MS3 performance suspension
- Thread starter avi8or
- Start date
Nliiitend1
Member
preload and rebound numbers??
Do you mean stock spring rates?
The stock spring rates are 188 lbs/in front, 171 lbs/in rear, if I recall correctly...
Do you mean stock spring rates?
The stock spring rates are 188 lbs/in front, 171 lbs/in rear, if I recall correctly...
See if BC Racing has coilovers for the MS3. They are on-par with KW's and much less expensive. SRT-4 crowd loves them and they beat the s*** out of their rides. I have KW's on my Neon SRT-4 and they are great, but BC seems to be the shiznit now. I'm keeping my MS3 stock for now as it's the "family" car... with a cutting edge...
Nliiitend1
Member
They do, and no, I assure you that they are NOT.
H3br3w_Ham3r
Member
- :
- 2008 Mazdaspeed3
I don't see how you can say that when you don't own them..... I have the BC's and I love them. Really help the car rotate and feel more neutral in the corners. Plus they come with camber plates in the front so you can set your camber where you want it.
Nliiitend1
Member
Put both your BC dampers and a set of KW dampers on a shock dyno, and compare the results to one another. I think you might find the results surprising.
Without any real data to back that up, I'd be hesitant to make such a claim. I'm sure the BCs work fine for most ppl but companies like KW, H&R, Koni, Bilstein have built a reputation by making some of best struts/coilovers for a wide range of vehicles for quite some time now. This has been proven whether in a lab setting under shock dynos as well as on real world motorsports racing of all types.
Up until I got my MS3, I've never even heard of BC Racing. It could just be me being ignorant but the names that instantly pop up in my head when I talk suspension are almost always those 4 companies I mentioned earlier.
H3br3w_Ham3r
Member
- :
- 2008 Mazdaspeed3
I understand they won't be as good but you get what you pay for. Problem is my racing budget is limited and I liked the idea of included front camber plates. For the price they do a lot for the car handling wise. I don't see the reason to go for a set that is over 500$ more expensive than the BC's if I'm not actually competing in events that matter.
Sure you might get the expensive kit and be able to brag about how well the car handles now over the guy who bought BC's but unless you are preparing the car for a specific class I don't see the need.
Nliiitend1
Member
...and for that matter, each to his own.
I just can't justify buying a setup that isn't properly engineered specifically for my car (when it's being marketed as such), and I've never seen any data to back up the claim that BC has done their homework and put out a product that has proper valving for the spring rates that they've chosen. I also tend to shy away dampers that use "clicks" in their adjustment hardware, especially when they don't provide shock dynos for their individual dampers upon request...
Like I said, each to his own. BC coilovers have their place in the market, but that place is not on my car.
I just can't justify buying a setup that isn't properly engineered specifically for my car (when it's being marketed as such), and I've never seen any data to back up the claim that BC has done their homework and put out a product that has proper valving for the spring rates that they've chosen. I also tend to shy away dampers that use "clicks" in their adjustment hardware, especially when they don't provide shock dynos for their individual dampers upon request...
Like I said, each to his own. BC coilovers have their place in the market, but that place is not on my car.
OK, I will stand corrected on my terminology. "on-par" doesn't mean "equal". I'm sure if you beat the snot out of the BCs, they will break faster. When tried over a specific range on various pavements and settings, the KW's have a better longevity, and engineering, and warranty. I run KW's on my SRT4. I haven't used the BCs yet on any of my rides, just going with what other SRT4 owners claim.... Hence my "on-par" claim relating to an SRT4. Perhaps they suck on an MS3... totally different car..... for which I will stand corrected.
Nliiitend1
Member
par (pr)
n.
2. An equality of status, level, or value; equal footing: a local product on a par with the best foreign makes.
- :
- 06 LS MS6
07 BM GT (shell has been struck from the roll)
On in two, with a two putt (cheers)
H3br3w_Ham3r
Member
- :
- 2008 Mazdaspeed3
...and for that matter, each to his own.
I just can't justify buying a setup that isn't properly engineered specifically for my car (when it's being marketed as such), and I've never seen any data to back up the claim that BC has done their homework and put out a product that has proper valving for the spring rates that they've chosen. I also tend to shy away dampers that use "clicks" in their adjustment hardware, especially when they don't provide shock dynos for their individual dampers upon request...
Like I said, each to his own. BC coilovers have their place in the market, but that place is not on my car.
Do you plan on doing any sort of coil overs or shock work?
Nliiitend1
Member
Eventually, yes.
If I didn't have a ridiculously expensive wedding to pay for next spring I probably would have already done something, but I honestly can't decide if I'd rather go a little more hardcore and get the Mazdaspeed Coilovers or just buy some good dampers. If there was indeed a truly GREAT damper option right now I probably would've already gone that route...
H3br3w_Ham3r
Member
- :
- 2008 Mazdaspeed3
Honestly I wanted to go with a really expensive setup like the HKS or K&W. But the problem I found was trying to get camber plates that work with them without jumping through a lot of hoops. No one on here had done anything like that and when I asked SU for info they just said they had no info on the topic. So along with my lack of money this made me chose the BC's since they came with the plates. Later on if I turn my MS3 into a track car and I strip out the interior and everything I might upgrade to a better setup.
Nliiitend1
Member
I know Tri-Point built at least one guy some custom adapters that allowed for the use of the Kmac plates with the MS coilover setup...
Here's his blog where he talks about it:
http://www.gofastadventure.com/?p=65
It's not an off-the-shelf part or anything, but it works...
Not to sway from the topic but on the street, you'll probably be hard pressed to out drive either set of coil overs. For the average back road burning Joe, it's probably 6 of one, half dozen of the other.
As for tuning compression and rebound, typically, you go full turns in and back them out 1/3 of the clicks and go from there. Then again, tuning shocks for the street is largly moot. Too many differing conditions.
I based my shock tuning on what I've learned from setting up motorcycle suspensions. I figured it was similar across the board.
As for tuning compression and rebound, typically, you go full turns in and back them out 1/3 of the clicks and go from there. Then again, tuning shocks for the street is largly moot. Too many differing conditions.
I based my shock tuning on what I've learned from setting up motorcycle suspensions. I figured it was similar across the board.
Nliiitend1
Member
I don't agree.
The experience of driving a car with a dialed-in setup that has proper damping curves for the application is markedly different from the experience of driving the same car with a "budget" setup that has little more than "ride quality adjustment knobs" (which is what I call the knobs on most adjustable dampers) that pretty much only adjust rebound.
I can only hope that some day, I can acheive your level of driving Zen. Until then, color me Joe Average.
