How-To: Install Cobb Springs + Impressions afterwards.

[AjaxUSA]

Sacrilicious...

You mentioned you install the rear anti-sway bars? did you do the front one as well? write up? You did such a great job, you spoiled us!

Were the anti sway worth it?

 

[Sacrilicious]

Sacrilicious...

You mentioned you install the rear anti-sway bars? did you do the front one as well? write up? You did such a great job, you spoiled us!

Were the anti sway worth it?

ya, i did add the front sways, and quite honestly, the how-to that came with the cobb FSB was very nice and covered all that you really need to know. the main reason i did this how-to was because the cobb springs did not come with instructions, so i had to piece things together by myself. as for the difficulty of the FSB install...it was a PITA! the main issue is getting the car far enough off the ground so that you still have space to put some elbow grease into pulling on things after the subframe drops away from the car by a few inches. i gave up because it was getting dark out and i just didn't want to deal with it anymore, so i took it to a mechanic friend and had him help me pop her up on a lift and we finished the install in about an hour. it's definitely a tight fit getting the FSB in and out of there, so i would recommend really setting aside some time for this install. overall, the turning seems a little tighter, but to be perfectly honest, i would just forget the whole deal and just do springs + RSB if i had to do it all over again...

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

to be perfectly honest, i would just forget the whole deal and just do springs + RSB if i had to do it all over again...

*smiling smugly*

 

[Sacrilicious]

*smiling smugly*

well, i get to say now that i have the same suspension as the Cobb car, so HA!

 

[Sacrilicious]

on a side note, i just drove through the smokey mountains while i was down in NC, and it was absolutely gorgeous! raleigh is on the other side of the state, but i'm still jealous, since it's a whole lot closer to it than NJ is...=/

 

[AjaxUSA]

Was the rear simple enough? I am seriously thinking of the springs. Ill put a few more miles on the car and make my mind up.... instead of the FSB, would the strut tower brace (in the negine) be better, or is that not needed at all?

 

[Sacrilicious]

honestly, you don't really need a whole lot for this car. get the springs + RSB if you want to improve things a bit over stock, but the honest truth is that mazda did a pretty damn good job, and you won't even notice the gains you get half the time... the one thing that i really do like and notice the most is that the car settles quickly now over undulating bumps at high speed...that used to be very annoying for me...=/

the RSB should take you like 30min to do. drive the car up on ramps, unbolt 2 nuts to take off the endlinks, then unbolt 4 more nuts to get the RSB out of there...pop in new one, bolt the 6 nuts back on, and you're done! i wouldn't bother going with fancy stuff like strut towers and whatnot. there's just better things you can spend your money on. hell, if you're THAT worried, you may as well just spend your money on some coilovers, since that's the proper way to upgrade your suspension for hardcore performance...=d

basically, unless you track your car, you're probably not going to notice sway bar upgrades much...springs are a different story, of course (reduce floatiness over bumps on highway)...=d

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

honestly, you don't really need a whole lot for this car. get the springs + RSB if you want to improve things a bit over stock, but the honest truth is that mazda did a pretty damn good job, and you won't even notice the gains you get half the time... the one thing that i really do like and notice the most is that the car settles quickly now over undulating bumps at high speed...that used to be very annoying for me...=/

basically, unless you track your car, you're probably not going to notice sway bar upgrades much...springs are a different story, of course (reduce floatiness over bumps on highway)...=d

I have to disagree on the last. I don't know how much the rear bar improved handling at the limit, because I just bomb around on back roads, but the car tracked noticeably flatter after adding it (I used the lower setting for reasons I have explained ad nauseum elsewhere) and it is much more confidence inspiring as a result. Adding the springs had exactly the effect you described as well as just feeling even more secure at speed, even on level roads. It just feels like if evasive maneuvers were required, the car would handle it better.

 

[Sacrilicious]

I have to disagree on the last. I don't know how much the rear bar improved handling at the limit, because I just bomb around on back roads, but the car tracked noticeably flatter after adding it (I used the lower setting for reasons I have explained ad nauseum elsewhere) and it is much more confidence inspiring as a result. Adding the springs had exactly the effect you described as well as just feeling even more secure at speed, even on level roads. It just feels like if evasive maneuvers were required, the car would handle it better.

ya, i agree with that, but i have the feeling that all things equal, the chances that the sway bars would give you just enough to avoid something is not really all that great. the main thing is that you have a bit more fun with your car when you get stiffer sways... my main issue with having these sways is that i don't notice it 99% of the time because i have to drive like a freakin grannie around here due to all the insane potholes and crappy roads in general...=/ if the roads in your area are decent, then it would be a lot nicer, but outside of a track, i definitely hesitate to push my car to the limits, which is where i would see the differences between the cobb sways and stock sways.

