I'm liking the Tein H techs after reading this thread. I like the way most cars look stock and want to stay pretty close with a slight personal touch. I think the 8 has perfect wheel/tire clearance in the rear but the front needs a 1-1.5" drop. I also don't want to compromise the ride quality or replace the shocks. That only leaves me with 2 options- the H techs or the Racing Beat springs. The Racing Beat springs don't seem to drop enough. I might order those H techs any day now. Don't know where to get them installed though? Can a tire place do this or do you need to go to a pro custom shop?

Find a good suspension shop and I personally do not recommend any mazda dealers.

Just wanted to clearify this, replacing the shocks with aftermarket ones will improve handling and WON'T make your daily driving really suffer as you thought.

i am very happy with the eibachs. also if we knew where you are you might get suggestions on where to get them installed, or people to help..

beers :beer:

I decided on the Tein S-techs and will be getting them installed on Tuesday. I'll post lots of before and after pictures to help people decide.

...I'm a work. :lol2:

I'm between DC and Baltimore, I was going to ask about any good shops in the regional section. But if anyone here knows of any, I'm all ears.

Thanks for the feedback about your Eibachs.

This is a good drop thread, lots of useful info. Not wanting to start a new thread I decided to post here and in the process bump this very useful thread…

I too am considering the Eibach springs for the progressive feature, seems pretty cool. The inches dropped are also in the range I am hopeful for. I used a measuring tape earlier today and it looked as if a 1.4” drop in the front is definitely going to rub, even if we shaved the fenders, at least from what it looked like just by looking at it in front of us. The tires seems too damn wide so it looks as if I might have fucked up by not researching enough before choosing the tire sizes :banghead: The setup:

18x8.5 38mm w/ 245/40ZR-18 (front)
18x9.5 38mm w/ 275/35ZR-18 (rear)

The tech dude who assisted me in the measurement said swapping out the tires will help. Specifically moving the 245/40ZR-18s to the front and swapping out the 275/35ZR-18 in the back for 225/30ZR-18 in the front. It really did look like this is the solution according to the tape and what we were looking at in front of us.

I really don’t want to swap out the tires I have had them almost 2 months so it will be a challenge doing this. I would like to avoid this route…if possible. Will someone please kindly share their experience if they are running a similar set up? Someone please chime in something! As you can see from the sig the ride is in need a drop...!

seems most only get a 1.25 in drop with the eibachs.


beers :beer:

Thanks swoope. The tape indicated theres only clearance for about half an inch... so i was hoping once the springs are on and stuff things pan out differently! Hopefully someone with a similar tire/rim set up posts sharing their experience with their drop & how much and if any rubbing issues needed to be dealt with :uhh:

Decided on getting JUST the Eibachs? Still using OEM shocks? How long have you been running this setup?

He has the Tokico D-specs as well.

And 275s in the rear?? those are really wide. Are you running a turbo or something? Otherwise they sound like overkill.

I'm Glad I decided to drop the car before I got my rims. I got the Tanabe GF 210. They dropped me 1.3 in front and 1.2 in the rear. Now I got to find the right rim and tire combo. :fingersx:

Rotor, please give me some pictures. I'm looking at the Tanabe's for my car. I'm still rolling on stock wheels too. It will keep me a better idea of what my car will look like.

Hi guys - first post here... :)

Seeing as how this is a fairly old thread, and new products come along all the time, I thought I'd throw this info out on some Eibach products I've been looking at, and see if anyone has any feedback on using these on their 8...

- Eibach Frt/Rr Anti-roll Bar Kit... part # 5544.320... 27mm front bar - 18mm rear bar... Summit Racing price - $369.95

- Eibach Pro-Street Coilover Kit... part # 5544.712... Single adjustable compression/rebound valving - 1" to 1.8" adjustable drop... Summit Racing price - $1399.95

Other comments in this thread seem to be favorable toward the Eibach springs, so I was wondering if anybody has done the whole Eibach setup (or even part of it... sways and/or coilovers).

I work in the motorcycle aftermarket, and we sell Eibach HD springs and can attest to their quality. Good stuff...

I've only had my 8 for a couple of months, but as I continue to break 'er in I'm slowly pushing it ever harder here in the So Cal canyons and have found the stock suspension in need of help - as others have mentioned. I also plan on the occasional track day too...

Any feedback?

I have Tanabe Sustec Pro 5's and I couldn't be much happier. I chose them over the Teins becuase of the control unit for them. Tanabe's TEAS system actively adjusts the stiffness while you're driving as an extra. Faster you go, the stiffer the coilovers are. Tein's EDFC is just static. That was the deciding factor for me.

Some on here tout the adjustability of coilovers, but personally, some good springs, like Eibachs, and some aftermarket shocks are all those most will ever need.

I have Eibach springs and Bilstein shocks and couldn't be happier!

any pics on how much drop Tein H-Techs provide?

hard to imagine 1" front & 0.3" rear drop from stock =)

Ok my brain in going to explode. This somewhat involves springs...

Ok, I'm looking at wheels for my car. I have no appearance packages, or body kits, and I doubt I will ever get them. I'm looking into 19" wheels, but I'm afraid they might raise the car too much, so I have a huge gap between the body and the ground...

Should I stick with 18" since I won't put any body kits? or will 19" not do that?

19"s will fill the wheel well better, and IMO look better on your car. And if you are worried about the gap between ground and car (which wont be that much different between 18" and 19") Then you should just get some springs.

I'm actually looking at springs right now. I'm looking into 9.5's in the back, and 8.5's in the front. Is there an offset I should stay within to not have to worry about rolling my fenders, or the fender slicing my tires?

Take a look at the thread titled "Thread for importshowoff84". I asked for a sample of springs and ride heights in it.

I also did some research for Louis(import) and discovered the following;

1) Espelir "GT", 1.4" drop
2) Espelir "ESA088", 1.2" drop
3) H+R "51648", I can't recall
4) Swift, .75" drop
5) Tein "S-Tech", 1.5" drop
6) Eibach "Pro-Kit", 1" drop
7) Racing Beat, .75" drop

stick with 18"s then choose springs which offer 1.5" drop.

19"s won't raise your car too much as you would put low profile tires (35 or 30) on them.
the problem is, your ride will most likely be "a little rough." also, since they have a
"bigger look" overall, they will look awkward if you don't have a body kit.

as for 18x9.5 offset for the rear, i suggest getting at least +40, but +45 is best.

Thank you sir

you can go as far as +35 with a 9.5 but make sure you choose your tire wisely because some are thicker or chunkier than others

I am researching on the Eibach Anti-Roll kit with Pro spring too...anyone got it installed and whats the feedback?

I was thinking doing RB springs with the sway but the front sway is way too big?

Thanks!

Anyone???

Eibach Pro Kit WITH Eibach Anti-Roll bar on their rx8...anyone?

Thanks!