MP3 Sway bars for P-5 do fit but..

[o.g.sk8er]

Yes, the mp3 sway bars DO fit the p-5. It all started when my Awr Racing rear sway bar broke the tab on the right rear shock as I pulled in my driveway thursday night. I pulled in very slow as always, and SNAP.. There it goes. Broken. Damn! Now what? So, i talk to my friend's at Thousand Oaks Mazda, struck a deal with them on purchasing Mp3 sway bars and struts. We talked and talked about the conversion. I went ahead and o.k.'d the purchase price on parts and set up an appointment for the install. Everything went together o.k. Nothing wierd about it except the front cross member had to be spaced down to make room for the new larger bar. The rear cross member went in no problem. The mechanic turned in my ticket and said "Never again..". That kinda scared me. Turns out he had to gut almost the whole rear interior to get at the struts and was not happy about it. Now to the test drive. If I did'nt know better I would say they did'nt do anything at all. The car feel's the same except for the steering. Alot heavier. Which I LOVE. I don't care for light steering. First turn. 90 degree lefthander. Hmmm.. Don't seem to notice a huge difference like I thought I would. I had to pull over look under the car to make sure the sway bars and struts where there. Of cource the are. Now, I'm on the freeway. Traffic is light ( for a change). So I gas it a little. Wow! The straight line stability is INSANE! At about 100 mph it is STAAAABBBLLLE! Much better than before. My question is this; why would the improvement not be as great as I thought? I would think it should be night and day. I have not explored the full capability of the new suspension. I will do that this weekend and will let everyone know what happens. Untill then what does every one think about the handling not being all that great? Should I be concerned? Am I expecting too much from just sway bars and struts?


Thank you all.
Have a nice day.

 

[njaremka]

are you still running with stock springs and wheels? that could count for a bit.

 

[o.g.sk8er]

Yep, could'nt afford the springs at this time. Maybe in a few months. I was think it might be the springs too. Hope not. Thanx for the response.

 

[tttP5]

this sounds dumb.... but what is a sway bar?
is it the same thing as the strut brace at the front of the car?
I thought the p5 can't fit one of those things cause it will limit the size of the hatch cargo room??

 

[WShade]

this sounds dumb.... but what is a sway bar?
is it the same thing as the strut brace at the front of the car?
I thought the p5 can't fit one of those things cause it will limit the size of the hatch cargo room??

Under the car. Links the left and right side of the rear suspension for more stability during lateral weight transfer (side to side motion when turning).

 

[ArkosP5]

1) Which sway bar did you have installed? 19mm or 21mm?
2) Did the tab that the end link connects to break?
3) Why did you go to the MP3 sway bars instead of purchasing new struts?

 

[o.g.sk8er]

1) I installed the 19 mm sway bar from awr. 2) It was the tab on the strut that broke.
3) I went with the mp3 sway bars because the rear bar is a 20 mm and the front is a big 25mm. Also, I have heard good things about these sway bars and have always wanted the mp3 suspension since I bought the car. As far as purchasing new struts, if I went back to stock struts the tab will only break again. The new mp3 struts have a reinforced tab elimiating the chance of breaking. So all of you out there with awr or any aftermarket sway bar, be careful. Your tab might break as well. Maybe, maybe not.


Have a nice day!

 

[ArkosP5]

See, now that's just scary ...

I JUST got done installing the 19mm bar, and racing beat springs on my car, ... I guess I'll have to start saving up for struts...