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Lower car with without a stiff ride

10K views 36 replies 23 participants last post by  Smovi 
#1 ·
Would like to lower my 17 2.5 touring a little 1- 1.5 inches maybe but want it to ride like stock. Koni fsd look to be a good riding shock but what springs for that SMOOTH stock ride?
 
#3 ·
Eibach is the best spring out on the market out in the market imo. I have owned corksport, racing beat, eibach, and h&r springs mated with bilstein b8s.

Also, I have a set of eibach springs for sale.
 
#9 ·
I see this same question across all forums. No such thing as lowered car with stock ride quality.

I would suggest Eiback on Koni Yellows or Bilstein. If you have the funds, GC/Koni setup for adjustability of getting that ride height that you are trying to achieve.

I wouldnt recommend adding lowering springs to stock shocks. As much as you think the ride quality is going to stay the same, its actually the opposite. Stock shocks are made for the stock ride height. Even an 1 - 1.5" drop will change the geometry of what the shocks are made to do.
 
#10 ·
Actually, you can get a really good ride out of a lowered car but it costs money to do it. The right springs and properly designed dampers will get you there. To do things right would cost probably at least $2k give or take.:surprise:
Not really worth the effort I think though as there is not really any Mazda 3 suspension out there that is in this higher end category. So, it will have to be a custom one-off.
Koni Yellows are more sport oriented and as such you may find them to be a bit stiff. Not a stock ride by any means.
Just get a set of H&Rs to go with those FSDs and enjoy the ride.
 
#11 ·
Lowered cars are so pretty! I hate that wheel gap, seems the German cars have much smaller gaps.
But I also love how my GT hatch is handling bumps and road imperfection, the ride is responsive, yet smooth.
I figure I sit in my car much more than I'll look at it, think I'm just going to leave the suspension alone.
 
#12 ·
I have racing beat springs with koni fsd shocks and the ride is really nice. A few other members on here also have the same set up and can confirm the ride is nicer than stock. I've been hesitant in lowering my car because I did not want to lose the stock ride quality. After reading others with this setup they all liked it so I finally pulled the trigger. I've now gotten rid of the giant wheel gap and improved the ride quality over stock as it feels more smoother than stock suspension.
 
#16 ·
Just put my Eibach ProKit and Koni FSDs on last week (Roughly $900). Ride quality is great. My major concern in dropping was ride quality. Got the wife and kiddo to worry about, and I didn't want a jarring ride.

I am incredibly happy with the end result. The wife didn't even notice anything (and trust me when I say she notices everything!). You'll be please with it:

http://mazda3revolution.com/forums/...nce-interior/193306-chazzy-j-s-3-lowered.html
 
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#20 ·
You should put your car on air. Specifically my old setup that I'm trying to get rid of. Decent ride and lots of flexibility ;)
 
#21 ·
The idea that you cant get a good ride on a dropped car is a bit antiquated. If you put a shorter stiffer spring in and dont touch anything else then yes, its going to be harsh.

Whenever you lower a car you have to correct a couple of things about the geometry. One of the most important is the roll center. Changing the roll center when dropping a car can cause some pretty crappy handling characteristics. People have a tendency to drop a car and think, wow there is no body roll it handles great. Nevermind that the car is dog-legging or having a camber inflection as the suspension cycles.

There are not many cars out there with enough of a following to have the appropriate suspension bits developed to drop them and retain a really nice ride. I can only name a few. Unfortunately the 3 doesnt seem to be one of them. On the up side a set of really nice coilovers will get you close enough that most people wouldnt care to complain about the end result. A good suspension shop can turn you some springs and do some custom valving on some dampers, align everything and leave you with a really nice riding car, but get ready to pay.
 
#22 ·
Changing the roll centers is not really an issue. The problem with lowering is you need to use the right spring rates to keep the car off the bumpstops and you need dampers valved to handle those spring rates. In addition, you need to get the front /rear spring rate differential right. A car with a good stiff but compliant suspension coupled with lowered roll centers will handle way better than anything that came from the factory floor. Its too bad nobody makes a decent suspension upgrade for the Mazda 3. Right now the choices seem to be cheap Chinese Pick-Your-Color ebay crap, expensive European parts that are not a whole lot better than OEM, or do a lot of homework and piece together something yourself.
And, yes, a decent suspension can cost a lot of money. I probably have at least couple grand into the suspension on my MX5 and close to that in the 3 so far. :surprise:
 
#28 ·
Speaking of alignment, after I lowered my car with the koni fsd and racing beat springs, I didn't get an alignment and it's been a few months and few thousand miles already. Car still drives straight just like before. Do I still need an alignment? I totally forgot about getting an alignment :/
 
#34 ·
All this begs the question, what about the new G-Vectoring system? How does changing the suspension effect its ability to add handling performance?
 
#37 ·
I wonder what the 2017 dampers and softer front sway bar bushings would do on my 14 with RB springs and corksport rear sway, was reading about it and wondering.Mazda retuned them with different valves and oil with more friction.They are not available yet that I can see.
 
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