diff --git a/src/components/navBar/navBar.js b/src/components/navBar/navBar.js
index 68a455bf65..2264d6a4a3 100644
--- a/src/components/navBar/navBar.js
+++ b/src/components/navBar/navBar.js
@@ -104,6 +104,24 @@ function MdNavBar($mdAria, $mdTheming) {
         '<md-nav-ink-bar ng-hide="ctrl.mdNoInkBar"></md-nav-ink-bar>' +
       '</div>',
     link: function(scope, element, attrs, ctrl) {
+
+      ctrl.width = $window.innerWidth;
+
+      function onResize() {
+        if (ctrl.width !== $window.innerWidth) {
+          ctrl.updateSelectedTabInkBar();
+          ctrl.width = $window.innerWidth;
+          scope.$digest();
+        }
+      }
+
+      function cleanUp() {
+        angular.element($window).off('resize', onResize);
+      }
+
+      angular.element($window).on('resize', $mdUtil.debounce(onResize, 300));
+      scope.$on('$destroy', cleanUp);
+
       $mdTheming(element);
       if (!ctrl.navBarAriaLabel) {
         $mdAria.expectAsync(element, 'aria-label', angular.noop);
@@ -229,20 +247,28 @@ MdNavBarController.prototype._updateTabs = function(newValue, oldValue) {
  * Repositions the ink bar to the selected tab.
  * @private
  */
-MdNavBarController.prototype._updateInkBarStyles = function(tab, newIndex, oldIndex) {
-  this._inkbar.toggleClass('_md-left', newIndex < oldIndex)
-      .toggleClass('_md-right', newIndex > oldIndex);
-
+MdNavBarController.prototype._updateInkBarStyles = function(tab, newIndex) {
   this._inkbar.css({display: newIndex < 0 ? 'none' : ''});
 
   if (tab) {
     var tabEl = tab.getButtonEl();
     var left = tabEl.offsetLeft;
+    var tabWidth = tabEl.offsetWidth;
+    var navBarWidth = this._navBarEl.getBoundingClientRect().width;
+    var scale = tabWidth / navBarWidth;
+    var translate = left / navBarWidth * 100;
 
-    this._inkbar.css({left: left + 'px', width: tabEl.offsetWidth + 'px'});
+    this._inkbar.css({ transform: 'translateX(' + translate + '%) scaleX(' + scale + ')' });
   }
 };
 
+/**
+ * Updates inkbar to match current tab.
+ */
+MdNavBarController.prototype.updateSelectedTabInkBar = function() {
+  this._updateInkBarStyles(this._getSelectedTab());
+}
+
 /**
  * Returns an array of the current tabs.
  * @return {Array<!MdNavItemController>}
diff --git a/src/components/navBar/navBar.scss b/src/components/navBar/navBar.scss
index 36a7b34b6e..914c2ec3ce 100644
--- a/src/components/navBar/navBar.scss
+++ b/src/components/navBar/navBar.scss
@@ -39,21 +39,15 @@ $md-nav-bar-height: 48px;
 md-nav-ink-bar {
   $duration: $swift-ease-in-out-duration * 0.5;
   $multiplier: 0.5;
+  background-color: black;
+  position: absolute;
   bottom: 0;
+  left: 0;
+  width: 100%;
   height: 2px;
-  left: auto;
-  position: absolute;
-  right: auto;
-  background-color: black;
-
-  &._md-left {
-    transition: left ($duration * $multiplier) $swift-ease-in-out-timing-function,
-        right $duration $swift-ease-in-out-timing-function;
-  }
-  &._md-right {
-    transition: left $duration $swift-ease-in-out-timing-function,
-        right ($duration * $multiplier) $swift-ease-in-out-timing-function;
-  }
+  transform-origin: left top;
+  will-change: transform;
+  transition: transform ($duration * $multiplier) $swift-ease-in-out-timing-function;
 
   // By default $ngAnimate looks for transition durations on the element, when using ng-hide, ng-if, ng-show.
   // The ink bar has a transition duration applied, which means, that $ngAnimate delays the hide process.
diff --git a/src/components/navBar/navBar.spec.js b/src/components/navBar/navBar.spec.js
index c614933d3e..4727520a18 100644
--- a/src/components/navBar/navBar.spec.js
+++ b/src/components/navBar/navBar.spec.js
@@ -261,15 +261,25 @@ describe('mdNavBar', function() {
       $scope.selectedTabRoute = 'tab1';
       createTabs();
 
+      var tabLeft = getTab('tab1')[0].offsetLeft;
+      var inkbarTranslate = parseFloat(getInkbarEl().style.transform.match(/\d+\.\d+/g)[0]);
+      var elWidth = el[0].getBoundingClientRect().width;
+
+      var translate = tabLeft / elWidth * 100;
       // b/c there is no css in the karma test, we have to interrogate the
       //   inkbar style property directly
-      expect(parseInt(getInkbarEl().style.left))
-          .toBeCloseTo(getTab('tab1')[0].offsetLeft, 0.1);
+      expect(inkbarTranslate)
+          .toBeCloseTo(translate, 1);
 
       updateSelectedTabRoute('tab3');
 
-      expect(parseInt(getInkbarEl().style.left))
-          .toBeCloseTo(getTab('tab3')[0].offsetLeft, 0.1);
+      tabLeft = getTab('tab3')[0].offsetLeft
+      inkbarTranslate = parseFloat(getInkbarEl().style.transform.match(/\d+\.\d+/g)[0]);
+      elWidth = el[0].getBoundingClientRect().width;
+      translate = tabLeft / elWidth * 100;
+
+      expect(inkbarTranslate)
+          .toBeCloseTo(translate, 1);
     });
 
     it('should hide if md-no-ink-bar is enabled', function() {