Recommend spring setup

[ksconekiller]

I am looking for recommendations for spring set ups for my 2012 3i sedan. I am going to be using the car mainly as a daily driver, but it will also do 10-12 autocross events each year. The car will be going into a street touring class, so I can use just about any system I want as long as it uses the stock attachment points. My goal for the car is to make it handle as well as possible without sacrificing too much road comfort; I know this will limit the performance, but the car will still be hauling my family on a regular basis and can't be overly stiff. I am also fairly familiar with suspensions in general, but I haven't done much with the Mazda 3 specifically.

The car currently has Racing Beat springs and a JBR rear sway bar. I will be getting a set of 17" wheels and sticky 225mm tires in the spring and was hoping to have my suspension decided by then. Should I just get adjustable Konis for the Racing Beat springs? Should I look into different springs that will make the car lower and stiffer without killing the ride? I would be interested to get opinions from people who have tried different things.


Thanks,
Mike

 

[ksconekiller]

I found information about the Spec R springs from Swift. They look like they will accomplish what I'm after, but they are only listed for the Mazdaspeed 3, not the MZ3 like mine. Since the Speed3 is heavier, I'd be afraid that the springs wouldn't lower my car enough. Thoughts?

 

[Rockin03mp5]

I have heard of people using road magnet 1.25'' springs. Not really any idea on how they ride.

But i have a question for your. Do you have a pic of your car with the racing beat springs installed? I'm curious to see if they get rid of enough of the wheel gap. Also, how do they ride? They say they are 20% stiffer than stock.

 

[ksconekiller]

I know lots of people use the Road Magnets and are happy with them. I have them on my list of possibilities, but they are a progressive rate spring, and I'd rather have a linear spring for performance purposes. I am trying to find out their spring rates to see if they are even worth considering.

I do have some pictures of my car with the Racing Beat springs and will post them when I get home. It lowers the car a noticeable amount but not so far that it takes away from the useable clearance for driveways or bumps. The ride is great, barely different than stock, but the decrease in body lean is nice.

 

[Rockin03mp5]

i had not seen if the road magnets were progressive or their spring rates. Good to know. Just looking at lowering possibilities myself for my future ride.

 

[kchandra]

I looked at the swift spec-R as well, but figured the spring rate will destroy the OEM sedan struts. Since I don't plan to use the car for much else than DD, I am leaning towards the Eibach pro-kits. If you did a Koni yellow/FSD with the Swift Spec-R, I think you should be fine. Call and talk to Brian at Swift USA. Guy will tell you honestly about it.

The RB spring drop sounds like its too little, I would love to see pics tho. Let us (or me) know what you land up doing.

Thanks!

 

[ksconekiller]

Dang, I forgot about this thread. I will get a picture of my car on the RB springs posted.

k, I have considered several spring options like the Pro-Kit, but they all tend to be so soft. In my experience, with a good quality damper, 400-500 pound springs would not be uncomfortable. I just want to get to a point that the car is reasonably comfortable (sports-car firm is okay) but still handles well enough in an autocross environment that I don't get frustrated with it. If I was building the car strictly for performance purposes, I would be looking at coilovers with something like 600-800 pound springs. The car would handle exceptionally well, but normal driving would be brutal. If there is such a thing, lowering springs in the 400-500 pound range that lower the car around 1-1.5" would be great. I would pair them with Konis and camber plates and call it a day. Reality isn't quite that easy...

 

[kchandra]

Dang, I forgot about this thread. I will get a picture of my car on the RB springs posted.

k, I have considered several spring options like the Pro-Kit, but they all tend to be so soft. In my experience, with a good quality damper, 400-500 pound springs would not be uncomfortable. I just want to get to a point that the car is reasonably comfortable (sports-car firm is okay) but still handles well enough in an autocross environment that I don't get frustrated with it. If I was building the car strictly for performance purposes, I would be looking at coilovers with something like 600-800 pound springs. The car would handle exceptionally well, but normal driving would be brutal. If there is such a thing, lowering springs in the 400-500 pound range that lower the car around 1-1.5" would be great. I would pair them with Konis and camber plates and call it a day. Reality isn't quite that easy...

conekiller - Swift Spec-R is the stiffest lowering spring rate wise. Your next option is Koni/Bilstein with coilover sleeves and springs from Ground Control/Eibach. I would contact fatcat motorsports (mazda experts) if I were you. They can help you on your quest with custom bilsteins and spring rates to match. But, you will be close to coilover money.

Else, you may want to do a coilover like KW which is great for street/autox/hpde use. They are built like a tank and don't rust seize etc...

http://www.fatcatmotorsports.com/

 

[ksconekiller]

I would love to go the route of Konis/GC sleeves, but GC doesn't make sleeves for the Mazda 3. If they did, that would probably be my top choice. I need to contact Shaikh at Fat Cat to see what he can do for me, I guess. My main hesitation with lowering springs (as opposed to coilovers) is that they may not lower the car like I want. It would also be nice to corner balance the car a bit.

 

[kchandra]

Yeah, no lowering spring will give you the spring rates of a coilover. One other option is to contact Addco and see if they can make you a set. I am thinking Road Magnet uses Addco to make theirs, you can ask them possibly. I just need some basic lowering and compliant DD ride, so lowering springs are good for me?

Now, where is that pic, dude? I want to see if RB is adequete or if I need to go with Pro-kit. Road Magnet is more money than Pro-kit, so I am leaning Pro-kit at this time. Too bad, there are no swift sport mach springs.

Did you contact Brian at Swift about the MSP3 springs? It may not be a huge difference in height and you could go this route till you decide to go all out..Just saying!

 

[ksconekiller]

I've had a rough couple of days at work, but I have some time off now. So here's that pic I promised. It's pretty bad quality for some reason, but I think it's good enough that you can see.

Measuring to the edge of the wheelwell arch isn't very reliable, so I use the bottom of the pinch weld right behind the front wheel and in front of the rear wheel for all my measurements of ride height. These springs put the car at 5 3/4" at all four pinch welds. So this is lower than stock by about 5/8" in front and 3/4" in the back and levels the car. Compare it to this picture I took right after I bought it in May:

I really like these springs for a daily driver; they are just stiff enough to make a noticeable difference in road feel and sway control and help the car feel more planted, but they are not stiff enough to hurt the ride quality. They also lower the car a bit, which helps with the visual aspect. However, they don't drop the car as much as many people are looking for, and the "even all around" look is not for everyone. If you are wanting a larger drop than these provide, I would recommend the Road Magnet or Pro-Kit springs, but then you may need to look at new shocks as well.

 

[Rockin03mp5]

thanks for the pics.

you really cannot tell the difference unless you are told there is one.