PUNkProtege

ok i now have my money to drop my car i have 400 buck alone for the drop kit so can you send me websites that have drop kits and springs and shocks that go together

and for all those people that own protges that have seen the movie fast and the furious ok i have a question on the fist race theres is a honda delsol that drives up to the side lines and has a kti on it kinda like hydrpolics or airshocks
i wanna know if they have some airshocks or hydros for a protege cause i think i would be cool for me to pull up somewhere and go rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnt and then get out it would be cool

funkdaddysmack

That del sol most likely had air-rods or airbags on it. People have told me that you can do a rod setup on just about any car, for relatively cheap (under 1k) depending on where you get it.

I'm sure that you could get bags or rods on your pro without too much hassle, but to me it sounds like a job I wouldn't want to do myself. I don't really know what the kits consist of other than the actual rods itself and a compressor and air lines. I know a kid who has rods on his talon, and it's really neat.

There are a few bagged maximas on maxima.org, and I doubt that they'd specifically make a kit for the maximas, so it's probably a matter of know-how. Hope this helps.

Protege5online

I can get you H&R, Eibach or Ground control (a few others but I think those are the best) and shocks should be available too.

mazdaspeedwest

the thrust bearings are avaiable from any Ford dealer, although i found SouthWestFord, both faster and friendlier than my local dealers, who didn't even know what the hell i was talking about.

www.oemfordparts.com

they run about $22 for the set of 2.

I've seen alot of bagged rides being in SoCal, and i can say this. If you drive hard or race or whatever, there is a BIG risk in the bags breaking....If you just cruise, no problem.

Oh and be sure to get separate compressors for the bags for that 3 wheel motion

jgoertzen

Are they used to lower the car?

Davard

Thrust bearings are what allows the strut to carry weight AND turn. All of the weight of the front of the car sits on those thrust bearings and when you turn the car, that is what allows the struts to spin.

At least for the 1st-gen Proteges, the thrust bearing is two pieces of plastic that capture a thin Teflon disc. The teflon reduces the friction, but the bearings tend to fall apart under hard use. The ZX-2 bearings are metal (I believe), and should last a lot longer.

I have replaced my thrust bearings about every two years. If I weren't so lazy, I would have done it about every 6 months. They don't hold up very well to the stress of autocrossing. I imagine that the ZX-2 bearings are a bit stronger.

If you want to know if your thrust bearings are worn, listen for a clunking sound when the suspension extends after going over a bump.

purplecar

I have a 90 protege with Weapon*R coil overs.. and bad strut bearings/thrust bearings.. Will the thrust bearings from the ZX-2 fit on my car without modifications? (i assume that thrist bearings and strut bearings are ther same thing?)

Thanks,

Michael

Identity_X

hey Gro,

you have 17" rims and your car is dropped 2" ......
don't the tires rub ??

purplecar

When i call the ford dealership, what year of ZX-2 do i want the strut bearings for?

Thanks again,

Michael

purplecar

I called the ford dealership (2 of them) and the ZX-2 strut bearings differ in price and model number from year to year.. I called on bearings for a 98, just to throw a number out there.. Almost $70 EACH.. So what year did you order? If you have the part number that'd be GREAT!!!! I need to get these before this weekend so i can move my car..

Thanks for your help.

Michael

SLPRprotege

I think he got them from www.oemfordparts.com.

Zombiefreak

What's are the differences between air-rods and air-bags?