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Suspension & Brakes
Springs, Struts, Stabilisers, Rotors, Pads
The chassis's ground contact is a major safety issue. Always think about the fact that only a good combination of [springs]+[shocks]+[stabilizers]+[brakes]+[rims]+[proper axis angle] will provide good optics AND optimum safety.
There's one thing you should know:
Mazda changed the Prefacelift's dampers to Struts with the Facelift model (for the 1.3-1.6l engines).
The damper/strut assembly of the 98-00 models is DIFFERENT from the one of the 01-03 models ! So if you have a "old" model then go and look for dampers/struts that are particularly made for your year model or go get the corresponding endlinks from the newer models (2x LC62-34-170B from your mazda dealer!). An upgrade of those endlinks is worth the money.
OEM Mazda springs
developed by Eibach
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Mazda itself offers lowering springs for the BJ models. Those are always from Eibach, but there are different kits for the different BJ models.
EDM Eibach ProKit Part #:
1.3-2.0l: 5532.140 (30mm drop front/rear)
Diesel: 10-55-003-01-22 (30mm drop front/rear)
USDM Eibach ProKit Part #:
Protege 99-03 : 5540.140 (Front: 1.4' / Rear: 1.8')
Protege5 01-03 : 5541.140 (Front: 1.4' / Rear: 1.2')
USDM Eibach Sportline Part#:
Protege 99-03: 4.4055 (Front: 1.8' / Rear: 1.8') |
Aftermarket
springs
Shock absorbers / Shocks
Struts
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Struts are units that combine the shock absorber with a stressed part of the suspension. The strut allows auto manufacturers to eliminate the upper control arm and upper ball joint. They use a large diameter piston rod and are quite a bit larger and heavier than conventional shock absorbers. Most struts also combine the lower spring perch or seat into their construction.
Manufacturers:
Tokico (US)
Skunk2 (US)
Bilstein (GER/Int.)
Monroe (Int.)
Moton (Ned/Int.)
KYB (US)/KYB (JAP)
Sachs (GER)
Distributors:
ProtegeGarage (US)
Protege5Online (US)
Corksport (US) |
Coilover sets
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Spring seat, coilover, and coil-around are all terms used to describe this shock absorber. While they look like struts, they are actually shock absorbers with spring seats mounted on the body. They are not only smaller than struts overall, their piston rods are 25% to 60% smaller than struts.
Manufacturers:
Skunk2 (US)
Tokico (US)
Tein (JAP)
Bilstein (GER/INT)
Monroe (INT.)
Ground Control (US)
Sachs (GER)
Tanabe (US)
Distributors:
ProtegeGarage (US) |
Air rides
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This one is a pretty new invention for damping a car's weight.
Despite their price those air rides offer 2 exciting features: The height of your chassis can be adjusted by just a button which controls the hydraulics and the comfort of such an air ride is just marvelous.
OEM Car manufactureres like BMW already started to implement this technique in their series car production.
Available at:
German Airride Systems (GER)
Brislands (US)
AIM Industries (US)
Air Ride Tech (US) |
Strut bars
Various chassis components
Brakes, pads & rotors
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