i just put coilovers on my fc. its so messed up now. doesnt behave at all how it used to and i like it better the old way. so i know they should rock seriously but i need help with getting them setup. any tips on a starting point?

they are k sport pro. 7k 6k.

how do i measure for ride height? i think all four corners are different heights. thanks guys

 

this is why you dont mess with suspension if you dont know what you are doing. believe it or not mazda put more thought into the suspension than most people give them credit for. im not saying it cant be improved, but you gotta have some idea what you are doing.

measure the ride height from the top of the wheel wells with a tape measurer. since it sounds like you have no idea what you are doing i would suggest just taking the car to a good alignment shop and getting it corner weighted. for the shocks you are probably going to want them softer in the rear. then just adjust the shocks so they are comfortable on the street. dont have them so soft that your car oscillates more than once after going over a bump though

 

Describe in detail what it's doing that you don't like. I'd immediately suspect oversteer looking at the spring rates. If that's the problem then try swapping out the rear springs to 5's or the fronts to 8's.

 

ok. i am used to oversteer so i used to know when it would break loose but now i get to that same limit and it does break and start to oversteer but then it will snap back and send me flying off into the exact opposite direction i was pointed. it feels random but i havent ran the car enough to know. it did that like 3 times and scared me and i called it a day. also my front wheels are locking up earlier and easier. i think both reasons are caused by the now lack of weight transfer. i know i dont know how to tune suspension but that doesnt mean that i cant learn or am unwilling to. i spent what i consider a lot of money to keep my geometry correct and be able to use these to their maximum potential so if there is something im doing wrong please tell me but i think its uncalled for to tell me im a retard for ditching 20 yr old blown and bent struts and sagged rusty springs in lieu of something new, shiny, adjustable and more capable

 

maybe you're dampers are set somewhere rediculous. try setting them all to the same setting somewhere in the middle of its adjustment range.
as soon as i put in my tein flexs the car handled great, before alignment or height equalizing or any of that.

 

really? what other suspension modifications do you have? did you remember to get an alignment?

i'm not going to call you a retard. but i think k-sport is bottom of the barrel when it comes to coilovers. yes, it's shiny, but the shocks don't last long, at least not for a few of the locals out here.

follow azn akira's advice. set damping roughly equal on all four sides to start. make sure spring perch is set the same on all four corners. then alter ride height by adjusting shock body length until car is as low as you want it, and all four sides are roughly the same height.

then (and this is important) *get an alignment.* if you can't align properly b/c you've gone too low, buy parts that allow you to or raise the car. corner weigh is highly suggested at this step. it is one of the main advantages of coilovers, and generally why height adjustability is desirable. it should cost an extra $200 or so.

what is being affect is the speed of weight transfer.

your brakes are going to lock up quicker now. and your car is going to respond alot faster. learn to drive it or go back to softer suspension.

 

...

 

One thing that is extremely important is preload. Only setting ride height through raising/lowering the perch will do nothing if your preload isn't equal from left to right.

I'd suggest start from the softest setting on the coilovers, lower your car to arms/driveshaft level, then set about have an inch of preload up front and a full inch of preload in the rear. Simply slapping on coilovers will not do your car any good. A properly setup coilover will feel like sex while one that is setup like *** will make your car feel as if you have blown shocks.

With that said, it's 100% pointless stating what you feel being as how you NEED alignment one your change the suspension on your car. If your car is too low, you will need buy tow/camber links to compensate for the change in geometry.

 

hmm those k-sports probably dont have seperate height/preload adjustment. i know my FC sits very crooked (who knows why...), but since the flex's have seperate height/preload, i was able to even it out without affecting spring rate.

 

yes they do.

I think you are probably right. the car will be much more responsive with the new suspension. you probably just need some more seat time to get used to the new handleing characteristics.

but first I would make sure all the shocks are adjusted equally. I would set them all to either full soft, or full stiff, and then go from there, adjusting them to how you want the car to feel. also, alignment is key.
AND, just make sure there are no loose bolts or anything... lol.

 

thanks for the more positive posts guys. it makes a world of difference when people are decent. i dont know how to set preload but it is adjustable.

 

preload is just when you tighten the spring perch against the spring, so that it has pressure on it even when the suspension is hanging.

 

ok. ill do it tomorrow. also got another set of springs.. 9k and 7k rates so i can change them if i get too much over steer