P5 Front Anti-Sway Bar options

[aMaff]

I searched, but I didn't find anything helpful, so here goes:

I'm trying to find out what my options are for a front sway bar for the Protege5. My first question is what type (hollow/solid) / size is the OEM one? The only option I can think of off the top of my head is the MP3 / RB front bar. Does any1 have the info on that one (type/size and even Part Number if any1 has that info).

And lastly, what other options are there? Links would be appreciated, if possible.

Thanks in advance

Andrew

EDIT: If any1's curious as to my reasoning, check out this thread, from post 30 on .

 

[tyusha]

i think progress technology makes a front sway bar, but i also think it only comes with a rear one as a package.

Here is intrax sway bar kit
http://www.apexr1.com/inswbarkimp5.html

 

[Brian MP5T]

A Front heavy Front Drive car will not benifit very much from a front bar. That is basically why they are hard to find...

 

[aMaff]

Edited 1st post.

 

[tyusha]

i have to agree with Brian, and also add that if i remember correctly xeldrex the autocross junkie was outocrossing with his frong sway disconnected to get more oversteer/tail happy car. I am sure you as an outocrosser yourself know that. But i was glad to give you a link to that intrax bar set

 

[aMaff]

Thanks. The difference is that he had much stiffer springs, that compensated for the lack of the front bar. I'm running in the stock class which, while it allows r-comps and a front bar, does not allow an aftermarket rear bar or lowering / performance springs. What I'm trying to do is not necessarily create oversteer, but neutral handling characteristics. For my reasoning, please see the edit of the 1st post.

 

[TheMAN]

all the front sways I know of are solid... hollow is too "high tech"

anyhow, having the front sway bar is not to increase understeer if you balance it out with a properly sized rear sway bar as well as good springs and struts... the front sway bar is there pretty much for stability purposes, to keep the car from having too much weight transfer from side to side.... this keeps the car balanced and reduces tire stress

 

[aMaff]

all the front sways I know of are solid... hollow is too "high tech"

anyhow, having the front sway bar is not to increase understeer if you balance it out with a properly sized rear sway bar as well as good springs and struts... the front sway bar is there pretty much for stability purposes, to keep the car from having too much weight transfer from side to side.... this keeps the car balanced and reduces tire stress

yeah, that's what I'm going for. I want to get tokicoHP's in conjunction w/ the bar.

 

[dmitrik4]

for those not clicking on the link in the first post, a bigger front bar CAN help camber-limited FWDs like ours (thanks, mazda!) by limiting front roll and thus camber loss. it also improves transition ability, another important autoX trait.

springs and rear bars cannot be changed in Stock class.

the mazda p/n for the MP3/MSP front bar is: BN7H-34-151 ($191.85 from MM)
the p/n for the endlinks is: LC62-34-170B ($15.70/ea from MM)

i don't know if you'd need different horseshoe brackets.

Tri-Point also sold an adjustable front bar for the protege, but since they've switched to the 6, i don't know if it's still available.

 

[WRCprotege]

i have an MSP stock front bar ,27mm that im not using..i might sell it ..... but i will tell you the front bar will probley be to stiff for autox without the rear bar, heres why..as the car grips causing shift in weight to the outside as always (more grip=more weight shift) the stock springs will compress greatly putting the car into a lean.. true that the bar will help this but most autox corners are very tight and require hard braking right before the turn causing dive, and the sway will not affect this dive.. lean + dive =pitch.. more lean and dive= more pitch..anyways the sway does its job to join to two independant sides together, thus making them harder to compress and uncompress thus controling the mass that pushes and pulls on it (lean).(aka stiffer)... dive added with braking the chassie pitches, its this pitch that causes most our push and wheel spin. the inside wheel gets very unweighted and the sway will fight the spring that pushes it back down to grip.. this will cause more wheel spin..matching spring rates to sway bars is the best way to balance the suspension.. balancing dive and lean together to achive max grip for a type driving..the only down side to running front bar only is more understeer and more wheel spin out of slow hard corners, this front bar only might make you slower!!! for certant types of tracks a front bar will help, great on fast high speed track days (track days) wheel spin isnt an issue.... your in stock class, so massive power dosnt enhance your problem..if you run the front bar id run a very sticky tire for grip, brake a little sooner, drive the car though the corner, try not to have any to little pitch when the go pedal is applied.. mabey toe out the rear so the car turns easyer (oversteer).. the back end will do some work making the front more able to work (grip).... to find a balance is key..though set up and driving style you can get the front to grip and be fast in your class...

 

[kthl]

Whiteline (Australia) also make a front sway bar for the BJII. Part number is BMF50, search for it at: https://www.whiteline.com.au/store/