Tom Smith

I see front sway bars and was wondering how much of a difference they make off track. For a spirited daily, is there any benefit? My FD handles nice, but nicer is always welcome.

Natey

iTrader: (19)

Not only will it not make much of a difference unless the rest of the suspension is completely sorted, but it's a serious bitch to install a front sway bar on an FD.
If you're going racing and need every little edge you can get, then get er done, but I haven't messed with mine in the 15 years and countless track days I've done in my 7. Too much hassle, and way too hard to find a nice adjustable FSB these days anyway.

The stock 93 REAR swaybar is a tiny bit stiffer than the other two years for US cars. A few people have swapped one of those in to their newer FDs to get a little more oversteer/rotation while keeping the car 100% stock. .

Tom Smith

Thank you, for not flaming me over the question, and the detailed response

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

if you run the numbers the sway bars impact is not very big. in the second place the way Mazda mounted the bar bends the chassis, this is kind of why its mounted on the soft mounts
Mazda did an Sae paper on the FD body shell

long story short short the stock front bar is fine

TeamRX8

iTrader: (2)

Well there is that whole weight transfer thing even on a flexy chassis and swaybars are the easiest thing you can do to address it without getting beat to death on the streets. The only thing I recall about the front bar; and it’s been long time so maybe I’m forgetting something; is that the OE front swaybar extension mounts are weak and need to be upgraded with a bar change.


The question nobody else asked though; what is the rest of your suspension setup?


so back in the day the FD3 wasn’t considered that flexy, but then compared to the RX8 chassis 12 years later, it was a huge improvement and no contest. Unfortunately the Renesis engine; though pretty amazing in NA form when it’s all working correctly, kind of went the other direction for durability and such. Sad ending to where we are today.
.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

that is correct, the bar is mounted to some thought to be soft mounts, probably to offset the effect on the chassis.

scotty305

iTrader: (2)

My RX-7 was bone stock when I got it, and I found it a bit too tail-happy at the autocrosses. Adding a Racing Beat front swaybar, Mazda Competition upgraded swaybar mounts (the originals were bent), and Tripoint solid endlinks (stock suspension, stock wheels, no other suspension mods) improved the balance and made it easier to drive near the limit.

TomU

iTrader: (11)

Stiffer springs and wider/stickier tires are the way to go IMO

I found this a good read on the subject

https://www.rx7club.com/suspension-w...-setup-723617/

Billj747

The FDs front sway bar was one of the easiest I've ever replaced.

It depends on what you want from the car. A stiffer front bar will reduce roll and increase front response as well as slightly reduce front grip, which are all good things for most FDs. I put a solid SuperPro front bar on my car and was happy with the results, especially after going to 255 square tire setup.

briansfd

iTrader: (4)

I followed Howards advice in his chassis setup thread. You can get the front bar in the same specs from mazda motorsports and then go with the 95? bar in the rear. His thread details everything.