Tanabe Sway Bar Review - Read if considering buying
03-10-10, 06:05 PM
#1
Tanabe Sway Bar Review - Read if considering buying
Yesterday I received my new front and rear Tanabe swaybars. I ordered them from Evasive Motorsports and they arrived quickly. I had previously purchased a set of Widefoot reinforced swaybar mounts as well and today I installed everything in the front of the car. The following details the problems I ran into during the install.
The first thing I noticed when test fitting the bar is that they did not fit in the factory end links. This is because there's a heavy layer of powdercoat on the surface that slides into the end link. It's only a fraction of a mm thicker than the OEM part but it's enough that it doesn't fit at all.
To make it work then, I had to grind and sand off all the powercoat material down to the bare metal. I applied a coating of anti-seize before reinstalling and it fit perfectly afterwards. Still, that's 30 minutes and a dusty mess I'd rather have not had to deal with.
The next problem was that the powdercoat was so heavy it completely filled in the threads (see above image) so it was impossible to start threading the nut on the end. 15 minutes with a tap/die fixed this right up but it was difficult even starting the die properly. Ended up clamping the bar in my vice to put enough pressure on the die to get it to start. The end result (paint removal described above not shown):
The third problem which worried me the most was that there was a big chunk of foreign material embedded in the finish material on the threads. I wasn't sure what it was or if it would come off but it looked really bad on initial inspection. Fortunately the die cleared it right up and the threads came out perfect, but still... Inexcusable:
All-in-all, it took me an extra hour to clean up this product to a point where it was usable. When I had considered what product to go with, I decided the made-in-Japan Tanabe would be a better bet than the lesser known Suspension Techniques product, despite being a lot more money. I had heard a bunch of bad things about the Racing Beat bars so I chose to stay away from them. This seems like it may have been a mistake. There's no excuse for a product being so flawed from the manufacturer when it should be a simple bolt-on affair. It's not really difficult to rectify, but the point is you shouldn't have to in the first place. Consider this if you are thinking about buying this product.
Widefoot mount versus stock mount:
Tanabe bar with Widefoot mounts:
Mount and bar installed:
tl;dr; - The Tanabe front swaybar is not a bolt-on part for the FD.
The first thing I noticed when test fitting the bar is that they did not fit in the factory end links. This is because there's a heavy layer of powdercoat on the surface that slides into the end link. It's only a fraction of a mm thicker than the OEM part but it's enough that it doesn't fit at all.
To make it work then, I had to grind and sand off all the powercoat material down to the bare metal. I applied a coating of anti-seize before reinstalling and it fit perfectly afterwards. Still, that's 30 minutes and a dusty mess I'd rather have not had to deal with.
The next problem was that the powdercoat was so heavy it completely filled in the threads (see above image) so it was impossible to start threading the nut on the end. 15 minutes with a tap/die fixed this right up but it was difficult even starting the die properly. Ended up clamping the bar in my vice to put enough pressure on the die to get it to start. The end result (paint removal described above not shown):
The third problem which worried me the most was that there was a big chunk of foreign material embedded in the finish material on the threads. I wasn't sure what it was or if it would come off but it looked really bad on initial inspection. Fortunately the die cleared it right up and the threads came out perfect, but still... Inexcusable:
All-in-all, it took me an extra hour to clean up this product to a point where it was usable. When I had considered what product to go with, I decided the made-in-Japan Tanabe would be a better bet than the lesser known Suspension Techniques product, despite being a lot more money. I had heard a bunch of bad things about the Racing Beat bars so I chose to stay away from them. This seems like it may have been a mistake. There's no excuse for a product being so flawed from the manufacturer when it should be a simple bolt-on affair. It's not really difficult to rectify, but the point is you shouldn't have to in the first place. Consider this if you are thinking about buying this product.
Widefoot mount versus stock mount:
Tanabe bar with Widefoot mounts:
Mount and bar installed:
tl;dr; - The Tanabe front swaybar is not a bolt-on part for the FD.
03-10-10, 08:35 PM
#3
RX-7 Bad Ass
iTrader: (55)
Yeah, that is kind of crappy. Really, the swaybar should be powdercoated with the threaded ends being plated (zinc or something) to resist corrosion.
Might want to send them an e-mail or something and let them know.
Dale
Might want to send them an e-mail or something and let them know.
Dale
03-10-10, 08:45 PM
#4
Um, just curious... Why do you consider Suspension Techniques to be "lesser known"?
They have been around for ages and you can get their sway bars direct from MazdaSpeed / Mazda Motorsports for the FD.
Beyond the install challenges, the bar looks good. What is the overall diameter? Is it solid or hollow?
Thanks.
They have been around for ages and you can get their sway bars direct from MazdaSpeed / Mazda Motorsports for the FD.
Beyond the install challenges, the bar looks good. What is the overall diameter? Is it solid or hollow?
Thanks.
03-10-10, 09:03 PM
#5
I got the specs for the Tanabe bars from Howard Coleman's suspension thread :
front bar +30% over stock 30 MM o d 20.4 i d
rear bar +37.9% over stock 20 MM o d 15 MM i d
The bars are hollow and are constructed from chromoly.
