Lowering.

[INiTiAL33]

Please dont beat me with the " use the Search function " stick :D


i have read thru 14 pages of my search but still havent really gotten a clear idea of what i wanted to know....so i hope you guys can help...

Scenerio :
1) want to lower my MP3
2) have Autoexe Lip

Solution?


i want a drop that would make my car look nicer......not TOO much of a drop....just enough to take away some wheel gap......and also i have an AE lip so i dont want to be bottoming out easily after the drop....... i want a nice drop (appearance wise) and dont want problems with driving my ride with a lip afterwards..


so can you guys please list out all the possible options ( brands )
of lowering the MP3 that fits those requirements?

some numbers would be nice too... ( drop amount ..etc.)

THANKS GUYS!

[mopiko]

I can only offer you a "what not to do" combination...

TEIN S-tech springs + DG fiberglass lip...

First spec, TEIN S-tech drops 2" in the front and ~1.5" at back, with the lip it looks something like this on a P5.

http://www.mazdamp3.com/members/mopiko/mycar.jpg

But after half a year of driving around and buttoming out on 70% of people's driveway, it's beat up, really beat up....

Possible solution I have? Maybe Eibach with 1.5" drop all around.

The set up I have is quite low, but I've notice on 95% of buttoming out cases they are not that bad actually, cuz before I lip my P5 I dropped it first and I didn't have any problem with the 2" drop with a lip. I hope this please at least an inch.

Now I believe the drop on a MP3 is slightly smaller since the MP3 is lowered by factory with racing beat springs (MP3 guys you may correct me if I'm wrong but please don't flame for my worthly exsistance)

[digitalricepape]

i just dropped my p5 two days ago w/ the tein springs. i dont have the lip and already the fronts gettin scratched up ..

[INiTiAL33]

Originally posted by mopiko
I can only offer you a "what not to do" combination...

TEIN S-tech springs + DG fiberglass lip...

First spec, TEIN S-tech drops 2" in the front and ~1.5" at back, with the lip it looks something like this on a P5.

http://www.mazdamp3.com/members/mopiko/mycar.jpg

But after half a year of driving around and buttoming out on 70% of people's driveway, it's beat up, really beat up....

Possible solution I have? Maybe Eibach with 1.5" drop all around.

The set up I have is quite low, but I've notice on 95% of buttoming out cases they are not that bad actually, cuz before I lip my P5 I dropped it first and I didn't have any problem with the 2" drop with a lip. I hope this please at least an inch.

Now I believe the drop on a MP3 is slightly smaller since the MP3 is lowered by factory with racing beat springs (MP3 guys you may correct me if I'm wrong but please don't flame for my worthly exsistance)


Whoa... that lip looks like its gonna touch the ground! :eek:


So if i go with the Eibachs i should be alright?

So eibachs are 1.5" all around? what does that look like?.... 2 finger wheel gap?


im a newb to lowering so someone enlighten me please lol.... so if the Eibachs are 1.5" all around...... how long will it be after it settles? 1.7"? 1.8"?


In our local protege car club here we have members with the lip and have lowered their cars... and most of those ppl's lips are busted up... :(

[scott42]

ditch the lip, lower the car, sounds like the only real option...

[KYMP5]

bag it. that will solve all your problems plus you can lay it out for shows or meets or any time you want your car to look hammered

[blackp5ca]

I used coilovers and have the AE replica lip...bottoms out every now and then, just need to be a little more observant of obsticles..Im down about 3"'s...low and slow baby!
I'll post some updated pics when I get some...only pics I have now are with the old Ondergound POS Lip I had before this one.
Atleast with coilovers you can adjust as needed, up or down until you get it right!

[SKY]

You cans till have both lips and drop, but you gotta drive extremely careful. When ever there is a little bump on the road, u goota drive really slow...it's too trouble in my opinion....why drive slow? I want to put the lowering spring too, that's why I'm not buying the lips, I know I will crack it and in winter when snow arrive. The lips is just become a snow sweeper!

6 words for you Vince

"Do it at your own risk" kekekeke

[ghetto waggon]

If I am correct Yosky told me he's dropped on eibachs, 18" rims, with the DG lip. He says he's got about 3" of clearance and does scratch the bottom.

[KYMP5]

im lowered and have the lip. the bottom of it is scratched up but you have to drive extremely careful not to trash it

[INiTiAL33]

looks like im not gonna drop it...... gonna be too much of a hassle to drive it with the lip..... Oh well...

Thanks everyone for their opinions tho.

[PaulMP3]

get coilovers and drop to your own preference, raise her up for the winter.

