is something wrong with my suspension?

[trulankan]

I find that sometimes when I hit a really worn road that is uneven and bumpy I find my car sways left and right. Is there something wrong with my suspension? Would lowering my car slightly with prokits fix the issue?

[rzapata]

Swaying continuously like a boat rocking? More info.

[trulankan]

yes kinda like a boat rocking when I go over bumps sometimes. Just doesn't seem normal to me. I've heard people say it's because its a smaller and lighter car then a full size sedan which is true.

[rzapata]

Doesn't sound normal at all. How long does it take to stop rocking/swaying? I had a sedan before and it did not rock like a boat on bumps. Swaying is controlled by the sway bars. Although, I'm not certain as to how exactly your car sways on small bumps. Sideways I assume?

Or, it could just be the normal swaying of the car and you might just be sensitive to it.

[TheMAN]

no, sway bars control body rolls under cornering... they don't do much driving straight down a road

the boat rocking you're feeling are probably worn/tired shocks... replace them with good quality ones (performance oriented ones have better dampening so those are the best) and it'll take care of the problem!

[Booter22]

maybe worn trailing arm bushings?

[trulankan]

yeah its side to side. i dunno if im over exagerating or not. i used to drive my dads old 94 Tercel and its a shitbox and it never swayed like that over bumps

[bluemazda3]

no, sway bars control body rolls under cornering... they don't do much driving straight down a road

the boat rocking you're feeling are probably worn/tired shocks... replace them with good quality ones (performance oriented ones have better dampening so those are the best) and it'll take care of the problem!

+1

[peterm15]

no, sway bars control body rolls under cornering... they don't do much driving straight down a road

the boat rocking you're feeling are probably worn/tired shocks... replace them with good quality ones (performance oriented ones have better dampening so those are the best) and it'll take care of the problem!

+1
Sound like your shocks are going/gone.
Good time to upgrade suspension.

[mazidane]

+1
Sound like your shocks are going/gone.
Good time to upgrade suspension.

+1 my rear shocks were blown and this is what the car did as well.

Have you shocks checked.

[trulankan]

damn, so im gonna need new shocks and new rotors :(

[Impressive]

damn, so im gonna need new shocks and new rotors :(

Unless you already needed rotors, I don't think you'll need to change those to go along with your shocks.

[trulankan]

Unless you already needed rotors, I don't think you'll need to change those to go along with your shocks.

well my mechanic was saying that they are slightly worn and will need to be eventually replaced. i'll prob wait until the fall to get it done. i'm gnna get the shocks done asap. Hope the monroe ones from canadian tire are decent and similar to oem.

[mazdaagain]

well my mechanic was saying that they are slightly worn and will need to be eventually replaced. i'll prob wait until the fall to get it done. i'm gnna get the shocks done asap. Hope the monroe ones from canadian tire are decent and similar to oem.

Ummm ... rotors are always slightly worn. I think they only need to be replaced if they are warped and it's easy to tell when they warp because the steering wheel or car will shake when braking at high speed. Be wary of any mechanics that say things need to be replaced if they are "slightly worn" ... it's usually an idication they want to do some repairs that really aren't required yet. A good mechanic will tell you when something HAS TO BE repaired or replaced. If you ever get an oil change at Mr. Lube they will tell you that they "recommend" that you replace half the fluids and filters in your car each visit.

[Booter22]

Ummm ... rotors are always slightly worn. I think they only need to be replaced if they are warped and it's easy to tell when they warp because the steering wheel or car will shake when braking at high speed. Be wary of any mechanics that say things need to be replaced if they are "slightly worn" ... it's usually an idication they want to do some repairs that really aren't required yet. A good mechanic will tell you when something HAS TO BE repaired or replaced. If you ever get an oil change at Mr. Lube they will tell you that they "recommend" that you replace half the fluids and filters in your car each visit.

very true in some regards, rotors do not need to be warped to be worn, they also wear down by thickness and of course once they become thin they have a higher chance to warp. Mr.lube is programmed to sell, most people would be lucky to walk out from an oil change with less then a $100 bill ( before tax ) as they are very aggressive when it comes to selling ( a good friend of mine quit for that reason as it was on the dishonest side to "recommend" items that are still in good condition ) a good mechanic will make good calls as to what may need to and what does need to be required, a good advisor will do the same which is where it comes down to trusting who is working on your car.

[htc***]

very true in some regards, rotors do not need to be warped to be worn, they also wear down by thickness and of course once they become thin they have a higher chance to warp. Mr.lube is programmed to sell, most people would be lucky to walk out from an oil change with less then a $100 bill ( before tax ) as they are very aggressive when it comes to selling ( a good friend of mine quit for that reason as it was on the dishonest side to "recommend" items that are still in good condition ) a good mechanic will make good calls as to what may need to and what does need to be required, a good advisor will do the same which is where it comes down to trusting who is working on your car.

