went to install an Ebay Strut Tower bar today only to find out that the Cruise Control holding bracket fits over the same bolts that you need to use for installing the strut bar

appartently, the OEM Strut Bar assembly included a new crusise control mounting bracket and a tower bar with an extra "hump" to clear the bracket so the bar could be properly mounted, without this neither reall fit well, infact, the bar on the passenger side tower only makes about 80% contract with two of the bolts, and just completly clears w/o any hope of bolting on the other two. So for now.. I have the tower on and the cruise control hanging on to a single bolt (it orginaly had three to secure it) it's on pretty securely for now.. but I'm thinking I'll have to come back every so often to re-tighten it again.


okay,so to the point... I looked around the internet/ebay to try to find the OEM kit that included a bar and the cruise control replacement bracket, but to no avail...my local mazda parts dealer wanted $420 for the kit so I kinda died a little inside and just said "no, thanks" and hung up.


I don't really need cruise controll... but if anyone knows a site where I can buy the kit,or better yet, just the bracket itself I'd appreciate it... or if someone can guide me as to how to remove the cruise control safely, that'd be a big help too.


Thanks.
I'll upload some pictures later to better illustrate what I mean.

 

Hey Lozz. I ran into the same prob. I ordered the 2003.5 Mazdaspeed strut tower bar for my 01 ES2.0 and it just wouldn't fit. At first I thought I got the wrong part til I found out that you need extra brackets to fit over the AC unit and cruise control. Here's the parts that are needed.

Part numbers and dealer prices as follows:
MP3 Strut Bar (yellow): BN7H-56-49X, $175.70
2003.5 Mazdaspeed Bar (silver) BP7H-56-49XE, $175.70
Right bracket (cruise control compatible): BN5V-56-5CX, $32.55
Left bracket: B28V-56-5DX, $29.55
Mounting nuts (4 needed): 9994-01-003B, $1.60 each
Boost (vacuum) sensor bracket: FS8M-18-835, $6.72
Bracket nut (1 needed): 9989-10-600, $1.35

The following is needed for cruise control models:
Bracket nut (3 needed): 9989-10-600, $1.35 each
Cruise control bracket: BN5W-66-3AY, $14.35
Rubber bushings for cruise control bracket mounts (2 needed): B6S7-13-349, $5.85 each
Mounting guides for cruise control bracket mounts (2 needed): UE54-66-3A5, $4.70 each
Mounting plate for cruise control bracket: BN5W-66-3B2, $4.70

It shouldn't cost $420. I think it only added up to be about $120

 

Good info nicodeemus ... very helpful

 

awsome thanks for the info, that's exactly what I needed.

 

everything plus a the MP3 bar cost me $195 (includes $26 for overnight shipping)

I'll post pics when it gets here(which.. would be friday)


still not cheap.. but much better than $420...

w/o the bar it was going to set me back only $70.. but I figured that as wobbly as that ebay bar was that it was going to be useless.


got all the parts from mazda-parts-dealer.com

 

You can just buy a strut bar kit from Mazda that has all the parts needed for a car with cruise. I got mine (and my gf's) from mazdastuff.com. Don't recall the price or part number (all that info is 10,000 miles from where I am now), you can check their site. It runs in my mind it was around $120 though. Another good place to source factory parts is onlinemazdaparts.com, guy named Jason is very helpful. They have great prices and great service.

 

Mazdaspeed strut bar kit
Part #0000-8M-C11
Price $106.40 (onlinemazdaparts.com, free shipping over $100)

 

MP3 strut bar kit part # (with cruise) 0000-88-C07_-KT
(without cruise) 0000-88-C08-_KT

These kits aren't always available anymore. When I got mine, I had to order all the parts seperately. Here's a pic of the Mazdaspeed strut bar and parts I got (minus the mounting nuts and bushings)

 

You are correct, the part numbers you list are no longer available (per onlinemazdaparts.com). However, the one I listed is a good one and it is available. It has the brackets you need if you have cruise, if you don't have cruise you just leave those parts off (one time where having left-over parts is okay!).

 

mazda-parts-dealer.com had all the parts I needed. didn't end up using the two spacers and two of the nuts and I ended up buying the MP3 yellow bar, but otherwise it fits like a charm. I'll post some pictures later.

only problem I ran into is that I had to re-adjust the posistion of the battery negative connection a bit.


p.s. I couldn't figure out what that rectangular looking bracket in the middle of the picture below the strut bar was supposed to be for?

 

Ya, I'm not exactly sure what that part is for either, but I haven't installed the strut bar yet. I'll get back to you when I figure it out. Going on vacation for a week this weekend. I'm not sure if I can get the bar on before then. I sure hope so though. It would make for a much funner drive

 

If you look at the inside of your passenger side strut tower, just below the cruise bracket, you will see a stud sticking out. The rectangular piece you are talking is secured to the stud with a nut. That provides another mount point for the cruise bracket (if you look at the bracket you should see a tab sticking down, IIRC it has a piece of rubber on it. The tab is trapped between the rectangular piece and the strut tower). I put mine on before tightening the nut to make sure it was in there good, and didn't scratch the paint. One nice thing about getting the complete kit is they give you directions!

 

I thought that might be what it was for, sense when I took off the orginal CC bracket that stud just kinda stood out there and wasen't used with the new bracket. The CC was secured via the two bolts on the tower pretty firmly anyway, so I didn't think on it much.

Directions? wut r those?

took a picture of the bar, it's kinda blurry sense it's almost 90%humidity outside and I was comming from inside the house where the AC is constantlyon,which fogged up the lense when I walked outside almost instantly.

 

That looks sweet Lozz! I like the yellow. I think I might paint mine red before installing it. Do you notice a difference in the feel of the car driving it now compared to before?

 

yeah, I'd say it's a moderate difference in the stiffness of the suspension, defentaly an improvement in roll resistiance.