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Car Forum / Mazda / Mazda Miata / April 2008Sway Bar Link question
I discovered a broken sway bar link on my 2003 Miata LS with 12K miles. I ordered a new one online, but now have concern over whether I ordered the right part. My question: my car came with what was termed 'sport suspension.' Are all OEM replacement links the same? I didn't see any questions relative to optional suspension packages. The OEM sway bar link looks 'terribly designed.' It has 4 little pins pushed through a cup affixed to the link end - and essentially 'peened' over. I'm thinking sway bar link breakage must be common? Thanks - james I believe they are all the same and while I'd agree with you that it doesn't seem like the best design (and I happen to have a broken one too at 8 yrs / 80k and many autocrosses w/ upgraded swaybars) I don't believe it's a common problem. Many aftermarket upgrades are available for mas dinero' ;-) Chris 99BBB >I discovered a broken sway bar link on my 2003 Miata LS with 12K miles. I > ordered a new one online, but now have concern over whether I ordered the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Thanks - james Thanks Chris. I'll rest better tonight - james > I believe they are all the same and while I'd agree with you that it doesn't > seem like the best design (and I happen to have a broken one too at 8 yrs / [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > > > Thanks - james >I discovered a broken sway bar link on my 2003 Miata LS with 12K miles. I >ordered a new one online, but now have concern over whether I ordered the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >end - and essentially 'peened' over. I'm thinking sway bar link breakage >must be common? James, the stock ones, even with the 'sport suspension' are pretty tame and still allow for a lot of body roll. The upgrades from Flyin Miata are much more fun, solid, and are adjustable to fine-tune it the way you want it. They do a lot toward increasing the turn-in response and transient handling and have no ride penalty. As long as you are under there, it might be worth a look. In general it took me more time to pull the tools out than to swap front and rear swaybars. Thanks for the info. I've copied it for future consideration. 'Stock' doesn't look all that impressive - james > >I discovered a broken sway bar link on my 2003 Miata LS with 12K miles. I > >ordered a new one online, but now have concern over whether I ordered the [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > under there, it might be worth a look. In general it took me more > time to pull the tools out than to swap front and rear swaybars. One other thing James, I don't recommend driving the car with one end link attached. You probably already thought of this but you definitely want to remove the other end link until you get the new and then re-install it at that time. In easy driving, you may not be able to tell any issue (don't know, didn't try it) but I'd be concerned about how the car would react if you had to make an emergency maneuver or went into a hard / fast corner. Chris 99BBB > Thanks for the info. I've copied it for future consideration. 'Stock' > doesn't look all that impressive - james [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] >> under there, it might be worth a look. In general it took me more >> time to pull the tools out than to swap front and rear swaybars. Thanks for the heads-up re one broken link. Actually, back in November, I was rear-ended by a 'big wheeled' 4x4 while waiting for the light to turn green at an intersection. "You were so low, I just didn't see you. I'm sorry!" My unexpressed response: "If you weren't up on stilted wheels, you would have seen me." Anyway, about a week after the bodyshop completed their work {$3,350.00}, I'd occasionally hear a 'clunk' coming from what sounded like the left front side on the car. I 'assumed' it resulted from the bodyshop's work. I hate to admit, but I just NOW decided to crawl under and see what I could see - before returning to the bodyshop. Viola, broken driver's side front sway bar link. I can't really see how I could/can lay blame on the bodyshop. The pick-up truck being so high up, hit the back of the Miata 'high.' The trunk lid was demolished. The bodyshop claimed ALL damage to be cosmetic. No structural damage noted. So maybe, the 'shock-force' of the blow caused the separation of the 4-pins from the link-end cup. I dunno. I can't really prove it was accident related{?} Point being {back to your question/comment Chris}, I drove the car from November til now with one broken link. Only when I hit a bump just so - would a 'clunking' noise manifest. However, as we speak, the Miata is up on jack-stands awaiting the new link to arrive - james > One other thing James, I don't recommend driving the car with one end link > attached. You probably already thought of this but you definitely want to [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Chris > 99BBB >One other thing James, I don't recommend driving the car with one end link >attached. You probably already thought of this but you definitely want to >remove the other end link until you get the new and then re-install it at >that time. In easy driving, you may not be able to tell any issue (don't >know, didn't try it) but I'd be concerned about how the car would react if >you had to make an emergency maneuver or went into a hard / fast corner. If it is a rear link then leaving the second connected will not cause any real issue. It just means that the car will be far more likely to understeer UNLESS there is something pinching/limiting the anti-swaybars travel. That is the only way in which it would have a detrimental effect. The rest of the suspension would be unaffected by having the loose/broken link. Basically the anti-sway bar ties the two sides together in balance and limits their independant travel and limit body-roll. They also balance (through effective dynamic engineering) the front to rear handling of the car dialing in (or out) understeer, etc. Removing the rear on the Miata dials in plenty of nice boring understeer. I did play with the adjustable Flyin Miata ones on my '93 including leaving the rear disconnected (and then the front) at an autocross as an experiment. Having only the rear on sure made it interesting for those watching the slide fest, but it was the slowest way around the track. ;) This makes sense because the bar is not actually secured by it's two mounting brackets, it actually is allowed by the bushings, to slide back and forth. So, effectively, the brackets simply keep it in place and sort of 'guided' for lack of a better term. Having the one end link broken, the car should handle just like there is no rear bar attached (but noisier). Good point! Chris 99BBB > If it is a rear link then leaving the second connected will not cause > any real issue. It just means that the car will be far more likely to > understeer UNLESS there is something pinching/limiting the > anti-swaybars travel. That is the only way in which it would have a > detrimental effect. The rest of the suspension would be unaffected by > having the loose/broken link. >This makes sense because the bar is not actually secured by it's two >mounting brackets, it actually is allowed by the bushings, to