Sway Bar Bushings

[MakaveliX]

Hi. Just looking for some info regarding rear sway bar bushings.

I did some cross checking OEM numbers etc and found on Arnold Clark and another UK source some sway bar bushings for my car which I believe are 14mm.

Upon taking delivery to them they look really small in diameter and not sure if they will fit the stock anti-roll bar which I think is actually 18mm.

Everywhere I look, they mention 14mm bushings for my car.

Is it likely they will be ok ? I'd assume they need to be a tight fit and will stretch once installed and tightened down..

( mechanic will be doing it as car needs to be in the air ideally )

So basically the bushings I purchased which are apparently designed for my car are about 14mm, but I think my sway bar is 18mm. Will this be a problem ?

Thanks

[SAS Tom]

Doesn’t sound like they will fit

[MakaveliX]

SAS Tom said:

Doesn’t sound like they will fit

Well I am confused because it is listed as compatible for my car. And on the box it does say " Mazda "

Done some more reading and apparently they should be fine if they are rubber and not polyurethane.

Edited by MakaveliX on Monday 15th May 20:09

[E-bmw]

I would seriously doubt 14mm bushes will fit an 18mm anti-roll bar.

Are you certain the bar isn't "waisted" where the bushes are, as that would explain it.

Personally, if I was getting a garage to do the job I would get them to supply the parts as it is then up to get the right parts.

[MakaveliX]

E-bmw said:

I would seriously doubt 14mm bushes will fit an 18mm anti-roll bar.

Are you certain the bar isn't "waisted" where the bushes are, as that would explain it.

Personally, if I was getting a garage to do the job I would get them to supply the parts as it is then up to get the right parts.

Bar must be ”waisted” where the bushing fits as you said, otherwise it would be prone to moving left and right otherwise. Yeah that must explain it.

[MakaveliX]

E-bmw said:

I would seriously doubt 14mm bushes will fit an 18mm anti-roll bar.

Are you certain the bar isn't "waisted" where the bushes are, as that would explain it.

Personally, if I was getting a garage to do the job I would get them to supply the parts as it is then up to get the right parts.

Have you come across sway bars that are " waisted " before ? Just out of interest.

Unless I can definitely figure out whether the parts I bought will fit or not I will get the garage to source the parts as recommended above

Still want to do some research though as I prefer to provide my own part.

So if I look here https://catalogue.sidem.be/en/product/stabiliser-m...
The OE reference number matches identically the part I bought (B45A 28 156) - but still says inner diameter of 14mm.

AND on an authorised Mazda website in the USA, the part I have purchased is correct

Edited by MakaveliX on Tuesday 16th May 19:43

[GreenV8S]

If you're confident they're the right part them get your mechanic to install them. They'll either fit, or they won't. Obviously you'll be paying for the labour either way.

It really is better to get the person fitting the part to also supply them. Then they're responsible for the parts being correct spec and quality. Otherwise you can easily end up stuck in the middle of a fitter saying the parts are wrong/faulty, and a parts supplier saying they weren't installed correctly. For simple jobs like this, no big deal. But when you're dealing with more expensive stuff it can be a big problem.

[TwinKam]

Why would an ARB be 'waisted'? That would be a waste (no pun intended) of all the extra metal on the rest of its entirety, as the twisting moments would be concentrated in the weakest (ie the waisted) areas anyway...
And most ARBs have nothing to prevent sideways movement, bar (no pun intended) the proximity of the D bushes to the main bends.

[trevalvole]

MakaveliX said:

AND on an authorised Mazda website in the USA, the part I have purchased is correct

I'd be cautious about using info from a US website, as they may well have used different suspension components for that market. For example, some Merc suspension components that are categorised as non-sport in Europe are sport in the US.

[MakaveliX]

Thanks for the info guys.
Will have to wait until MOT time as i'm exhausted trying to locate the annoying noise.

I have asked around the Mazda community and the part which is listed as correct for my car is most likely not correct, which begs the question, which car is it actually fit for ??

The ARB on my car and the UK models are 17mm, so why the parts on UK suppliers are 14mm I have no idea. Another Mazda owner measured their bushing and it's about 17mm.

Either way..
Plan of action will be to buy the part from Mazda myself then get mechanic to fit, or even myself if I can get access to a car lift.

[stevieturbo]

MakaveliX said:

Thanks for the info guys.
Will have to wait until MOT time as i'm exhausted trying to locate the annoying noise.

I have asked around the Mazda community and the part which is listed as correct for my car is most likely not correct, which begs the question, which car is it actually fit for ??

The ARB on my car and the UK models are 17mm, so why the parts on UK suppliers are 14mm I have no idea. Another Mazda owner measured their bushing and it's about 17mm.

