steve_protege

Whats up all? I e-mailed someone at Mazdaformance.com and asked about a strut bar they have listed. I asked them if the bar, which was listed for 01-up model year Pros would fit on my 00 Pro sedan. He told me that the spacing b/w the terminals on a 00 and 01-up Pro are the same, but the brackets that need to be removed for a car with or without cruise control are different and might not cause the bar to fit. So basically, he told me to ask people in the forums and find out if the bar would fit? Does anyone have an idea?

macdaddyslomo

I have it on my 00 DX Sedan...no cruise...still fits with the brackets..I had to use a few washers to space it out from the intake manifold but it works great!!!

steve_protege

So how much did the bar cost you, including shipping and handling? How satisfied are you with it? Was it hard to install? I also have the 00 DX sedan so Im going to be facing the same steps for install as you did.

macdaddyslomo

Well, I got a deal on mine used from a pro 5 owner, however mazdastuff.com is the cheapest at $99....plus shipping...not a hard install at all...remove the two inner strut tower bolts on each side and install the brackets, then install the bar on the brackets...I had to use a few washers on each side to space the bar up a bit so it didnt rub my intake manifold...very satisfied with it..looks great under the hood and under hard cornering noticeably improves steering response..although i installed my MP3 springs at the same time too so my handling improved dramatically

steve_protege

I was just lookin on the website and it said that the only color the bar comes in is silver. Can't you get the strut bar somewhere else in red or yellow? Would you by chance know where to get one of the colored ones? Im going for a red decor under my hood and Id like to get a red strut bar to go along with everything else I have.

THEGOLDPRO

dude those bars where youhave to use the washers are ghey, i got one from ebay, and it fit perfect

macdaddyslomo

gay?? its the mazda oem strutbar !!! it just rubbed the manifold,and strutbars with HINGES are gay,lol..the OEM one is solid!!!! no clue on how to get color choices though...you looked on mazdaformance.com and mazdastuff.com ???

steve_protege

I looked on both and I think only the Mazdastuff website had the strut bar listed for the MP3/Mazdaspeed. In a note at the bottom of the page it said....

"The picture shows a Yellow strut tower bar; however, the bar you will receive is Silver. "

Ive heard from someone on this forum that there are yellow and red strut bars that can be bought. Im just tryin to find out where I can get the red one from.

THEGOLDPRO

yeahhhhh i also heard that the studs were short, on the strut tower, and made for a shitty fit. not to mention ugly looking with the washers.but whatever if you dont mind ugly and bad fitment then buy that **** up.

macdaddyslomo

You can't see the washers at all. I dont think you know what I'm talking about gold. The Mazda strut bar looks BOSS ! The washers go under the bracket on the strut tower studs, and they arent too short at all..If you want a shitty e-bay strut bar for $19.95 buy that **** up, you get what you pay for....Did you try a mazda dealer steve ?? They supply them too since it is an OEM part on MP3's,P5's,and MSP's...

THEGOLDPRO

you sure can see the washers, because matt from the other protege board has the same friggin bar, and its pretty damed noticable, also you have no cruise control, which also makes it easier, so now this kid is gonna have to use some ghetto *** washers, modify his cruise control bracket, and have a bad fitting bar, sorry to say my ebay one fits PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!

njaremka

If you check the Protege FAQ, you can get the part numbers for each of the colored strut bars from Mazda. However, the red bar, as found on the Protege5, costs as much as the accessory kit from MazdaStuff. I would suggest if you want a different color than what comes in the kit, paint it before you install it.

macdaddyslomo

Im guessing first of all that if he has a DX most likely there is no cruise control, second of all you haven't seen my car, you CANNOT see the washers i used, and third I used the same bracket as any other kit, there are no modifications required except the washers to space the bar up like 1/4"....i guarantee the OEM bar is more solid and effective than some ebay bar, fit doesnt equal function...just because yours went on without a problem doesnt mean it works good...I used to have a ractive bar and i took it off and sold it, since it didnt work or look as good as the OEM strut bar

THEGOLDPRO

well hey man from looking at your list of mods i can see you dont mind having a ghetto *** car, so im ending this conversation. you keep your grand am side skirts, apc altezzas, and your bad fitting strut bar, and i will keep my **** clean.

macdaddyslomo

My grand am side skirts are a perfect fit, they dont look ghetto at all...Altezza's are a matter of taste, but i assure you my car looks clean. And my strutbar fits perfectly. Gold you should just stick to clubprotege and stop trolling and starting ****..I've noticed youve done that a lot lately. This thread was started for a guy to get info on the OEM strutbar, and I advised him how to install it...If you think that every part that you buy should fit on your car flawlessly with no adjustments, keep dreaming. Think that E-bay bomb exhaust you bought was an exact fit?? I think not. Is your so called custom intake an exact fit, im guessing not either...So go shave your head Mr Clean and stick to clubprotege!!!