slide back and >forth. So, effectively, the brackets simply keep it in place and sort of >'guided' for lack of a better term. Having the one end link broken, the car >should handle just like there is no rear bar attached (but noisier). Good >point! That is essentially how it works. At the moment I only have one front link on my Wrangler attached and it allows for a lot more flexibility at the cost of some handling. I didn't do this on purpose, mind you, it's just that as with any other part of this stupid Wrangler it's yet another item that broke! <grin> 14 years with the same Miata, including numerous upgrades, autocrosses, track days, etc, and yet a stock Wrangler with half the miles has cost me 5x as much to keep on the road! >Sorry to hear that but it seems to match what I've heard. I'd love to know >if you agree. Basically; there's a decent % of Jeeps (my impression is that >it's a higher % for Wranglers than for other Jeeps) that will be nearly as >dependable as a miata but that if you don't get one of these, watch out, >it's going to cost you. Sounds to me like good design, poor quality control. Chris 99BBB > 14 years with the same Miata, including numerous upgrades, > autocrosses, track days, etc, and yet a stock Wrangler with half the > miles has cost me 5x as much to keep on the road! > 14 years with the same Miata, including numerous upgrades, > autocrosses, track days, etc, and yet a stock Wrangler with half > the miles has cost me 5x as much to keep on the road! My Jeep has been fairly reliable, my Miata would have disintegrated in less than a mile on the roads the Jeep has been over. I really suspect terrain has something to do with it....?  SignatureXS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups The Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org No doubt on Jeeps that get driven as Jeeps are intended, that's to be expected but I'm saying that it refers equally (maybe more) to those lesser Billy goats, the ones that pretty much never leave the same paved roads the Miatas traverse. What's your gut feeling on that? Chris 99bbb >> 14 years with the same Miata, including numerous upgrades, >> autocrosses, track days, etc, and yet a stock Wrangler with half [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > I really suspect terrain has something to do with it....? > No doubt on Jeeps that get driven as Jeeps are intended, that's to > be expected but I'm saying that it refers equally (maybe more) to > those lesser Billy goats, the ones that pretty much never leave > the same paved roads the Miatas traverse. > What's your gut feeling on that? We don't know where "adventuremyk" drives his Jeep do we? I've had several Jeeps and none have been troublesome. SignatureXS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups The Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org >> No doubt on Jeeps that get driven as Jeeps are intended, that's to >> be expected but I'm saying that it refers equally (maybe more) to [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >I've had several Jeeps and none have been troublesome. I have had a pair and the family has had another pair. My first was a '93 ZJ (Grand Crappokee V8) and it was totally used up at 70k miles. If it was ever the same items breaking more than two times I'd have lemon-lawed the darned thing. Then came my '99 Wrangler which gets mostly highway (used to ferry the kayaks) and at one point was used as a well maintained work vehicle (street only). There was some mud running and soft-roading in there with a bit of technical stuff, but that is not the cause of the particular parts failing. The two the family had? Both newer grand cherokee's, and BOTH were lemon lawed with combined less than 25k miles on them. This Jeep makes the last 'american' vehicle I am ever likely to waste my money on again. I just wish there was a competing vehicle in a similar class out of one of the Japanese companies. It's the only one where you can yank the doors and top off and get out and play, but that just isn't enough to compensate for the other continuing problems. I've owned 3 Miata's, the first leased ('89.5 as a '90) and then the second ('93 which I kept for 14 years), and the last ('96M that my roomate bought from me when her lease expired on another car. She drove that one for 160k miles needing only basic maintenance and eventually a top before she traded it on an '07 Miata). ALL THREE combined, including two replacement tops and in one case setting the car up similar to Spec Miata, have cost me LESS than just the Jeep Wrangler during the cost of ownership. That's pretty pathetic for the domestic brand don't ya think? And with two of those Miata's having a heck of a lot more miles, not to mention being driven harder AND being considerably older, than the 80k that my '99 Wrangler currently has. > I have had a pair and the family has had another pair. My first > was a '93 ZJ (Grand Crappokee V8) and it was totally used up at > 70k miles. That's my current Jeep, I have more miles on it than that and it's been almost trouble free. I've replaced a fuel pump, one of the AC hoses and the radiator. It's done a fair amount of rough country 4 wheeling and trailer towing. SignatureXS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups The Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org >> I have had a pair and the family has had another pair. My first >> was a '93 ZJ (Grand Crappokee V8) and it was totally used up at [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >and the radiator. It's done a fair amount of rough country 4 wheeling >and trailer towing. Either you are the luckiest '93 owner I have ever met, or you bought it used and someone else has already gone through all the headaches of virtually rebuilding the thing from the frame up! About the only thing that DIDN'T give us trouble was the engine block (half the stuff attached to it failed) and the tranny itself (though the rear diff was shot at 20k miles). May your luck continue as it has! >>> I have had a pair and the family has had another pair. My first >>> was a '93 ZJ (Grand Crappokee V8) and it was totally used up at [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Either you are the luckiest '93 owner I have ever met, Nope, I participate in some 4wd activities although not as much now and my experiences are typical of most Jeep owners, your's are the unusual ones. SignatureXS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups The Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org Well, here's opinion stated as fact if I've ever seen it, lol Sounds like my basic impressions were right. You either get a good one or a bad one. It's definitely a roll of the proverbial dice! Chris 99BBB > Nope, I participate in some 4wd activities although not as much now and > my experiences are typical of most Jeep owners, your's are the unusual > ones. > Well, here's opinion stated as fact if I've ever seen it, lol Nope, fact as reported by myself and other owners, all who drive very very aggressively. You might also avail yourself of the various consumer ratings which show that particular vehicle's reliability. SignatureXS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups The Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org |
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