under an inch - and the difference is about a 1/2 inch

 

[njaremka]

and, the reason behind posting this up, is that soooooo many members post up that the mazdaspeed ones are "shorter", when in fact they aren't. so, here's the proof.

 

[JoshP5]

Nice work. Interesting that 1/2" is enough to prevent this from happening.

 

[njaremka]

amazing - but, i still don't understand how that could happen. unless, you're going air-born and your whole rear suspension goes to full droop - then, maybe.

 

[aMaff]

Nice work. Interesting that 1/2" is enough to prevent this from happening.

Yeah, been seeing a bit too much of that. Crazy s***.

amazing - but, i still don't understand how that could happen. unless, you're going air-born and your whole rear suspension goes to full droop - then, maybe.

Agreed, I still haven't figured it out. With my car on jackstands and MSP endlinks, the bar still has a way to go before it gets vertical...

 

[Tom03es]

I think this is how it happened on my car- I recently moved from KS to CO. On the drive out, the trunk and the rest of the Protege was loaded down pretty heavily with "stuff" with caused the rear end to squat. While leaving a construction zone and passing over that BUMP between the construction zone pavement to the existing pavement, my wife (who was driving the Protege) radioes me and says that there is a weird rattling noise coming from the rear. I thought it was just the exhaust rattling on something. And since I just though it was the exhaust, I wasn't too worried about it and drove around for about 3 months before checking into it. At least, that's my best guess as to how it happened. Pretty scarey actually since when I rotated the bar back, I had to be careful to not catch the rubber brake lines on the nut for the end link at the end of the bar.

New parts (new lateral link and MSP end links) should be here tomorrow.

 

[njaremka]

i'm still having a hard time picturing how it can happen.

 

[TheMAN]

well my bad lol... I can't believe all this time I failed to notice the 99-00/MSP end links being a bit longer.... I always assumed that since the 99-00 rear sway bars hanged lower, it meant a shorter link was used... I went to look at my stock s*** and my MSP s*** myself and it's probably about 1/2-3/4" difference... didn't bother measuring

well you know what happens when you ASSume

 

[njaremka]

hey, thats why i started this thread