suspension for my MSP??

[SuperSpud]

is there anything I can get for my MSP?? I mean, what all is there? most of the things such as sway bars and s*** I already have them, and are already bigger...

so what all is there that I can get to make my car handle better?? sites would be helpful

 

[Sir Nuke]

hey spud....well I don't know that you NEED anything....you see...I live in the Houston area too...and we don't exactly have a lot of twisty roads around here.....and NO, a cloverleaf on/off ramp doesn't count! lol

about the only thing you could do if you WANTED...would be to change out the springs to lower the car a little more, thus lowering the center of gravity of the car....reducing the body roll just a little more....and making it look better in the process.

the Pro's out handle just about anything you could or will run into out there on the road today...its the biggest selling point from a performance standpoint for our cars....other than you just can't buy a better looking car for the money!

(stash)

 

[SuperSpud]

well I want to start auto x'ing... my buds all go to that, and I figure since I have a mazda, thats what they are good at.. I know awr makes a 1.5mm bigger rear sway bar,, they also have adjustable end links.. but I dont know if any of that would make a difference...

and yes, I want to lower my car a little, not slam it, but just a little lower... I have to keep in mind that my springs already are .8" lower than stock proteges... so if I got the spool springs, it would lower it 1.2", not 2"... I'll prolly be getting some springs, but I just have to look around..

 

[Sir Nuke]

either go with the Spool springs....or the Eibach's....those would be my two recomendations. The Eibach's don't quite go as low as the Spools. and the ride is comparable between the two.

My suggestion for you? get into the Autocross arena and have a go at it....then consider if you need to upgrade from there.

 

[Newf]

spool,spool,spool,spool,spool,spool,spool,spool

Any questions?

really, it take a lot more then just slapping some bolt ons to a car to make a balanced (great handling) car. Mazda did not just bolt on some sway bars and call it done. this car is amazing stock, and Sir Nuke is right on the money.

Personally, I wouldn't waste the money on the stuff. She's good enough as is. It's not like it's a Civic or something that needs suspensions upgrades to handle well.

But, spool is the way to go if you insist on messing with perfection.

 

[CRDMS1]

My suggestion for you? get into the Autocross arena and have a go at it....then consider if you need to upgrade from there.

Agree 100% with Sir Nuke. Try the car at a few events and ride in or drive some other cars there. You will find that the MSP is very nicely setup stock. When you get the bug, and depending on your class restrictions, I'd go with the following in order:

1a) Smaller, lighter wheels for racing only. You can pickup a decent set of wheels for a couple hundred bucks, and it's not hard to get lighter than the stock wheels (~23 lbs I think). Plus, depending on the wheel tire combo you use, you can effectively 'lower' the car an inch or two for racing.

1b) R-compound sticky tires to go along with 1a. This will make a huge difference in your times if you have the basics down. Beware the 'little-or-no-warning' breakaway characteristics however.

2) Stiffer lowering springs. The stock rates aren't as stiff as I'd like for the track but I can live with it for now.

I use 15x7 Kosei K1 wheels with 225/50/15 Kumho Victoracer tires...10 lbs. lighter each = 40 lbs. less unsprung weight + less rotational intertia. It makes a big difference in acceleration/handling to me.

Peace...(hippy)

 

[ARD MP5]

The only way IMO to maximize performance would be to get a set of Ground Control Coilovers for your existing dampers. I am not sure if you will see a benefit from going to an aftermarket spring.

While it acheives a lower center of gravity I don't believe that it will handle better. Most aftermarket springs are progressive while your stocks should be linear like the MP3. Racing Beat does produce Linear Spring therefore if they came out with stiffer springs or you can go to a ground control system where you will acheive your ideal height as well as spring rate.

WE did this on our project MP3 before going to the JIC integrated coilover system and autox it. The thing was phenomenal.

Later, Rishie

This is what we have now: Costs in the mid thousand to two thousand range. Retails for like 1900.00.

 

[dmitrik4]

just go autoX first with the car as it is. it sounds like you've already upgraded some suspension pieces...leave it alone for now until you have some events and experience under your belt. that way you'll know more about the sport and what you want the car to do.

keep the rules in mind...for example, if you change your springs, you'll be in STX (i'm assuming you're going to run w/ SCCA). if that's the case, R-compound tires are out for you unless you want to go to a really competitive class.

run for a while, learn the rules and then buy some racing wheels and tires first. they will make the most difference.

 

[Logan]

Yes, don't just start changing things because you can, find out what the rules are.
If you make some changes you will move to a class where you may not be competitive until you have more experience.
Learn with what you've got.

 

[low_psi]

spud would rather have the springs than be competative though. plus, since the houston region S2 events are so big, they don't have STS and STX.

we have ST A,B,C,D,E and F, along with STU for aftermarket turbo cars and whatnot. Spud would be in STD, and be very competative.