Has anyone seen hose clamps put on next to the sway bar bushings to keep the bar from sliding in the bushings? Saw this tonight on a friends Miata and am wondering if it is a good idea. Thanks

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95 Z28, SLP Y pipe, Flowmaster muffler, SFC, STB, KYB shocks, Moroso CAI, 1LE front anti roll bar, Hurst shifter, TBB, LT4 KM, LG Motorsports pedals

 

Hmmm... I don't get it. As the sway bar rotates, does the hose clamp cut a slice into the bushing? And if the swaybar wants to slide left/right, I presume it's because the car is shifting left/right over the wheels. And a hose clamp is supposed to stop that? Maybe it does, in a Miata... Pat Newton, please let us know...

Dave

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1997 LPE 383/n2o Camaro Z28 Convertible
12.39@112.2, 1.76 60' (na) 11.27@124.6, 1.76 60' (n2o)
LT1 Diagnostics, New to Nitrous? Northern California Racing Club

[This message has been edited by LPEdave (edited July 17, 2002).]

 

I've never seen any evidence of the swaybar sliding. At most, if you don't get it centered right when installing, it might slide a little at first (until it centers itself), but that's probably a good thing.

There normally shouldn't be any side load on the swaybar, and the 4th gen swaybar mounting brackets are very close to the bends anyway, so it can't move far.

 

I wouldn't do this, it will just cut the rubber bushing, sway bars do move a little but they are made to flex a little. You can put poly urethane bushings if you want it tighter than rubber but if there is enough force for the bar to move a dinky hose clamp ain't gonna help you out, I put aftermarket sway bars and bushings on my camaro and they don't move at all.

 

The only thing that could possible do would be to increase resistance to lateral motion of the rear. In our vehicles the Panhard bar takes care of that problem. The Miata has IRS (very nice sla setup) so in your buddies case he's trying to limit lateral deflection of the bushings in the control arms. I'm no suspension genius but I'd be willing to bet that a poly upgrade to his control arms would do a lot better job of limiting deflection than Hose clamps on the sway bar. Not just that but if by some astounding twist of reality those hose clamps were actually DOING something, the net effect would be a distortion of the suspension around the swaybar mounting point, which would cause unpredictable changes to suspension geometry (not good).

In all likelyhood he was afraid the bushings might decide to pop out of their mounting bracket (you gotta watch em... they're TRICKY!) and he was trying to prevent that.