Raising the suspension.....

[JohnA]

Yes, yes, I know, that will impact the handling, but trust me, that's not a concern where I'm living. What IS a concern are massive potholes, high curbs, and frame scraping ramps, not to mention some gnarly dirt roads.

I've already bumped up the size of the tires from low profiles to 255s as I recall. This did change the handling a bit but sure minimized a lot of my issues. BTW, the Riken tires lasted 75,000 miles. Wow. They still had plenty of tread, but the side walls were starting to fail and leak. Probably my fault for not checking the pressure more often.

Of course, I can get it to rub the new tires on occasion but the big issue is that the front shocks are SHOT. So i need to replace them, but would like to find a strut that gives me betwen 1/2" to 1" rise. 1/2" is probably just fine, really, but shocks are sold by car model, not by length or mount type.

Any ideas? Do we even know the length and travel of the stock shocks?

 

[Davicho]

Struts and shocks will not raise the height of your car, springs do. And I am very positive there is nothing out there to do this. Air suspension would probably be an alternative but it is not cheap and requires a lot of modification.

 

[JohnA]

Well, yes, I realize that I need longer springs, but need to get the struts at the same time, so was looking for a complete solution.

Seems to me that if you can get a strut/spring combo that lowers the ride, it should be just as easy to get one that raises it. The question is, what product?

 

[Silentnoise713]

Well, yes, I realize that I need longer springs, but need to get the struts at the same time, so was looking for a complete solution.

Seems to me that if you can get a strut/spring combo that lowers the ride, it should be just as easy to get one that raises it. The question is, what product?

You are not going to find any 'lift' kits for a Mazda5, which is perceived as a minivan. This car is not designed for off-roading and at most you can find 'lowering' kits. SUVs and Trucks get lift kits.

If you really want to increase your ride height (ground clearance), you're only option is probably contact a specialty off-roading company and ask them to make a kit to increase your ride. They can easily make lift kits that are really just spacers that mount to the top of your existing shock's top hat, add some height, and provide extension bolts to mount to the chassis. Before getting my Mz5, I really wanted a Suzuki SX4 and this simple lift kit. I would think rock and road can build you something, if the price is right. You're not going to find any direct fit lift springs.

http://www.rocky-road.com/sx4sus.html


If you want to increase suspension travel you can look into shorter bump stops (jounce bumpers), assuming the shocks are robust enough to support it but this does not give you ground clearance but a nice to have it you live with such rough roads.

 

[Boricua4593]

A cheap coilover kit would work the cheapest I've found it is 400 which is a steal cause they range from 800-3000 depending on brand and all that good stuff check out raceland if yours is a 3 sedan between 04-09 they will fit idk about the 10-12

 

[Davicho]

Another option is to get in contact with a company that retro fits mini vans for personal mobility. They are sure to be able to raise your 5 a bit just to have more clearance. The front should be no more then a spacer between the upper strut mount and the chassis. The rear may require a bit more work but I am sure they'd know how given that they do this modification to Odysseys and Siennas which some have the same independent rear suspension set-up.

 

[mazdadude]

What size tire are you running?

You could:

A) Go with a coilover kit, and have it set for max height. $800-1000?
B) Install airbag suspension, there is a good link on this forum. $1000-1500?
C) Install some 16" wheels, get some more sidewall height. $400-800?

 

[JohnA]

Hi guys, I appreciate it. What I'm more looking for is to simply replace the springs and struts with something that is just 1/2" to 1" longer. IOW, I am hoping that someone can say:

"The car uses a 7x5 spring with the B600 strut. What you want to order is the 7x6 spring with the B750 strut which adds .xx" of travel, it's for a different car, but it will work for what you want."

It's just odd that it's hard to find anything out about a strut - the type of mount (I assume there are different types?), the length, the travel, etc. IOW, they sell simply by the car model, not by the actual specs. So everyone just says "you need these". "But that's NOT what I need!" "But that's the part". "I KNOW!!!! I want the same, only a bit longer" "But that's the part!!!"

 

[thaxman]

Look at the Escape/Tribute 4WD. Ford is really cheap about making unique parts. Perhaps the spring seats are the same, so the springs are the same but longer. Never know.

 

[mazdadude]

If that is all you want, why not put a spacer under the top of the strut mount?