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

 

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

 

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.

 

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

 

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.