I have a 99lx. Im looking to get an msp rear sway bar. I intend to keep the stock struts and front bar just becasue its cheaper.

I have been doing some reading and found that the rear struts should be able to handle the sway bar. My only concern is I have the stock front sway bar, and the msp rear is pretty big 20mm.

Would this car just over steer for everything? I get really bad understeernow the front tires brake loose for everything. So im looking for anything to help. Winters comming up soon and I dont want to you know die.

 

sounds like a good way to offset your understeer problem. All the MSP bar is is a racing beat rear sway. I'd check their website or maybe mazmart junkyar in ATL.

 

I've got a place to get the bar from. Im just concerned that it might be too big.

I dont want to take a turn and find I need to stop, instead of understeeing to a safe stop Im afraid Ill see the tail end comming up to meet me.

 

the only way to fix that is to drive slower in turns.....hahaha.

slow in-fast out or fast in -dead out. Your call!

 

WON'T WORK......the rear tabs that connect to the endlinks on the stock struts are too weak to support the MSP swaybar...you'll need some tokico's

 

Do you know form experience?

From all Ive read the rears are much stronger then the fronts, and they can handel the msp sway. The fronts would just break though. Unless Im confusing the 01+ with ours. I think the tabs are the same.
Regardless I could probubly get some more metal weilded on if need be. It would be good to know before hand though.

 

i've heard this also but didn't know for sure.

 

hmm...well I didnt BREAK the tabs on my stockers, but I DO have the racing beat swaybar and aftermarket struts, and the tabs are MUCH beefier than the ones I pulled off..

you can have metal welded on to the stock tabs to beef them up....thats what the guy did to my Mazdaspeed adjustables that owned them before me.....

P.S....P5's and ES models did have the beefier tabs on their struts too

just the LX/DX that got the dinky ones

 

Dam it mac now you got me worried. I know the 19mm awr is fine but the msp is 20, and its made by racing beat so I cant rely on the fact that oem usually blows.

Are there anyother mods that might help. Im thinking a set of springs, small drop racing beats maybe.

 

damit, stop jewing out so bad and buy some struts.....

 

^How many miles on stock struts? It may be time to change them also (get a set of lowering springs too)!

 

You have two choices right now on eBay for Tokico HP suspension kits (struts and springs). One is some new place with 0 feedback for $300 (starting bid) plus shipping, the other our very own Matty Mooling for $400 (buy it now) plus shipping. I am on a ship right now with a slow server (hey, it's over a satellite) so I can't give you the item numbers, just do a search. I have this kit on my '03 ES, plus front/rear Mazdaspeed sway bars (same as MSP). This combo rocks, it will be even better once I get new tires to replace the stockers. If you can swing the money, it would be better to go ahead and put these in now. Trust me, you don't want to have to do this job more than once!

One additional thing, as I recall you need to replace at least the front sway bar links on a '99-00 when installing aftermarket struts (maybe the rears as well). The factory links from a later model will work. Someone else can probably confirm this.

 

Correct...you get the longer endlinks with the full swaybar kit though

I recommend getting new endlinks regardless though, after my install...I ended up having to cut through the stockers....the nuts on those endlinks are soft as butter and round off easily

 

don't go ghetto on footwork
it's whats keeping you on the road (50hp or 500hp)

if your pushing in the corner with the protege
your entrance speed is TOO HIGH

turn-in is not sharp and when the weight transfers to the front
too late it will push...it's geometry and physics

start with tires...changing the amount of grip in the tires will go
farther on a stock suspension then the bar will
and you really don't want a thick bar with soft, stock, springs
the bar is there primarily to ballance the springs/dampers
so it should all match struts/springs/swaybars front and rear

 

I cant belive you said "jewing out"
Alright its about time for new struts, youve convinced me. Are there any benefits to stiffer struts other then them being able to handle more mods?

I already have nice tires, but even if I dont understeer I feel the car being pushed out of the turn. I can feel the tires wearing out on me, just looking to balance things out.