Silver Build
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Thanks! Yeah, I have the Eibachs. I had been wanting them for a while (plus I was sick of running crappy eBay spacers) but I was waiting for my stock tires to wear out, so when I saw how good they looked on your car I ordered them the next day. I wanted red or green but I was afraid I would get tired or them after a while.
Love the rims with the silver. Have you put the Eibachs on yet? Curious to see the difference between those and the H&R's.
Thanks! I'm really really happy with the wheels - people comment on them a lot, very dynamic spatially.
As for the springs, I went with Racing Beats. They're fantastic springs, I'm really loving them. They put the fun back in the car for me, I can just bomb around town and go balls-out without a care about bumps till I'm giddy as hell. They are higher than I'd like, but I'm going to stay with them and see what happens in the next year.
Some options I'm considering: Keep my H&Rs and reinstall them once I get on some shocks with adjustable height perches so I can use the H&R's but be up just slightly higher than the H&R drop is normally, perhaps like Corksports upcoming shocks/struts (I talked to Corksport about including that possibly on their adjustable dampers and they seemed interested in the idea), or koni yellow's (if they ever make them). I had a set of koni yellows on my 91 civic si with adjustable height perches, and it was an awesome option to have - it can get you right between fixed ride heights, etc. Or I may go to Eibachs with the CS shocks, not sure... Only time will tell! Pictures of RB springs coming up...
Right now I'm torn between H&R's and Eibachs. It seems most people on this forum have H&R but the stiff/bumpy ride has me a little worried. I love the way the car feels I just want to drop it. Also...I may have to get those wheels you have. Please don't be mad if I do. They're just so perfect for this car.
As for the Assetto Garas, go for it! You'll be happy. I think it's the ideal wheel for this car. There is a recent thread in the suspension/wheels section about the Eibachs. Check that out. Finally there are enough people with different springs that its easier to find enough info to make a decent spring decision. My opinion is that you should go with the Eibachs (because they seem to still work relatively well with the stock dampers) unless you really want the H&R nose-down look (which is f*in awesome in person!) and can live with the harder ride. I couldn't because of how much construction and just generally poor roads we have in SE Portland right now.
After a lot if thinking I've decided to do nothing. Ha. But really I just bought the car 3 weeks ago. I'm just gonna chill for a bit and enjoy the car for what it is. But I will get those wheels at some point.
I see that the 15" in bronze are on closeout at tirerack but I'm worried 15" won't look near as good as what you got going on.
I see that the 15" in bronze are on closeout at tirerack but I'm worried 15" won't look near as good as what you got going on.
Taking some time to think about it is always a good idea. If you can stop yourself ^_^. Yeah - it's hard to say about the 15"s. I've been surprised at how good a lot of 2s look with 15s. The car has to be LOW for a 15 to look good though. And some wheels have the optical appearance of looking bigger than 15 or smaller, depending on the design. I prefer the look of a 16 on this car myself, I think it's slightly more grown-up looking, but that's not a knock on 15s, it's just my personal preference.
I agree I think 16" is the way to go with this car. Unless you're racing and whatnot.
Some pics of my 2 on the Racing Beat springs! This is a great everyday driving spring set for the 2. I've really been loving these. It firms up the ride very nicely over stock, but it's not as hard as the H&Rs. I think these springs are really ideal for someone looking for a more moderate baseline/setup that you can tweak to get more aggressive with swaybars and adjustable dampers. The thing I love most about these, is that I don't have to sweat the terrain, I can just drive the hell out of the car and enjoy it fully. I'd love to have it about 0.2" lower, or at least have the nose down about 0.2". I think that would make the posture really nice considering it is just a bit high.
