Introducing the CorkSport Lower Tie Bar for the 2019+ AWD Mazda 3 and 2021 AWD Turbo Mazda 3! Stiffen your chassis and improve your cornering performance by adding rigidity to the front of your car. Directly connecting the front lower control arm mounting points with the CS lower tie bar helps improve braking, cornering performance, and steering responsiveness by stiffening the subframe.
A stiffer subframe can better oppose the forces generated by the tires. This also reduces wheel hop and torque steer when under hard acceleration. The CS lower tie bar has been a proven favorite of the Mazdaspeed community and we’re happy to bring the same benefits to the 4th GENs! Read on for full details.
When you’re cornering, all of the forces that you feel come from the tires must be counteracted by the suspension and chassis. On the 4th GEN Mazda 3, the front subframe is essentially a large square with no direct load path between the two front tires, leaving it vulnerable to flex with the tire forces.
The CorkSport Lower Tie Bar fixes this issue by tying the left and right control arm mounting points together, strengthening the front subframe to deliver the handling improvements you desire!
The primary goal of the CorkSport Lower Tie Bar is to improve the responsiveness and handling of the front suspension. The added chassis stiffness allows the suspension components and tires to do their jobs better.
In our testing, we found a tighter steering feel, reduced bump steer, and more responsive corner turn-in, excellent for spirited back-roads driving, autocross, or track use. On higher power cars, the lower tie bar will also help to eliminate wheel hop and torque steer during launches and/or hard acceleration. There is even a slight improvement in braking feel and performance!
Due to the complexity of the undercarriage of the 4th GEN, we had no choice but to add some bends in the CorkSport Lower Tie Bar. While a straight bar would be stronger, the bent bar was necessary in this case to clear factory components.
Despite the bendy design, rest assured, the CS Lower Tie Bar can handle whatever you can throw at it! To validate that the bent design was strong enough to handle the forces of the vehicle, we simulated a sustained 1 g-force corner using FEA software.
We found that the bar is able to withstand the forces generated without breaking a sweat in our “worst-case scenario” simulation. This simulation was run as if the tie bar was taking all the forces directly when in reality, that is just not true. Your tire force is distributed throughout the rest of the suspension, subframe, and chassis, so the bar only experiences a portion of what we tested.
The CorkSport Lower Tie Bar is designed to fit in and around your OEM components perfectly. The specifically bent design was created to cleanly fit in the tight spaces in between the transmission, rear motor mount, and oil filter with no problems, even when factoring in engine movement. It is also a super easy install, with an installation time of just 30mins!
Just like our lower tie bar for the MS3, the bar for the 2019+ Mazda3 is manufactured from 1 inch diameter, 0.120 inch wall steel tubing and 0.190” steel brackets. This design is made for strength and longevity, and with a nice black powdercoat, you can be sure that the CS tie bar will stand the test of time.
It will take you Approx. 30 minutes to install.
30-minutes Install Time
2/5 Difficulty
2-Year Warranty
No CEL
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Models Supported
2019+ Mazda 3 Non-turbo AWD
2019+ Turbo AWD
Does Not Fit FWD Models
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As soon as I hit the road, the difference was immediately noticeable. The car feels more planted and stable, especially when cornering at higher speeds or during aggressive driving. The extra rigidity has also improved the overall ride quality, making the car feel more responsive and connected to the road.
If you're looking to improve handling, and add a little more rigidity to your AWD Mazda 3, the CorkSport Lower Tie Bar is an absolute must. Highly recommend!
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Install was very simple, hardest part for me was getting it to go around the oil filter, but we had an extended life one, so it was just slightly larger. But still very easy to install!