[INiTiAL33]

Originally posted by paulmp3
get coilovers and drop to your own preference, raise her up for the winter.

then i gotta find a bag of cash somewhere first... lol :D

[PaulMP3]

you can get cheap ones for around 200$. i think the GC coilover are reasonable.

[NCMP3]

Initial i have the Tein Stech springs plus our MP3 struts with the lip I have had no problems scraping my lip. But with any lowering of a car that has ground effects on it. You should be careful not to damage them. Here is a pic of my car at Nopi.http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/p18a1b7646dc22cedb7e0f0bd503ccdd5/faffdc13.jpg

[INiTiAL33]

Originally posted by NCMP3
Initial i have the Tein Stech springs plus our MP3 struts with the lip I have had no problems scraping my lip. But with any lowering of a car that has ground effects on it. You should be careful not to damage them. Here is a pic of my car at Nopi.http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/p18a1b7646dc22cedb7e0f0bd503ccdd5/faffdc13.jpg

HOLY!! :eek: Look at how LOW its sitting on the ground!

and you've had no problems with scraping your lip?!

plus you have the CF version lip with the CF on the bottom so your lip wont be cracked as easily....i have the fibreglass version... so one good bump... and the lip is GONE... :(

[NCMP3]

Understand I am in the grass man. Its not that low when you are on concrete.

[INiTiAL33]

Originally posted by NCMP3
Understand I am in the grass man. Its not that low when you are on concrete.

do you have other pictures with your ride on concrete?



and i think the CF factor is really importnt.... because your lip can obviously withstand more scraping than mine...

Hmmm...... should i sell my lip and see if anyone is selling the CF version one?..

[NCMP3]

Not right now initial I will try to get some for you asap.

[INiTiAL33]

Originally posted by NCMP3
Not right now initial I will try to get some for you asap.


thanks bro.

[digitalricepape]

id liek to see it too :0

[NCMP3]

A friend of mine has a pic of my car from the side on the concrete She is gunna post it as soon as she can.

Hey digital where you from in Orange county?

[NCMP3]

Here is one I will try to get a clearer pic soon.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/pc7f95cfd91ac66ec58b0cfdf86fab7a9/faef7e4e.jpg

[NCMP3]

Another,

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/pa81adbc4bfaee1024e57a139172e3580/fb03cab0.jpg

[KYMP5]

carbon fiber will break with one good bump, trust me. i did it. ive had to repair my lip twice.

[ahb11m]

carbon fibre will break like a dinner plate!!! - thats why they don't make specs out of it anymore!!!

use fibre glass!! it flexs, unless you have a solidly square lip...

wouldn't it be easy enuff to just remove the lip in winter??

also other thing, why can't you drive diagonally across speed humps?? it works wonders for me!! - try driving a car that has a ride height of 2 inches... it don't happen, it has to go diagonal...

[mopiko]

Driving diagonally acroos speed humps works fine for me 85%, but sometimes you really can't do it... for me, I'm through with the drop and the lip, the TEIN S-TECH is crying for a new shock if I don't loose the spring soon, and my lip is as busted up as it can get, it's bad to a point I'm planning to get another one altogether cuz the damage is no longer fixable. I'm thinking the urthene which might be more durable than fiberglass or CF. I'm definitely putting back my stock springs this time.

[INiTiAL33]

Originally posted by mopiko
Driving diagonally acroos speed humps works fine for me 85%, but sometimes you really can't do it... for me, I'm through with the drop and the lip, the TEIN S-TECH is crying for a new shock if I don't loose the spring soon, and my lip is as busted up as it can get, it's bad to a point I'm planning to get another one altogether cuz the damage is no longer fixable. I'm thinking the urthene which might be more durable than fiberglass or CF. I'm definitely putting back my stock springs this time.

see? these are the horror stories that im envisoning myself getting into if i lower with the lip :(


so out of all those springs... the H&Rs drop the least... 1.3" F&R.... i think if i m gonna drop i'll go with the H&Rs...

but after doing some research on the H&Rs ehy seem like really STIFF springs.... ppl said your really feel the road after.......

so this is such a dilema..... i want the drop of the H&Rs but i want something close to stock ride comfort....

[mopiko]

TEIN will give you the original ride comfort you are looking for, however I'm noticed the back is bumpier than the front, maybe I got a bad spring but i feel like the spring is working the shock a little bit too much.

But lowering a vehicle, no matter what kind of springs or shocks you got, will change the bounce characteristic of the suspension so you will feel the road more than stock, that's expected because of the shortened length of spring shock travel, some springs has a strong load and spring rate than the others, some manufactures publish these numbers, TEIN S-TECH springs have 3.3 and 2.6 front and back respecitively I think, but don't expect a soft extra comfy ride with lowering springs.