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-   3rd Gen Protege/MazdaSpeed/P5/MP3 (https://www.mazda3club.com/3rd-gen-protege-mazdaspeed-p5-mp3-26/)
-   -   Battle Royal: KYB vs Tokico (https://www.mazda3club.com/3rd-gen-protege-mazdaspeed-p5-mp3-26/battle-royal-kyb-vs-tokico-45309/)

JoshP5 June-27th-2007 01:26 PM

1.25"

amrit June-27th-2007 09:40 PM


Originally Posted by JoshP5 (Post 384440)
Tokico HPs will also work with Tein S-Techs, Eibach, Tanabe GF210, H&R Sport springs, and Racing Beat springs. Most of those are about 30% stiffer than stock and drop the car about an inch and a half, except the milder RB which are 20% and 3/4".

I think you forgot to mention Tein H-Techs as well, that's what i currently have with my set of HPs

_Kansei_ June-27th-2007 09:43 PM

^^ and the ride quality is nice on that setup? Very few people ever talk about the H-tech, the s-tech seems much more popular.

edit: just checked, the h-tech springrate seems to be very close to that of the MSP springs so the ride quality on HP struts is probably great.

amrit June-27th-2007 10:30 PM

i can't complain, it's pretty nice!

JoshP5 June-28th-2007 07:17 AM

I didn't mention them because they don't drop the car evenly. An inch up front and nothing in the rear. However, they're linear and the springrates are great.

amrit June-28th-2007 11:55 AM

well you're right about the drop, it's not even but when i installed it i did notice a drop in the rear.

my main concern was not to lower the car but to get a performance upgrade from stock.

JoshP5 June-28th-2007 12:13 PM

I'm doing a mix-and-match drop job on my P5 involving HTech front springs and Racing beat rears. Did all the research so it should work out just right. ;)

gman86 June-30th-2007 01:43 AM

I'm with amrit on this one- going for a suspension upgrade with minimal ride height change. Though I'm sorely tempted by the Tokico package with the struts and springs, even though it'll lower my car by about 1.25 inches. Really though, that's not a significant drop, is it? How does a one inch drop affect handling and ride quality, for those of you who've done it?

KrayzieFox June-30th-2007 01:47 AM

Mine has a 1.5" drop all around and it's not so bad. It does make a difference in ride quality cuz you'll be able to feel the bumps more, but it's not so bad. 1.25" would be even better .. and you'd barely notice the difference. Now you more than likely will notice a much greater improvement in handling however :)

JoshP5 June-30th-2007 08:28 AM

The difference in ride quality comes mostly from the incresed stiffness of the springs and increased strut damping. Ride height affects handling by changing the center of gravity. Suspension geometry is also changed a little (which is why you need an alignment after you get new springs), but that has a nominal effect on ride quality unless you drop more than about 2".

gman86 July-12th-2007 05:09 PM

If my car has a drop in ride height do I have to adjust the camber? Have any of you guys dialed in negative camber for your cars once lowered? I'm not sure how to do this, as the Protege uses a MacPherson strut setup in front, which I think is non-adjustable. I'm hoping a 1.25" drop is negligible as far as camber is affected.

_Kansei_ July-14th-2007 05:49 PM


Originally Posted by gman86 (Post 385938)
If my car has a drop in ride height do I have to adjust the camber? Have any of you guys dialed in negative camber for your cars once lowered? I'm not sure how to do this, as the Protege uses a MacPherson strut setup in front, which I think is non-adjustable. I'm hoping a 1.25" drop is negligible as far as camber is affected.

The front camber is adjustable by rotating the top strut mount. You can basically only change it from 0 to 1 to -1 (at stock ride height).

The multilink (twin trapezoidal link) rear suspension doesn't really mess up the camber when you lower, but the toe will be off (it's passive rear steering) and can drastically affect rear tire wear.

MDLockard August-1st-2007 02:12 PM

Anyone used Tokico HP Blue's with stock springs? Or KYB's with stock springs. Looking to keep the ride height but upgrade the shocks during replacement.

Also, are there any replacement springs that maintain ride height?

JoshP5 August-1st-2007 02:22 PM

I have a set of springs that'll drop the front 3/4" and the rear 1/2" and will pair well with HPs. Any other aftermarket spring set will take you down lower. I can provide pics if you're interested.


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