Front and Rear Strut Bars for 99 Protege DX?

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a61688

Member
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99 Mazda Protege 1.6L DX
I just got Tokico HP blues struts and springs which dropped the car -1.5'' all around and Ruff Racing 15'' rims. The tires they put on are too thick and if i have more than 2 or 3 people in the car, the tires rub. I want to find some decently priced strut bars to reduce flexing so that there wont be any rubbing but its difficult to find the rear strut bar. any suggestions? I found some "generic" brand strut bars on ebay but they are for a previous year protege. they look like theyll work but i dont know what the difference is. search for item number 120525268441 to see what im looking at. thanks ahead of time for looking at the post and helping out, itll be much appreciated.

edit: it only rubs in turns
 
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a strut-bar isnt going to reduce tire rub. correctly sized tires and/or stiffer springs might.
 
you can get front ones from almost every where. i would recommend the stock protege5/mp3/msp one - it will bolt right on. failing that, get the corksport.com front bar.

the rear of the sedan already has cross braces between the strut towers, and is already stiff enough. you dont need one, nor will you be able to find one.
 
Protege Garage has front + Rear GT spec strut bars it does claim that the rear one may require modification however.
 
I bought a set 0f 17x7 ,ninja NJ207.
They are really nice,but the rear ones are rubbing and everytime i pass over a speed bump makes an insane noise and tires thread.
So i am looking to improve the suspension,i need a stiffer suspension.
My question is (i'm ignorant when it comes to this stuff ) do i have to replace the springs or the struts?

I saw a set of struts,gas charged,i think the manufacturer is GABRIEL.
do you guys think that it will be the solution for me?
Please i need some advice.
Regards.
 
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The rear one is going to require some drilling and what not to fit, A front MSP bar will bolt on if you have the right brackets...i didnt, so i had to butcher up the passenger side bracket to make the cruise control stuff fit. It's a worthwile mod, especially on an older car, it really firms things up.

Get some skinnier friends
 
I picked up a GT-Spec rear strut bar for a P5 on eBay for a good deal... right now i'm looking at modifying the rear of the car to make the bar fit... I'm looking at two options either cutting out the part that is in the way, or drilling the spot welds out, removing the pieces that are in the way, and then installing the bar and welding the pieces back in place...
It seems like alot of work either way... But from what I've seen in order to do a rear strut bar in these cars you would have to modify regardless...
 
I got the sedan specific rear strut bar and no modification was needed. There was already two holes for the bolts to go through. My rear strut bar is the top peice from the gt spec trunk brace. I would love to finish the full gt spec bracing but then I would be broke.
 
Tarmac Terrorist said:
I picked up a GT-Spec rear strut bar for a P5 on eBay for a good deal... right now i'm looking at modifying the rear of the car to make the bar fit... I'm looking at two options either cutting out the part that is in the way, or drilling the spot welds out, removing the pieces that are in the way, and then installing the bar and welding the pieces back in place...
It seems like alot of work either way... But from what I've seen in order to do a rear strut bar in these cars you would have to modify regardless...
Click to expand...

i would bet that the modifications weaken the body, then the strut bar stiffens it back up - and, they both cancel each other out, leading to no gain.

JReichle1 said:
I got the sedan specific rear strut bar and no modification was needed. There was already two holes for the bolts to go through. My rear strut bar is the top peice from the gt spec trunk brace. I would love to finish the full gt spec bracing but then I would be broke.
Click to expand...

that is the ONLY rear bar that i would think would do anything, but i would still question if it REALLY stiffens things up back there. the sedan body had some really good cross bracing at the strut tops.
 
I was actually thinking the same thing myself...
njaremka said:
i would bet that the modifications weaken the body, then the strut bar stiffens it back up - and, they both cancel each other out, leading to no gain.

that is the ONLY rear bar that i would think would do anything, but i would still question if it REALLY stiffens things up back there. the sedan body had some really good cross bracing at the strut tops.
Click to expand...
 
Success!!

So I did some tinkering tonight, and with a little modification, some spacers, I was able to mount one of the holes in the Strut brace to the bracket that holds the seat back in place. I then drilled and tapped holes to line up with the other holes in the strut brace mount. Tightened everything down and Voila!
I know I should have just went with the GT-Spec Trunk cage, but for the deal I got on ebay and the $10 worth of bolts, spacers, washers etc, it was a better deal for me. I'm sure it doesn't do a whole lot, but a little bit more stiffness never hurts!
 
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