 

[ericrapp]

Up this way, the most fun roads are in the the hills. With off cambers and alot of elevation changes. you use up brakes and suspension pretty quick in any car. I will do the ' stage 2 ' bars and springs. This will certainly tighten down my car. This from experience from other vehicles. The Mazda is great on the smoother stuff. Great balance for the front /rear weight ratio. and the brakes are top notch. What a good chassis to build up as a driver's car. imo. Dropping the car will assist downforce at the higher speeds. while maintaining contact over less than ideal road surfaces, the increased spring rate also might help out. The bars will flatten turns and allow the car to settle quickly so all the ponies can be applied. i must have the completed suspension package. I cannot wait till i can control the rotation through some of the bumpier turns. It sounds like all you folks are experiencing good things from your Mazda! As am I.

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

ya, i agree with that, but i have the feeling that all things equal, the chances that the sway bars would give you just enough to avoid something is not really all that great. the main thing is that you have a bit more fun with your car when you get stiffer sways... my main issue with having these sways is that i don't notice it 99% of the time because i have to drive like a freakin grannie around here due to all the insane potholes and crappy roads in general...=/ if the roads in your area are decent, then it would be a lot nicer, but outside of a track, i definitely hesitate to push my car to the limits, which is where i would see the differences between the cobb sways and stock sways.

The line you bolded was an observation on the total effect of springs and the rear bar.

 

[Sacrilicious]

The line you bolded was an observation on the total effect of springs and the rear bar.

ohhh...ya, i'm definitely agreed on that point. honestly, i can't even separate what did what anymore (sways vs springs) as far as cornering goes...i simply can't remember what added how much anymore...=/

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

ohhh...ya, i'm definitely agreed on that point. honestly, i can't even separate what did what anymore (sways vs springs) as far as cornering goes...i simply can't remember what added how much anymore...=/

I had just the rear bar for several months. I give the bar a huge amount of the credit for going around corners. The springs had more of an effect on the feeling of stability over less than perfect road surfaces and at speed.
I have no idea what just the springs would do, obviously.

 

[LReyes66]

i cant decide to either go cobb spring or h&r... im looking for a drop... but i dont want to sacrifice much comfort... heard the cobb dont drop much..





also from a 1-10 scale 10 being the hardest what would you rate this? i might have a friend help if i do this

 

[Sacrilicious]

I had just the rear bar for several months. I give the bar a huge amount of the credit for going around corners. The springs had more of an effect on the feeling of stability over less than perfect road surfaces and at speed.
I have no idea what just the springs would do, obviously.

i had a few day window when i had just the springs, and i can't remember what the difference was after the RSB. it's been a while, and i simply didn't give myself much time to figure out the finer points of how the car handled with just the springs.

 

[Sacrilicious]

i cant decide to either go cobb spring or h&r... im looking for a drop... but i dont want to sacrifice much comfort... heard the cobb dont drop much..





also from a 1-10 scale 10 being the hardest what would you rate this? i might have a friend help if i do this

i, personally, believe that not dropping the car too much is a GOOD thing. i got REALLY pissed off when i got the splash guard under u my car caught on something in my friend's driveway and it pulled off the whole splash guard assembly (the part that protects your engine from water/salt)...(argh) as it stands right now, i have trouble enough with scraping on driveway bumps and whatnot. i REALLY don't need anymore trouble!

ok, so BEFORE i knew what i knew from writing this faq, i would have rated the install like 7-8. now, it'd just be a 4-5...and only because of the inconveniences of having to take all that stuff apart and out of the car...

oh, and save yourself some trouble and have your friend there to help you. some of the stuff is just a whole lot more convenient with two pairs of hands!

 

[ericrapp]

i cant decide to either go cobb spring or h&r... im looking for a drop... but i dont want to sacrifice much comfort... heard the cobb dont drop much..





also from a 1-10 scale 10 being the hardest what would you rate this? i might have a friend help if i do this

I would suggest the Cobb as the compromise between two styles of personalizing cars. Increased performance ( handling ) and a more aggressive look ( style ). The struts might need to be matched to springs or vice versa, it sounds like the struts can handle 1" but I wouldn't push it. I do not have my springs/bars on yet. Still scared of front bar install. So I am just talking about what I have read from others experience and the less than excellent pictures from Hotchkis. soon though, one way or another. Best luck

 

[Sacrilicious]

oh, here's an update: my car + cobb springs + tint + cargo mod...

 

[CnoTataymo]

How's the ride now that you've had them for a while? It seems like they've settled more and looks like they actually dropped more from when you installed them. It looks like a nice stance.

 

[LReyes66]

put the came on the ground and take a pic... id like to take pic from ground view