Help Me Decide on Stiffer Suspension, Plz?

I ordered OEM ones and Mazda sent me the wrong ones (they're orange and a tad longer than the OE ones...probably for a Mazda3), but they fit, so I'm running them. Haha.

I don't think you'll be too high in the rear. Even if they seem too high at first... Give them a month and I guarantee they'll settle a good amount.

However I think it's almost a guarantee that you'll be maybe 3/4" lower in the front with those 6" springs even at the highest position.

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You're talking about the rear bumpstops? I think they're equivalent to GC's soft/progressive type. What about the front ones you use? I'm currently on the GC firm ones designed for struts (the second from the left here:http://www.ground-control-store.com/products/description.php/II=10 ). Maybe using the soft strut variety would make hitting the front bumpstops not so jarring? Hmmmm.....

 

I'm talking about the fronts. The ones Mazda sent me were wrong, although they were labeled with the correct part number. Probably just a simple mix-up. They still fit fine. I always reuse the rears. So far mine have held up fine.

 

Well, install's getting closer. Thanks, @VTMongoose , for recommending these:

Ordered. I've already replaced the front strut mounts with OEM ones when I did the Swifts/Konis/Bilsteins, and they seem to be holding up very well--no noises at all. If they go bad, I may try those new FoST mounts/bearings that people have been raving about (cost less/supposedly much better design/fit with no issues). I also ordered some GC front soft/progressive strut bump stops. I'm currently on their firm ones, but they recommend the soft/progressives for their coilover kit.

Now, the only thing left to consider is whether or not to corner-weight. I'm leaning toward not at this point, since it's still my DD. Rather, I think a good goal is setting the height where the fronts are the same, and the rears are the same. Besides, when I transition the car to weekend warrior, look at revalving, stiffer springs, etc., that'd be the time to do the corner-weighing because it's a performance variable. Besides, not having to spend a couple hundred bucks twice is nice.

@phate , @ConeKiller , @Nliiitend1 have any recommendations about initial setup? I figured I'd just start with a 0.75" drop (from stock height) at all 4 corners. That should be suitable for DD-duty, no? Or am I forgetting something that should impact my initial settings, like maybe having the front/driver side a tad higher to offset my weight, etc? I'm also considering whether or not to go from the middle to the softest setting on my JBR 125 RSB. I definitely don't want a tail-happy DD. The increased rear springrate will effectively perform some of the RSB's job. But since I'm going up in front springrate too, I figure keeping it as-is initially is a good idea.

 

Unless you are going to have a shop do the install and balance, don't worry about corner balancing your car yet. You will have enough to worry about with setting ride height, adjusting your dampers, and getting used to the stiffer springs. Also for now don't worry about raising the front driver side. I haven't read all of your thread but I would recommend adjustable endlinks for the front. The OEM endlinks in the rear are fine and can be set with some washers of varying thickness.

 

I'm already dropped on my Swift setup. And I'm going to the same race/track support shop I went to the first time. I don't have the time/ability to do this in an apartment parking lot. Also, the front endlinks won't be needed. Stock ones are fine at my current 1.1-1.2" drop with the Swifts, and at most I'll be that low. I'll actually probably end up setting my ride height higher than that, so it shouldn't be an issue.

 

The front endlinks are for taking preload off of the front sway bar. Something you may or may not need to do when you install your coil overs, but definitely need to take care off if you corner balance.

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll ask Texas Track Works what they think - whether or not I need shorter front endlinks. Aren't some BMW ones an option, IIRC?
I trust their guidance on all-things-suspension since they specialize in that area and do all sorts of setups and track support virtually every week. They know suspension inside/out, and are constantly working on vehicles ranging from DD to full-on racing all day everyday.

 

The "BMW" endlinks are good for KW and H&R coil overs (maybe a couple more) since they move the endlinks tab lower on the strut body to make more room for height adjustment/perch threads.

If you are using modified stock fit bilsteins you may not need shorter endlinks, just adjustable ones.

Best way to tell is to measure the knuckle mount to the endlinks tab on a stock setup and then measure your struts and see if there is a delta.

 

I'll be on Koni Yellows on all 4 corners. I already have Koni Yellow front struts and have had no issues with the front endlinks so far.

 

Install scheduled for next Wednesday! Just out of curiosity, I measured the height from the bottom of each wheel's center-cap to the fender. Two came in a 14.75" and two came in at 14.625". Man, these Swift springs are awesome in terms of consistency! I'll probably have the coilovers initially set at 15" at all 4 corners. They'll do an initial alignment, I'll drive around for several hundred miles to let everything settle/get a feel for things, then I'll take it back for the final touch-up alignment.

Be on the lookout for some awesome Swift springs in the F/S section soon! They fit both Won's and Pu's, and FWIH, they're the best all-around performance springs for our platform for several reasons. I definitely loved them for DD'ing. I'm just making progressive steps toward retiring to Weekend Warrior/Track Duty one day, so I need the ability to run stiffer springs, which this GC kit offers.

 

i need swift springs in my life. and new struts / shocks. but mostly swift springs.

 

F/S should be up in the middle of next week. Keep an eye out. Since They're normally ~$320 new (http://edgeautosport.com/swift-sport-springs-spec-r-mazdaspeed-3-2007-2013/), I'm thinking $200 + shipping cost is a good deal. They only have ~20k miles and perform like brand-new.

 

sounds good, i'm in Houston, maybe shipping won't be too bad from Euless. i also need to donate so i can see the for sale section.

 

all donated and ready to hit the dibs button...

 

If you're not going to corner-balance the car, just set the ride height to be reasonably even (side-to side, and with no rake). Don't over-think it.

 

Don't hate the rake bruh

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Keeps more weight on the front wheels for traction, right?

 

Install today went great! Too soon to give any intensive impressions; I need to live with it longer, let the springs settle, and get the follow-up alignment/adjustment after settling, which I'll give a few hundred miles. Initial impression is that it feels great, though. Fronts 1.25 turns from full stiff; rears 3/4 turn from full soft.

I was talking with the guys there about my future plans to maybe go stiffer one day and go back to Bilsteins because they supposedly have more places to revalve, reputation, etc. He steered me VERY STRONGLY away from this, and said to keep the Yellows and revalve them instead (which, he mentioned, is much easier to do and much more likely to get the results you want with the first try). He even mentioned the name of a local place that can do it that they use all the time and does excellent work. I know TTW aren't Koni fanbois; they run lots of Bilsteins and much higher-end stuff too, like Ohlins, so brand-loyalty is a non-issue. All of the DFW guys vouch for them too - awesome race shop. I fully trust ease of getting the dampers dialed in quickly and excellently was their primary motivation in their recommendation.

This was all done at Texas Track Works (TTW) and I trust them as much as anyone I've ever spoken with regarding suspension. They are at tracks doing tracking setup/support/adjustment literally like every weekend all year long and know suspension stuff better than any group I've ever met in person, so their opinion goes very far with me.

I'm sitting between 15-15.25" (from bottom of center cap to wheel arch) on all four corners, so ~0.5" higher than on the Swifts. The fronts can go much lower, but the rears (with 7" springs) are at max low. If they don't settle down to 15" flat, I may look into 6" springs instead. We'll see. Updates to come!

 

Just read the entire thread, great information and I look forward to your updates. In the same boat right now looking for DD and track day suspension. I was originally looking to get Bilstien B16 or KWv3 but now I might build a kit like yours....decisions. Fortunately I work at a shop will full access to an alignment machine with corner balancing capabilities.