AWR Sway info...

[garretts77]

I am trying to find out some info on the AWR rear bars for the P5. I did a search but it yeilded nothing, (maybe because of the board update?). Anyways, I remember a while back reading that the mounting tabs on the P5 struts were too weak to handle some upgraded bars, and I was wondering if this has been an issue for anybody. I am looking at the 19mm, but the 21.5mm looks nice too. I haven't made up my mind yet, and I wanted to know if anybody could help me out.

I wrote to AWR about it and this was the response:

We have heard of this dilemma early on in the protege's life but i believe that mazda knew about it and upgraded. not all cars use the same manufacturer of strut housings and that could be where the problem came from. i have not heard directly of it recently. purchase the bar that you require for the application you desire. maybe you could post something on one of the chat rooms to see if any have had this problem recently?

thanks / Tony / AWR


What's the word?

 

[MarkSpark]

Hey Garretts,

I haven't heard anything like that. I know of several Protege5 owners on the board with the rear AWR sway bar, and they've had no problems thus far. Hope that helps

-markspark

 

[garretts77]

Thanks. That's what I thought. Anybody else??

 

[Familia323]

i dont have a P5 but I do have the weak end link tabs like you are talking about. I have the 21.5 bar, but i dont tighten the bar to it's fullest yet, because i have a feeling that the tab would break off. You will be fine if you keep the end links adjusted to half or less of their full strength.

 

[uclap5]

both ogsk8er and thrax had the 19 mm bar and both snapped off their strut tabs.

 

[garretts77]

That sounds scary... I would imagine that they were probably committed to a pretty serious turn when they broke. Does the car just get some crazy understeer when this happens?

Also, could you take the car to a machine shop and have the tabs reinforced or something. I would guess that since these tabs are just welded to the stut, that a reinforcement could be made.
Does anybody know?

 

[uclap5]

all i remember is ogskater was just pulling up a driveway at an angle and it snapped.

if you look on the racing beat site you can see they reinforced it, and you can copy their design for a little bracket.

I believe the general consensus on welding something onto the strut tab to reinforce it is a bad idea since the temperature of welding could **** them up.

 

[jsgolfer]

ive said this a milion times. you find the dumb SOB who will weld on a gas presurized shock, you let me know. i wanna meet this crazy mofo. and make a video of it too. that s*** would be real funny

 

[garretts77]

Yeah, I am not interested in welding a hole through my shocks, I was just thinking that since Racing Beat did it, and I guess Tokiko probably did it for the illuminas(although they are the manufacturer, so they can make them however they want), that maybe there is a way to reinforce the tabs to let them support more before snapping off...

 

[Mike R]

Check out racing beats site, they have pics of the support bracket.

For as many people are running the bars on the weak tabs, only a few have broken off.

 

[70]

Any after-market sturt has a stronger tab than on the standard strut for the Protege.

I would reccomend getting a different strut anyway if you plan on running a larger sway bar.

 

[Familia323]

its up to you. Mine has been on since october and its still fine. If you do get the bar, id recommend getting some kind of locking washers though to go on the endlinks. They tend to loosen themselves over time. They wont fall off, they just end up on their lowest setting.

 

[garretts77]

Yeah I want to get the illuminas but I am getting married this fall, so I am on a limited budget. I had some adjustables on my Integra and they were great. I can't wait to get them on the P5, but I just don't want to spend the $500 right now. The 19mm bar on the other hand is $145 and my b-day is coming up. The 21.5 isn't that much more, $210 or something, but that may be a little pricey for a b-day present. I guess if I am going to do it though, I might as well go all the way and get the 21.5mm. I just don't want the tabs to snap off on the first turn...

 

[70]

Yeah I want to get the illuminas but I am getting married this fall, so I am on a limited budget. I had some adjustables on my Integra and they were great. I can't wait to get them on the P5, but I just don't want to spend the $500 right now. The 19mm bar on the other hand is $145 and my b-day is coming up. The 21.5 isn't that much more, $210 or something, but that may be a little pricey for a b-day present. I guess if I am going to do it though, I might as well go all the way and get the 21.5mm. I just don't want the tabs to snap off on the first turn...

Would like to buy the MP3 suspension? I happen to have mine off the car and plan on selling them anyway. I know the struts aren't the Illuminas, but that'll give you the beefier bracket. And a little handling to boot with the bar...

They have 32,000 miles on them and are a little dirty (I plan on cleaning them before selling) and seem to be working just fine.

 

[garretts77]

how much??

 

[70]

how much??

I don't know. What seems fair to you?

 

[SedanMan]

I have the 21.5mm swaybar on my stock shocks. I have had it installed since last june. It hasnt gotten loose and my tabs havent broken yet. It is not set at the tightest setting, but you can definitely feel the difference. Here is a picture of the bar compared to the OEM bar. It looks awesome too.

 

[sidpro5]

Any updates on the "tab-breakage" problem? Would like to get the AWR bar at some point, but if necessary, I'll do the struts first. Just curious to see how people are making out with the stockers and the upgraded bar...............

 

[SedanMan]

Any updates on the "tab-breakage" problem? Would like to get the AWR bar at some point, but if necessary, I'll do the struts first. Just curious to see how people are making out with the stockers and the upgraded bar...............

I'm running the stock struts and have had no problems. I've been running the bar for a year, including one harsh winter. Sometimes it squeaks, but that can be fixed by lubing up the endlinks and bushings.

I also added a reinforcement to my strut tab. I don't know if that even helps, but I figured it was worth the effort.(homework)

 

[sidpro5]

SedanMan, how exactly did you reinforce the tabs? I am trying to think of a way to do that also, so some insight would be greatly appreciated...................