i heard suposidly in the USA they all came with the automatice seat belts is this true or not?? in the standard features or optional features part of the FAQ i coudlnt find them listed at all.....

 

ya
s5 got the automatic seatbelts
which i think is pretty cool... how 80s that?

 

I hate em.....my passenger one broke a week ago.......I need to get it replaced

 

not true, i have an S5 GTU that does not have them sitting here in my yard, its a parts car.

 

I hate them... I wish I could replace them with belts outta my S4 and know that they work well and would save me in a wreck. Course anything would prolly work better than these stupid auto seatbelts.

 

ya reason i asked is my 89 i just got doesnt have them but it is an s5 for sure, the prev owner said it was a canadian car origionally tho... i guess its an 89 gtu then

i belove there was some sort of recall on the auto seat belts i belive mazda is suposidly suposed to replace them when they break threw out hte life of the car, search for it!

 

Jap and Canada models have regular seatbelt's I believe.

 

free of charge from mazdaq!

 

Verts don't have em.

 

All US spec coupes had mouse belts for S5 (89-91) models.

However because of the lameness of the system, it is not unheard of to have someone retrofit the manual belt from a S4.

It was manditory by the US gov to make have a passive restraint system on all cars sold in 1990 and later. That is why you see the SRS (airbag) on the 90 and later US spec verts as well.

Just another reason why S5 models suck

 

Yep, just more proof that the 80's ended sometime around 1993.

 

Yea I know I'm going to Mazda on Saturday to replace them.

But when I called them they told me that since the previous owner had to repair one....that it might not be free anymore.

 

They have to do it. It doesn't matter if someone swapped them out for S4 belts, and then someone else swapped them back in for S5 belts. They then broke, were rigged, broke again, were at fault for killing someone, were fixed by another schmuck, and broke. They still have to fix your seatbelts for free so long as the restraint system in your vehicle is the defective S5 auto belt. It is a safety issue.

If they try to argue, fight, and keep fighting. People have had to go to other mazda dealers, or call the corporate office and report the situation, but their belts got fixed for free in the long run.

 

Only US model S5s had the "mouse" belts.

 

I agree that S5s suck but I'm curious, do you think Mazda made any improvements over the S4?

 

yeah look at an 87 T2 and an 89 T2 and you tell me which looks better

 

although i have an s4 im gonna have to say the s5 looks better

 

I'm among the group that prefers S4 tails, but otherwise I prefer S5.

 

belive the s5s have some better engine components.

still have the friggin electonic MOP though. grr

 

yeah, the cut the cost to build one down by thousands.

Some people might think the S5 models look better, but other than the side mouldings and the mirrors, I personally think that Mazda took a step backwards (mostly on the front bumper with its embossed lettering instead of the nice smooth S4 version, and those lame *** T bird tail lights.)

The S5 non turbo engine is also quite good (except the lame electrical MOP and stupied integrated PD/Fuel rail) and of course the ECU is light years ahead of the older S4 version.

But of course the extra weight and soft american style suspension on the S5 models make any performance advantages go down the drain.

So there are improvments, but also some glaring dis-advantages...

It comes down to what you like (or in the case of many people rather what they own or would perfer to own)...so you can decide if you like a tighter, lighter, more tossible sports car, or a softer, quieter, GT version of a sports car.

 

I didn't realize that the suspension was softer in S5's... is that in both N/A and turbo models?

and those s4 lights make it look like an 80's 626 in back, especially at night. To each his own though.

 

s4 feels more bouncy, louder, more go-kart feel

s5 is a mellowed version

 

Whenever people saw my car and an S4, they would be shocked that they are the same generation. They would say that the S4 looks so old and they would say even crusty sometimes. When they see my S5, they think its a 1992-1995 year model. But I let em know I have a 1990, and 89-91 is the year range. Besides I get chicks with an S5. A friend of mine with an S4 gets no chicks. Wish I had an FD Spirit R tho, I'd get more chicks!

 

Yeah I know what you mean, having owned several S4s previously including a Sport I'd have to say that the whole driving experience is considerably watered down in the S5 (less road feel, more body roll, ect.). I do have to say that the lighter rotors and higher redline of an S5 are pretty sweet, even though the performance increase with the higher redline is miniscule at best. It still is fun to wind it out to 8k once in awhile.

Some improvements (IMO) in the S5 that come to mind are:
-better quality radio surround
-door speakers are pretty cool (S4 verts had them before though right?)
-tailights
-round instrument guages

 

Any idea if this is safe? I would be very intrested in getting rid of my stupid auto seatbelts. I keep noticing passenger's not putting on their lap belts even after I ask them too.

At the same time if this isn't a safe swap I would not do it at all.

I kinda have always perfered my old S4 to my S5. The S5 looks a million times better but the S4 was always more fun to drive. It doesn't help that I've been chasing problems in the S5 since I got it. Still can't redline under a load .