Raceland coilovers for gen 1

[fletch87]

hey guys, im hoping to find out if these coilovers from raceland are a deal of a life time, or just garbage. this will be my first set and im not sure what to look for.
any help would be greatly appreciated.


heres the link

http://www.racelandus.com/coilovers/mazda-3-coilovers.html

[Johns 08 3 GT]

Its been covered before, but you get what you pay for. A good set of coilovers usually go for around $1000ish. I've been down the cheap coilover road many years ago and learned my lesson.

Dont expect them to last 5 years and the ride is not that great. Unless you plan on lowering and raising the car all the time a good spring/strut combo is the way to go IMO.

[silverstarmazda]

type up raceland in the search and youll see its been talked about in a couple threads.

ride - pretty bouncy due to the stiff springs and slightly softer dampening/rebound from the shocks
reliability - theyre better than they use to be but dont expect to abuse them
warranty - one of the best reviewed customer services available (quick, helpful, prompt)
performance - no adjustable dampening means they can be sloppy at times depending on how your driving
install - taking out the old is hard, does not come with install instructions so you will need to figure things out.
fit - fit is perfect
height - its a coilover, they go up and down. they can go waaaaaay down in you remove the helper spring/abs wire bracket
paint/anodized - surprisingly really nice and good
value - really good compared to whats available.

though not performance oriented nor comfort oriented. they are a budget coilover system that offers reasonable ride qualities and handling. on the streets they will absorb road road imperfections but you will definitely feel everything. not for people with a bad back. going over a big enough bump will make you bounce in your seat but they will get you through a corner at a reasonably good speed (tire depending). on the track or race course, they will not offer the same control and stability. but you can try.

in the end they are a very good value backed by a great warranty/customer service. mainly targeted at people who want to get the low/slammed look without spending thousands on the suspension setup. but that value does mean reduced comfort and performance.

-small personal review on the ultimos-
i whale on mine all the time and theyve taken and handled everything ive thrown at them. i havnt tracked with these but i dont plan too. they handle my spirited driving just fine but they are very bouncy at times. even when the car is fully loaded i can see everyone bounce in their seats when going over a bump. they go low enough where ive ruined two front right fenders and they can go beyond that if you got rid of the helper spring and a proper wheel/tire combo. i paid around $600 + brokerage shipped straight to my door. they came within a week and came nicely packaged. all the parts feel solid and look great (they still do). finally got the ability to adjust for winter/summer

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?76648-raceland-coils-instalation-instructions-coil-sleeves-jackets&highlight=raceland

[fletch87]

silverstar mazda....where did u get these ultimos coilovers? i like to push my ms3 a bit but im not a street racer or race car driver, just an enthusiast who wants a good bang for the buck. i wouldn't mind spending 1400 on a set but the performance would definitely have up there.
any brands, links you guys could share would be awesome.

[silverstarmazda]

i bought them directly on their website. for a speed 3 i would go with something better and more proven.

[fletch87]

its a 2.3l na...but i plan to turbocharge by this time next year. thanks

[silverstarmazda]

its a 2.3l na...but i plan to turbocharge by this time next year. thanks

if your willing to spend $1000+ on suspension, why ruin the fun of the turbo after the cost of that? for a couple hundreds more you can get a better set of coil overs