MiltonOS

for some reason my car when i bought it used had different height shocks/springs in the front than it has in the back with as a result the front being higher than the rear which looks totally awkward, especially with the new tires... it's even more obvious now.. i want to change this in the next weeks and have no clue what to do or where to go..
i would like it a little lower than stock but evenly... front and back the same, leveled... and i don't know where to shop or what to buy.. i've never installed something like this and will probably have someone do it due to lack of space and tools.. but i do want it lowered a bit and be stiff.. i like the sharp handling..

i hope i can get advice from you fellow mazda drivers

thanks!

kargoboy

That is really bizarre.
I <3 my Eibachs. 1.4 front and 1.8 rear. Still the stance is slightly higher in the back.
If you are replacing the struts also Tokico Blues are a nice fit, from what I've read.
I'm still on the stock struts but someday they'll need replacing.

chiefmg

I bought a Tokico HP suspension kit from jdmwerks on eBay. You get all four struts plus springs, I think the most recent price I saw was $465 shipped. I upgraded my sway bars at the same time so can't say how much improvement was just due to the struts/springs, but I love the way my car handles now. It's not too low and has a good stance.

Depending upon where you live you might find someone from here who would be willing to help you. Just ask nicely!

MiltonOS

so what do i have? shocks or struts or springs or what combo of that? all i've seen are shocks with springs around 'm... what do i need to get? it's never been explained to me.. i know it's noob question

KrayzieFox

Shocks and struts are the same thing, and as you said it yourself, the springs go around them. Better shocks will give you improved steering response, braking, ride comfort, and handling overall so it's a good thing to invest money into. Springs can be thought of as the "heart" of the suspension, since that's what really determines if your shocks are doing what they're supposed to be. Since most springs will lower your car that also lowers the car's center of gravity, thus contributing to even better steering, braking, handling, etc. But it will sacrifice your ride comfrot, in most cases at least.

I hope that kinda helps, I'm no expert by any means but that's how it all makes sense in my head.
Now you're probably asking yourself what might be a good brand of shocks, springs, and what the difference between them all. I'll do my best to help out there too.

As far as shocks are concerned, Tokico are best for the money. There's the HP and Illumina series shocks. To make things simple, the Illumina shocks have adjustable stiffness controls, so you can make your car handle better or just simply ride smooth on the highway, whereas the HP shocks are a better & more durable version of your stock shocks. The Illuminas are also close to twice as much money ...

Now for the springs, it kinda depends on what you wanna use your car for and how comfortable you want your ride to be. If you go with the HP shocks, then the Tokico springs wouldn't be a bad combo, as they're engineered to go with those particular shocks and it won't make your ride bounce to the point of destroying your kidneys. If you want a lower ride and better handling, you'll need to sacrifice a little comfort and go with either the Eibach Pro Kit or Tein S-Tech springs. Teins lower your car the most, so the Eibachs are kinda mid-range. Please keep in mind that all of this is just my personal opinion based on what I've read so far, so yet again, I'm by no mean an expert on this.

Since I've already said just about everything I know, I might as well fill ya in on some prices too. Tokico HP shocks will cost you about $350 for all 4, and if you decide to go with Illuminas then you're looking at about $450. Add about $100 for Tokico springs, $180 for Eibachs, and $170 for Teins.

Good luck ...

chiefmg

Our cars have struts with springs all the way around (most modern cars use this form of suspension). Shocks are generally used on the rear axle of rear wheel drive vehicles (and on the front of 4X4s). One simple way to tell the difference is struts are surrounded by their associated spring (more to it than that but that is the basics). The struts/shocks use hydraulics to dampen out movement. Springs help support the weight of the vehicle and help slow the movement of your wheels when you hit a bump, while the struts/shocks act to control the movement of the spring and prevent pogoing. There is a really good website, not sure if I remember it correctly but I think it is called howthingswork.com. You can find better explanations in there for nearly anything (my personal favorite is the section on rotary engines!).

As for the installation, basically you remove the strut assembly from the car. You then have to compress the spring in order to remove the top cap, then you can remove the spring. From there you just assemble your new struts with either the stock springs or your new ones and put the whole unit back on the car. It's actually pretty easy if you have basic skills and a good set of tools. I would highly recommend an air compressor and an impact wrench (at the least) to help get some of the bolts out. If you don't have those you can rent them, or just rent an electric impact wrench.

KrayzieFox

I guess I never knew there was a difference between struts and shocks ... we all learned somethig today

MiltonOS

That is great help guys, thanks a lot. If I understand correctly now, the springs determine ride height, not struts. And when using shorter springs one needs stiffer struts.

I'm not an eBayer. So where can I look for aftermarket parts like the ones mentioned for our Mazda's?

The website you mention is www.howstuffworks.com. They have multiple domainnames and I think howthingswork.com works too. I have actually read their rotary article a long time ago. It's a great site though I forgot about it sort of.

Thanks for making things clear.

KrayzieFox

Unfortunately eBay is going to be your best friend, otherwise protegegarage.com is also a great site. They have a good selection, as well as corksport.com. You can try checking out srmotorsports.com too but they don't have as big of a selection as the previous two. I still say eBay will be your best friend, but I understand why a lot of people don't like it ...