kennedy

I've got an 85 se with the original suspension intact, I just got some new 15x7 wheels and tires and now the front passenger tire rubs under hard braking/cornering or bumps. The clearance between the tire and fender lip is about a half inch less than the drivers side. My question is what is the best strut to buy to keep a good ride quality and also is it time to look at new springs? I noticed on Mazdatrix's website that all their springs lower the car a little. Thanks for your input

oni-dori

ground control has adjustable sleeves i think. that might help.

onepointone

almost all aftermarket springs youll get will lower the car. ive heard of people going back to OEM springs, and it actually raised the car because of the age of the stock stuff.

i went with eibach springs and tokico blues. its a little stiff over little bumps, but not really at the same time?? i with i would of gone with a stiffer spring though, maybe racing beat? the shocks are nice, but i blew one of them after a week of driving. fortunately, it was replaced hassle free under warentee, and i havent had a problem since, and im going on a year.

a option you might want to consider, the ground controll coilovers. i know thats what i plan to run on my other car once its up and running smoothly. adjustable hieght, spring rates, caster, and camber, all in one, and you can get them (front only) for ~185 shipped on www.groupbuycenter.com.

i would recommend you go to shox.com to get your stuff though. VERY good prices and good service.

hope this helps

oni-dori

i heard tokico blues squeak alot. this is why im still contemplating what shocks to get. also, cant you get stiffer eibach springs if you special order?

onepointone

ive never heard complaints of squeaking. mine have never done it in the year ive had them on. maybe my car is just too loud to hear that? i doubt it though. maybe the person who said that had a blown shock?

LongDuck

If, after mounting new 15x7 wheels, you notice that you don't have much clearance between the tire and the wheelwell, it may be that your outter diameter is now greater than stock. With 15x7 wheels, you'll want to get 38mm offset wheels, and 215x55 tires to ensure that you stay close to stock diameter.

If you have this size tire and offset and are still seeing clearance issues, I have some suggestions for you. When my 84SE wheels were replaced, I found that the stock upper strut mounts had gone soft over time and were allowing the car to sit much lower than stock. This is with RB springs, too, which are said to lower 1" front and rear.

I noticed that the driver's side sat lower than passenger side (front only), and couldn't figure out why. One day, on the way to work, I hear a 'THUMP' and notice that the hood seems to have popped up. I pull over and get out and open the hood to see the top of the shock strut sticking up past the upper mount with the rubber donut still attached! The mount gave way over time and was allowing the shock rod to bump back and forth as I drove.

By replacing both front upper strut mounts with new, I increased front ride height by about 1/2 inch and now it's perfect - sits perfectly level front to rear with me in it and no more problems with wheels impacting in the wells over bumps.

My upper mounts went out at 170k miles, so if you're close, you might want to give this a shot - $40 each at VB plus the time and talent to remove your front struts, but well worth the effort, HTH,

Northern 7

iTrader: (3)

I you want to keep speedo error to a minimum, I would go with 205-55's and that will also allow for a little more clearance between tire and strut.
You mentioned that you are rubbing on the fendor lip - that sounds like the wrong offset - are the tires sitting inside the lip or under it?

RacerX7fb

kennedy...
If you do not like a stiff and lower ride and will not be using the car for any performance driving, save your money simply replace all the front struts and keep the stock springs.
Old original shocks in the rear can actually be a benefit to the cars handling once the fronts have been replaced with, depending on your budget...from Monroes, KYBs, Tokicos, or Konis

Mr_Rx7_Au

If you got the money, get a whiteline racing kit. Those things are the bomb.

http://www.whiteline.com.au/

81Rex6port13b

I have 15 X 7 in the rear with a offset of 7. they fit great. i have not had a chance to put them in the front tho. for there is nothing to mount them on in the front lol.

kennedy

I forgot to mention that was getting a little rub with the original (205-60-14) tires on se rims. The front passenger tire had a ring around the edge where it rubbed the fender well. I now have 205-55-15s and it makes a little noise as well as marking the tire. The passenger side front is the only one giving a problem, that is why I suspected a weak spring or something. I was careful to get the same offsets and overall diameter with the new wheels. Thanks to all