[arathol]

This will be a build I'm following. You should not fear lowering. I'm sure your gravel roads there are better than the supposedly paved ones where I live.
Check out these Euro OE Springs for the Petrol M3. PN: 4100-77-974.
Eibach Lowering suspension kit for Petrol Vehicles - 4100-77-974

This ↑ ↑

My car is lowered 1.1" in front, 1.8" in the rear, and overall its almost .5" lower due to tire size on top of that. There is still plenty of clearance and the front will clear parking curbs etc. Unless you are driving on unimproved logging roads or something similar, lowering an inch give or take would not be an issue.

 

[arathol]

Not in the cards at this time, but new decks come up every now and then.
As all modders know, never say never!"

 

[arathol]

for the skyactive badge, is there holes behind it?

No, no holes for that or the 3 badge. On the hatchback models, the holes are behind the Mazda badge and the center emblem.

 

[arathol]

Links are broken/wrong, just FYI :nerd:

Yup, 404 Page not found......

 

[arathol]

There are also these OEM Mazda mats that are a direct replacement:
Mazda 3 Skyactiv 2014-2017 OEM Black All Weather Rubber Floor Mats 0000-8B-L82 | eBay

2014-2016 MAZDA 3 HATCHBACK OEM RUBBER TRUNK CARGO TRAY ( 0000-8S-L04 )

 

[arathol]

Interested on your thoughts after you install the Progress bar with stock ride height.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

Made a noticeable difference on my car, even before lowering. Just FYI the sway bar will work the same at any ride height as long as you have used adjustable end links to compensate for the differences in geometry.

 

[arathol]

Was planning on Moog endlinks, not adjustable. At stock ride height it should be fine no?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

Should be ok as long as they are the same length as the OEM parts.

 

[arathol]

Love my Progress rear sway bar. It is set on the "softer" of the two settings. Drove it super spiritedly on an isolated, very-curvy country road yesterday afternoon and it a better handling vehicle.

It has less body roll for sure, and less understeer. As @arathol accurately noted in an earlier post, "Less understeer means more front grip, so the car will be faster and more stable in the corners.""

Definitely a nice handling upgrade. Now waiting for the arrival of my strut tower brace

You need to try it on the stiffer setting. Its even better.:smile2:

 

[arathol]

Good questions @rtware923! I had originally also ordered the cable bracket bushings that also go into the engine compartment also -- especially since the install of them has a major amount of install steps identical to the short shift lever, but for two reasons I decided to cancel the CB bushings, and get the shift lever in now.

The two reasons were that the cable bushings were backordered 2-3 weeks, and also, as several others have posted, on a brand new vehicle (mine now has only 700 miles since it spent most of its first six weeks in the garage being modded), there is no wear, and no slop on the factory bushings.

Perhaps later? But right now, I do not perceive any need for them. (And if I later decide to install the CB bushings, now I know exactly how to do the dissemble steps to get to them -- and as with all mods, getting into a place a second time takes much, much less time than the first one.)

I installed the JBR kit but I replaced the rubber bushings. The oem parts were still new but it I thought that since it was apart anyhow might as well put them in. No sense it taking it all apart twice, as the originals are just rubber and will degrade soon enough.
I put mine on the 40% hole, but at some point soon the shift lever will be a bit longer so hopefully it will break even. :smile2:

 

[arathol]

RE: @arathol, your post above which of several weeks ago in response to my noting that my Progress RSB was installed on its softer setting, a question please:

Can you elaborate on your post above, especially in the context that our car is not/will not lowered, has factory 18" wheels, and is never gong to a track. However, like today, it will be driven spiritedly on a series of beautiful, curvy, no traffic, roads?

Thank you very much.

The lower (outermost) setting is good, but the higher (innermost) setting is that much better. OEM rate is ~340 lbs, the Progress bar is 772 and 1015. Being as your car is not lowered and you are on stock springs, the lower setting will still allow some body roll and the car is probably still exhibiting some understeer. Using the higher setting will reign in more of that body roll and tune out a bunch more understeer. I think you will find the difference is almost as much as going from oem to the lower setting on the Progress bar.

 

[arathol]

Thank you @arathol very much for providing very useful information! You are correct that my car's handling improved with the RSB, but still has some understeer/body roll.

Re now my changing its mounting position to the higher/innermost setting, any tips/suggestions/strategies please (never done that before)?

