Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

OffTheLine Motorsports Lower Tie Bars

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    OffTheLine Motorsports Lower Tie Bars

    Following is a review of the "OffTheLine Motorsports" lower tiebars made by MazdaRacer. He offers both a front and rear bar which can be bought seperate or as a package.

    The Bars will fit the following vehicles:

    90-94 Mazda Protege LX/DX/SE/GT/GTX
    90-94 Mazda 323/GTX/GTR Hatchback (95 in Canada)
    91-96 Ford Escort SE/LX/GTWagon
    91-96 Mercury Tracer LTS
    92-96 Mazda MX3 (The front bar will not fit the MX3, But the rear will fit fine.)
    97+ Ford Escort/ZX2

    Pricing is as follows:

    Front = $135 Shipped in the USA
    Paypal orders plese add $5

    Rear = $110 shipped in the USA
    Paypal orders please add $5

    Kit (Both) = $215 Shipped in the USA
    Paypal orders please add $5

    Currently they are only avaliable for purchase through group buys, so you will have to wait for the next batch to get in on these. Additional information can be found here.





    Pictures of the bars installed on my car:

    Front bar:



    Rear bar:



    General Information:
    The bars come powdercoated, they look rather beautiful. I never took any pre-installation pictures for some reason, so I have none to offer up. Build quality is flawless. All welds look very professional and well done. All in all the bars are very well made.

    Installation was pretty straight forward if you follow the how-to on Darryl's site. I ran into no problems doing the installation myself.

    When installed on my car the front bar hovers at around 2 1/2" from the pavement. I am sitting on Sprint 2" springs, ZX2 S/R struts, and 205/45/16 tires. On the OEM struts and 205/40/16 seeries tires the bar sat only 2" from the pavement. I do occasionally scrape the pavement if I hit big dips or holes in the road. Speedbumps have never been a problem if i take it slow. Unless it's one of those speedbumps from hell. LOL Just use caution to avoid large holes, dips, and other road hazards - as you should be doing anyways. It's not THAT big of a problem, but with the lower Sprint springs, it's more of a problem than others will experience.

    Impressions:
    Let me first list all of the suspension modifications I have installed besides the tiebars.

    Sprint 2" Springs
    Tokico ZX2 S/R Struts
    JDM GTR Front Strut Brace
    Mazdaspeed Rear Strut Brace

    Your car may handle slightly different than mine based on the setup you have. So for all intents and purposes of this review, all opinions are based on this setup and my personal impressions of how my car handles.

    After installing the bars, the car now feels more responsive and solid. Cornering is tight and to me the car feels very neutral. I can't detect any over/understeer. The lower tiebars accent the upper strut braces very well. They are a great combo. I love how solid and tight the car feels now. A friend of mine, who owns a DX protege and a Del Sol, drove my car and the first words that came out of his mouth were; "Wow, your car feels ALOT more solid than mine". So yes, you CAN feel a difference. I was very impressed at how much of a difference the bars made and I highly reccomend them to everyone!





    BUY THEM OR DIE


    2013 Dodge Dart Aero

    #2
    For those of you who also have Darryls tiebars, feel free to add your own opinions to the thread!
    2013 Dodge Dart Aero

    Comment


      #3
      Thanks Marc!!

      There is also a kit for the 97+ Escorts and Zx2's

      and they also fit the 91-96 Escort 1.9L Sedan or Wagon (SE/LX/LX-E)

      Comment


        #4
        I've had the shared joy of owning darrly's custom lower tie bars... for somewhat over a year now... first off with no suspension mods except for the lower tie bars...
        the ability to feel the difference comes easy. THen later on with nearly full suspension. At one point in time i went for a week without the front lower tie bar... Literally It damn near made me cry. It will become something that grows on you.

        The front end feels as if each Lower Control Arm is independant without the front tie bar. adding a front bar felt equivelent to adding a big brick of metal holding the front end together. both sides of the car were tied together and began to act as one instead of seperate entities. The front bar will hold the greatest results in the drivers seat. but is not complete without a rear.

