Hi guys, I have a question. I recently installed a rear racing beat sway bar and have noticed that thing scrapes in every speed bump as it sits lower than stock. I am currently running BC coil overs all around and have the car sitting about 2 inches lower than stock. I am planning to remove the RB sway bar as the end links are much longer than the factory sway bar ones. Do you guys think I should just run no sway bar instead of installing the OEM back. With the car having coilovers; I imagine grip is good enough and a sway bar might not be necessary since our cars have a solid rear end. Most of the forums I read were 50/50 for running a sway bar or removing it...and pretty dated so the comparison was more for people running shocks and springs combo.

 

The thing with the rear suspension, even setting aside that the 4 link binds worse when lowered, is that the roll center is fixed to the rearend (it is the Watts link's pivot, 40mm above axle centerline) so lowering the chassis brings the center of gravity closer to the roll center, also known as shortening the roll couple. This means the chassis has less leverage against the suspension in roll.

So, you will want to probably remove the rear bar entirely, for this reason. Note that well engineered lowering springs were actually softer than stock in the rear, for the same reason. If they were stiffer than stock then the fronts were significantly stiffer than stock.

The front roll couple gets longer when the front is lowered, so front springs tend to be a lot stiffer, and a larger front bar is often used.

 

Thank you Peejay, I greatly appreciate the info and advise. I am going to remove the sway bar this weekend. My uncle has an aftermarket front sway bar and strut tower bar he got with a parts car. I’m thinking it is a good idea to put those on to stiffen the front some more.

 

Adding the strut tower bar in the front really makes a difference and helps with the chassis flex a lot.

 

I'm inclined to agree with tg farrell about installing a strut bar, the difference it makes (at least to me) is/was absolutely amazing. I installed Racing Beats triangular strut bar in 1996 and have never regretted it.

 

Echoing what was said above about a front Strut Bar being a meaningful contribution to handling. After installing my RB triangulate strut brace, the test drive revealed the next weaker link was the DS shock top bearing, which blew through the rubber donut and allowed the bearing and rod to push up that corner of the hood. This proved to me that the strut brace significantly stiffens up the front end, as that bearing was good for years when it had flex.

As to the OP question on a rear sway bar, I would go with OEM and call it a day. Your lowered condition means you're your own test pilot, though - so go with whatever feels best. I drive on the street and run the RB front and adjustable rear bars and they're well-balanced (*at RB spring height).

 

Thank you all very much, I greatly appreciate the feedback. I’m going to ask my uncle for the strut bar to install today and also remove the rear sway bar. I’ll then add the stock rear sway bar with new end link bushings if I feel the car with too much roll to see if that helps. I also plan to lower the rear about another 1/2 inch as my rear fender gap is still pretty big compared to the front where there is none.

 

try it, its pretty easy to try the RB vs stock vs none and see what you like. its been my experience that rear bar makes no difference in lap times, if you were racing, and its just driver preference.
in northern California we have Sears Point/Infineon/Sonoma and drivers like a rear bar there, as the car turns in more. at Thunderhill where its more open, the drivers like no bar because you're turning in at a higher speed and you don't need the extra help.
again difference in lap times was zero, so we just went with what the drivers liked, and you can too

 

That's cool that you are near Infineon. I used to do Wednesday night drags with my buddies when I owned my Eclipse GSX and was living in SJ at the time. Yeah, I am still getting used to the side to side play on the steering wheel these cars experience. It's a big difference going from my Rx8 to the 1st gen as the electronic steering feels rock solid vs. being all squirrely feeling on the fb.

 

It will feel squirrelly if it is as low as you say.

I have found that you need slight positive camber (as Mazda specified) in the front, and no lower than 60 series tires.
I have 205/60-13s for my '81 but anymore I just run on 175/70s...

 

You should try it. If it is too loose, take it off.

In the Midwest at one time we had allot of RX7s being raced in Improved Touring and in E Production. None of the cars I am aware of ran a rear sway bar.

Its not that rear sway bars are bad. Its more that they are a tuning tool. A car either needs one or it doesn't. Or the car needs one that is stiffer or softer than OE.

 

I agree with the lowering being the main culprit. The steering was tight and stiff when I first purchased the vehicle. I remember my uncle hopping on and telling me how great the steering was compared to his 1st gen that is lowered. His steering wheel play is really bad and he informed he got used to and advised I do the same since our recirculating ball steering is always going to be flawed a bit. I am currently running the stock "x" 13's with 185/60/13 on my BC coil over setup.

 

I think there is a disconnect between driving an older car like this and a modern car.

Modern cars have no steering feel because the EPAS and the geometry needed to make low profile tires not tramline prevents steering feel. So people learn to drive by steering wheel position.

Older cars would actually give you sensory feedback through the steering, and you drove them by steering force, not position.

I have a Mk7 GTI and while the steering is tight, fast, and well weighted, it is also almost completely numb and as such doesnt feel anywhere near as good as the steering in my '81. The RX-7 actually communicates to you what the contact patches are doing.

 

I agree Peejay. I daily drive my rx8 and when I hop on my Rx7 - the feeling is totally different. Not bad but different in a way where you get the old school feel. Until earlier this year, I had not driven or owned a 1st gen for about 20 years; it is good to be back -lol.

 

I had a renal car that had lane correction and I don't think the steering wheel had any connection to the tires at all, just a spinning wheel in your hands. Cornering was very difficult to adjust to because there was zero feedback. I might as well have been on a driving sim without forced feedback. It was a very strange feeling on the roads.

 

I've always had front RB sway bar and front coilovers. Back has energy suspension bushings everything else stock. With just tokico HP struts all around. Works great. Still slide the rear around when u want to with gas. But it's not perfect. The rear axle design flaws are hard to ignore at the limit or with any amount of power over stock. Wrecked my fb with above set up with 200hp at the wheels. So for my new sa looking to upgrade the rear axle. Im thinking 3 link with under axle panhard bar.

 

That's what I love about the 3 link. It drives soooo easy. If you get crossed up on corner entry, just floor it and the car straightens out. The rear end has SO much acceleration grip! This encourages you to dive deep into corners, basically just jumping on the outside front when on the brakes, because if it gets away from you then correcting it is just a matter of powering out.

 

I agree with peejay his advice is always solid... I built my own T3 style coilovers for the rear, BC fronts... built/shortened an Explorer 8.8 but while running stock gslse rear end I removed the rear sway... My old shop manager said to me one day... if they dont run rear sway bars in Nascar at over 200mph you dont need it

 

Have any pictures of your 3 link set up? This is the route I want to go with my rear suspension. Trying to figure the best way to mount it to the chassis. Plan on using bushings instead of rod ends.

 

Hi guys, I took out the rear sway bar and have been daily driving the car. I am happy with the results. My next step is to lower the rear adjustable springs some more. I currently have a two finger wheel gap (about 2 inches) and want to have it down to 1 or less without rubbing. My front has little to no wheel gap and does not rub at all during braking or turning.