Suspension Questions
 

Hi guys sorry to bother, i have a question, i have just changed my rear suspension, i have bought tokico which i think is the oem for our cars, at least my last rear suspension was tokico and it was the mazda sticker in it.

My question is: although i changed it, i still feel the car like it hit it self too much when there is people seated in the back, streets here sucks, so i want to know, if changing the rear suspension wasn't enough to solve this trouble, i wondering if i should have to buy the springs too, if i have i would like if anyone can recommend the best springs (or suspension if the tokico is not good enough) to solve this trouble.

remember i need a hard suspension, i mean i need a suspension able to hold the bad streets of my country, thanks in advance for your help.

When you say you changed the suspension did you change the springs and the shocks? Both contribute to ride height and if they are worn the problems will be exacerbated when the car has weight in it.

It's mostly a spring issue, and others have had similar problems. Plenty of lowering springs are available, but no one sells springs to raise the ride height. Give me a couple days to take some pics, and I'll do a DIY writeup of an easy $25 solution. It won't be as good as a set of $1500 coilovers, but it should work for your purposes.

I only changed the shocks, i let the old springs, so if i buy a new oem springs (i don't know what brand are oem springs) could that solve my problem ?

Yes it could. On the RX-8 both springs and shocks play a role in ride height and sagging. This is why some stock RX-8's are sitting at different ride heights, with age and wear they tend to lower. I had the same issue a couple of years ago. I listened to all the "experts" who told me shock had nothing to do with ride height and so I removed my springs and sent them to Tein to be tested and installed a brand new set I had laying around. Well the old springs tested fine and even with the new springs the car still sagged to the tires even with a little weight in it. So, I bought new shocks (KYB gas adjusts) and installed them and the issue was gone.

The shocks that were pulled did not have many miles on them and appeared to be in good shape (no leaks, etc.) so they failed somehow internally. I have a thread about it somewhere with pics.

Ok so, what about my new tokico shocks ? do you think they came broken ? i bought them new so it looks like it could be the springs then, or is better to invest in those shocks you told me ?

Or you think i have to change my old springs ? cuz as you told me it was the shocks.

See the pics i've added, tell me what you think..

What condition were the pics taken under? Loaded vs unloaded?

There's no way the OEM Tokico's would drop your car that much on stock springs unless their blown.. Or you have over 100lbs worth of stuff in your trunk.

Off topic but nice caliper color btw.

ok yes unloaded vs loaded, i'm kind of desperate guys, basically i can't mount two persons there, the car is too sagged, now i'm affraid the tokico shocks could be broken cuz as i have to mount people there and the car hits it self too much i think if the shocks broke, how can i know if there is a leak or if they are broken ?

So you think the trouble is with springs ? as you said if tokico are new is impossible to be that lower ?

What springs should i use, please help !

Any help please ??!!!

I'll do my best to get a DIY up this weekend.

They won't even sag that much if blown. What year is your car

is a 2004, i don't have a problem to get a new springs, I just want to know what springs to buy, i notice the car is lower, i meant after i changed the old shocks, and after a long trip i did with people in the back and with the trunk loaded, now my car even if i sit one person with the empty trunk is too sagged, i just need to know what springs to buy, cuz if i search in ebay all springs says 'lowering' i don't want to get my car lower, i just want to have my car strong in the back..

In terms of springs, there are a lot of relatively low-mile OEM springs (and shocks) available used. New OEM is also an option, but no one, AFIK, makes a stiffer stock-height spring or one designed to lift the rear.

If you're have trouble with even light loads, your stock ones may be shot.

Given that, here's a DIY option that I'm using until I can get another set of springs to replace the sagging Racing Beat ones on my car now:

https://www.rx8club.com/do-yourself-...5/#post4405217

Here is another local guy with a completely blown shock (and flat tire). Mine was not quite this bad when mine blew but almost with my kids in the back seat. Mine was close to yours actually loaded. New shocks fixed the issue.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9krpmrx8/8355970665/

it looks like his rear tire is flat, either that or it is in a dip/hole :dunno:

The spring supports the car. The shock controls the spring motion. Monotube shocks do have a spring force component from the high gas pressure (that's why the shaft extends out fully on unmounted gas shocks), but it's a very small force as compared to the spring and it is generally constant relative to ride height while spring force compounds the more it compresses. Now when you're driving and hit a bump with a blown shock there is nothing to slow down the motion and it will bottom etc., not the same as a static parked condition as shown in these pics.


.

Yeah everyone told me that too and everything I read led me to believe that as well which is why I sent the Teins back to get tested and they were just fine and tested perfect by them. I replaced the shocks with KYB's and all was good. And I should mention that the shocks (stock Tokicos) I pulled were not leaking and seemed (when pressing them by hand against the ground) to be just fine.

Oh, and the guy above in the pic got new shocks and springs put in by the dealer (crazy as kid with daddy's money) and the car ended up being just fine.

well he replaced the spring, if a spring goes bad that would happen, typically not just a shock

Yeah the dealer told him both rear springs and shocks were bad (low mileage 07' RX-8). In my case only the shocks were replaced.

This is a pic of mine with just my 11 year old daughter (skinny child) in the back seat. It was so bad the tires were rubbing pretty bad and it would crash on bumps.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9krpmrx8/5108479864/
This is how it sat with the KYB's afterwards.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9krpmrx8/5325815475/

I changed for a new springs, and i'm still having a trouble, i think the trouble is on the shocks, i have bought a Tokico HP blue shocks 04-10 Mazda RX-8 SE3P (Rear Pair) it costs me like $240 pair, so i think i have to buy the originals, which costs like $150 each, it's the last thing i can do, if that doesn't solve my trouble i going to get crazy...

Why not try the rubber coil spacers? $600 for stock shocks is a lot of money for not much gain.

rubber coil spacers ? show me how please, i'm open of anything cuz this tokico shocks i have bought are practically new :s

See link I gave in post #14 above. I split the rubber into pieces, you may wish to use the whole thing, but cutting the length to fit.

I had a nightmare of a spring/strut experience myself, but here is the short answer. It IS possible for the struts to lower the car. Some struts offer multiple perch adjustments (the point where the spring rests on the strut body). Other times the manufacturers intentionally place the perch a lower point on the strut body (for a desired look).

Tire Rack tried to blame my post suspension ride height on the perch height on my struts. (Bilsteins/H&R) Basically the H&R were supposed to give me a 1" drop front and rear. I was close to 3" front 1" rear. The coils in the front were coil bound and 4 coils were touching. This is the short story. Moral of the story stay away from the H&R's.

who told u shocks have nothing to do with ride height? 9k?

a local nyc member asked me once like 2 yrs ago for the same question, he said his friends and "experts" garage told him is the spring but i was like nope its shocks, he changed the shocks that weekend and problems was gone.

in some cases the spring could be the cause, but if the springs are really shot then 90% chances the shocks are shot first.