Lowering the 3

D

Dre

Member
I know I said I wasn't going to do anything (other than tinting the windows) to this car but I just can't help myself. No reason in particular. Just mod fever I guess :p

In the spring, I think I'm going to lower it. If you guys see anything out there for the 3 in terms of aftermarket suspension components, please let me know.

Thanks :D
 
Lol, I knew you'd cave :p . I think it's a litle early for aftermarket parts to become available, give it a few months.
 
From what I understand, the 3 & 6 do not have rear struts. The from has control arms, strut & spring setup, while the rear is a multilink, strutless setup with trailing arms & spring. This is cool because when you lower it, you save $200 if you are planning on replacing the struts. For about $400 or so, you can buy a spring set & two new struts. (Besides larger sway bars) Hopfully tokico will not take to long to manufacture new struts. I took them until last month to bring out struts for the protege, which is pretty pathetic concidering it took them 4 years.
 
From what I understand, the rear suspension is like a truck, but that is what gives the 6 such good suspension. I could be wrong though.
 
Ok, I checked out and it does have a shock but it is positioned differently that a typical set up. It allows for more room in the trunk while and is positioned more efficiently for a front engined car. Since most of the weight is in the front of the car, it is set up to utilize the lesser amount of weight and give you better performance. At the Mazda 6 test drive thing, they were fitted with eibachs, and was suprised with the perfomance with the stock strut set-up. So maybe it is not imperetive to replace the struts on the 3 when lowering. I am interested to see what happens.
 
After reading my post, I realized how bad my grammar is, hopefully you understand what I said.
 
Still waiting I talked to them not to long ago on this and the development process has only just began. I will keep you updated. I saw the US model the other day I did not drive it for fear of wanting one. I just got my P5 so I did not want to tempt myself. I like the car, the suspension is very similar to that of the Mazda6. The look of the car is outstanding though.
 
Hey guys..

Does lowering it void the warranty in any way? Or only if there is some sort of problem that develops after with the suspension?
 
The rear suspension is setup just like the 6 and the front suspension mimics the 5. Check www.corksport.com

I think they had lowering springs for the 3 although I remember them being like $395. Ouch
 
babyfacedre said:
Hey guys..

Does lowering it void the warranty in any way? Or only if there is some sort of problem that develops after with the suspension?
Click to expand...

yes it does...You will loose any warranty on the strut/shocks...as well as tire wear issues (uneven scrubbing type issues that normally would be covered)...Depending on the ass'ness of the dealership, they will also argue you with interior noises, any suspension related pieces, and sometimes go as far as driveaxle's and brake problems...

Eibach's are usually good with most stock struts and shocks...That is probably the main reason that the 6 does so well with them...With stiffer springs that lower further, it will fall into the same category as all cars most likely...

Also the 3 is basically a shortened 6, and carries identical suspension design...It does not have a "truck like" rear suspension, being either non independant (cross axle) with leaf springs, or spindle sprung with two alternatively positioned dampeners...It doesn't have any of that...

It is a complex muli link setup, that is best explained by the dude above...It uses non vertically mounted shocks, with springs utilized elsewhere...

The chassis is stiffer than the protege's by 40% I believe...But stock for stock is is said to be softer than a protege...Not much is known yet on how it will respond to modifications...I am now rambling, I apologize...
 
Hold the phone...

Its up to the Dealer to prove whatever you did cause the part to damage or fail, period, end of story.

If your dealer is an a-hole, go elsewhere. If you live in a small town, sucks for you I guess.

Uneven tire wear is the result from people lowering but failing to realign the car. I ran around with 1.5" neg on my R/T and the tires looked fine and wore even better. I drive aggressive, so the extra "bite" in the corners from the camber was good, plus it allowed full contact with the pavement at the strip (rear chassis drop, straighten the tires out...). A plus-plus in my book.

Of course your mileage may very, but if you just "drive" your car, then get the tires set "straight up" and you'll have NO WEAR ISSUES.
 
dj4monie said:
Hold the phone...

Its up to the Dealer to prove whatever you did cause the part to damage or fail, period, end of story.
Click to expand...

And how exactly are you going to convince a dealership that your blown struts were not caused by the aftermarket springs?...

You WILL loose any alignment or tire wear WARRANTIES with the installation of aftermarket springs...That was what I was referring to...Not that you will have uneven tire wear with a proper spring install...

Also, in some cases you can keep the alignment coverage if you have the dealership install the aftermarket pieces...but it won't cover any problems with the struts in the future...
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Mr.Ivan
2011 Mazda3 window failure one by one...
Replies
4
Views
2K
edmaz
E
J
2010 Mazda3 blower issue
Replies
3
Views
1K
Jacob1986
J
D
Has anyone been able to cancel the "scam" prepaid maintenance from the dealer?
Replies
9
Views
2K
ritrev1
R

Latest posts

Back