curleydx

hi all, I have a 2000 dx. Does the suspension from a MP3 or P5 work as an upgrade? The parts being springs, sway bars and strut tower brace.

Thanks,

curleydx

Installshield

Any 3rd gen supsension parts will fit for the most part. Some require modificatoins like the MP3 Racing Beat rear sway-bar, but it still can be used...I believe any P5 or MP3 strut bar will fit also, just depends on what color you want from the dealer..Same with springs. The P5's springs will be similar in ride height to your current suspension, and the MP3's will lower it about an inch...

curleydx

thanks for the reply. I will go farther with the questions. Does the springs from mazdaspeed compare with the eibach pro kit? Also, what about the struts: kyb gr2 vs tokikco. Is the kyb a replacement or performance? How do they compare to tokikco? Price and performance. One last question. How about sway bars, I have seen alot of mfg's what size diameter and brands would work well. This car is stock, but I plan on a few mods as my $$$$$ permit.

Installshield

The eibach's are probably the softest aftermarket springs you can go with for a 3rd gen protege, and as Foxy Mazda said you won't loose much ride quality except on the shittiest of bumps. The best matched system you can go with for your car would be either the MSP complete suspension or a complete coil-over setup. The MSP's is not adjustable but the struts damping is valved by Racing Beat to match their springs. I would be it is a stiffer than the Eibach's, but not as stiff as H&R's...The best part is you will have the better struts to prevent your *** from bouncing all over the place...

A number companies make full coil over kits for 3rd gens as well. Tein and JIC seem to be the most common...The Tein SS system will set you back $1,300 and uses far from the companies best damper (Its basically Tein's entry level kit, and the only one available for Protege's currently)...IF you have a few hundred dollars more you can go with JIC-Magic's FLT-A2 coil over system, which has been said to be much better for the money, meaning the increase in performance is more than the $350 charge over the Tein's...pm ARD MP5 if you are more interested in these...

What suspension you want/need depends on the what you plan on doing with it. If you ever want to Auto-X, or get into any kind of racing, the full adjustability of the coil over systems will be your best bet (Particularly the JIC's). You can basically find out more on the ride quality of the MSP by either driving it, or at least reading some reviews of the car. Some mags say it rides like skateboard, others that it is stiff but extremely rewarding...