DIY: Installing a Daox rear sway bar

[Mark]

Not sure if everyone saw this, but this is what can happen if you stiffen up the torsion beam too much and transfer the load to the coil spring perch areas. I'd rather replace a sway bar every couple of years.

That example has a lot going on there (different rear springs, rear sway bar, & wider wheels), too!

[Fummins]

I bought my 2017 Mirage in October of that year. I bought a Daox's 1st edition sway bar in June of 2018, & I installed it right away. I noticed an immediate improvement in handling.

My 1st sway bar failed this past winter. Thus, I got about 2.5 years out of mine (approximately 30,000+ miles). One side of the bar twisted off near the weld. I would say the weld held, but the bar itself failed. It would be like twisting a beer can in your hand, but imagine the force need to do that to steel pipe?

I bought a second sway bar from Daox. It was his revised model, & his last one I believe. I already knew the revised model may fail some day, but I bought another one just the same. It was about -20F at the time. Thus, I waited a month or two install the second one. Most of all, I wanted to wash out the winter crude under the car before putting the second one on.

I guess my point is that I have driven my Mirage quite a bit with & without the sway bar. It may not do as much for 2017+ Mirage, but I like the added stability of the rear sway bar when doing interstate driving (70+ mph). For me, I feel that's when the Mirage is the most out of its element. Doing 55-65 mph on country roads, the Mirage is a hoot to drive (with or without the sway bar). Going on the interstate @ 70-80 mph with lots of traffic (including semi-trucks), it's not as much fun. It surely can handle those speeds, but the Mirage is easily blown around. On windy days @ high speeds, that's when I appreciate the rear sway bar the most.

I tend to blame the electric power steering on the Mirage, too. Power steering is great at lower speeds or for parking, but it's really not necessary once you are moving. That's especially true of small, lightweight cars with tiny tires.

I tend to compare my Mirage to other small cars that drove in the past. I am an old geezer. I have to remind myself, however, the speed limits were much lower the first couple decades of my driving career. When I got my license, maximum speed limits were pretty much 55 mph everywhere. I wasn't driving my first car (1978 Honda Civic Wagon) @ 70+ mph hour. The speedometer on my old 1990 Ford Festiva maxed out @ 85 mph, because cars weren't expected to go that fast in the States when that car came out. Most cars & motorcycles commonly had 55 mph marked in some special way on their speedometers.

Thus, the reality check for me is that I am pushing my Mirage a lot faster. When I hauled a small white-tail buck on top of my old Ford Festiva & drove back home (about 4.5 hours) many years ago, I wasn't going 70+ mph during part of the trip. By the way my roof caved in some. Thankfully, I own a trailer now. I think a deer on top a Mirage would cave in the roof, too! I can get to my parents in under 4 hours now, because speed limits have increased. Going through Green Bay to get to my parents was 55 mph the entire trip (except when going to through small towns). I drive 70-75 mph through the Fox Valley & Green Bay area now (traffic permitting).

If the majority of my driving was 70+ interstate driving, I may not be content with a Mirage. I typically have to drive 1-2 hours (depending on the direction), however, to even reach an interstate highway with higher speeds.

Yeah, I don't take mine on the highway really. The "freeway" on my commute has a 50mph limit. Usually do 55ish. I'm running the stock crappy tires on stock wheels and have no plan to change them until they're totally bald, then I have two more to burn off. If I were running on the highway a lot the first thing I'd do is get wider tires. 185's even on the stock rims makes a big difference in handling, it's not as twitchy and doesn't require steering corrections as much. And you don't feel all the little divots in the road.
A sway bar would likely be rigged up as well. Airbags inside the coils or lowering springs that are stiffer would help too. Maybe I'll order up some eibach springs for mine?

I was just thinking it might be easier to find a sway bar from a car that would only require some brackets to fit the Mirage. If you can find one with the proper dimensions it'd be a relatively simple install. Hardest part would be finding the proper bar and what it came from.
I posted pics a while back of one fitted on a cavalier or cobalt like this


Could it be mounted to the "frame rails" of the car instead then run end links down to the lower shock bolt? kinda like this neon

[BillAce]

I have been looking and think the 1st gen RX7 bar might work with some custom brackets since it has a narrower track and aftermarket adjustable bars are available. I converted my DA integra to a DC chassis bar with some custom brackets and hardware. The DA mounted toward the rear bumper to the frame rails and I want to get under the mirage and see if something like that would be possible.