Mazda "strongly recommends" that their springs, struts, and stabalizer bars be used together. If I were to get a strut tower brace, and later on get springs and struts, would be strut tower bar bother anything? Also, can I have both the strut tower brace and the stabalizer bars on? Where do the stabalizer bars go? Thanks for the input.

PS I did search a lot and I don't believe this specific question was asked...if so point me in the right direction. (Thanks for your time)

 

GCS,

the strut tower brace goes across the top from one tower to the other to stiffen the chassis....the stabilizer bar or SWAY bar as they are also called goes across the bottom from one side to the other...it imparts an opposite force to the wheel of the car that is on the OUTSIDE of a turn...which helps eliminate body roll. they go in both the front and the back.

and of course Mazda wants you to use all their stuff....that way THEY make more money... :{D

 

sir nuke got it when he said mazda wants you to buy all thier stuff. (why shouldn't they!)

however, here's the skinny: the strut bar can be used on it's own, afterall the protege5 comes with the same suspension setup as the es sedan with the eception of the strut bar. the springs are lowered and stiffer, so you really should get new shocks to go with them and mazda has some that are turned to go with the springs, so why not. if this was all you wanted to do, then fine, you really don't need the sway bars, but why not? the sway bars are the only component that can't be used without another part of the system, mainly the shock since the sway bars mount to the shocks, and you need better mounting points if you go with stiffer sway bars.

so, that's a longer version as to why mazda reccomends using all parts of the suspension set-up together.

 

I think that Mazda's statement also has to do with the handling consequences of "mixing and matching" the springs and swaybars at different ends of the car. In other words, if some NDA installs the MP3 rear swaybar with the stock front swaybar, spins the car into a guardrail in the rain, and then tries to sue Mazda, they can say "we told you that the system was designed to work together."