[antiAUDIspeed6now]

I'm in the middle of the whiteline sway bar install on my Speed6, and I'm completely stuck. I've gotten the stuck. I've gotten the bar over the diff coupler. I cannot position the bar where the arms go over the axles and succesfully get it into position. If I move it over to where the arms are hanging perpindicular to the ground, I have more freedom of movement ], but cannot get it over the axles. Also, I put the spring cups back into the knuckle. Any suggestions and help is greatly appreciated.

 

[long101]

quick question if anyone actually looks at this thread anymore. Wouldnt a stiffer rear end make the back end easier to come out?

 

[barberjohn]

quick question if anyone actually looks at this thread anymore. Wouldnt a stiffer rear end make the back end easier to come out?[/b]

Correct. The whole point of a stiffer RSB for the MS6 is to produce more oversteer to counter the pushing understeer that this car exhibits on hard cornering. If you read the comments on the RSB from people that have installed it they state that it really helps the backend swing out much easier.

 

[PerfectXtreme]

Quick note... the bolts on the rear mount require a 17mm wrench... not 14 =( and I can't find my 17mm wrench so I'm waiting for roommate to get home *cry*

P.S. Just checked.. and my speed6 has the 4 bolt rear-diff bracket stock? Yet i'm a Type A first release / first run model or whatever... Crazy... Good though saves me 200 bucks =) And probably why my rear diff isn't broken yet...

 

[ryceboi]

Quick note... the bolts on the rear mount require a 17mm wrench... not 14 =( and I can't find my 17mm wrench so I'm waiting for roommate to get home *cry*

P.S. Just checked.. and my speed6 has the 4 bolt rear-diff bracket stock? Yet i'm a Type A first release / first run model or whatever... Crazy... Good though saves me 200 bucks =) And probably why my rear diff isn't broken yet...[/b]

thanks, i'll update that. version 1.1. and i just noticed that cardomain is messing with my photos.

 

[PerfectXtreme]

Make sure on the "required tools" you put 2 ppl lol.... i've been playin with this for about an hour now... I don't think its possible to get the bar past that bump on the top of the diff w/o havin 2 ppl.. 1 pullin down.. and other yankin on the bar...

Dumb mazda! No need for that bump to be there!

 

[TheArchitect]

I may have missed it, but I'm not seeing torque specs on any of the bolts. Does anyone have the torque specs, or is everyone just ballparking it based on bolt head size? Thanks.

 

[KevinK2]

From Boost Addict:

I personally wouldn't touch the FSB. Reason being, the vehicle due to its weight and drivetrain orientation has the natural tendency to understeer. Here's why:

Think of sway bars as direct links between your springs on either side. By theory, your spring rate on each respective spring will double if you're running a bar that has absolutely no flex. This increases spring rate and makes it more difficult to compress, it also links the two sides together, so when one side compresses, the other will as well.

So when taking a sharp right with a softer rear sway bar, your rear outside (driver side) spring compresses, and the rear inside (passenger side) coil stretches. So you pretty much have both tires planted, which makes it more difficult to rotate.

When you add a stiffer rear bar and take the same turn, your rear outside spring will again compress, and the rear inside coil will compress with it and the tire will essentially lift off the ground. A lifted tire in the rear = less traction in the rear, and therefore uses the rear outside tire to pivot into the turn, increasing your rotation.

Of course, there are many other factors with concern to understeering/oversteering and how to change the balance up. But lie on your stomach behind your car and align your eye with the tires... You'll notice a significant negative camber in the rear tires. negative camber increases grip in turns, and therefore again, makes it more difficult for the car to rotate. Camber, Caster, toe, sway bars, etc.. they all play huge factor in the way your vehicle turns.


Agreed that bigger RSB helps car rotate.

The effect of a much bigger rear sway bar, in a corner, is exactly like going with about 2-3X stiffer rear springs. The inside coil extends and the outer coil compresses, but the big RSB transfers a much higher % of weight to the outer rear wheel, vs standard bar. You will get lift at the inside rear wheel when pusing the limits in a corner, with a big RSB, vs no lift with oem bars.

 

[chiefmg]

Just want to check before I start my install of this, are there two holes or three in the bar? For some reason I was thinking it was three, but the one I got from RPM has two. They haven't responded to my e-mail yet, guess they are busy, so I'm asking here. Thanks guys.

 

[dpluhm]

Only two holes.

 

[tonyp]

Dreading doing this install...but if I can do a TBE on my lowered MS6 by myself in my driveway, this should be a cinch! Might be a good time to also install a rear diff mount, no?

 

[ryceboi]

Dreading doing this install...but if I can do a TBE on my lowered MS6 by myself in my driveway, this should be a cinch! Might be a good time to also install a rear diff mount, no?[/b]

if you can drop the rear diff, itll make the install 100 times easier. but that requires unbolting the mount on the rear part of the differential coupler. not the easiest task.

 

[natepoff]

I just finished installing the swaybar and the TT Diff mount... man that was a Bitch no I mean :swearin:

But it was well worth it. The car handels great and I have the piece of mind that comes with an upgraded rear diff mount.

I am a bit concerned about the stock endlinks with my new sway bar. As I was tourquing the nut on the threadded stud that passes through the swaybar the stud itself started to turn with the bolt. Its clearly not tourqed down all the way. If there was a bit more clearance between the swaybar and the endlink I would get in there with a pair of vice grips to lock it up, anyone else have problems with this?

