Reply With QuoteI run them all at 36, but sometimes a few would get down to 30ish....can't remember which ones.
Yeah, definately need an alignment. Also how much air was in that tire. I run a zero toe alignment to minimize wear and maybe gain a few mpgs in the long run. Still tracks straight and I haven't had any issues in the 5 years that I've been doing it.
I run them all at 36, but sometimes a few would get down to 30ish....can't remember which ones.
Warburrito
03 Protege5 manual (blue) - just bought in April 2015...mods to come
01 Protege ES manual (tan) - SELLING with over 247k miles and still running -Custom CAI, Mazdapeed lowering springs, Nitto Motivos (best tires ever) on Mazda6 rims w spacers and longer bolts to fit
93 Ford Probe GT manual (silver) - SOLD with over 200k miles and was still running - Fisk Phantom tires on stock rims, best year for PGT as interior design was way better and car was lighter with only drivers side airbag and no reinforcements in the doors
94 Ford Probe GT manual (black) - SOLD with over 200k miles and was still running
New slave cylinder installed and I'm back on the road. Researched tire wear patterns and confirmed its most likely alignment issues. The cupping can be caused by a bad shock too, but could be bad toe settings. Inside wear is bad toe settings too. I have some work cut out for me after this Disney vacation in a few weeks.
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Luckily, before I paid for an alignment I realized the bushings on my driver's side trailing arm were completely shot. That's probably what caused the tire wear in the pictures below. For $97 I ordered some Megan Racing ones with upgraded bushings - model MRS-MZ-1022. Hopefully they'll arrive soon so I can prevent this from happening to my new tires.
I have had the P2009 and P0660 errors recently which I thought meant the VTCS vacuum solenoid on my IM was going bad. I tried the BaiFM K5T49090 unit instead of the Dorman 911-707 because it was only $12 on Amazon. My check engine light was still coming on so I swapped it over to the VICS position and no more check engine lights. Since my VICS system was having issues I may see my FE go up. I plan on removing my VTCS system later on, but I'll need a weekend free to do it right with a good P&P. I might even paint and bake it like my calipers which'll add even more down time.
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I'm the worst mechanic...couldn't get my trailing arm off to replace so I'm gonna have to have the shop do it. Soaked with PB for days and used my electric impact but the front bolt wouldn't budge.
On a more positive note...even with the larger, heavier rims, a busted trailing arm, and running AC about half the time I still got 31.42 mpg on my last tank! I was really worried these rims would kill my FE but I guess not.
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Originally Posted by Warburrito
Luckily, before I paid for an alignment I realized the bushings on my driver's side trailing arm were completely shot. That's probably what caused the tire wear in the pictures below. For $97 I ordered some Megan Racing ones with upgraded bushings - model MRS-MZ-1022. Hopefully they'll arrive soon so I can prevent this from happening to my new tires.
Those tire pics make me dizzy they are so wonky!
Mazda's I have owned over the years. (boom07)
80' Mazda GLC SPORT MT - sold
81' Mazda 626 DX MT - sold
81' Mazda 626 LX AT - sold
82' Mazda 626 DX MT - sold
82' Mazda 626 LX AT - sold
85' Mazda 626 LX MT - sold
87' Mazda 626 GT Turbo MT - sold
85' Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE MT- sold
87' Mazda RX-7 Turbo 2 MT - sold
91' Mazda Protege LX MT - sold
92' Mazda MX-5 Miata MT - sold
93' Mazda MX-3 GS-V6 Special Edition MT - sold
00' Mazda 626 LX-V6 MT - sold
02.5' Mazda Protege5 MT - sold
92' Mazda MX-5 Miata MT - sold
06' Mazda 5 Touring AT - sold
13' Mazda CX-5 Touring AT - sold
14' Mazda 3i Grand Touring MT - sold
15' Mazda CX-5 Touring AWD AT - sold
03' Mazda Protege5 AT - sold
09' Mazda Mazdaspeed3 GT - sold
16.5' Mazda CX-5 Touring AWD AT - current
Get yourself a big breaker bar with a three foot handle and some six point sockets.
I've got an electric impact too but nothing delivers more torque than reefing it by hand.
The Diagram Dude
Thanks for the suggestion PCB. I ordered a 39" 3/4 breaker bar and socket and it should arrive today.
Does anyone know if there's any reason I can't swap these Megan trailing arms so that the flat side faces the outside of the car instead of the cutout side? I think that would look a lot better.
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Just a bit of an FYI (although you'd probably figure it out)
You probably won't have much room to move the handle under the car and being as the bar doesn't ratchet, you can pull your socket off and rotate it 1/4 turn until the handle is where you need it.
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So you're really saying I should use a poor man's lift by laying 2 wooden boards across a ditch, driving across, then removing the boards to work underneath?
Just Kidding! Thanks for the tip, I hadn't thought about the 1/4 turn but it makes sense.
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That's how I worked on my last ride !!
I didn't bother with the wood though....
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MEGAN RACING TRAILING ARMS
The Megan Racing MRS-MZ-1022 trailing arms showed up last week and after a HUGE hassle removing the old ones I got them installed. I heard the Megan arms have a tendency to rust so I filled the corners with hot glue (all my silicone was dried out), gave them a light sanding, and applied a few coats of clear before installing them. I thought they looked better with the flat side facing out so that's how I mounted them, even though it makes the badging sit upside down. If there's some reason this will destroy my car in the future please let me know, but it seems harmless enough. Does anyone know how to Photoshop rust out of pictures?
I also picked up 2 additional Mazda6 rims last Friday for $35 a piece, just in case any get bent in the future. Its Indiana...all rims have a limited lifespan with the mammoth-sized potholes everywhere. I think the dirt roads in Latvia are better maintained. When I go for an alignment I'm also gonna have them re-balance the wheels. I'd like to be prepared if they find any issues. If not I'm set for the future.
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ain't that the truth. my wife's rims got bent because our neighborhood roads were under construction for about a year and a half.
I think I would go for the MSP ECU, higher octane fuel is more efficient depending on how you drive. the extra premium for the better fuel will pay itself off with more power and efficiency.
your car is manual, correct?
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