Farrellrm

so i am fairly new to this web site
am not car savy at all
and have searched for a while
but i cant figure out the difference between strut tower and sway bar other than on goes under the car and the other doesnt
any help would be appreciated

-Richard

Razz1

Sway bars are on the bottom of the car and connect to the wheels.

Strut bar is on top of the Engine and in the rear trunk on the 8

G-ReX

The strut tower bar is a straight bar tries to stiffen the chassis in the open space of the engine bay. The 8 is pretty rigid anyway, so it probably doesn't add a lot. It's mounted at the tops of the strut towers on the front. There are rear strut bars as well, but not stock on the 8.
The sway bar (or anti-sway bar) is a "U" shaped bar that connects the two sides of the suspension and by resisting twisting, it reduces body roll in a turn. There are sway bars front and rear. Changing these can greatly affect handling.

Farrellrm

awesome thanks
im thinking about getting the mazda speed front strut bar
i want the rear as well
but i have the spare tire mounted in the trunk so i probably wont

G-ReX

The spare tire mount apparently acts as a rear strut bar, anyway. The front bar does have the master cylinder brace, but probably no advantage in stiffness over the stock plain-Jane bar. I got mine because it made it easier to adjust my Tokicos and for the master cylinder brace.