I said that about the ST bars because I couldn't find much in the way of reviews for them or specs on the bars themselves. I even wrote the company asking for information about the product and got no response. The ST bars are $100 cheaper than the Tanabe pair and using the old adage "You get what you pay for" I assumed a higher quality product. I can't say for sure this was misguided as I haven't any basis for comparison with the ST product.
front bar +30% over stock 30 MM o d 20.4 i d
rear bar +37.9% over stock 20 MM o d 15 MM i d
The bars are hollow and are constructed from chromoly.
I said that about the ST bars because I couldn't find much in the way of reviews for them or specs on the bars themselves. I even wrote the company asking for information about the product and got no response. The ST bars are $100 cheaper than the Tanabe pair and using the old adage "You get what you pay for" I assumed a higher quality product. I can't say for sure this was misguided as I haven't any basis for comparison with the ST product.
03-10-10, 09:28 PM
#7
You need to contact Dave Breslau directly: widefoot [at] comcast.net
I think this thread is the first time I heard of quality issues with the RB products, though there are others: https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/sway-bar-story-part-1-a-631257/
I think this thread is the first time I heard of quality issues with the RB products, though there are others: https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/sway-bar-story-part-1-a-631257/
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03-10-10, 10:24 PM
#9
I noticed the bad sway bar thread was from 2007. Does anyone know if this problem with RB sway bars has been corrected. I haven't seen anything negative about them in the last couple of years, bad batch? I have some RB sway bars I'm planning to install next week
03-11-10, 01:21 PM
#12
The rear bar does not have the threaded rod like the front bar so I don't foresee any installation issues like I did with the Tanabe front bar. I will keep you posted when I get around to installing it. I'm putting the finishing touches on the new motor and want to get that installed first. I won't have any road test results till then.
I did contact Tanabe USA and made them aware of the issue I was having. They forwarded my photos to their Japan HQ. I will keep you posted. Hopefully this is an isolated problem -- I haven't heard of anyone else using these products complain about this before on the forums.
I did contact Tanabe USA and made them aware of the issue I was having. They forwarded my photos to their Japan HQ. I will keep you posted. Hopefully this is an isolated problem -- I haven't heard of anyone else using these products complain about this before on the forums.
03-11-10, 01:40 PM
#13
It's not. They've been produced that way for a few years (at least).
I haven't had my car on the track since installing mine but I've driven around public streets with them. I'm hoping to hit a track day late next month. A few autox guys have said the rear Tanabe bar adds too much oversteer for them.
I haven't had my car on the track since installing mine but I've driven around public streets with them. I'm hoping to hit a track day late next month. A few autox guys have said the rear Tanabe bar adds too much oversteer for them.
03-11-10, 02:20 PM
#15
I tried them, ok on the track, way too stiff for autox, front and rear.
They were replaced with TriPoint .120 in the front and the stock 93 bar in the back.
+1 for any Widefoot item from David Breslau
03-11-10, 04:39 PM
#16
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I had the exact same issues with my Tanabe front bar, installed it last spring. I also used Dave's Widefoot mounts - great stuff.
I found the bushings supplied with the front bar were "too tight" i.e. when the bar was mounted to the Widefoot mounts the clamping force on the bar made it exteremely difficult to move/rotate. I enlarged the hole in the bushings until the bar would rotate freely but not enough to allow play.
I found the bushings supplied with the front bar were "too tight" i.e. when the bar was mounted to the Widefoot mounts the clamping force on the bar made it exteremely difficult to move/rotate. I enlarged the hole in the bushings until the bar would rotate freely but not enough to allow play.
03-11-10, 05:07 PM
#17
I was worried about the bar binding up in the bushings so I used some leftover lube from a set of Energy Suspension poly bushings from my other car before installing the swaybar so it rotates nice and smoothly/quietly. We'll see how it works once the car is on the road/track again.
03-12-10, 11:50 AM
#21
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Seems like a bad batch or something... I've installed the these bars on my car and my other cars and never had problems.
I like to see what happens though... Hope this problem will be fixed.
I like to see what happens though... Hope this problem will be fixed.
03-12-10, 05:51 PM
#24
Original Gangster/Rotary!
iTrader: (213)
I spent some time at the shop today with a grinding wheel on my brand new Tanabe front bar.
Needless to say, my experience was the same as the OP's, right down to the burred spot on the threads. The amount of red coating that came off with the die was pretty ridiculous.... use an M10x1.25 for those playing along at home.
I'll be back there this weekend and will snap an 'after' shot, I didn't have the digicam with me today unfortunately.
Needless to say, my experience was the same as the OP's, right down to the burred spot on the threads. The amount of red coating that came off with the die was pretty ridiculous.... use an M10x1.25 for those playing along at home.
I'll be back there this weekend and will snap an 'after' shot, I didn't have the digicam with me today unfortunately.
Last edited by GoodfellaFD3S; 03-12-10 at 05:53 PM.