Thanks.

Raise the car on stands and remove the tires for easy access. You don't really need to take off the tires, its just a lot easier that way.
Remove the upper attachment nuts on both sides, relocate the links to the inner position, put the nuts back on, torque to 45 ft/lbs. Easy peasy.:smile2:
Hint: You may need to use a jack to put a bit of upward pressure on the lower control arm to pull the link free from the first side, and to reinstall the link on the last side. Its just easier to line up the hole using the jack than trying to muscle it back in. :smile2:

 

[arathol]

Thank you. As you said tire removal was optional (but probably easier that way), if I can do this without the tires being taken off, would I still need to raise the car on jackstands to let the wheels hang down and take force of the system?

And, please, if jackstands are necessary (which I suspect), can I just use two on the rear or do I need to put the entire car up on four of them?

It is easier if you have both sides in the air and the tires off as you will need access to both ends of the bar to get the holes lined up. You only need the rear elevated. I have done it with the rear up on ramps but its kind of a pain. With adjustable links though it has to be done that way to get the links adjusted with no preload. Fixed length links don't have that issue.
The first side may have some tension on the stud when you remove it. Once you get it out the bar can pivot freely allowing you to remove the other side easily. Installation is the opposite. The first side is easy as the bar is free. The other side may need a bit of help to get the hole aligned.
Its easy and quick, probably takes longer to position the car on the stands than to do the bar. :smile2:

 

[arathol]

Have you given any thought to upgrading your end links? The OEM parts are barely strong enough to handle the 340 lb bar. The ends are held together by those orange plastic bits. A larger sway bar can put tremendous pressure on the endlinks, much more than the factory part is designed for. They have been known to come apart. :surprise:

 

[arathol]

Yeah, I would be a bit skeptical too. The last place you want to ask about issues with a product is the manufacturer. Nobody who wants to keep their job is actually going to admit that the bar can cause issues with the end links as the legal ramifications of doing so are quite significant. If the part were sold with some sort of disclaimer or warning things might be different, but the part is sold as is for use with the OEM end link. I would believe the anecdotal evidence, the people who actually report that the OEM parts can easily be overwhelmed by a stronger bar far sooner than a manufacturer rep.

 

[arathol]

Thanks @GerryB. Did you have a Progress RSB or another brand please on your Mazda 6?

For sure, I will keep alert to this potential issue. Perhaps (I sure do not know), Mazda has upgraded the part since your old 6, perhaps not. I am right now communicating with my dealer's part department on potential new parts, and I will ask them to look it up, to see if/when the part has been changed, and if so when.

From what I have seen, the end links were changed for the 3rd generation Mazda 3. These are the ones that are held together by the four orange plastic tabs.

 

[arathol]

1) I am going to black out the chrome "U" shaped trim under the front grille. By design, there is now not a single "piece of shiny" on its sides nor the rear. I tried four vinyl wrap professionals who said they could cover that grille trim, but when each one saw the car, they backed out. But one way or another, that chrome trim is going away, and right now I am working on a "Plan E" as Plans "A-D" failed. If all goes well, it will be completed within two weeks.

I don't see where this is so difficult that 3 separate "pros" couldn't figure out how to do it. :laugh2:
Actually, the easiest way is to do it yourself. All you need is some 2" painters tape, a handful of last weeks grocery fliers and a can of spray dip. I did mine in a couple hours, and most of that was masking it off and drying time. As long as you make sure the tape is tucked in around the lights and behind any edges it will come out fine. I took my time and did it in several very light applications. The dip I used ended up matching the color of the grill perfectly.
If matte black is not what you want, clear gloss coat is available.:smile2:

 

[arathol]

There are 2 such variants....1 for FL, the other for the pre-FL.

Actually, the two variants are for the BM chassis configuration (Gen 3 up to US model year 2016) and the BN chassis configuration (US model year 2017+).:smile2:

 

[arathol]

Don't know about the aero kits, but all the black trim on my 2016 is sort of a semi gloss black. Rustoleum Flexidip spray is a perfect match for it.

 

[arathol]

so did you just paint the chrome trim pieces? or did you replace it like road trip did?

Taped it all up and sprayed it with Rustoleum Flexidip. Matches the upper trim perfectly.

 

[arathol]

One exhaust vs. two.

Actually, its no exhaust vs two. The sedan does not have exhaust cut outs and the outlets are turned down underneath.