Recent content by AnthonyVerde

Yeah, as @icspots mentioned, I was only able to achieve the ~2" lift with CX7 rear springs and front strut spacers. This allowed me to use 215/65r16 tires which further added to the lift (probably had 1/4" of clearance between the top of front tire and the spring perch. Before I got rid of my...

Well, things escalated quickly over the past couple of days — ended up parting ways with the Mazda5. I'd gotten yet another code thrown after the dreaded CEL illuminated. I figure I could just bite the bullet and replace a few valves/solenoids to rid the three codes stored. However, I took an...

Yeah, I used to have 18" wheels with 225/45 tires at stock height — don't think I'd have made it with that set up. Crazy what a slight lift and taller tires can do. If I had infinite resources (time & money), I'd love to do an AWD conversion and proper lift on the van. Would be like a modern...

Went fishing over the long weekend. Took the 5 over a stretch of sketchy Northern Ontario logging roads with plenty of large rocks, dips, mud, and washouts. The van handled it surprisingly well — and made me really happy to see it parked amongst trucks and ATVs at the end. Took this picture...

Yeah, I was suspecting those, but I replaced them about two years ago when I updated the rear shocks — they're still holding up. I'm thinking it's the stabilizer links. I replaced them a little over three years ago with cheap replacements from NAPA. Anything I buy from NAPA seems to last a...

Nothing new suspension-wise. Had to do brakes all around, including replacing both rear callipers. A couple other issues have popped up as well — got a major exhaust leak somewhere, a vacuum leak, and some clunking/rattling in the rear. Gotta tackle those before I do anything "fun". But I gotta...

Hahah, love it! After I did my rear springs, my wife said our 5 looked like those accessible wheel chair vans. Did you release the e-brake after lowering the van down in that picture? The springs will settle over time for sure, but the strut spacers up front will help reduce the raked look, too.

I added the spacers before installing the tires — I imagine there would be some rubbing at stock height as I get slight rubbing (at full lock) with the spacers.

Awesome. My wheels have an offset of 45. You may be able to run a 40 — I don't think it'd be too aggressive. You may have to look around to see if anyone is running 40s without issue.

No problem! We live in northern Ontario and are frequently driving on rough roads. The added lift also helps with the snow! Unfortunately, CX-9 springs will not fit the Mazda5. The CX9 rears have an inner diameter of nearly 5" while the Mazda5's rears are only 3.35". However, I did some...

Bolt pattern is 5x114.3" and centre bore is 67.1. These specs are standard across Mazda3, Mazda5, Mazda6, CX3, CX5, CX7, CX9. Only differences would be wheel offsets, but they're all fairly interchangeable. Be mindful of the centre bore — it must be 67.1 or greater. Any smaller and the wheel...

Raising the rear will help a bit with the camber, but won't alleviate it 100%. Consider installing adjustable control arms on the rear to help. And yeah, the steelies are nothing special. I ordered them with the tires through pmctire.com. They're a Canadian company, so shipping is free in...

Hahah, I love that I have a modification named after me. I'm running a 16" wheel with 215/65r16 tires. The tires are not quite A/T spec, but do have a slightly more aggressive tread — I'd say they sit between a road tire and a trail tire. But at the 215/65 profile, you can certainly opt for an...