Spin9k

Pic from the ad in Mazda Sport. Has anyone got any or all of these yet? Any opinions or results?

Looks like for small change ($570 for ft+r bars and springs) and relatively easy install that one could get quite a jump in real world handling?

Not to mention they look to match my velocity red 8 :D

PUR NRG

There are some suspension shops that believe you should first start with shocks/springs. Sway bars should be last and ideally you can eliminate the rear sway bar altogether to put more power on the ground coming out of a turn sooner. I don't pretend to be an expert but it seems reasonable.
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Japan8

But what if you don't want a "firmer'" ride or a lower car, but want a bit less body roll... what do you do then?

dcfc3s

Racing Beat makes great stuff, and really spends a lot of time R&D'ing the setup for a nice, balanced design. Heck, Mazda picked them to tune the Mazdaspeed Protege and MP3!

Springs and swaybars will make a very notable improvement in handling.

Dale

Rampant

Can't quite have it all. Softer springs = more body roll. Laws of physics, since the springs allow more movement under the same load. Sways will help though, as they will help pull the inside wheel down to keep it flatter.

However, the advantage to sways is they help tune the balnce of the car. If you want less understeer, you can put a larger bar in the back and it will feel like a different car.

The important thing is to have a plan, know your style of driving (street/comfort v. track/performance) and mod accordingly. If you want to keep the stock ride, yet a little more responsive with less understeer -- sways may be the place to start.

Japan8

That's what I thought... reading the previous posts made me question that for a second... Thanks for the info!

VividRacing.com

I like the racing beat rear sway I have on the car. The springs are compromise between performace and looks. For most people they are good enough and fit with in the bujet. The only thing I din't and don't like about the RB rear sway is the fact that you can't use the RB endlinks with it unless you drill out the mounting holes for the studs to fit and it's not adjustable. Doesn't make to much sence if you ask me for a company with a recognised name. Seems like they should have done a little more home work on that design.

Also, here's a good rule of thumb to follow. Larger rear sway bar= less under steer, larger front sway= more oversteer. Both done together= usually a more nutral steering but more stable and flat over all.

djmano

do you guys think theres any possibility of subframe damage/tearing without installling the aftermarket end links? i really wouldnt want to buy them and go thru the trouble of drilling if subframe tearing is not really an issue with the 8.

PUR NRG

For general info on shocks read this article from Grassroots Motorsports.

My general understanding:
1. Springs are most important when it comes to handling.
2. Shocks dampen the spring's motion.
3. Sway bars are last on the adjustment list after springs and shocks. They're used to fine tune the suspension after the first two items are sorted out.

Racing Beat's sway bars may be tuned for stock shocks and springs. But it seems strange that they were released first, springs second and shocks still a couple months out. It implies you're spec'ing the shocks to go with the sway bars rather than the other way around.

Again, I am not a suspension expert so if anyone has a reasonable explanation why this progression makes sense I'm all ears.
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rxphink

While this is true the problem is that it is meant to apply to a racecar.

I followed this rational with my RX-7 and it handled like it was on rails and I never touched the sways, but I could not drive it out here in Cali. The roads iin Texas were tolerable, but once I had the car out here it was imposible to drive on the street and still keep my brain unscrambled.

Also for anyone who races in Stock class at an auto-x the springs cannot be touched and the front sway bar is the only one allowed to be modified.

So with shocks and front swaybar the only allowed mod it makes sense to upgrade the sway bar first.

I've driven in a nationaly competitive SS RX-7 back in Texas with double adjustable shocks and the RB blade front swaybar and it handled just as good, if not better around an auto-x course and my fully modded ASP RX-7.

So to each their own I guess.

r0tor

iTrader: (1)

My personal feeling is that springs should be used to set ride height, sway bars used to eliminate body roll, and shocks tuned to dampen the sways/springs. You don't need super stiff springs - actually stiff springs can hurt lateral grip. If you look at the setup on the mazdaspeed protege you will find soft springs (almost stock) and real stiff sway bars which give the car the amazing grip and stability it has.

I'm looking at either the RB sways or Mazdaspeed sways to reduce the body roll a bit without making my car an even worse sn0wpl0w or drastically affecting ride comfort.

Spin9k

Hey guys, thanks! Lot's of stuff I wasn't thinking about all that comes into play. Food for many thoughts I guess.

Still, why can't you just say, well RB did their homework, it will all work together, I'll get the a-sway bars f&r and the springs. Sort of like a Stage 1 for the suspension setup as a whole. And this applies to any independent testing 3rd party - if they offer all the component parts like RE - can't you trust that they did the right thing to make them all play together synergistically (a word??) ?

Japan8

Because Assuming makes an *** of U and ME. :D

It's nice to think that, but not everyone tests stuff that far or think about their products that far... I'd bet RB does... size and experience. The others? Who knows... I'd like to see them tested by real owners little by little... RB included and go by that data.

PUR NRG

What I've heard on this board is Racing Beat has a good rep. Certianly reading about their design philosophy makes me lean towards buying their exhaust/intake products when they're released.

I'm still on the fence regarding the order in which they released suspension parts though. Will they all work together? I'm sure they will. Will all the components combined give optimum results? I have my doubts. You can't tell me their non-adjustable front sway bar is designed for optimum performance by itself (for B-Stock), together with a rear sway bar, and when used with different springs/shocks? That's three different suspension configurations. There has to be some compromise in there.

This is why Genron used removable center bar sections and four adjustment points in their S2000 sway bars. Center bars were available in three thicknesses and four adjustment points gave additional fine tuning based on the rest of your setup. One size did not fit all.

Likewise with StopTech's brake systems. I bought their big brake kit (fronts only) for my 540i when it came out. A year later they released a front/rear brake kit with the caveat the front calipers in the f/r kit were different than the front-only calipers. It sucked for me knowing I'd have to buy new front calipers all over again if I went to f/r but that's why they have a good rep--one size does not fit all.
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PUR NRG

I'm not sure I follow this. My understanding of Racing Beat's design is they felt the stock end links could be damaged under heavy use. Thus they wanted beefier end links to hold up under the stress. In order to use thicker bolts you have to drill bigger holes in the sway bar and subframe for the bolts to pass through. In theory this actually reduces the sway bar/subframe strength but presumably Racing Beat felt that was negligible compared to the benefit of stronger end links. The issue wasn't subframe damage but end bolt damage. Of course I have no idea how much of a concern Racing Beat felt regarding this issue so it could be a problem most customers would never experience.
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Whitley Plant

RX Guy

Well, the subframe costs $800. (Don't ask me how I know. Long story.) I am considering RB as one of the potential for my sway bars. It would be nice to have some reassurance that there would be no subframe damage in the long run by enlarging the screw holes on the subframe.

Red Devil

I've been told that if you're swapping springs, that you should go ahead and swap the shocks. Because you are already breaking down that part of the car, and because the springs should be specifically matched to work in harmony with the shocks.

I'm sure RB has perfectly balanced everything in their springs, sway bar kit, but I'd rather go with something like what Paul Yaw is going to offer and pick a complete package all at once.

Down the road, I'm sure RB will offer something similar to Yaw, though.