[mzda3Jasper]

Hello, this is my first post so i apologize if its against any rules or anything like that.
However i just recently got a 07 mazda3 2.3L hb and the guy before me had replaced the old springs with the cheapest lowering springs on ebay. Its dropped about 2 inches or so. Basically my goal with this car is similar to everyone else's i want to slam it down and have it with some nice camber and be able to still drive it as my daily. ive been thinking about getting new wheels and maybe spacers considering its already on springs. Ive talked to a few mazda3 owners through instagram and they're recommending coilovers. Im not going to be using this car for the track or anything so ive just been looking at the raceland Primo dampening coils and i was going to order camber arms aswell. i dont have different wheels yet to throw on once i lower it but i just want to make sure this would be the best option for me, or just go with the wheel and spacer idea. Any suggestions/help is appreciated. and i know the raceland coils arent the best but like i said i wont be driving hard on it just wanting something affordable. i will put a picture of how its sitting now aswell. its not the best pic but just to give an idea.

 

[arathol]

Hello, this is my first post so i apologize if its against any rules or anything like that.
However i just recently got a 07 mazda3 2.3L hb and the guy before me had replaced the old springs with the cheapest lowering springs on ebay. Its dropped about 2 inches or so. Basically my goal with this car is similar to everyone else's i want to slam it down and have it with some nice camber and be able to still drive it as my daily. ive been thinking about getting new wheels and maybe spacers considering its already on springs. Ive talked to a few mazda3 owners through instagram and they're recommending coilovers. Im not going to be using this car for the track or anything so ive just been looking at the raceland Primo dampening coils and i was going to order camber arms aswell. i dont have different wheels yet to throw on once i lower it but i just want to make sure this would be the best option for me, or just go with the wheel and spacer idea. Any suggestions/help is appreciated. and i know the raceland coils arent the best but like i said i wont be driving hard on it just wanting something affordable. i will put a picture of how its sitting now aswell. its not the best pic but just to give an idea.

Slamming a car down and adding a bunch of camber isn't everyones goal..
What you are going to do is replace cheap Ebay springs with cheaper Riceland coilovers. Do yourself a favor - if you are going to replace the springs in your only car, get quality parts, do it once, and do it right. Going real low with a lot of camber makes for a not so fun driving experience and is hard on the car. Might look cool and all that but the car will handle poorly and ride like crap. Instead of following people on Instagram, start doing some research on how lowering affects your car, how it changes the roll centers and center of gravity, how it alters the way the suspension works, and how these changes can make or break how your car performs.

 

[JoeMini]

If you live in snow country i would not slam it unless its only summer driven only . Like Arathol mentioned ...lowering is one thing slamming with crazy camber is another...forget abbout driving it fast ... its slow for show. Im in snow country and lowered front 2.5 and find i have to be super carfull with pot holes , bumps, speed bumps and ice chunks off of trucks. Hence why i am moving to coilovers so i can raise it in the winter and drop it in the summer.

 

[mzda3Jasper]

Slamming a car down and adding a bunch of camber isn't everyones goal..
What you are going to do is replace cheap Ebay springs with cheaper Riceland coilovers. Do yourself a favor - if you are going to replace the springs in your only car, get quality parts, do it once, and do it right. Going real low with a lot of camber makes for a not so fun driving experience and is hard on the car. Might look cool and all that but the car will handle poorly and ride like crap. Instead of following people on Instagram, start doing some research on how lowering affects your car, how it changes the roll centers and center of gravity, how it alters the way the suspension works, and how these changes can make or break how your car performs.

I understand that forsure. I would be happy just getting different wheels and having it sit how it does now. I’m just seeing if it is worth it to do the upgrade or if I shou

If you live in snow country i would not slam it unless its only summer driven only . Like Arathol mentioned ...lowering is one thing slamming with crazy camber is another...forget abbout driving it fast ... its slow for show. Im in snow country and lowered front 2.5 and find i have to be super carfull with pot holes , bumps, speed bumps and ice chunks off of trucks. Hence why i am moving to coilovers so i can raise it in the winter and drop it in the summer.

