MazdaSpeed 3 Rear Sway Bar Install

ljmattox

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2012 Mazda 5 Grand Touring
Starting getting a few things done again on my Mazda5, I'd ordered this Mazdaspeed 3 rear sway bar to replace the stock one; fairly common mod, but still I thought to take a few photos in case someone is thinking about this.

I ordered the sway bar, rubber bushings, and retaining clamps. I figured the bar-ends would still be serviceable on my 2012.
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The parts breakdown doesn't say "MazdaSpeed 3" anywhere, just "for 18-inch wheels" which was the giveaway.

It's not too tricky: elevate the back end, I just used jackstands on the marked side rails per usual.
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Got my handy 1/2 drive metric set, and tried out my Aerokroil for the first time, "the oil that creeps", since these suspension nuts/bolts had 5 years to seize up.

And they were pretty sieze-y. I did this before, with an aftermarket sway bar; removing one of the bar-end links completely probably isn't strictly necessary, but it makes it a lot easier to not have to twist-force-strain to get the bar loose from the ends. You have to use an allen wrench to hold the stud (it will just spin otherwise) and a 14mm closed-end wrench on the nut.
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The nut driver is there because I got tired of the allen wrench digging into my palm.

After I fished out the stock one (on my 2012 GT), side-by-side you can see that the MazdaSpeed one is way meatier!
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Those little silver bands are there to keep the bar from walking sideways over time. I had to get a drift and tap-tap-tap the ones on the new bar a little closer together like the stock bar.

I went ahead and removed the four bolts holding on the fuel pump / tank outlet guard plate. Another thing that may not be strictly necessary to remove, but I was concerned about whanging the bar against that fragile tank outlet trying to remove it. So there's the new bar mounted in place.
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Pretty lazy, I didn't even clean off the part number / shipping stickers!

Nothing really tricky to it; a good 60-90 minutes unrushed, tops. And it's transformative, as others have mentioned. *Much* flatter roundabouts and onramps, negligible smooth road ride impact, probably some additional headtoss on uneven pavement, a decent tradeoff.
 
Awesome and thanks!

Once I get some jack stands, this gearhead virgin might attempt this mod.
 
It's a pretty good first project, then. Take your time, just unbolt and re-bolt, access to anything needed is pretty good. Good luck! I needed a 1/2 breaker bar, 14mm socket and ratchet, 14mm spanner, and that metric allen wrench, 5mm if memory serves. WD-40 or Aerokroil on the bolts and let them soak a bit first.
 
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Nice write up and Kroil is some fantastic stuff.

Some additional pointers for DIYers:
-MS3 RSB requires MS3 rear end links. The diameter of the end-link mounting hole on the MS3 bar is 12mm vs 10mm on the Mz5 bar. You could add a washer/collar to fill the gap.
-OEM end links has the nice Allen feature to hold it while you loosen the mount nut. Aftermarket (some or most, not sure as I have not tried them all) do not have the Allen opening. Instead, you need to fit an open box or crow foot wrench ‘inside’ of the hollow rear cross member to hold the collar steady so you can tighten the mounting nut up top. Sounds harder than it really is but you do need to fidget with it a little to catch the collar and know when to take out the holding wrench before it gets to tight/stuck in there; where you simply back off it little to take it out before you tighten the rest of the way.
-You will need MS3 bushing + bushing bracket b/c bigger bar: OEM or aftermarket. I would recommend OEM bushing. Thank me later :)
-A ratcheting wrench for the end-link mounting nut will really help to speed the install though a socket wrench with a flex head will work. The issue with the socket is once the car is on its weight, there is very little space to work with.
-Most important, you should tighten all nuts/bolts to spec AFTER the rear end is loaded with weight, as in NOT on jack stands. If you don’t have a ramp, pile up a few pieces of wide staggered length wood planks to give yourself some work space (make shift ramp); you can roll off it when done.


This mod is a must for any driving enthusiast. But like all things, there is a small trade-off in slightly stiffer ride on broken pavement; well worth it IMO.
 
Some additional pointers for DIYers:
-MS3 RSB requires MS3 rear end links. The diameter of the end-link mounting hole on the MS3 bar is 12mm vs 10mm on the Mz5 bar. You could add a washer/collar to fill the gap.
-OEM end links has the nice Allen feature to hold it while you loosen the mount nut. Aftermarket (some or most, not sure as I have not tried them all) do not have the Allen opening. Instead, you need to fit an open box or crow foot wrench inside of the hollow rear cross member to hold the collar steady so you can tighten the mounting nut up top. Sounds harder than it really is but you do need to fidget with it a little to catch the collar and know when to take out the holding wrench before it gets to tight/stuck in there; where you simply back off it little to take it out before you tighten the rest of the way.
-You will need MS3 bushing + bushing bracket b/c bigger bar: OEM or aftermarket. I would recommend OEM bushing. Thank me later :)
-A ratcheting wrench for the end-link mounting nut will really help to speed the install though a socket wrench with a flex head will work. The issue with the socket is once the car is on its weight, there is very little space to work with.
-Most important, you should tighten all nuts/bolts to spec AFTER the rear end is loaded with weight, as in NOT on jack stands. If you dont have a ramp, pile up a few pieces of wide staggered length wood planks to give yourself some work space (make shift ramp); you can roll off it when done.

I've also done this, and as Silentnoise713 mentions, the endlinks are different sizes.

As I did this a long time ago, I just (today) replaced my endlinks since the original install. For the record, the Moog endlinks for MS3 didn't have the allen feature (was a PITA to get them off). The Delco ones I bought this time did have the allen feature.

I also had it up on ramps to ensure proper loading during service.
 
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