i want to lower my mazda 3 hatch

[BenChan]

hey guys, to tell you the truth .. im a NOOB at this. I have a 2004 Mazda3 2.3L hatchback , black with about 100,000kms on it .. yeah pretty high up there .. now lets get to the point .. i have 10,000k HIDs, CAI, and now i want to lower my mazda3. I herd people buy lowering springs and yet wont go in after a few weeks to get an alignment done. Nor they wont get new cambers. Since im NOOB at this , can SOMEONE please tell me what i need to get done and what not if i want to lower my mazda3 with lowering springs. And what brand should i go for. Thanks guys

[whiteomega]

you're posting in the test forum; you won't get as many replies here as you would if you posted in the performance modifications section. the mods can move this thread though.


It's a bit of a toss-up between whether or not you should get an alignment check and/or a camber kit if you go with a milder drop like Mazdaspeed or ProKit springs. I always recommend an alignment after a drop (wait a few weeks after you drop it for things to settle) just to guarantee you avoid premature tyre wear.

I would also recommend the camber kit for the same reason; the rear wheels on the 3 already have camber on them from the factory; you add more camber when you lower the car, which will cause the inside tread of your rear tyres to wear faster than normal. If you drive carefully you can mitigate the excess wear a little bit.

Always remember that dropping your car changes the suspension geometry.

[Cardinal Fang]

Moved to correct forum.

[06Touring3]

at the very least....get the alignment done....they will let you know if you need camber links or not....a lot of guys on here don't have camber links of Pro Kits because their cars were still within stock spec....Flagrum_3 comes to mind (Ron i'm not sure if you said you have links or not but you told me it was in spec and i know you've had multiple alignments done)

[condor888000]

Always get an alignment after suspension work. You won't put it 100% the way it was and you may end up with premature wear.

Personally, I didn't need a camber kit. Seems to be about 50-50. I suggest doing just the springs, then figuring out if it's needed to be done. If you're within spec, why bother?

[tweak_s]

The reason why some people wait a little bit before getting an alignment is only to ensure that their springs have setled and there won't be anymore significant lowering.

Personally I have a camber kit and I'm on H-techs. The reason for one is because looking at my wheels I looked like I had more camber than others with lower springs. After getting the alignment, I told them to adjust my camber since while I was still within spec, one of my wheels was much more angled than the other so they used the camber kit (adjustable) to even that out.

[x_o_k_x]

Just get springs and cambers right away. I dont remember but I think its alot easier to instal camber with no springs on the car yet. But then if you just buy springs you gonna need 2 alignments, that is if they tell you, that you need cambers. Look in classifieds, there might be some people selling it.

[BenChan]

Thanks guys .. HAHA i just had to ask cuz im too noob at this stuff .. i only know the say stuff .. LOL! but once again thanks for the tips