want to get 18" rims and lower car, need help

[PoppaTrey]

I am driving a 2006 mazda 3 hatchback 2.3L.

I've been doing a bit of research because I want to get 18" rims for the summer and lower my car 1-1.5 inches. For the 18" rims, im thinking of getting P225 40 R18 size tires but would there be enough clearance between the tire and the fender if i lower the car 1-1.5 inches? Even over speed bumps? What if I go for a P215 40 R18?

I am also not sure what rim diameter i should get. I don't want the tire/rim to stick out of the side of the car. I think the stock rim is 7 inches.

Also, to lower the car, i know it is a lot cheaper to simply adjust your current springs but is that safe or should i just buy new springs (which is a lot more expensive).

 

[pickarze]

Rim Spring Package.

Hey Poppa, I have an 04 3sHB. I swapped out the stock spring with Racing Beat sport springs and Koni FSD auto adjusting dampers. I currently have the stock 17 inch rims on but am going to upgrade soon. Here's what I learned about the strut/spring setup. I learned a lot the hard way. First NEVER go with springs and struts/shocks that were not engineered to work together. Here's why. Tirerack sells the Koni FSD strut/shock package bith with and without springs. The Springs that Koni worked with as a kit are from Eibach. I didn't pay attention to that and thought, no big deal, any spring will work. Not so. When my mechanic installed the RB springs at the correct installation points it looked like I had a front end lift kit from the 70s on the car. It was awful! I engaged both Racing Beat and Koni. After much discussion the mechanic was able to get them in the suspension brackets a bit lower and the struts settled a bit. But the big lesson was go with a match setup. I like the Koni sets with Eibach you can't go wrong. It will get you a 1.5 drop but it will be firm. The FSDs are a good compromise. They firm up as the cornering gets faster. But they are smooth in normal driving. They are pretty slick.

The best solution if you have lots of cash woudl be an adjustable coilover set of struts and shocks. Go to Tirerack and look at the Bilstein setup. They are really sharp and you can set them up and down for winter and summer. They are VERY expensive however.

As for 18s talk to tirerack. They really know what they are talking about. There is an issues with rim and tire width in the rear. You have to be very careful about offset and width of rim and tire or you will rub. Its fairly tight up front as well but more critical in the rear. You run the risk of hitting the spring in the front or the fenders. THe best bet is the 215 45 18 tire. To go to a full 225 40 18 you have to be so careful with clearance. With a 1.5 drop staying with 215 is the safest bet without fear of having to roll your fender lips.

To do it right you'll want to upgrade sway bars as well. Tirerack can help there as well. Stay away from Racing Beat. A guy here on the forum snapped an end link in the rear sway and Racing Beat had no answer. Eibach again makes a great setup.

Good luck but the best bet is a long discussion with Tirerack suspension guys. Don't just pick something off any webpage that sounds great. You'll get burned in a very expensive install. Grene

 

[joshritger]

Pickarze in regards to the racing beat swaybars, I did break two endlinks because of them, but they were the best investment I have put into my car so far. The endlinks I had were MS3 OEM style links made by a third party manufacturer (crappy quality) I purchased a pair of authentic MS3 rear endlinks and they have been on the car since last fall and they have been good since then. I did have a question about the springs though, I have the koni yellows and was going to get the racing beat springs. I don't really want my car lowered I just want springs to match my shocks better. Do you like the racing beat springs? I plan on installing mine myself.

 

[pickarze]

Back again

Hey Josh, long time no hear. We traded posts/emails last year when you were upgrading. I never heard the end of the story on the endlinks. Thanks more comforting. I thought you got the end links from RB. Guess I misunderstood that. Sounds like the sways are working for ya. After my Koni FSD settled a bit they work great with the RB Springs. Not too high, not too low. WHen I go up to 18s I think it will be easy. If I had to do it all over again though I think I'd go with the Bilstein Coilovers. THey give you ultimate adjustability after installation. I really need to get somew sways but brakes and wheels/tires got to come first to pass inspection. Good talking again. Gene

 

[PoppaTrey]

pickarze, thanks a lot for the insight

 

[joshritger]

Pickarze: I really need to do the springs, I just wanted to make sure that after they were installed they were good. I plan on installing them myself once I can afford them. The front endlinks from racingbeat are a must if you are getting the racingbeat sways, the rear endlinks I have now are the mazda speed three endlinks. The major difference is that the stud going into the swaybar is thicker and the joint is a little bit beefier. You could also look into the AWR rear endlinks that they have on protegegarage, they are a bit beefier, but they do not have any rubber boot/shielding so I don't know how they will hold up in winter or wet weather. I can't remember, but did you have to get camber links when you put the racingbeat springs in?

Nice talking,
Josh

 

[mikelebz]

just be careful. I dropped my 3 on tein S-techs. 2.0 front 1.5 rear. Got a pair of 18 inch with (i believe) stock MS3 tires (215/45R18)...they rubbed bad in the front on any sort of dip in the road. right now I put the stock rims back on... I am looking to replace the tires with 215/35/18 tires.

 

[PoppaTrey]

just be careful. I dropped my 3 on tein S-techs. 2.0 front 1.5 rear. Got a pair of 18 inch with (i believe) stock MS3 tires (215/45R18)...they rubbed bad in the front on any sort of dip in the road. right now I put the stock rims back on... I am looking to replace the tires with 215/35/18 tires.

yea thats what im worried about. I don't want to drop the front 2 inches though. i only want a 1-1.5" drop in the front and rear. I'm thinkin of either gettin 225/40/18 or 215/40/18 tires, i am not sure yet. as for the rims, i think i am gonna get them with 8" width to offset them a bit. I don't want 215/35/18 or 225/35/18 cuz i think the profile on that is too low. it will make the ride a a little rough i believe

 

[pickarze]

Springs and Drop

Poppa,

That's why I am steering (no pun intended) with the 215 45 18s. Thats only a small profile change from the 205 50 17s. Depending on what struts and shocks you go with combined with stiff springs it will ride HARD. Which is ok on good smooth roads (gee where are those?) Oh year I remember, GERMANY. NOT here. I went with the setup I talked about earlier for a reasonable compromise. Also keep in mind the lower the front is the more the chance of eating curbs (Painful and noisy). If it were me I'd go no lower than 1.5 F&R. ALso Tirerack made a good point about wheel width and offset. If you go 7.5 with the correct offset you may be able to get a tire that will protect the edge of the rim more than an 8" which may push out more. Just a thought. Good hunting. Gene