Hi-performance Rear swaybar info...

[pro-five-oh]

Ok, let's get serious about these new Zephyrs people. :)

First things first: Lincoln is real bad about using puny rear swaybars on their cars to make the ride softer and make the car turn real slow in the corners. The Zephyr is the softest of the Mazda 6 family, so odds are it has the thinnest rear swaybar. I put a Tbird rear bar in my Mark VIII, made a HUGE difference in handling with very little loss of ride quality. Our 2000 Town Car doesn't even have a rear swaybar. But I digress, a bigger rear bar is good for performance minded individuals.

There are a handful of bars for the Mazdas:

Rear bar diameter:
18mm (hatch/wagon)
19mm (sedan)
22mm (MazdaSpeed)
24mm (Progress Technology)

Front bars:
21mm (all Mazdas?)

I'd like to know if anyone will measure the Zephyr's bars for future analysis. Pretty please? :) We can figure out the ideal rear bar for a Zephyr, and what would be the best front/rear bar if you really wanna get serious about taking turns. Right now I bet the Zephyr has a 21mm front bar and something puny out back. The 22mm Mazdaspeed rear bar is probably the best to flatten the Zephyr's road manners without making the car unsafe and un-Lincoln like.

Course the other question is if the Mazda bars interchange with the Fords, odds are they do. :p

[fast Ed]

I'll check the parts listings tomorrow, to see if it shows the diameter by chance. Sometimes it does, sometimes not.


cheers
Ed N.

[pro-five-oh]

I checked on Ford Parts Network, had no dimensions. It also seems like all V6 Fusions, Milans and Zephyrs have the same front bars.

Thanks for the help, Ed. :)

[fast Ed]

Well, no dimensions, sorry. As you say, 4 cyl and V6 are listed different. Same goes for the rear.


cheers
Ed N.

[pro-five-oh]

Thanks for checking. Whenever a V6 model winds up in the service bay for an oil change, maybe take a caliper to its swaybars. ;):p

[pro-five-oh]

Looked around, I think the Zephyr has a 17mm rear bar. No wonder the car guys who road test it don't love it like they do the Mazda 6.

I'll have to do some more roadtesting, but I am pretty sure a 21mm front and 22mm rear bar is what the Zephyr really needs to be a power player. :)

[GorgeZeph]

Looking over the article:
http://www.automobear.com/2006LincolnZephyrStrivesForWiderAppeal.html that was listed in the forum on CD3 platforms....

It states:
As on the V6 Milan, Zephyr's rear stabilizer has been upgraded from the Fusion's 16mm to a 17mm unit, the better to both manage the extra weight and generate cornering forces at the rear more quickly.

Guess that answers that.... Now, will the Mazdaspeed one fit?? And what about the front??? How much do I have to pony up????

[pro-five-oh]

Looking over the article:
http://www.automobear.com/2006LincolnZephyrStrivesForWiderAppeal.html that was listed in the forum on CD3 platforms....

It states:
As on the V6 Milan, Zephyr's rear stabilizer has been upgraded from the Fusion's 16mm to a 17mm unit, the better to both manage the extra weight and generate cornering forces at the rear more quickly.

Guess that answers that.... Now, will the Mazdaspeed one fit?? And what about the front??? How much do I have to pony up????

Good eye, that's where I got some of the info. :) But I don't trust it: they could be going off of pre-production info and the Ford parts catalog insists that all V6 CD3 cars use the same bars front and back.

I need an owner to get a set of calipers and measure their bars, front and rear. It could be 16 or 17mm, who knows. Either way that's too small considering its STILL smaller than a Mazda wagon's bar. Who knows what the front bar is.

