How To: Racing Beat rear Sway bar on P5/ES

[dmitrik4]

here's what i did on my ES.

new:
MSP bar
MSP endlinks

re-used:
ES bushings
ES horseshoe brackets

it takes a little bit of finesse to get the horseshoes back on the car over the larger bar, but it'll work if you install the bolts first, then put the other end of the horseshoe over the stud. i would recommend greasing the bushings before you put them on the new bar...i didn't and it's begun to squeak a little bit. i don't know if this will work the same on the p5.

 

[FunkyBuddha]

Mazda has upgraded the bushings w/ teflon lined ones. I don't know if you got those but they are supposed to stop the squeaking

 

[wannabe]

he just said he used the ES bushings, so im assuming that means that no, he didnt get the upgraded ones....(doh)

 

[wannabe]

alright, so i got my sway bar on, but i think i may have a problem...the legs of the sway bar are pointing down...but thats the only way it would fit...is this a problem?

 

[fLyPiNoY7]

how far downward are they pointing?...the only way that they will be pointing down is if u looked at the bar while the car was on jacks...once u put the car back on its rear tires, it should face parallel if your using the mp3/msp endlinks...at least thats how its setup on mine...

 

[dmitrik4]

nope, no upgraded bushings.

mine still points down a little bit...not too much tho. i think it would be parallel to the ground if i had used the AWR mounting brackets.

 

[wannabe]

if u looked at the bar while the car was on jacks...once u put the car back on its rear tires, it should face parallel if your using the mp3/msp endlinks...

thats exactly what happened...i went back out and looked, and its fine now.. (doh)

 

[tgromer]

I took a the RB bar off of a 2003 Mazda Speed Protege. Install it on my 2002 MP5 with every thing off of the Speed. The only thing i used was my end links. So far i have not had any problems to speak of. The bar really made a big differnce.

 

[Brian MP5T]

Subscrizzle

 

[garretts77]

I took a the RB bar off of a 2003 Mazda Speed Protege. Install it on my 2002 MP5 with every thing off of the Speed. The only thing i used was my end links. So far i have not had any problems to speak of. The bar really made a big differnce.

I originally was using the P5 endlinks, but I believe them to be too short. I ran it for about a week with no problems, but then one day I hit a bump on the freeway and heard a clunk. I figured it was the "klunk" that I brought over from the MSP. But when I looked under the car, the sway bar had rotated around its axis and was pointed towards the front of the car. I jacked up the car and rotated it back, but it happened again a day or two later. FunkyBuddah had the same issue.

I recently got the AWR endlinks and made them about 2 inches longer than stock. Seems to be fine now. With the car on a level ground, the sway bar is slightly down from parallel to the ground. Like 5-10 degrees. It handles fantastically...

Also now I notice when I am pulling into a driveway with a pretty steep angle, the rear is so stiff that it will lift a wheel off of the ground when hit at an angle.

 

[Brian MP5T]

I originally was using the P5 endlinks,

They are supposed to be a one install deal. Once used the Mazda guys throw the stockies out and replace them.

 

[AznXstazy]

hey si the black thing suppose to b that close to the bushins? mien r like 2 inchs from the bushins

 

[garretts77]

hey si the black thing suppose to b that close to the bushins? mien r like 2 inchs from the bushins

???

 

[MIT]

Hi,

Do you mean the MSP sway bar, brackets, bushings and endlinks will all fit into P5? Please help on this.

Thx.

Ok to clarify this is what you need if you don't go AWR

MSP racing beat sway bar
MSP horshoe brackets
MSP teflon lined bushings (eliminates squeaking)


Oh..that bar rotating to the front thing, that just happened to me. Be careful guys. I was going into my underground parkade when it happened

 

[FunkyBuddha]

I originally was using the P5 endlinks, but I believe them to be too short. I ran it for about a week with no problems, but then one day I hit a bump on the freeway and heard a clunk. I figured it was the "klunk" that I brought over from the MSP. But when I looked under the car, the sway bar had rotated around its axis and was pointed towards the front of the car. I jacked up the car and rotated it back, but it happened again a day or two later. FunkyBuddah had the same issue.

I recently got the AWR endlinks and made them about 2 inches longer than stock. Seems to be fine now. With the car on a level ground, the sway bar is slightly down from parallel to the ground. Like 5-10 degrees. It handles fantastically...

Also now I notice when I am pulling into a driveway with a pretty steep angle, the rear is so stiff that it will lift a wheel off of the ground when hit at an angle.

Taht's exactly what happened to me. The bar rotated forward 180 degrees w/ the p5 endlinks. Got the AWR endlinks and I'm running my bar parallel to the ground. No problems.

That wheel lift thing is cool to look at from the outside LOL. I love it!!

 

[wannabe]

my bushings are starting to clunk when i hit bumps (we have nasty speed bumps in our parking lot) so i think i may need to go with the AWR bushings afterall....but the msp ones worked fine for a few months....

 

[c_altland]

Can some one give a run down of all the stuff needed to do this I am looking a doing this mod and need to know what all I need to make it work on my 01 mazda protege es 2.o Any help would be great thanks (cool)

 

[garretts77]

Can some one give a run down of all the stuff needed to do this I am looking a doing this mod and need to know what all I need to make it work on my 01 mazda protege es 2.o Any help would be great thanks (cool)

The how-to is what you need, with the addition of some longer endlinks. Either MSP endlinks, or some aftermarket ones. Personally I have the AWR endlinks and they are great, but cost $65. There is another thread going around where the guy is offering $35 for endlinks, but I couldn't speak personally about the quality.

 

[protege02]

so if im going awr, i need to buy the endlinks and i can use the other parts that are already on my es or i have to buy more parts? thanks for the info and reading.

 

[garretts77]

so if im going awr, i need to buy the endlinks and i can use the other parts that are already on my es or i have to buy more parts? thanks for the info and reading.

Here are two options:

option 1
AWR rear sway bar setup. Comes with brackets, endlinks, sway bar, bushings. This should be everything that you need to go from stock to an upgraded sway bar. Check www.awrracing.com for prices and further info.

option 2
Piece together a setup similar to the MSP rear sways. This would be an upgrade for non-MP3/MSP cars only. I chose this route because I got a good deal on a rear bar from a wrecked MSP. Pieces needed are listed in the first post:

First things first. What you will need:
Racing beat rear sway bar
AWR brackets
AWR Poly bushings (the ones that Tony at AWR sent to me were 19mm)
Socket wrench and 14mm socket
Lithium grease
Not pictured: 14mm box wrench, 5mm (I think) allen wrench

Will also need new endlinks, either MP3/MSP should work, or some adjustables like AWR will work. The P5 endlinks are too short.