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**kbrew8991** · 11-09-2011, 12:54 PM

Upgrading springs without touching the shocks isn't the way to go - unless you like uncontrolled bouncing and such. If you can't touch the shocks for some reason (budget, rules, whatever) but want to reduce body roll try swaybars instead.

If you do really feel like springs are the way you want to go - to maintain a good smooth ride quality and control please upgrade the shocks to match. It's this mis-match in springs vs shocks that cause ride issues, control issues, etc. OEM shocks are usually selected by whomever submits the lowest bid that will still work just barely good enough to get people to buy the car. Great strides in ride quality and handling can be found simply by upgrading the shocks alone without touching the springs or swaybars Smile

Note that starting next year SCCA will let you change one swaybar (front or rear, but not both) for stock classes. I'd recommend if you're on a budget but want to be competitive to try and keep your car stock class legal. Minimal money in mods (swaybar, shocks being the big things), second set of wheels with sticky race tires, and go drive the wheels off of it thumbsup

wrc_fan · 11-09-2011, 12:57 PM

What Zach says, plus "slamming" the car for autox will not always lead to the best handling, especially on a macstrut car like the 3.

Justin · 11-09-2011, 02:22 PM

(11-09-2011 08:36 AM)Chill2008 Wrote: Setup target - Brands
Mild - Racing Beat springs and sways, Koni FSD shocks
Medium - Mazdaspeed Acc. springs, Cobb sways, and Koni Yellow shocks
Hot - Tein S-Tech springs, Hotchkis sways, and Bilstein shocks
Hotter - BC coilovers, JBR sways
Wild - Mazdaspeed Acc./KW3 coilovers, Tri-point sways
Racecar - super high spring rates (600-1000 lbs.), no front bar and huge rear bar, AWR strut housings, custom valved Koni SAs

Beautiful response. Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll definitely be doing a little more research before jumping into modding after all this. I didn't really take into consideration what other events I might race in in the future and classes but that is something I need to think about. And no, I have no rules for what I can and can't do to my car, just needed good advice which I am getting/have received. Thanks!

***jedimario*** · 11-09-2011, 02:34 PM

Yeah, I've seen some cars at SCCA autocrosses that had been "tuned" or whatever because the owner just threw whatever piece of junk on there would give them street cred yo. They pretty much got destroyed. You don't want to end up like them, even if your modding intentions were quite different Lol

dave99rt · (This post was last modified: 11-09-2011 04:06 PM by dave99rt.)

(11-09-2011 02:22 PM)Justin Wrote:
(11-09-2011 08:36 AM)Chill2008 Wrote: Setup target - Brands
Mild - Racing Beat springs and sways, Koni FSD shocks
Medium - Mazdaspeed Acc. springs, Cobb sways, and Koni Yellow shocks
Hot - Tein S-Tech springs, Hotchkis sways, and Bilstein shocks
Hotter - BC coilovers, JBR sways
Wild - Mazdaspeed Acc./KW3 coilovers, Tri-point sways
Racecar - super high spring rates (600-1000 lbs.), no front bar and huge rear bar, AWR strut housings, custom valved Koni SAs

Beautiful response. Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll definitely be doing a little more research before jumping into modding after all this. I didn't really take into consideration what other events I might race in in the future and classes but that is something I need to think about. And no, I have no rules for what I can and can't do to my car, just needed good advice which I am getting/have received. Thanks!

i'd be very hesitant to rank BC's above Konis or Bilsteins.
i'd have to see which models Bilsteins to consider them above Konis.

Tein springs? no thanks..

zps2004 · 11-09-2011, 05:12 PM

As Ken said, and I say all of the time shocks are they key.

You can't really go wrong with Koni yellows for shocks. Then I would add some sway bars for the stock class rules with SCCA plus this will give the best ride for the performance. Then do some ground controls.

Chill2008 · (This post was last modified: 11-09-2011 05:43 PM by Chill2008.)

(11-09-2011 02:22 PM)Justin Wrote: I'll definitely be doing a little more research before jumping into modding after all this. I didn't really take into consideration what other events I might race in in the future and classes but that is something I need to think about.

I think I've mentioned before but I don't remember so excuse me if I repeat myself. Mazda3forums.com, Mazdas247.com, and Mazdaspeedforums.org are large communities of 3 owners with good info on the modding subject. The "Solo" tab on SCCA.com will lead you to autocross rules for SCCA that everyone is talking about. New 2012 rulebook will be released soon.

All these guys are genuinely trying to help. They are all seasoned racers and are giving good advice, even if they come accross as a little opinionated and pushy. Sounds like you are approaching this the right way. Seeking advice, listening to it, gathering all the info, evaluating the options, and then making a decision for you.

straight four · 11-09-2011, 08:10 PM

Dont listen to me on mazda 3's I sold mine for a 350z so i could enjoy autoxing then got laid off before the next autox season started... ended up selling it w/o ever getting to see what it could do. Now life and priorities keep me away. Although I might have the wife convinced on getting a c4 and letting me autox that...

I burnt nearly 1/2 of the life off of my tires one autox... (I powered through EVERY corner...)
car was a blast to drive though...

**Mr.Rauq** · 11-09-2011, 09:55 PM

(11-09-2011 11:39 AM)zps2004 Wrote: I also DO NOT recommend changing any suspension settings from the street to the track. Having the car handle different from the street to the track won't help.

I can attest to that, I got faster as my coilovers approached the settings I dd on.

That being said, my coilovers do just fine on the street and are almost as much fun to mess around with as they are to simply set them up to grip better...

**kbrew8991** · 11-11-2011, 11:22 AM

Luke has a tendency to massively overdrive the car from what I can recall though Lol

so I wouldn't use him as the yardstick for realistic expected tire life Lol

straight four · 11-11-2011, 01:25 PM

(11-11-2011 11:22 AM)kbrew8991 Wrote: Luke has a tendency to massively overdrive the car from what I can recall though so I wouldn't use him as the yardstick for realistic expected tire life

Hey, it just doesnt work in fwd. I won my class in dad's car last autox I took it to with the PCA... First run was too loose though. (I was able to slide the car through EVERY turn w/o hitting a cone...) So easy to rotate and keep it going to where you want to in that car...

n2sMazda6 · 03-19-2012, 09:24 PM

Everyone loves the BC Coilovers on the 3 and 6. I'll be upgrading to those this year some time. Currently rolling on Bilstein shocks and mazdaspeed springs. Not sure what else is available for the 3. Eibach sportlines are well liked on the 6 but are now discontinued. Pro-kit tends to be a good streatable setup since they are progressive but my springs are super stiff and still streetable (at least in SC lol).

Mazda3forums is a good place to get reviews from other owners, I was on there back when I had my 3.