Need Stiffer Rear Coils

I just put new struts on the front of my 5. I did quick struts cause they were only a few bucks more than buying struts and strut mounts and I did not have to worry about getting them apart and back together correctly. I pulled the springs off the old struts after I was done. I will try to measure the old springs and see how they compare to the H&R CX-7 front springs. They might be an upgrade? If so I might consider the kit.
 
I just put new struts on the front of my 5. I did quick struts cause they were only a few bucks more than buying struts and strut mounts and I did not have to worry about getting them apart and back together correctly. I pulled the springs off the old struts after I was done. I will try to measure the old springs and see how they compare to the H&R CX-7 front springs. They might be an upgrade? If so I might consider the kit.

the front CX-7 H&R springs are about 15” tall, the rear are 14”. Again these are the lowering springs for the heavier car.

At the moment I’m not necessarily planning to put the front springs in the car. I’m planning to do the fronts maybe next month or so, so hopefully I’ll have an idea of the ride height and feel of the new springs in the back by then. I don’t have a spring compressor, so I’d either be renting a manual tool, or more likely visiting the shop I use for things when I’m busy and having them install the spring on a strut. Need to chat with them and see if they’d take a moment to compare the springs while taking out the old struts.

Hmmm, now that I think about it I have a set of struts from my sister’s 5 (aftermarket discount ones which made tons of clunking until replaced by OEM). I suppose if I wanted I could disassemble one and compare to that spring.
 
So I got out and measured them.

13 in. long
6.25 in. diameter
4.5 in. Top mount outer
IMG_20200517_140648130.jpg

IMG_20200517_140639934.jpg
 
Yeah, I went with the coils from a 2012 CX7 AWD as the vehicle is heavier than the FWD (by a couple hundred pounds if I recall), so I figured the springs would be beefier. The springs are cylindrical — no tapering or anything. Like I said, I identical to the 5's springs, but taller.

So yeah! Hope you're able to find a solution. I imagine going with the lowering spring for the CX7 would be a great solution. Keep in mind the rear will probably ride a lot higher until the springs are able to settle a bit. But, might ride higher all around as they'll probably be much stiffer.

How were you able to confirm the CX7 springs would work in your gen 2 before actually buying the springs? I'd also like to add a mild lift to my gen 1 but not sure which springs would fit.
 
How were you able to confirm the CX7 springs would work in your gen 2 before actually buying the springs? I'd also like to add a mild lift to my gen 1 but not sure which springs would fit.

AnthonyVerde in this thread posted that he installed OEM CX-7 springs in the rear of his 5 years ago. He noted a 2” lift as a side effect of the rear end holding weight more easily without bottoming out.

I don’t know ifI’ll have any issues with the lowering springs, or is they may end up riding like crap.
 
How were you able to confirm the CX7 springs would work in your gen 2 before actually buying the springs? I'd also like to add a mild lift to my gen 1 but not sure which springs would fit.

I'd did some research and discovered that the gen 2 Mazda5 and the CX7 share rear suspension. I looked at some diagrams as well and saw the rear springs were similar shapes. And, finally, I called up a couple of Mazda dealers in the area who were actually able to measure the Mazda 5 and CX7 springs and confirm their diameters were the same but CX7 was taller.
 
AnthonyVerde in this thread posted that he installed OEM CX-7 springs in the rear of his 5 years ago. He noted a 2” lift as a side effect of the rear end holding weight more easily without bottoming out.

I don’t know ifI’ll have any issues with the lowering springs, or is they may end up riding like crap.

Keep us posted! Also, keep us posted if you do try to fit the front springs — I couldn't tell if they were a similar shape to the Mazda5's front springs. If this is the case, I may ditch the strut spacers and buy some CX7 springs when it comes time to redo the front shocks (should be soon as we're nearing 200,000 kms).
 
