new member - looking for a strut bar
 

hello

i'm a new member.

i just bougth a 2002 mazda protege LX, 4d, loaded, with 31.850 mi.

i'd like to know if the strut bar makes a big different?? if so, where can i buy it in good price?

I;ve seen on the new that there is one , brand Tainco or something like that , which is about $ 35.

Hope that anyone can help me

thank you

welcome to the forum.

Strut bars make a big difference on a FWD car like ours if you hit the cars often (like most of us do).

I've never heard of the brand you're mentioning though. Mazda dealerships will sell you a bar for about $100-120 for one of the bars on the mp3/msp/p5....these are just as good as any. There are some "ultra-budget" bars out there but no'one here has used them to note any difference.

here it's the link http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/pe...t_brand=toucan, why is it so cheap? is it bad brand?

thank you.

it's probably not a bad part but it may not be as strong as a different piece. I would think that the one you showed me would be more for looks. It looks like it would bend under a load.

ok thank you, and do you know any brand and a web site so i can buy it? because it's always cheap to buy on the internet, most of the time...

thank you again.

Your best bet is to buy the OEM Strut Tower Bar kit. You can buy it at: www.mazdastuff.com for US $100. The bar is made for the MSP but will fit perfectly on the '02 LX. It is the same bar that was used on the MP3 and the P5. Only the colors are different. Yellow for the MP3, red for the P5 and silver for the MSP. The kit comes complete with mounting brackets and hardware. It makes a noticeable difference and IMO is worth the money.

yup yup....I'm thinking about selling/swapping mine for a nice yellow bar or I may just strip it an powdercoat it but I'd rather just swap or sell it.

Powdercoat it....or paint it....I did alot of painting parts on the Eclipse man....save yourself the trouble unless someone wants to swap out so they can have a diff color also.
I'm looking for a cf one myself...even though the stock one is great.

I swapped mine for a nice yellow one from an MP3... :booty:

I could powdercoat it but a swap would save me a few hours of work .....and if you knew me....thats worth it's weight in gold!

yeah, I'm looking an mp3 bar also.

I just got lucky. I didn't want my red one and he didn't want his yellow one. So much easier that way!

moved to appropriate thread..."3rd gen suspension".