As far as fitment: if I owned a Zephyr I would remove the rear bar and have a Mazda dealer pull a new bar from their parts depot just to make sure they have the same mounting points. I'd be shocked if they didn't. That's the only way to know for sure, since the car is too new! :(

I'd expect they are the same design, the front is 21mm and the ideal rear bar will be close to 21mm. Expect a Mazdaspeed bar to go for $150-250, not including labor. Kind of a bummer, I got my Tbird bar for my Mark for $15 at a junkyard. Alas, that's the way the ball bounces. :)

[fast Ed]

Just FYI, we had a V6 Fusion up on the hoist this afternoon for a service. Looks like 17 mm for the rear bar size on it.


cheers
Ed N.

[GorgeZeph]

OK enough!!! I want out and bought a micrometer. It is 17mm. Now, does the Mazda fit????

[GorgeZeph]

Another question..... What about the coil over kit from Mazdaspeed??? Would that ruin the ride??? Would it be better to look at air bags or coil over bags????

[pro-five-oh]

OK enough!!! I want out and bought a micrometer. It is 17mm. Now, does the Mazda fit????

Awesome. Thank you for being the FIRST to start up the Hot Rod Lincoln spirit in Zephyr country. We'll silence the critics (including me) soon enough. :)

Can ya measure the front one too? I'm guessing its 21mm.

Coilover kit? Its gonna kill the ride, though it would be neat if you wanna surprise the Import crowd at an SCCA autocross. I wouldn't recommend it. The bigger rear swaybar is a marginal ride-killer with significant improvement in handling.

[Vitas]

Just for kicks, the 2001 TC sales brochure says that the Signature Touring Sedan has 29.5 mm front and 18 mm rear stabilizer bars.

[Nick]

Ride quality is very hard to pin. Coil overs might not ruin the ride if they are tuned well.

[pro-five-oh]

Just for kicks, the 2001 TC sales brochure says that the Signature Touring Sedan has 29.5 mm front and 18 mm rear stabilizer bars.

Yup, real close to cop car sized bars...one heckuva TC.

I just realized I forgot to thank Fast Ed for lookin at the Fusion he got in for servicing. Thanks again, dude! :)

[GorgeZeph]

Ok, let's get serious about these new Zephyrs people. :)

First things first: Lincoln is real bad about using puny rear swaybars on their cars to make the ride softer and make the car turn real slow in the corners. The Zephyr is the softest of the Mazda 6 family, so odds are it has the thinnest rear swaybar. I put a Tbird rear bar in my Mark VIII, made a HUGE difference in handling with very little loss of ride quality. Our 2000 Town Car doesn't even have a rear swaybar. But I digress, a bigger rear bar is good for performance minded individuals.

There are a handful of bars for the Mazdas:

Rear bar diameter:
18mm (hatch/wagon)
19mm (sedan)
22mm (MazdaSpeed)
24mm (Progress Technology)

Front bars:
21mm (all Mazdas?)

I'd like to know if anyone will measure the Zephyr's bars for future analysis. Pretty please? :) We can figure out the ideal rear bar for a Zephyr, and what would be the best front/rear bar if you really wanna get serious about taking turns. Right now I bet the Zephyr has a 21mm front bar and something puny out back. The 22mm Mazdaspeed rear bar is probably the best to flatten the Zephyr's road manners without making the car unsafe and un-Lincoln like.

Course the other question is if the Mazda bars interchange with the Fords, odds are they do. :p

I went to a local high performance shop for Mazda (Corksport). They took a Mazda 6 bar out and checked mine. The 2WD version is an exact fit for the Zephyr... The 4WD may be a differnt story......

I didn't get it yesterday because they were too busy... Let ya know when I do and how it carves up the curves here in the gorge......

[pro-five-oh]

22mm!

Looking forward to hearing the results. This would make a great TECH article!

[Nick]

It's funny to hear that a Mazda bar fits a Lincoln. Then again, it's funny knowing a Lincoln is a Mazda underneath. Mazdaspeed 6 + Lincoln = fast MKZ? I want to see it.

[pro-five-oh]

The MKZ is pretty fast on its own. It scoots pretty nice even with AWD. A manual tranny would be nice...but all it really needs are firmer shocks and/or bigger swaybars.