+1. Also get a second opinion from another mechanic before replace it.

[trulankan]

very true in some regards, rotors do not need to be warped to be worn, they also wear down by thickness and of course once they become thin they have a higher chance to warp. Mr.lube is programmed to sell, most people would be lucky to walk out from an oil change with less then a $100 bill ( before tax ) as they are very aggressive when it comes to selling ( a good friend of mine quit for that reason as it was on the dishonest side to "recommend" items that are still in good condition ) a good mechanic will make good calls as to what may need to and what does need to be required, a good advisor will do the same which is where it comes down to trusting who is working on your car.

well I went to Aamco for a free brake check and oil change. I told the mechanic that when I was driving one time I had to break on an incline and I noticed the car moving to the left a bit. The mechanic took a test drive with the car and he said it drives very well but he noticed some pulsating when breaking at higher speeds. He looked at the rotors and said they were slightly warped but said I should wait to get it changed with the brake pads as they were in good condition.

[trulankan]

i went to canadian tire today and got my suspension checked and they said everything is fine but did say that my tires are getting worn and should be changed in the fall so that might be why the ride was not too smooth. Maybe i'm just paranoid lol.

[vortexmazda]

Hey,

Are you fairly new to this car? If so, it may be just its road manners and you are not used to it. I'm not saying don't check your brakes or suspension, because it could be a safety issue, but something I noticed when I first bought the car is that when you drive over uneven roads the car tends to dip in that direction. I notice this on roads where a lot of trucks drive and made rivets in the road, my car tends to sway left to ride.

[Impressive]

I thought my rotors were done about 6 months after I bought my car...but almost 3 years later I'm still using the same rotors, and I even passed a safety with them a couple months ago. The only thing I notice is when I'm braking from 120km/h or so the steering wheel tends to shake however it is not excessive and otherwise a non-issue.

I would just stick to getting your shocks/struts replaced for now.

[trulankan]

Hey,

Are you fairly new to this car? If so, it may be just its road manners and you are not used to it. I'm not saying don't check your brakes or suspension, because it could be a safety issue, but something I noticed when I first bought the car is that when you drive over uneven roads the car tends to dip in that direction. I notice this on roads where a lot of trucks drive and made rivets in the road, my car tends to sway left to ride.

yeah i've just had the car for a month. its a big adjustment from my dad's old junk I used to drive. yeah i guess thats it. I was expecting the ride to be smoother I guess but considering its a small car I guess its normal.

[trulankan]

I thought my rotors were done about 6 months after I bought my car...but almost 3 years later I'm still using the same rotors, and I even passed a safety with them a couple months ago. The only thing I notice is when I'm braking from 120km/h or so the steering wheel tends to shake however it is not excessive and otherwise a non-issue.

I would just stick to getting your shocks/struts replaced for now.

yeah i'm not gonna change the rotors for awhile and apparently my shocks are fine as well lol.

[krimsalt]

Shocks are gone and need to be replaced.

[trulankan]

Shocks are gone and need to be replaced.

canadian tire said their fine :S im sure if there was something they would bring it up so I would get it repaired there and give them more $$.

[krimsalt]

canadian tire said their fine :S im sure if there was something they would bring it up so I would get it repaired there and give them more $$.

You're located in scarborough too? If you have time, come take me for a drive and I'll help you diagnose it, it's easier when someone is physically in the car

[McGuyver_3]

1) Whats the mileage like on the car with the stock shocks?
2) When replacing brakes ALWAYS replace pads and rotors at the same time
3) Uneven tire wear will cause the car to pull left or right especially if their is road crown. When putting on 4 new tires do an alignment
4) No offence to anyone at Canadian Tire but I would never let them or any other shop other then me or a dealer touch my car

[trulankan]

1) Whats the mileage like on the car with the stock shocks?
2) When replacing brakes ALWAYS replace pads and rotors at the same time
3) Uneven tire wear will cause the car to pull left or right especially if their is road crown. When putting on 4 new tires do an alignment
4) No offence to anyone at Canadian Tire but I would never let them or any other shop other then me or a dealer touch my car

well since i've been tracking it with fuelly I am getting 10.3km\L with about 80% city driving i'd say. Canadian tire did say that my tires will need to be replaced soon and said I should get it changed before winter starts. My brake pads are relatively new compared to the rotors so they said to wait to change and then to alignment. so theres not much I can do now really. I bought a can of STP Complete Fuel Injector Cleaner during my last oil change and added it to the tank. Hopefully that may help. Another TM3 member I met at Street Performance said to get my fluids flushed as it will help.