skullsroad
Member
- :
- Mazda 2
I was able to snag a good deal on a set of anti-sway bars for the Fiesta and figured they would bolt right up to the 2. 25mm front, 21mm rear. The rear bar ties the bottom of the shock mounts together. I really liked the design. Instead of reinforcing the torsion beam like CS, DDM, and Racing Beat, you're essentially adding another beam a'la B-Spec bar, just without the adjustability.
Well the front bar went in with one minor detail. The bracket bolts that come with the kit are a different thread pitch than stock and the stock bolts are too short. So new bolts are needed.
The rear bar needs some work. It bolts up via two holes under each shock. The hardware that Eibach supplies won't be used. Source your own shorter bolts so you don't run into clearance issues at the bottom of the shock. The left side goes in without a hitch considering the new bolts. The right side does not. You need the knock off a weld that sits inbetween the holes; it's right under the shock. It's some sort of unused nut or bung. It's pretty small and serves no purpose that I can see. After you get that out of the way you can make the first hole on the right shock mount oval. The holes on the sway bar don't quite match up with the holes on the shock mount. My shop welded up the original hole to help strengthen the new larger hole. After that you can bolt it up with the new shorter hardware and you're done. I think you could also remake the right sway bar mount instead of altering the holes on the car. It'd be interesting to see.
I could have gone with the other bar options that bolt right up but I liked the Eibach design and I got the bars cheap. I have a trusted shop too, so it all seemed like a fun experiment. I haven't had time to do any testing yet but I'll come back with impressions later.
Here is a shot of the right side with the weld.
Left side.
This shows how tight it is after you reinstall the shock. If the bushing flexes too much and touches the bolt head I may need to change the bolt or shave it down a tad.
Well the front bar went in with one minor detail. The bracket bolts that come with the kit are a different thread pitch than stock and the stock bolts are too short. So new bolts are needed.
The rear bar needs some work. It bolts up via two holes under each shock. The hardware that Eibach supplies won't be used. Source your own shorter bolts so you don't run into clearance issues at the bottom of the shock. The left side goes in without a hitch considering the new bolts. The right side does not. You need the knock off a weld that sits inbetween the holes; it's right under the shock. It's some sort of unused nut or bung. It's pretty small and serves no purpose that I can see. After you get that out of the way you can make the first hole on the right shock mount oval. The holes on the sway bar don't quite match up with the holes on the shock mount. My shop welded up the original hole to help strengthen the new larger hole. After that you can bolt it up with the new shorter hardware and you're done. I think you could also remake the right sway bar mount instead of altering the holes on the car. It'd be interesting to see.
I could have gone with the other bar options that bolt right up but I liked the Eibach design and I got the bars cheap. I have a trusted shop too, so it all seemed like a fun experiment. I haven't had time to do any testing yet but I'll come back with impressions later.
Here is a shot of the right side with the weld.
Left side.
This shows how tight it is after you reinstall the shock. If the bushing flexes too much and touches the bolt head I may need to change the bolt or shave it down a tad.
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