 

[ryceboi]

QUOTE (natepoff @ Jun 3 2008, 01:55 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=1361299

I just finished installing the swaybar and the TT Diff mount... man that was a Bitch no I mean :swearin:

But it was well worth it. The car handels great and I have the piece of mind that comes with an upgraded rear diff mount.

I am a bit concerned about the stock endlinks with my new sway bar. As I was tourquing the nut on the threadded stud that passes through the swaybar the stud itself started to turn with the bolt. Its clearly not tourqed down all the way. If there was a bit more clearance between the swaybar and the endlink I would get in there with a pair of vice grips to lock it up, anyone else have problems with this?[/b]

you need a crowfoot socket and an allen key so you can torque the bolt.

 

[tunersteve]

RSB is on order, and I currently have my TT diff. bushings to go in at the same time. Install looks long, but manageable. Thanks again for the write up!

 

[tunersteve]

I'm trying to find the post about the grinding down of the ends on this RSB to avoid clunking on the LCA's in the rear when you drop it on H&Rs. I know I saw it here somewhere, but it's worth mentioning on this thread too.

 

[TopazM3]

This could be a 2 hour job done as described by the OP, only dropping the front of the diff. Although not an easy job, it is straight forward. The hard part is related to the square aluminum tab that is on top of the diff. It gets in the way when trying to pass the bar forward over the diff and past the subframe. After nearly an hour of trying to get around it in multiple positions of the diff, I filed away about 3/8" of the top front corner of this tab. Made all the difference in the world. The Whiteline rear bar along with getting rid of the positive front camber with the SPC adjusters has turned this car from a real pusher into a reasonably good handling sedan!

 

[KoukiS14]

I'm going to be installing one of these soon, and I'm considering a Mazdaspeed aftermarket 26.5 mm front sway bar in the future as well. I haven't seen exact numbers for the roll stiffness increase over stock with this bar, but I came across this handy little sway bar calculator which helped me figure it out: Sway Bar Rate Calculator | Build A Faster Car. The numbers look about like this:

Stock
A = 8.5 in.
B = 24.5 in.
C = 9.0 in.
D = 24 mm

Whiteline outer hole
A = 8.5 in.
B = 24.5 in.
C = 9.0 in.
D = 25 mm
increase over stock = 17%

Whiteline inner hole
A = 7.75 in.
B = 24.5 in.
C =8.25 in.
D = 25 mm
increase over stock = 43%

I've heard people mention the possibility of a third hole on the Whiteline, and it looks like there's enough room and material to do this. The numbers for a third hole would be:

Whiteline with a third hole
A = 7.0 in.
B = 24.5 in.
C = 7.5 in.
D = 25 mm
increase over stock = 78%

I'm thinking of doing that because the Mazdaspeed aftermarket sway bar for the front would increase the stiffness 48% over the stock front sway bar, which would push the balance back towards understeer if used with the Whiteline at the existing inner hole which is 43% stiffer than the stock rear bar. Of course, the other option is the AutoExe front bar, which is only 17% stiffer than the stock front bar.

Anyhow, what do you guys think about the idea of a third hole?

 

[TopazM3]

I'm going to be installing one of these soon, and I'm considering a Mazdaspeed aftermarket 26.5 mm front sway bar in the future as well. I haven't seen exact numbers for the roll stiffness increase over stock with this bar, but I came across this handy little sway bar calculator which helped me figure it out: Sway Bar Rate Calculator | Build A Faster Car. The numbers look about like this:

Stock
A = 8.5 in.
B = 24.5 in.
C = 9.0 in.
D = 24 mm

Whiteline outer hole
A = 8.5 in.
B = 24.5 in.
C = 9.0 in.
D = 25 mm
increase over stock = 17%

Whiteline inner hole
A = 7.75 in.
B = 24.5 in.
C =8.25 in.
D = 25 mm
increase over stock = 43%

I've heard people mention the possibility of a third hole on the Whiteline, and it looks like there's enough room and material to do this. The numbers for a third hole would be:

Whiteline with a third hole
A = 7.0 in.
B = 24.5 in.
C = 7.5 in.
D = 25 mm
increase over stock = 78%

I'm thinking of doing that because the Mazdaspeed aftermarket sway bar for the front would increase the stiffness 48% over the stock front sway bar, which would push the balance back towards understeer if used with the Whiteline at the existing inner hole which is 43% stiffer than the stock rear bar. Of course, the other option is the AutoExe front bar, which is only 17% stiffer than the stock front bar.

Anyhow, what do you guys think about the idea of a third hole?

Seems worth a try, but I'd worry about breakage in the area. Let us know the results if you do it. My suspension is stock save for the Whiteline and the SPC camber adjusters. This made the car far more enjoyable and I've had no issues with either.:cheers:

 

[jsulen]

Dang, nice right-up. That's the worst sway installation I've ever seen. Luckily it looks like you have easy access to the bushings so re-lubing them should be rather painless.

FWIW, I didn't notice a ride quality difference when going from the stock 6i way bar (18mm?) to the 27mm Racing Beat rear sway, nor did I going from a 20mm to 24mm STI rear sway bar. Front sways are more noticeable, but even then, their impact is slight. Bumps that hit one and only one tire will upset the car a little more than normal, but bumps that hit both tires (like road joints- I find most bumps are like this) aren't changed.


It shouldn't make a noticeable difference, but technically it could only hurt grip (if launching on uneven asphalt, for example). On flat asphalt, it will make no difference whatsoever.

Are you sure that this is the worst right up about sway bar installation kit? I think it is worth the time reading.