First off yes, I have done some searching, I want opinions too though, not just what is out there.

I'm gonna try to stay under $1000 dollars, but over the summer I want to work on my suspension.

The car is an 89 GXL: chassis has about 85K or so on it and doesn't feel too bad suspensionwise although bumps seem to try to pull it over a little more than they did in the Vert I had before, I assumed it is because the suspension is a little stiffer

I'm fairly new to the car world, but am a quick learner and good with my hands, already did an engine swap which went flawlessly with some help from my neighbor but the suspension world is still unfamiliar to me.

what should be the most important replacement?

if you don't wanna read all that down there here is a quick list of what I wonder is the most important order to replace things in

springs, bushings, struts, swaybars?

the bushings didn't look so hot so I was thinking them

I'm thinking I may keep the stock struts as the AAS system seems to work still and it is fairly cool, but I also figured I could maybe sell them to someone who doesn't want to buy the brand new ones from Mazda for the $1400 they apparently cost, then I could maybe buy some decent aftermarket ones, this would add some to my $1000 fund as well

I'm pretty sure I could use a new set of bushings but I don't know what would be best for my moneys worth

I also was wondering if springs should be replaced at this point. I wouldn't mind the car sitting maybe an inch or so lower, but I hate slammed looks, but would lowering the car mean I need different struts as well to make it ride properly?

Swaybars.......I know nothing of these lol

 

i'd say just replace with new springs and struts.

if you get the bushings just get the whole set and replace them all. im not sure who has them but have you check mazdatrix.com? or anyone else?

you can price good aftermarket suspension stuff at shox.com

as far as sway bars. i have no idea.

when you lower your car its just using the lowering springs on the struts.

and everyone will tell you the AAS thing is just some sort of gimmick. plus there are aftermarket struts that can do the same thing but better. hopefully someone more knowledgable can give you and me both some insight.

im still learning all i can about cars

 

Don't buy things unless you know exactly why you think you need them. There is a lot of good information (in real books not random people on the internet) that will help you learn. Chassis Engineering by Adams is a good beginner book. There are many. Do not buy sway bars unless you know what they will do. SCCA autocross events will help you gain real hands on experience with suspension. Make friends and do ride alongs to try and get a feel for what feels right. Use the experience you gain at autoX as motivation to learn about suspension and tires.

 

thx dude, will check out Mazdatrix and shox.com

what I mean about lowering springs though......won't they make the shocks ride differently because they are already partially compressed? and will that make them wear out sooner? I have no clue on that subject

 

I got ya, yeah, I should look into reading up on it from 'real world' sources.

AutoX or other racing would be awesome, maybe I can find some time this summer to try something out and learn from people.

As for ride alongs......man when I am in a passenger seat everything feels SOOO different from drivers seat, you don't have the wheel to hold onto and your body doesn't know what to expect and everything, my car feels like it's faster and corners better when I ride passenger because my body doesn't have time to prep itself lol

 

oh and here is a pic of how the car sits now

 

good looking car man. figure out what you want to do with your car first. are you going to be racing it or do you just want it look good and have some fun with it on the street? only do sway bars if you are going to be doing drifting or scca events and such things like that. if you want the car to look a lower and handle a little better consider doing just struts and springs. sway bars can always be added later but if you are going to be lowering the car with different springs doing new struts is almost a necessity.

 

thx wmele25, yeah for the most part it is just me driving on the street, so I don't need anything ridiculous, sway bars will probably just stay as they are, I just didn't know anything about them so figured I'd ask, they were kinda a second thought while I was making the thread, so basically I guess I will look into bushings then struts/springs, or maybe coilovers

 

$1k will buy some decent used coil overs. That's where I would start. Find some scales to corner weight the car. Find some light weight rims 16" or smaller. I'd also start stocking up on tires in whatever size you plan to run.

 

there are enegry bushing kits that run a little over $100 i haven't used them but replacing old stuff with new stuff helps out a lot. if you lower the car get an alinement, if fact get one any way it also sounds like you have bump steer you should think about replacing ball joints and tie rod ends. just a thought