I just realized your roof rack appears to be mounted on rails which go the full length of the roofline. Is that a standard Canadian thing, or something you added? I haven’t seen anything like that in the states..... all roof racks just mount to the hardpoints along the side gutters.

H&R springs arrived today. New shocks will be a couple of more days at least, so not doing any install until at least the middle of the week. The rear coils measure in at 14” long.....do you happen to remember how long the stock Mz5 and CX-7 coils were?

Looking forward to seeing the results! Let me know if you do the fronts as well — I'm curious to see if the CX7's springs will fit the Mazda5's struts.

For the roof rack, I purchased a couple lengths of aluminum t-slot track (see image below) and mounted it to the roof moulding. I also used the existing roof rack mounting points to bolt the track down securely. I've had this set up for the 5 years we've had the van and have had no issues. And I've carried lots of stuff up there!

Screen Shot 2020-05-17 at 7.45.32 PM.png
 
I'd did some research and discovered that the gen 2 Mazda5 and the CX7 share rear suspension. I looked at some diagrams as well and saw the rear springs were similar shapes. And, finally, I called up a couple of Mazda dealers in the area who were actually able to measure the Mazda 5 and CX7 springs and confirm their diameters were the same but CX7 was taller.

that's great dealers were willing to help out, thx for your response. on another note have you noticed a significant decrease in your mpg with the lift and bigger tires?
 
Looking forward to seeing the results! Let me know if you do the fronts as well — I'm curious to see if the CX7's springs will fit the Mazda5's struts.

For the roof rack, I purchased a couple lengths of aluminum t-slot track (see image below) and mounted it to the roof moulding. I also used the existing roof rack mounting points to bolt the track down securely. I've had this set up for the 5 years we've had the van and have had no issues. And I've carried lots of stuff up there!

View attachment 224743

At the risk of continuing off topic do you have any other pictures of how you installed everything up there? How much weight have you put on the roof with this set up? I was chatting with someone on another forum who was asking about putting a roof tent on top of his 5, and wondering about lifting springs so he could handle dirt/gravel roads better to get to camping locations. I know the OEM rack (as well as aftermarket ones) list the weight limit as 200 lbs, but I don’t know if that’s the limit for the crossbars. Obviously having more cross bars would distribute the weight differently, and I also assume there’s a finite amount of lateral stress the stock hardpoints can support.... again, better if distributed differently.
 
Also my shocks arrived yesterday. Current plan is to do some measurements today, and drive the car to get familiar with how it’s currently handling (it’s not my daily driver, so basically any time I drive it it’s feeling different). Hopefully install on Tuesday, weather and children permitting.
 
At the risk of continuing off topic do you have any other pictures of how you installed everything up there? How much weight have you put on the roof with this set up? I was chatting with someone on another forum who was asking about putting a roof tent on top of his 5, and wondering about lifting springs so he could handle dirt/gravel roads better to get to camping locations. I know the OEM rack (as well as aftermarket ones) list the weight limit as 200 lbs, but I don’t know if that’s the limit for the crossbars. Obviously having more cross bars would distribute the weight differently, and I also assume there’s a finite amount of lateral stress the stock hardpoints can support.... again, better if distributed differently.

ALWAYS FOLLOW THE OWNERS MANUAL!

I think the weight limit is based on lots of factors.

Driving would be a large part of that. 200 lbs or more in an emergency handling situation up high could change body roll significantly.

Also, the footprint of the tent platform compared to the size of the roof rack. With it centered, and a person sitting at the edge of the platform could cause significant stress on the roof rack and attachment points. The one below is only 95 lbs and I can't imagine the Toyota it is on is any stouter built than a 5.

 
I remember my owner's manual saying 150lb for the roof itself regardless of rack, that was for a 2009.
 
ALWAYS FOLLOW THE OWNERS MANUAL!

I think the weight limit is based on lots of factors.

Driving would be a large part of that. 200 lbs or more in an emergency handling situation up high could change body roll significantly.

