Shocks make a massive difference. With super high rates on anything but 200TW Extreme Performance Summer tires(RE71R, Rivals, Dunlop ZII Star Specs, Kumho V720, etc), it will feel bouncy no matter what.
When the shocks are adjusted too soft, the springs will be under damped and of course...
You'll get faster with time and experience. I autocrossed for like 4 years in stock, underprepared cars(my 09 Mazda3 for most of it, then my Mazda2 stock and nearly stock for a short while before the STF build)... seat time is really the only thing that will make a big difference. Working on the...
BCs are what Jeff used(Jasyatz) if you want to dig for his build thread. He actually drove my car to compare to his BCs(not same day, his 2 was sold at that point), and they felt very similar except the Koni race inserts had a bit more compression.
You'll be happy performance wise with your...
Quick update, after the last autocross event last year, I put some Eibach lowering springs on the stock shocks/struts and the 2 is now just a daily driver. I sold off all the suspension to a guy with a 2 in California so maybe you'll see more of it in the future?
I hit a wall with the 2 on my...
Check out my build thread(link in signature) for some ideas.
Depending on the spring rates you use(you didn't say?)... you'll need a 6 or 7 in spring most likely. I literally JUST sold off my entire setup to a Mazda2 owner in Pico Vista, California... maybe you could figure out who that is and...
If you're experiencing anything up front, then you probably have strut mount bearings failing(you'll hear when turning the wheel left and right).
In the back, sometimes you need to just play around with twisting the coil in a different position. Most decent brands have the lower few coils...
Literally the only real "failure" of any significance I've heard about on these cars is either A) B-spec race cars that see 20k+ track miles before failure or B) turbocharged stuff that blows up because of pushing the limits.
Only other issues are occasional oil leaks(oil pan gasket, easy...
If they're aftermarket, it's entirely possible they're garbage. I see that kind of stuff happen all the time. Without seeing/hearing it myself, it's hard to say with any real certainty, but the type of noise you describe wouldn't happen from a beam bushing. If you can put the car in the air...
Loosen the bolts for the beam to chassis while the car is on the ground at ride height then retorque them to spec. If they were torqued while the car was in the air and suspension drooping(or if you lowered the car and never loosened/retorqued them), then the bushings are going to be preloaded...
The lower strut to knuckle bolts get torqued to 53-68ft-lbs.
The 3 strut top nuts get torqued to 23-28ft-lbs.
Sway bar link gets torqued to 32-44ft-lbs.
Per this:
https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123800458-Suspension-Torque-Specs&highlight=torque+specs
Maybe see if you can get a second map sensor to put in a charge pipe preferably right before the throttle body, and just use it's signal as a gauge to compare vs the actual map sensor, so see how much pressure drop is going on? I'd assume this shouldn't be terribly hard with a standalone?
Cool...
Use the MTL. I'm fairly sure that Pennzoil Synchromesh is much thinner than MTL, and know it's not GL-4 rated.
Also pull the skid plate and drain it like normal - there's no way you can get anything into the fill hole or the fluid level inspection hole(yes there are two places you could...
Thanks for the update.
Was the flywheel machined/resurfaced when the clutch was replaced?
If not, that's probably why it shuddered so badly... This is normally highly recommended.
A lot of mechanics may just hit the flywheel with sandpaper, but in my experience this isn't acceptable unless...
Car looks great!
Fwiw when you had the "downward force" over the crest of a speed bump, it sounds like too much rebound. This is exactly what Konis adjusted all the way up feel like. Going over a bump with both wheels will not cause any sway bar action. Unless it's binding something awful.
You know, I am leaning more towards turning the 2 into a more track-oriented car and buying a cheap beater Miata for daily driving... Miatas are more fun in stock/close to stock form IMO. There's something about having something different than everyone else that entertains me.
The biggest pain...
Here is a good pictorial write up how to pull the door panels:
https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123796492-Door-Panel-removal-l
As you can see the window motor is right there. On the passenger side there should only be two wires going to it... easy enough to probe them with a volt...