I live in Colorado so I definitely understand. However I do have other vehicles that are better for winter. I’m not going to go crazy with camber. I would be happy having a little bit with some nice wheels. Just wanted to make sure it would be worth the upgrade to coils rather than keeping it on these springs. And I was kinda thinking the same about raising it in winter and lowering it in summer. Basically I was considering getting wheels and spacers and keeping it on the springs, or just doing the safer route and going to coils. It’s already dropped about 2 inches.

 

[mzda3Jasper]

Sorry didn’t realize the copy of the other reply is in there too but I’m sorta replying to both^

 

[CerealKiller]

Unfortunately, there is no easy fix for this. You will probably be better off getting a good quality set of lowering springs and struts/dampers.

H&R and Eibach make great springs for your ride. Koni makes great struts/dampers and they even have a full lowering kit available.

Koni® - 0.8" x 0.8" 1125 STR.T Front and Rear Lowering Kit

1125 STR.T Front and Rear Lowering Kit with 0.8" Front and 0.8" Rear Body Drop by Koni®. Quantity: Sold as a Kit. If you want to take the overall operation of your vehicle to the next level, go with this Koni product made with innovation from top-quality raw materials. Koni 1125-1039

www.carid.com

CK

 

[mzda3Jasper]

Unfortunately, there is no easy fix for this. You will probably be better off getting a good quality set of lowering springs and struts/dampers.

H&R and Eibach make great springs for your ride. Koni makes great struts/dampers and they even have a full lowering kit available.

Koni® - 0.8" x 0.8" 1125 STR.T Front and Rear Lowering Kit

1125 STR.T Front and Rear Lowering Kit with 0.8" Front and 0.8" Rear Body Drop by Koni®. Quantity: Sold as a Kit. If you want to take the overall operation of your vehicle to the next level, go with this Koni product made with innovation from top-quality raw materials. Koni 1125-1039

www.carid.com

CK

the Raceland coils are just a little cheaper and I’ve seen a good amount of reviews saying they are decent. even these $78 springs that are on it right now don’t feel too bad. I’m sure they’re not the best quality but I’d at least want to replace it with something I can have a similar ride height i have now or lower. I feel as if I’m buying new springs then I should just keep the ones I have on it till they’re actually bad.

 

[mzda3Jasper]

I would maybe consider the Ksport coils on carid

 

[arathol]

the Raceland coils are just a little cheaper and I’ve seen a good amount of reviews saying they are decent. even these $78 springs that are on it right now don’t feel too bad. I’m sure they’re not the best quality but I’d at least want to replace it with something I can have a similar ride height i have now or lower. I feel as if I’m buying new springs then I should just keep the ones I have on it till they’re actually bad.

I would maybe consider the Ksport coils on carid

You get what you pay for....Ricelands are junk. The dampers don't last long, the springs are known to sag in a short time, and the ones with adjustable length tubes are the worst. Like I said - do it once, do it right. Otherwise, in a few months you'll be buying more new parts and the cheap stuff will end up costing you twice as much as one decent set. In addition, if you want decent quality coilovers that ride and handle well, expect to pay well over $1k, closer to 2k. A good set of springs is less than $300. You don't want to go any lower than what you have now. Do some research on sites other than where ricers hang out too...you won't get much good advice there....

 

[mzda3Jasper]

You guys probably are right. I’m going to look into getting a better set of springs, then I’ll look for some wheels and it should be pretty decent after that. While I’m here any advice on using spacers? Would you use them or try to stay away from them?

 

[CerealKiller]

I have 5mm spacers on all four corners with H&R springs, Koni Special Active struts/dampers, HardRace adjustable end links, and bump stops from 5x Racing (Mazdaspeed 3 kit).

The ride is firm and agressive, but smooth enough for a DD that hauls kids and runs family errands..
CK

 

[arathol]

Best bet on spacers is get a set of wheels first. When you order the wheels get them with the offset you want, that way you don't need to use spacers. If you want more offset, +40mm is usually good if you want to avoid issues. Do the springs before you do the wheels though, that way you have some idea of what you can get away with on wheel size.