After adding a rear sway bar you'll most likely start to dog leg going up ramps but i had an interesting observation in one of these scenarios. I had parked on the bottom of an inclined driveway which left one of my rear tires off the ground, and when i opened the hatch there was noticeable flex in the rear. The rear hatch will almost "grab" the sides as it leaves, it's definitely making the clearance tighter. My only assumption is that the chassis is flexing in the rear. The only option for our cars that i had seen previously was the Corksport rear strut brace, but that is seemingly discontinued as it's no longer on the website.
so i started searching which led me to:
Ultra racing: $114
http://www.ultra-racingstore.com/Mazda-2-10-UP-Rear-Strut-Bar-RE2-1098.htm
*the picture is definitely not a DE demio hatch, looks like it may be the sedan. It doesn't say that it can't be used in the hatch, but I'm not sure if it was pass the rules of STF for autocross as you would either need to cut side panels or remove them all together.
Ebay: $59
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
*ebay is definitely not known for amazing quality parts, but this design is interesting. It's a one piece bar that bolts to the rear seat mounting brackets. I don't think it's high enough up in the open area of the hatch to really help all that much though. Seems like it would help when combined with a traditional, mounted at the top of the struts bar.
Auto Craft: $162
http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/auto-craft-rear-tower-bar-01-mazda-0713-p-150751490.html
*The auto craft bar set is seemingly a combination of both of the above bars, with an added c-pillar bar. I've always heard c-pillar bars are nothing more than somewhere to hang your clothes up, but all 3 bars combined could potentially help with reducing flex in the wide open area of the hatch. My main gripe here is that the bars look hinged, and a hinged strut bar seems like a bad design, but on the contrast almost all Cusco strut bars are still hinged.
I wanted to know if anyone had any success with any kind of rear strut bars, or if they would even be worth the weight, all suggestions/advice greatly appreciated.
so i started searching which led me to:
Ultra racing: $114
http://www.ultra-racingstore.com/Mazda-2-10-UP-Rear-Strut-Bar-RE2-1098.htm
*the picture is definitely not a DE demio hatch, looks like it may be the sedan. It doesn't say that it can't be used in the hatch, but I'm not sure if it was pass the rules of STF for autocross as you would either need to cut side panels or remove them all together.
Ebay: $59
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
*ebay is definitely not known for amazing quality parts, but this design is interesting. It's a one piece bar that bolts to the rear seat mounting brackets. I don't think it's high enough up in the open area of the hatch to really help all that much though. Seems like it would help when combined with a traditional, mounted at the top of the struts bar.
Auto Craft: $162
http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/auto-craft-rear-tower-bar-01-mazda-0713-p-150751490.html
*The auto craft bar set is seemingly a combination of both of the above bars, with an added c-pillar bar. I've always heard c-pillar bars are nothing more than somewhere to hang your clothes up, but all 3 bars combined could potentially help with reducing flex in the wide open area of the hatch. My main gripe here is that the bars look hinged, and a hinged strut bar seems like a bad design, but on the contrast almost all Cusco strut bars are still hinged.
I wanted to know if anyone had any success with any kind of rear strut bars, or if they would even be worth the weight, all suggestions/advice greatly appreciated.
