i'm at 40,000 miles and i am going to do struts and springs and also rotors, pads and ss hoses. i'm leaning toward tokico struts and springs and powerslot rotors and goodridge lines. anyone have any opinions on these products?

 

It would be best to start off with telling us what vehicle you have and what you hope to get out of it.

I own a Protege5 and I am doing a complete MAZDASPEED suspension conversion. The mazdaspeed is currently the king of FWD handling vehicles....that's good enough for me. Also, since I haven't seen any performance numbers for other suspensions pieces I have to still believe that the MSP stuff is still the king. Mazda is VERY picky about their suspension and I'm sure they knew what they were doing. I'm not trying to take anything away from other manufacturers, but the MSP stuff is proven to be the best for a production vehicle....

I can get you everything from the MSP brand new for about $950+shipping. That would be everything for a complete conversion.

 

for starters...go with H&R sport springs with Tokico Blues. its the perfect setup. then go with tha mazdaspeed sway bars, that what im doin next....

 

sorry.. i'm new to the board and wasn't thinking.. i have an '02 pro5. does the mazdaspeed conversion require any other replacement parts beside the obvious struts and springs? i thought that i read somewhere that some other suspension parts needed to be changed as well. i know the MSP drop isn't very substantial and that's what i want. my car is first and foremost a daily driver, it just needs a little help. i'm realatively new to the mazda aftermarket.(i had a monster of a civic before this and just couldn't afford to make it keep up with itself) any help you guys can give me is greatly appreciated.

 

i have a protege 01 lx and i have tokico blues and eibach springs. i love em. also the awr 19mm sway bar and strut tower bar. good stuff.

 

I have the Mazda Speed/Racing beat suspension under my car and love it! This is comprised of Racing Beat Springs and dampers (Eibach and Tockico respectively) and Racing Beat front and rear sway bars, all in conjunstion with the Mazda Speed front strut bar. The car is super responsive, rotates well and on command and is very communicative with what its doing. It is also VERY well damped for every day usage and leaves you enough clearance to still drive without concern of speed bumps etc....With proper tires the car will embarass most things on the public roads in corners...

Its cheap, wont void warranties and is great on the autocross course.

 

Mazdaspeed is the best. However Tokico HP's are VERY similar to the Mazdaspeed struts. They are little cheaper price as i have seen them on ebay for $345 shipped. The Eibachs are good springs especially if you want a drop. If you want more subtle/more performance oriented,the MSP springs are the highest spring rate out there without going to a coilover, in which case Ground Control is the way to go. Unless you want to spend big money on the Tein coilovers which include dampeners. The Mazdaspeed sways are the best out there, although i wouldnt trust them with stock endlinks, they just look way too weak for the stock sway, much less a stiffer one. the Goodridge Lines are supposed to be A-1, although i havent any personal experience. Slotted rotors really won't do much for you performance wise and probably shorten the life of your pads if anything. If you want increases performance from your brakes the sb lines are good, and then probably dump your dot 3 and fill with dot 4, higher boiling point. Only way rotors are going to work better is with some BIGGER ones. More surface area = more stopping power. Plus bigger rotors usually are part of a big brake kit which usually are a 2 piston if not 3 or 4 piston design.

 

Ok, help a newbie here...
I'm having trouble deciding between the Racing Beat springs and the Eibach Pros.
If I got the Eibachs will the lower drop damage the struts? I don't really have the money to replace both springs & struts at the same time but as much as I like the way the car handles in stock form, I'd like something a little stiffer on the turns. I been searching thru threads for the last month but haven't really seen a definitive answer.

 

I have the MSP springs on my stock struts..they are doing ok, for now. Huge improvement over stock. The lowering won't hurt your struts as much as an increased spring rate. The struts really werent designed for that, although mine are holding up just fine. Can't really comment on the Eibachs although I've never heard anything negative. Really it's about the drop. You want more or less ?

 

I've read good things about both, and the Teins, too.
I've seen pics of Pros with RB's and Eibachs, and I like the look of the Eibachs better... I think the Teins would be too low for my taste. Since I'm not planning on adding a body kit, I think the Eibachs would have a more aggressive look without one. I was really concerned about the added stress on the stock struts.

 

Where can you buy all these parts, like the Mazdaspeed stuff?

 

www.mazdastuff.com

 

Do you know if the 2003 anti-sway bars work on 2002 models, mazdastuff says the 2002 bars are no longer available. If they don't work where else can you buy them?

Thanks.

 

Do you know if the 2003 anti-sway bars work on 2002 models, mazdastuff says the 2002 bars are no longer available. If they don't work where else can you buy them?

Thanks.

 

2003 should work on 2002. I think the MSP bars come with a replacement rear subframe (not as intimidating as it sounds, at least not compared to putting in that front bar). And I agree with Macdaddyslomo regarding the different "degrees" of mod-o-fying and what works well together.