The Ohio Random Thread... aka We Should Probably Be Working

Thanks! Moving to the North Olmsted GFS Marketplace as the Shift Leader (which is the lowest of four managers). It is a big increase in pay, albeit still an hourly wage. One step away from a salaried assistant manager position...I hope to get there within a year or maybe two.

Still living at home for now, looking to save up money to pay off my car, buy something shiny, and buy a house... Time to start real life!


Congrats on the new position, I hope it works out.
 
Side note...

Anyone going to the Geauga Lake NORA AutoX event tomorrow (today in 1 minute. lol) A friend of mine is going in his GTO, I was thinking about stopping out...
 
Can anyone explain to me how a '10 MS3 can get the same MPG as a '09-'10 ish Ford Explorer? Or is my friend just making excuses for the trade he just completed?

Said he wanted something bigger, NOT needed something bigger, just wanted. He hasn't had the MS3 that long, < 2 years. I was ragging him that he'll be bitching about the MPG's in no time, but he said they're the same!?

The Exploder was redone in 2011, and now it is 18/26-27 I guess. The gen before that (up til 2010) they got like 14/20. It just depends on how much he could stay out of boost in the MS3.
 
I want pictures of this.

This is the doorway it came through:



This is where it currently sits now, after some careful maneuvering:



Long story short to how it got to this stage: my dad and I were driving home from watching vintage races at Mid-Ohio, pulled into a downhill parking lot and the brakes gave out, ran over a parking curb and it cracked the trans case. Drove home with just the handbrake, ripped out the interior, and it's sat this way for quite a while now.
 
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Found a puddle of fluid on the garage floor over the weekend under the left rear of the Speed3. Looks like the culprit is a bad shock:
photo1de.jpg


Anyone have some advice/options for replacing this? I know Chippy had this problem a while ago and went with the BC coilovers. So those are definitely on the list, my other options are:

Mazdaspeed Coilovers (KW Variant 3), from Mazda Motorsports I can get them for $1525.07
Koni Yellows + what spring?
The Miata folks over at M.net say good things about Bilstein HDs but, at least for the Miata, they have to be revalved for the springs.
The less fun option is to just get the bad shock replace with a stock one.

Anything else I should be considering? How long should I be running around on the bad shock?
 
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dude i dunno where the hell your pricing koni yellows but a buddy of mine just bought a full set (all 4 corners) for 525+shipping

and personally i LOVE my koni yellow/tein stech combo, that would be a good route to go unless you plan on tracking the 3 alot, but seeing as you have a miata too, i betting thats the track toy, so id say yellows/stechs would be a perfect combo for DD-ing
 
I didn't shop around. I was just looking at Street Unit. $525 for all 4? That sounds a lot better!

I have Yellows on my Miata and I like them a lot. Do you have threaded sleeves for the Konis?
 
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Found a puddle of fluid on the garage floor over the weekend under the left rear of the Speed3. Looks like the culprit is a bad shock:

Anyone have some advice/options for replacing this? I know Chippy had this problem a while ago and went with the BC coilovers. So those are definitely on the list, my other options are:

Mazdaspeed Coilovers (KW Variant 3), from Mazda Motorsports I can get them for $1525.07
Koni Yellows - $900 + what spring?
The Miata folks over at M.net say good things about Bilstein HDs but, at least for the Miata, they have to be revalved for the springs.
The less fun option is to just get the bad shock replace with a stock one.

Anything else I should be considering? How long should I be running around on the bad shock?



Dang! Sorry about the bad shock, I hope I don't get one any time soon! How many miles are you at?

As far a new suspension, the cheap and quick route would be to just replace that with an oem one. Apparently our rears are much easier to replace than the fronts. I'm not really sure how bad it is to run like that since I've never had that issue. I think Chippy drove around for a while with his blown, or maybe I could be wrong. If it's a major issue driving like that, oem replacement will be your best quick fix (and probably pretty cheap).

If it's not a major issue, save up and just replace everything. Think of it as an excuse to get coilovers HAHA!! You might just want to go with coilovers. I've heard good things about the BCs and they're pretty low price. Also, I'm pretty sure the fronts have adjustable camber (although if the MS3 will never see a track, that might be useless lol). I would love the Mazdaspeed Coils since they are actually KWs, but made specifically for the MS3.

I'm planning on getting coilovers in the future. I think the koni + spring combo probably works well, but for the cost you're very close to the BC coilover price. IMO...might as well just spend the extra money and do that.

Good luck!!!
 
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I didn't shop around. I was just looking at Street Unit. $525 for all 4? That sounds a lot better!

I have Yellows on my Miata and I like them a lot. Do you have threaded sleeves for the Konis?

i dont have threaded sleeves, i just am rocking the "standard" mazda3 lowering springs with oem style koni yellows
 
dude i dunno where the hell your pricing koni yellows but a buddy of mine just bought a full set (all 4 corners) for 525+shipping

and personally i LOVE my koni yellow/tein stech combo, that would be a good route to go unless you plan on tracking the 3 alot, but seeing as you have a miata too, i betting thats the track toy, so id say yellows/stechs would be a perfect combo for DD-ing

Wow that's a really great price! Where did you see that?? I might be looking into that route again if it's that cheap.
 
Dang! Sorry about the bad shock, I hope I don't get one any time soon! How many miles are you at?

As far a new suspension, the cheap and quick route would be to just replace that with an oem one. Apparently our rears are much easier to replace than the fronts. I'm not really sure how bad it is to run like that since I've never had that issue. I think Chippy drove around for a while with his blown, or maybe I could be wrong. If it's a major issue driving like that, oem replacement will be your best quick fix (and probably pretty cheap).

If it's not a major issue, save up and just replace everything. Think of it as an excuse to get coilovers HAHA!! You might just want to go with coilovers. I've heard good things about the BCs and they're pretty low price. Also, I'm pretty sure the fronts have adjustable camber (although if the MS3 will never see a track, that might be useless lol). I would love the Mazdaspeed Coils since they are actually KWs, but made specifically for the MS3.

I'm planning on getting coilovers in the future. I think the koni + spring combo probably works well, but for the cost you're very close to the BC coilover price. IMO...might as well just spend the extra money and do that.

Good luck!!!

I'm at 76k miles.

I think I'm definitely going to use it as an excuse to replace everything :D I just need to decide what to get.
 
ill ask my buddy shawn where he got them from... hes got the stech/yellow combo on his ms3 and LOVES it

I like the sound of that combo. What spring rates are you or is he running?

FatCatMotorsports makes a bump stop kit for the Yellow/MS3 which will help the ride tremendously.
 
so minor mistake the price was 525 shipped, lol

i found out where he bought the yellows but they arent a "vendor" on here although are reputable cause ive dealt with them before... ill shoot you a pm if you want the info
 
They're definitely a reputable company and the s tech/yellow combo can't be beat. I know both Levi and I repped s techs with stock shocks but I think we're both converts after getting sets of yellows. I can't think of going back now.
 
spring rates are 163 lbs/in(front) and 241 lbs/in (rear) or 3k front, 4k rear and thats the same spring rates for both the 3 and speed3 so you could save yourself about 60-70 bucks and just get the springs from the 3 instead of the speed3 springs


ill be out in akron, ohio next friday night if you want to meet up and go for a ride so you can feel how the stech/yellow combo is id be willing to meet up
 
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