Something owners with aftermarket swaybars might want to lookout for
 

I have had the same problem with my Miatas

You wouldn't happen to have a part number from Summit, by any chance?

Thanks

PN# ENS-9-5166R 32mm (Racing Beat bar),
The rear RB bar is 19mm but the clamp they carry is too big, I need to locate a smaller 19mm clamp that's greaseble. As you can see in the third photo you have to remove a bolt that holds part of th ABS system in order to attach the clamp. The clamp holds that part in very well. Or you can get a hacksaw and trim the top of the clamp a bit.

If you do have a diffiicult time finding the smaller clamps for the rear.

I have had decent success with drilling and tapping the clamp to accept

a zerk fitting. Then drilling a smaller diameter hole, through the bushing

to let the greese through. It's kind of a pain, but it works if you can't

find a suitable replacement.

never thought of this . good info, i will be checking mine
olddragger

the bushings/clamps are made by Energy Suspension and on the front you don't have to cut the brackets; push the bushing/clamp assy. as far down on the slots as possible and then just bolt it down. The excess part of the bracket that overlaps onto the ABS wiring clamp will simply bend and conform OK to the frame mount without causing any problem. If you cut the bracket then it will expose unplated steel along the cut which will rust and stain the surrounding area

If you look at the third photo you can see thats what I did, the overlap of the the bracket holds the ABS bracket very well. Just wish to add that when I installed the bars I made a DIY and there is a photo of the front bar with plenty of grease in the bushing
https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...chmentid=32645
So I still do not know where I went wrong or if this is normal with aftermarker sway bars.

Urethane squeaks, always has and always will. It is also cheap, you can get the Energy Suspension parts with zerk fittings at any Autozone. I don't understand why aftermarket manufacturers insist on trying to sell these as no maintenance items. Some come with special grease and others with fittings, but ultimately they will squeak. OEM rubber will cost more but the squeaking will be gone and I doubt that you will really notice any handling differences. And yes, it is normal for aftermarket swaybars (if they use urethane).

That's because you have the bushing brackets pushed UP all the way on the slots, look at the photo and see how much slot remains to move the brackets DOWN away from the overlapped area :rolleyes:

The sway bar does not have that much vertical free space. To move the brackect down would also require the bar to move down which it cannot. The set up in that photo ( https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...chmentid=53715 ) is holding the ABS bracket quite well. But thanks anyway.

I have the same diameter bar and don't have a clue what you're referring to, the brackets and bar slide fully downward :confused:

Hotchkis...
 

I wonder if Hotchkis makes sways for the RX8. I had them on my EVO and they were great. They had grease fittings front and rear and they were adjustable.
I didn't know Autozone has Energy Susp. stuff. Cool.

Aaron/ rAte

Thank you very much for the advice and especially the solution.

I hate to resurrect such an old thread, but I'm looking into installing the RB swaybars in the next couple of days.

Is this what I'm looking for at Autozone for the fronts?
Energy Suspension Black Greaseable Performance Sway Bar Bushing Sets - 32mm Bar Diameter
http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBr...EEGS%7C%7Etrue

They also sell Energy Suspension Black Greaseable Performance Sway Bar Bushing Sets - 3/4" / 19mm Bar Diameter
http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBr...EEGS%7C%7Etrue
Will that work for the rear swaybars?

Thanks for any help.

- Cesar -

I had trouble finding greaseable brackets for the rear so I just bought zerk fittings, drilled / tapped a hole on the OEM brackets which are reused with the RB bar and made my own. The thing with the rear ones is the distance between the mounting holes; the rear bolts are fairly close together. They might have more offerings now but making my own was very easy.

It it possible to simply re-grease the urethane bushings every 15-20K miles (basically wait until they start making noise)?

What kind of bushings do the Whiteline swaybars come with?

Yes, but it's MUCH easier to do with Zerk fittings. I just give them a little grease every other oil change.

I have the RB sways but the guy who installed them (smart thinkin' there) saw the grease that RB included and told me about the possibility of drying up so he used proflex's grease with copper. I have them on for around 15000 Km and until now no squeeking, no rattle. Maybe u should give it a try.

I have Whiteline, not RB, but because of this possibility of this with the urethane bushings they supplied, I simply put a thin washer under one side of the bracket to add a tiny bit more clearance for the grease by loosening up the bracket. No problems for over a year.

That's an interesting idea. While the bracket may be tight, the bar itself will not be quite as tight in the bushing. I wonder if this will cause problems?

..... check thread date ...

Since I made this thread I have had zero issues with my sway bar bushings. Every 2nd oil change I add some grease to them, Zerk fittings rock!

Oh I guess maybe bushings don't need grease at all in 2008...

Broken Sway Bar Bracket
 

If you check the third photo in the first post you will see what a brand new Energy suspension sway bar bracket looks like. In the photo attached here you can see the same bracket after three years and 82,000 miles. Energy suspension is a popular supplier of sway bar brackets, maybe for some applications they are not up to spec and should be checked. I have not tracked my 8 in over an year and was not driving it hard. A few days ago I noticed a noise on the right and found the bracket. I will be sending these back to them in hopes they find something wrong that can be fixed for newer brackets.

ah, the bane of having polyurethane bushings

does mazdaspeed's kit use polyurethane bushings as well, or they use plain ol' rubber?