yellow and red...do
black....does not.

 

ahh ok, thanks!

edit: you think this has anything to do with the replica material? I know they sell both frp and urethane, I would imagine the frp would be noticably different as the factory pieces are urethane, maybe the replica urethane is not quite as bad?

 

The true MS peices are (EDIT): ... Metton. Metton is a type of plastic which is stronger and has better heat performance than Urethane, but retains the flexiblity unlike FRP (Fiber Reenforced Plastic... AKA Fiberglass).

Urethane is a good choice since it is more forgiving. FRP is more rigid.

In the case of this MS replica, which is Urethane, it is just a little different in the body lines. It is not a direct copy.

 

I thought the true pieces were urethane, maybe it's just the factory stock bumper then? I'm going for the replica, it's not much more than a factory stock replacement and the car is at a good shop so fitment isn't going to be that big a deal either. If I had the money to buy the real deal I might, but I'd be hesitant to do so since the car has already been painted/blended from last year's hail debacle, and I'm not sure the colors would match up etc. If I bought the pieces unpainted I'd be shelling out a TON of money and it just doesn't make sense to me to do so. I'll be putting up pictures when it's done, as I'll also be adding some minor tweaks under the hood

 

Uh what the hell? Anyone even tried the magic "SEARCH" button? The "REAL" official MS Kit from Mazda is made from the same stuff as your stock bumpers... Metton. Metton is a type of plastic which is stronger and has better heat performance than Urethane, but retains the flexiblity unlike FRP (Fiber Reenforced Plastic... AKA Fiberglass).

 

I've tried the magic search button until I'm blue in the face, but keep in mind not all of us use the same search criteria so the proper information doesn't always come up all the time. Like I would know to type in "metton" etc. I'm not a bumper junkie either, I've just been placed in a situation where I can get my car tricked out a little without spending a ton out of pocket, so I'm trying to find out what my options are and what the consequences are (ex: bumper materials, frp, urethane etc.) prior to dropping coin. Thanks for all your help everyone, it's really nice when a forum actually contains useful info as opposed to a million threads where people just flame each other etc.

 

Don't have the full body kit yet but just had the side skirts and rear bumper piece installed. Does anyone else have gaps? IN the side skirts(especially the left, there are gaps where you can see the black foam and the rear bumpre there are gaps on the right/middle area and the left/middle area with the right being about 1/2 at one point. The dealer said, "There has not been a single kit that we have put on that does not do that, they all will." I am not so sure about this. Also, I had the side aero flares and after having the side skirts installed, there is about an inch where you can see where the old one one with lots of marks. Anyone know how to get this out?

Don't mean to thread hijack, really am hoping to get some time to take some pics this weekend.

 

Here's mine...I have the replica obviously. Fit pretty well. Did need to wet sand, and bondo a little bit. Nothing too difficult. It's poly....from JFracing on ebay.

 

side skirts are kinda sagging.

 

Yes, the gaps you are talking about on the rear bumper sound about right. The gaps in the sideskirts will be there now or later....the fasteners that hold the sideskirt to the car eventually break. The ones underneath usually last much longer. I've had my kit for about 30k miles and I still have all the fasteners on the bottom portion of the sideskirt. I just make sure to check the bolts in the wheels wells every once in awhile to make sure they are tight...as they keep the sideskirt up there at the ends.

I went from the appearance package to MS kit as well...I didn't have any lines showing on the sides...sounds like they may not have mounted the side skirt high enough.

 

Uh... I bought a real official Mazdaspeed kit from a real official Mazda dealer. The parts delivered to me in their official Mazdaspeed boxes, and the front bumper is NOT as flexible as the original. It feels a lot like fiberglass. There is one caveat to my story, however... My part came unpainted because I needed yellow, and I bought the kit after they no longer came pre-painted yellow. Either way, it's an authentic MS part, but certainly feels nothing like urethane (I wish it did, because then it likely wouldn't chip as easy when crap hits it). Maybe it is Metton, but like I said, feels nothing like the OEM bumper.

 

I dont think ive ever seen a PEREFECT fitment when it comes to the mazdaspeed sideskirts. In every kit that ive ever seen there is allways some area where you can see the black foam, includeing my own. i was worried at first about the quality of work done on my car but after seeing other kits and talking to other people i found out that its the norm. some will just fit better then others , as far as going from areo pacage to MS sides......i did the same without any sign of what was there before....your new sides shoulda covered where the areo pices were

 

I, unfortunately, was hit with 5-8 pieces of wood on the freeway two days ago. Several direct hits right in the front bumper. It tore into the center mesh and cracked right below the black rebar protector area. If this bumper was urethane, I would have had dents and the paint would then have flaked off. If it was fiberglass, it would have shattered. Luckily, the Metton Material has some of the forgiveness of urethane, with some of the rigidity of fiberglass. I was still pissed beyond belief that this happened...but am thankful with how lucky I was.

 

it seems the more you like your car, the more things are drawn to hitting it. i drove my last car for 3 years without so much as a tiny scratch. now, in my 8 it seems that every little thing on the highway feels the need to bounce of my hood or bumper as i drive by.
sorry to hear about your car kwescott...........that sucks

 

Interesting. So your bumper doesn't really give much when you push on it either, but when worse comes to worse, it's not as likely to crack as fiberglass? Nice. OK, so maybe my front bumper is made of Metton afterall and I misunderstood how it was supposed to "feel." Thanks for that, I appreciate it.

 

Ah.. don't forget to check out Mikeb's rear spoiler on the first page.

 

i was wondering: does the ms kit still look good without lowering the suspension? what do u guys think?

 

i dont think it looks good, you will have that ugly gap between your wheels and the fender

 

it looks like its floating.

 

4x4 rally style

 

But that's all the rage lazi!

4x4 SUV's rock where ya been?

You must be too old.

 

ok ok got da message! thanx! going for Tein Super Street or Type Flex then.
hoping to keep the original ride quality though . . . which has been very comfortable on tough streets

 

The MS kit was one of my first mods. I saw a replica and thought it looked fine....so, initially, I was not interested in springs. I think you'll change your mind over time. The kit does allow for a subtle drop without a loss of driveability.

 

I was thinking the same thing..I like the front and rear accents on the car, but I just saw the mazdaspeed body kit on the rx-8 and it is awesome..Does anyone know where you get the mazdaspeed body kit and/or can you get one from the mazda dealer..

One last thing, I'm new on a forum site and i have no clue on how to post a thread on here..Can some one please tell me..I'm about to lose my mind because I don't know how...thanks everyone

 

wow!