        As far going as the rear lower tie bar.... Mazda did things right on the V6 mx3 by adding this in a stock very mild form..(darryl's tie bars surpass the quality of the mazda design and then some) my opinion was that it was a flaw by not adding it on our cars... With a rear bar installed you can expect to feel similar results as the front bar... but not in as large of proportions. tying together the rear TTL system allows the rear end of our cars to follow more closely in coordination with the front end...

        for enhanced: lane changes/reduced steering play/sudden evasive manuvers/ or auto crossing... the benifits can be felt all the way around.

        a lower tie bar kit will make your car go from SLOPPY PILE OF ****- to - A SOLID CONTROLLED VERSION.

        Suspension-Wise this is the best modification to your car for the price.
        BUY THEM!!!!! your car will thank you.
        ---Has ClubProtege helped you in someway? show your support by Contributing--- Click Here---

        1992- project FE3..... 313 WHP @ 9.3psi




        I pet my dash when I get into the car..."good car"
        he actually has a mazda tree, parts grow on it

        Comment


          #5
          Although I don't have Darryl's bars, mine are very similar in design. A highly recommended part for stiffening up the suspension. Noticable Difference!!!!
          -------------------------
          '91 LX
          '03 Mazdaspeed Protege #235
          -------------------------

          Originally posted by pigeon
          well if you're a fan of inaccuracy and uncertainty.... then by all means, go set your timing by feel and sound

          while you're out there, you might as well adjust your air/fuel ratio by smell... and your tire pressure by ride height

          Comment


            #6
            what other bars do people have other than homemade ones or darryls?
            ---Has ClubProtege helped you in someway? show your support by Contributing--- Click Here---

            1992- project FE3..... 313 WHP @ 9.3psi




            I pet my dash when I get into the car..."good car"
            he actually has a mazda tree, parts grow on it

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by bpt323
              what other bars do people have other than homemade ones or darryls?
              None, but I wouldn't consider mine homemade. They're of very high quality just like Darryls' pieces.
              Last edited by Identity_X; 12-01-2004, 06:36 PM.
              -------------------------
              '91 LX
              '03 Mazdaspeed Protege #235
              -------------------------

              Originally posted by pigeon
              well if you're a fan of inaccuracy and uncertainty.... then by all means, go set your timing by feel and sound

              while you're out there, you might as well adjust your air/fuel ratio by smell... and your tire pressure by ride height

              Comment


                #8
                homemade (as in you made it yourself) not downgrading your craftsman ship.
                does that describe yours?
                ---Has ClubProtege helped you in someway? show your support by Contributing--- Click Here---

                1992- project FE3..... 313 WHP @ 9.3psi




                I pet my dash when I get into the car..."good car"
                he actually has a mazda tree, parts grow on it

                Comment


                  #9
                  I have them on my 323. I love them. They make the suspension so much stiffer. Now we just need to pester darryl to make the strut bars!!!
                  The T3 BP MX-3 conversion has begun, and is taking forever & will kill me.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    indeed...lol
                    ---Has ClubProtege helped you in someway? show your support by Contributing--- Click Here---

                    1992- project FE3..... 313 WHP @ 9.3psi




                    I pet my dash when I get into the car..."good car"
                    he actually has a mazda tree, parts grow on it

                    Comment


                      #11
                      IM still waiting for those 1st gen upper strut bars!!!!!

                      The crappy one I got off ebay is a joke and I was gonna use it as a template, but its soo bad, that that idea went out the window........

                      Dddddaaaaaaarrrrrryyyyyyyllllllllll............... .....
                      Dddddaaaaaaarrrrrryyyyyyyllllllllll............... .....
                      Dddddaaaaaaarrrrrryyyyyyyllllllllll............... .....
                      The T3 BP MX-3 conversion has begun, and is taking forever & will kill me.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        well, if one of you want to body double me and take my place here at work while i work on the strut bars, PLEASE DO SO!!!

                        you'll get a bar, but not my paycheck

                        Comment


                          #13
                          LOL. I am just giving you a hard time darryl.
                          You'll get to them and when you do I will be one of the first inline money in had waiting.
                          The T3 BP MX-3 conversion has begun, and is taking forever & will kill me.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            so who can i contact about geting those?
                            93' mazda 323 - stock 1.6L sohc, absolutely no mods

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by white lightning
                              so who can i contact about geting those?
                              MazdaRacer is your man!!!

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X