For those of you comparing specs, something about RB's math is not right as far as the drop (22mm front, 16mm rear). If you compare the figures to, let's say, the H&Rs, and what the H&R drop LOOKS like when on the car, the Racing Beats should leave the car with just barely a nose lower than tail look, but it's the opposite, the nose is just barely higher than the tail. I think their figures are flip-flopped. I measured from the ground to the apex of the wheel arches front and back when on H&Rs, and now on the Racing Beats, and it supports that conclusion. Granted it's not scientific, but if you are considering buying these springs, it's something to be aware of. However, when you are sitting in the car, if you weigh ~150 lbs, the car sits completely flat, no more higher nose.
Pics:
For those of you comparing specs, something about RB's math is not right as far as the drop (22mm front, 16mm rear). If you compare the figures to, let's say, the H&Rs, and what the H&R drop LOOKS like when on the car, the Racing Beats should leave the car with just barely a nose lower than tail look, but it's the opposite, the nose is just barely higher than the tail. I think their figures are flip-flopped. I measured from the ground to the apex of the wheel arches front and back when on H&Rs, and now on the Racing Beats, and it supports that conclusion. Granted it's not scientific, but if you are considering buying these springs, it's something to be aware of. However, when you are sitting in the car, if you weigh ~150 lbs, the car sits completely flat, no more higher nose.
Pics:
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Corcaa_Mazda2
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- 2012 Mazda 2
Inspeck: I'm not sure if I already ask you but are you using thestock tire preassure sensors? Thanks.
If I remember, I'll record before and after measurements vs stock when I do mine. RB included a sheet for me to record that info and send it back to them. Apparently even they aren't too sure of the drop yet. Great pics though. I might go with a higher offset (~40) when I get around to wheels since a this ride height I think the lower offsets seem to exagerate the fender gap.
car still looks awesome. Definitely lower than stock.
Hi Corcaa, yes I took the stem/sensor unit from the stock wheels and put them on the new wheels. Worked perfectly!
Yes, a lower offset definitely exaggerates the appearance of the ride height when you aren't low. In person, even at this height, the car looks great in the real world. It all depends on the angle of the sun as to whether the car looks a little higher or lower. For the long term, I'd still go with whatever wheels you like best style-wise though... I'll look for that form from RB in the box. Glad you mentioned it!
Thanks!!!
Bawbz, Check out the thread about Eibachs for more info. It seems like if you want a nice compromise between performance and every day drivability you should choose the Eibachs or the Racing Beats. Something more aggressive and firm, go H&R. If you want to be 100% good with the stock dampers, and don't want to ever have to worry about terrain or being too low (the drop is very modest), go with the Racing Beats. If you want a lowered look, and are willing go make some minor concessions about terrain, and a tiny bit of bounciness (although apparently pretty rare), go with the Eibachs. FWIW, if the Eibachs were designed to work with the stock dampers and I could have gone for a ride in a 2 with them, I would have gone with those in a heartbeat to have a slightly lower stance.
I plan to go just a little lower probably next year, but I really want to wait and see what comes out between now and next summer and then figure out whether I want to change to a different spring paired with the CS adjustable shocks, or whether I want to stay on the Racing Beats and go to a lower perch setting on different shock/strut. OR do the same thing with the H&Rs I already have. I just couldn't be as low as the H&Rs on the stock dampers due to local terrain issues.
I'm on 16x7s with 205/45/16s.
Quick update. I've been lucky to have a very very busy summer from a work standpoint, but that also means I've had to put aside nearly everything Mazda2. I've ordered the cold air duct for the SRI, and I'll post impressions once I have it on for a week or so. My next step is to reduce body roll a bit more with something up front. I'm looking at the CS front sway bar, and/or possibly the strut tower brace. One or the other might be enough on its own, I'm not sure. Still gathering info on that. I'm also intrigued by the TB front under brace, but haven't heard enough real info from 2 owners to know if it's for me or not. The last two things on the list are to add rear spacers so that the offset of the rear wheels look more at home with the fronts, and I am also planning to remove the fog light units to paint the Touring silver trim bezels around the foglights. I'll post a how-to when I get around to actually doing the bezel thing.