Either way..
Plan of action will be to buy the part from Mazda myself then get mechanic to fit, or even myself if I can get access to a car lift.

If looking for "sway bar"....that is part of the problem, in the UK it is an anti-roll bar

And really...have you ordered the parts from Mazda ? They will most likely have the correct info. All aftermarket suppliers can be hit or miss.

Hell, even the dealers can get it wrong at times too, so nobody could ever expect the aftermarket to be 100% correct for all model variations.

Have you actually measured your own bar ?

[MakaveliX]

stevieturbo said:

If looking for "sway bar"....that is part of the problem, in the UK it is an anti-roll bar

And really...have you ordered the parts from Mazda ? They will most likely have the correct info. All aftermarket suppliers can be hit or miss.

Hell, even the dealers can get it wrong at times too, so nobody could ever expect the aftermarket to be 100% correct for all model variations.

Have you actually measured your own bar ?

Yeah I call it sway bar as it's easier to type

I didn't know that Mazda sell their own " genuine " parts to the public, so something new I learnt there. They have given me a quote for the parts which is a fairly reasonable one considering it's from the dealership. I suppose the best bet is to buy the parts this way as you say, they will most likely have the correct items. I did ask them for the OEM number but they didn't want to give that to me ( assuming they think i'll buy the part elsewhere )

My bar is 17mm bang on, which is the same as another Mazda owner I have spoken to.
The other Mazda owner measured their stock bushing and it was about 17mm internal diameter. Which is way way off from the parts I was told would fit my car on Autodoc, Parts In Motion, Arnold Clarke, eBay, and another European site. ( these parts are 14mm ) Even on the packaging it does say " For Mazda " so I'm seriously confused as to which mazda it fits.

So the OE number from the item I ordered from the UK. On one USA Mazda website says it is the correct part for my car, and on the other it says it is the wrong part. Conflicting information is the issue here.
To confuse things further, in the USA their anti-roll bar is about 18.5mm as opposed to our 17mm in the UK.

On an American "Genuine" Mazda site the OE number of the supposed correct part for my car, is listed as a part for a completely different Mazda on Autodoc.

As suggested above from helpful members of this forum. Two options.
1) Just get my mechanic to source the part
2) Bite the bullet and buy the parts from Mazda then let the mechanic fit them.

Edited by MakaveliX on Saturday 20th May 18:01

[Jakg]

Is there more than one ARB available for your car?

Take a BMW E91 for example - different engines and trim levels (i.e. M Sport vs SE) get different thickness anti-roll bars.

If your going to be supplying your own parts you need to be confident in using EPC tools etc, it sounds like it'd be better for you to ask the garage to supply.

[stevieturbo]

You give the dealer your VIN, they order the parts, if it's wrong...it's their problem to find the right part.

[MakaveliX]

stevieturbo said:

You give the dealer your VIN, they order the parts, if it's wrong...it's their problem to find the right part.

By dealer you mean my indy or you mean direct from Mazda ?

[Jakg]

stevieturbo said:

You give the dealer your VIN, they order the parts, if it's wrong...it's their problem to find the right part.

Yes, but if your paying a separate garage to fit the parts, it's your problem that the car needs to go back together (if it can) and then come apart again when the right part shows up.

[inline6bmwfan]

MakaveliX said:

Thanks for the info guys.
Will have to wait until MOT time as i'm exhausted trying to locate the annoying noise.

I have asked around the Mazda community and the part which is listed as correct for my car is most likely not correct, which begs the question, which car is it actually fit for ??

The ARB on my car and the UK models are 17mm, so why the parts on UK suppliers are 14mm I have no idea. Another Mazda owner measured their bushing and it's about 17mm.

Either way..
Plan of action will be to buy the part from Mazda myself then get mechanic to fit, or even myself if I can get access to a car lift.

Why not just get the mechanic to supply and fit? Are you one of them tight buggers who tries to save a few pennies by sourcing it yourself?

[MustangGT]

inline6bmwfan said:

Why not just get the mechanic to supply and fit? Are you one of them tight buggers who tries to save a few pennies by sourcing it yourself?

The simplest solution, that has been suggested multiple times.

[MakaveliX]

inline6bmwfan said:

Why not just get the mechanic to supply and fit? Are you one of them tight buggers who tries to save a few pennies by sourcing it yourself?

Yes I will get the mechanic to supply the part. Saves me the hassle I suppose.

Id assume I should mention the bar diameter is 17mm. Otherwise they could end up buying a 14mm bushing like I did.

[stevieturbo]

MakaveliX said:

By dealer you mean my indy or you mean direct from Mazda ?

Quite clearly an independent is not a Mazda dealer. Of course dealer means the main dealer.