AXR Clunk Bracket Review

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MSP & MS3
Alright, show of hands... who likes the clunk? Hmm... just what I thought. Seriously, wtf was Mazda thinking? Over the past 5 years I've literally replaced my bushings 7 times (with stockers... mostly during the warranty phase mind you) then finally with the polyurethane versions. The latter definitely helped but sadly didn't really fix anything. (the clunk/squeaky bed syndrome was still in full force after about a year. even after greasing those badboys.)

I've known about this bracket for quite some time... but at $195 I just figured it was too costly. I mean, who wants to spend that kind of dough on something so boring? We want performance parts for our money. Things that'll increase the hp... not eliminate an annoying sound that turning up the radio can "fix".

So I held on to that line of thinking... but then I read how this bracket also improved handling. Since I (and presumably most MSP owners) bought this car for its superior handling... this really struck a nerve. So, combined with not having to deal with the BS clunk sound... I bit the bullet and bought it.

So was it a good decision? Do I have any buyer's remorse? In short... hell yeah and hell no! THIS is how the car SHOULD have came from the start. After some considerable... testing, there's no doubt in my mind that the car's better handling is NOT simply in my head... as I originally thought. In my mind, that's the #1 selling point of this product. The elimination of the clunk & accompanying squeaky bed is just a bonus.

If you have an MSP you obviously prefer to turn the wheel when you drive. If you had, instead, wanted a car that went fast in a straight line... well, we all know there were plenty of better options. I realize this thing's not cheap but... it's a must. Seriously... there's nothing to think about here. The car feels so much tighter it's not even funny. My only regret is that I didn't get it years ago.
 
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LOL - I'm glad you like it! After putting mine into a couple of corners I think you're right about the handling....

But for me getting rid of the #&*%$(# clunk/squeak was priority number one!
 
I guess after 5+ years I got a bit used to the sound. passengers would always be like wtf is that sound I'd be like...uhh... i've got a few boxes in my trunk... or something. yeah that's it. pretty embarrassing actually... car totally sounded like a pos
 
I went the other way... after 5+ years, every time I heard it, it was like a spike being driven into my ears!
 
5 1/2 years and still dealing with it.after mazda changed the bushings the third time there was no more squeaking still clunking
 
dude... wtf is up with that gif on your sig? please tell me that's not real.

on a lighter note... that site kicks ass!

anyway... get this thing. you won't regret it
 
ok... watched it again. new those clowns looked familiar. reno 911... definitely not real. not funny either but at least it's not real. I would've had to go find that guy and drop his ass into a fan
 
great review...thanks for the heads up. like you, i've been thinkin about purchasing this for the longest. how hard was the install?
 
install is relatively easy. Can be done with hand tools. Just get ramps and back car up on them. Only problem I had was the nut/plate welded inside the crossmember broke off.
 
I bought the bracket immediately when it became available. It's worth every penny and it's not a boring mod either. It helps the sway bar work the way it was supposed to.

My only gripe about it was the coating on the parts. Mine is peeling and the metal is starting to rust.
 
.. Are these even available anymore? Doesn't the maker only provide 'em in batches at kinda-random intervals?
 
I got mine a couple of months ago, Jan/Feb. I think he only had a few left. Not sure if he was making more, just selling out his stock. Don't quote me on that though.
 
I hope they are still in stock, because I ordered one last week and the tracking number shows it's on the way, YAY! Finally going to say "bye" to that annoying clunk, creek, squeak, thunk, thud. Now I just have to get some coilovers on this thing. My Tokicos are toast and the springs aren't any better. Two years of driving across the country for my job killed them.
 
I've had mine installed for about 15 months now. No more clunky-clunky. (I have the Racing Beat rear sway on my ES sedan so I had the clunk when I put the bar on).
 
This may be a silly question (have no idea), but where might one find this? Straight from the company, or through the various Protege/Mazda related vendors? Thanks in advance.

Ps - I've been ready to drive my car off a bridge for quite a while now, what the cheap a** sounds coming from the back. Hate it.
 
I've had mine sitting at home for a while now. I was reading that the energy bushings need more TLC than the OEM ones. And there will be noises as well. For those that have had this relocation kit, How long have you had it installed in the car for?

Everyone's driving style is different so there will be diff. results. I just dont' want to install them and have it be more high maintenance than OEM s*** *cough*AWR endlinks *cough*
 

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