Also, the footprint of the tent platform compared to the size of the roof rack. With it centered, and a person sitting at the edge of the platform could cause significant stress on the roof rack and attachment points. The one below is only 95 lbs and I can't imagine the Toyota it is on is any stouter built than a 5.


All of that is true, and I always suggest following manufacturers recommendations. This was more in the way of questions about anthonyverde’s setup.
 
So I got out and measured them.

13 in. long
6.25 in. diameter
4.5 in. Top mount outer
View attachment 224730
View attachment 224731
you should take the Inner Diameter measurement and coil thickness. When you spec springs, folks refer to ID. I recall the OEM springs have a Y barrel so it is tough to go catalog shopping. That said, the easiest way is probably get your self a pair of 2.5" coil spring seat/ isolator (forgot the technical term) and shop for a pair of 2.5" springs at whatever height + spring rate you want. You'd need to do some math to figure out spring rate and length or might end up with a raked look. To fix this, add a pair of coilover sleeves and get slightly short spring so you can make precise height adjustments. Check eibach's catalog.
 
At the risk of continuing off topic do you have any other pictures of how you installed everything up there? How much weight have you put on the roof with this set up? I was chatting with someone on another forum who was asking about putting a roof tent on top of his 5, and wondering about lifting springs so he could handle dirt/gravel roads better to get to camping locations. I know the OEM rack (as well as aftermarket ones) list the weight limit as 200 lbs, but I don’t know if that’s the limit for the crossbars. Obviously having more cross bars would distribute the weight differently, and I also assume there’s a finite amount of lateral stress the stock hardpoints can support.... again, better if distributed differently.

I can take a couple of pictures of the setup tonight and share them. It's definitely a sturdy setup but the basket (Yakima Loadwarrior) is only rated at 140lbs max capacity, so I wouldn't risk putting any more than that up there for a long period of time. I have stood on it (I'm 180lbs) and there was very little flex in the basket. But, as @pkthomas suggested, it's not worth risking rolling over by putting more than needed up there. We usually strap the canoe up there. The nice thing is you can still load the roof with tents, coolers, etc. and still be able to put a canoe on top of it all securely.
 
that's great dealers were willing to help out, thx for your response. on another note have you noticed a significant decrease in your mpg with the lift and bigger tires?

Oh I know there's a big hit to the MPG, not just with the lift and bigger tires, but with the rack up there too. It's a compromise we're willing to make at this point. But I would've loved to do a before/after comparison. I'll see if I can sort out what sort of MPG it gets this month and compare to others' who are running a stock setup!
 
Oh I know there's a big hit to the MPG, not just with the lift and bigger tires, but with the rack up there too. It's a compromise we're willing to make at this point. But I would've loved to do a before/after comparison. I'll see if I can sort out what sort of MPG it gets this month and compare to others' who are running a stock setup!

Hard even with those numbers.... so much flex just based on driving habits. I can easily get mid-upper 20’s driving mine (with nothing loaded up of course), and low 30’s on the highway..... sometimes. My au pair’s tend to have heavier feet and average upper teens to low 20’s at best.
 
you should take the Inner Diameter measurement and coil thickness. When you spec springs, folks refer to ID. I recall the OEM springs have a Y barrel so it is tough to go catalog shopping. That said, the easiest way is probably get your self a pair of 2.5" coil spring seat/ isolator (forgot the technical term) and shop for a pair of 2.5" springs at whatever height + spring rate you want. You'd need to do some math to figure out spring rate and length or might end up with a raked look. To fix this, add a pair of coilover sleeves and get slightly short spring so you can make precise height adjustments. Check eibach's catalog.

Or make friends with a person who has a spring tool which measures the spring rate. Got a funny story from a guy on another forum with a new Mz3. Took his new red aftermarket springs and set them off in the corner while he was doing other stuff, then realized he’d put the red springs in with the red springs for three of his other cars and they all looked identical. He had to put them on his spring tool and check all the spring rates for comparison.
 
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