Sway Bar Sizes

[Fuman]

What Sway Bar (Anti-roll bar) does:
http://www.turnfast.com/tech_handling/handling_antiroll.shtml

Mazda 3 Stock Bars
Front Bar: 21mm (Solid)
Rear Bar: 20mm (Solid)
source: http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=106175.0

Mazdaspeed 3 Stock
Front Bar: 26mm (Solid)
Rear Bar: 26mm (Solid)

Sway bar sizes:
Eibach : 26/26mm F/R
Source: Eibach's website

Hotchkis: 29/32mm F/R
source: http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=201114&postcount=1

Progress: N/A / 22mm F/R
source: http://progressauto.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=423 provided by WildEmu

Racing beat: 28.5/27MM F/R
source: http://racingbeat.com/FRmazda_3.htm provided by pearly.

Please provide corrections if any, and additional brand and sizes.

Good reference why modifying your sway bar size, link given by sp3gt
http://www.whiteline.com.au/docs/bulletins/010barup.pdf

Hollow vs. Solid Sway Bars, link from MajesticBlueNTO
http://www.whiteline.com.au/docs/bulletins/Hollow%20vs%20Solid%20Swaybar.pdf
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3900956&postcount=14

[doughboyr6]

man hotchkis makes one hell of a thick rear bar...

[WildEmu]

Progress: 22mm
http://progressauto.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=57&products_id=423

[sp3GT]

I think the hotchkis might make it too stiff. It's like more then 500% stiffer.

[yearoftherat]

The reason why its so big is that the Hotkiss bar is hollow while the others are solid.

[sp3GT]

The reason why its so big is that the Hotkiss bar is hollow while the others are solid.

Ohhh, scratch what I said before then.

[boogie]

The reason why its so big is that the Hotkiss bar is hollow while the others are solid.

Are there any advantages/disadvantages to using hollow vs. solid?

[CanadaGTO]

Mainly weight savings. Solids can be really heavy....... I mean, really heavy :)

Hollows save a lot of wait, but you need slightly bigger than a similar solid.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Hollow vs. Solid design (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=334213) ...lots of engineering speak (Post #14) there to explain the advantages/disadvantages.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Also in that thread linked is this Whiteline paper on Hollow vs. Solid sway bars (http://www.whiteline.com.au/docs/bulletins/Hollow%20vs%20Solid%20Swaybar.pdf)

[CanadaGTO]

Good writeups :)

[Fuman]

Can mods sticky this?

[S.F.W.]

done

[Kevin@nextmod]

Racing beat
F 28.5
R 27

[Fuman]

added

[Kevin@nextmod]

http://racingbeat.com/FRmazda_3.htm

[Skarbro]

Good info on hollow vs solid

[SABIO]

I had both the Progress and the MazdaSpeed one.
Even though the MazdaSpeed one was thicker...I found the Progress one gave a better result due to the double mounting points. You could bolt it in so it shortened the travel of the links as well.
It gave a superior handling feel compared to the Mazdaspeed Bar.
Smaller size...and smaller price......

[ArManI]

great writeup!

just a little note, Eibach sways kit mount on OEM link kit will make some unpleasant noise, after search, a link-kit is recommanded to install with the Eibach swaysbar kit due to its extended length than OEM's.

[Fuman]

Added a sway-bar resource. check beginning of first post

[Fuman]

Updated Eibach sway bar sizes.
Eibach lists them at 26/26 Front and Rear.

Can someone confirm this is the case. It is weird to see front/rear the same sizes.

[mit-gee-mui]

Eibach

front (23mm) and rear (25 mm)
Source: http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=147934&postcount=1

The Eibachs are 25mm up front and 23mm in the rear.
Source: http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=79379&postcount=8
Hmmm.... contradiction....:whoa






Stock

stock .83\" (21mm) front bar
stock .79\" (20mm) rear bar
Source: http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=83151&postcount=8

[Ex-Rolla]

I have been looking for new Sway bars and came across another paper on hollow vs. solid. This is from Hotchkis, so i t may be a little biased seeing how their bars have always been hollow, but i can speak from personal experience that they have quality sway bars. I had them on my old car.

http://www.hotchkis.net/_uploaded_files/hollow_vs_solidinstructions162file.pdf

[DiscoDRock]

Any recommended places in the GTA/Ontario to buy the Hotchkis's?

[stevenma188]

Can a mod update the OP with the stock sizes? 19mm for the front is incorrect, as it should be 21mm.

[cwp_sedan]

Done. Also added MS3 OEM sizes.

http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=106175.0

[a_ahmed]

Sorry to dig an old thread back up. Just trying to do some research and came across this thread. Trying to find out more about different swaybar options. My car came with stock mazda 3 front and progress (? grey 2 hole ajdustment) rears. The car still understeers scarily for my tastes... I was hoping to add a rear bar. I'm used to my rwd summer/track car and no worries on me driving with controllable sliding haha... but I am after a grippy aggressive setup.

I am thinking getting koni yellows, still undecided on springs... and trying to hear people's experiences with different swaybar combinations. I am eyeing the hotchkis as they are hollow (less weight) and the thickest from what I gather.

[cwp_sedan]

Even if you add an extremely large rear sway bar rather than the Progress you aren't going to gain that much. It may help a little bit though. This is a FWD car and if you wanted more oversteer, you should have just bought a RWD car. Sorry.

Lowering it a bit and a little negative camber might help your cause, though it won't help your tires lol.

[a_ahmed]

Well I don't intend to drift it, but I am hoping to make it grip/rotate better :) Understeer scares me in a high speed corner more than oversteer lol.

[a_ahmed]

Oh and I love my mazda 3 ;) Great family car. Full options, comfy... compared to my stripped out track monstrocity :D

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Well I don't intend to drift it, but I am hoping to make it grip/rotate better :) Understeer scares me in a high speed corner more than oversteer lol.

there are rear sway bars that provide extra force compared to the Progress bar... Tri-Point, James Barone Racing (http://www.jamesbaroneracing.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=46_114), Hotchkis, stock Mazdaspeed3 bar, Racing Beat.

I had the stock Mazdaspeed3 sway bars (front and rear) on my old 3 and, when pushed to the limit at the track, it was enough to get the rear end to rotate.

[a_ahmed]

That's cool to know thanks for sharing your experience

[zzz3]

if you want rotation in the rear (for street setup), get a rb rear sway bar and don't change the front. depending on how hard you push it, you can experience mild oversteer to full blown fishtail lol. the latter was a result of me adjusting throttle mid corner on a highway on ramp and fresh tire dressing.

shat bricks that night.

[a_ahmed]

Just read this it's another forum stumbled upon it with google maybe it helps someone else.

His points about the progress is how i feel about it, it understeers and oversteers just around the points that he mentioned.

I am pretty set on either a hotchkis or rb setup now :)

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123637362-Bean-s-Racing-Beat-%2827mm%29-vs-Progress-%2821mm%29-vs-No-Sway-Bar