Eibach vs. Tein

[cosic]

Since I'm not getting a word of help over at mazda24/7, I'm coming to you guys. You can imagine why I would go there first with this question because they have such a wide range of MS3 owners.

I'm planning on buying within the next week and I really would appreciate feedback between the two. The two I was referring to are:
Tein S-techs - 2.0 / 1.5
Eibach Sportlines - 1.8 / 1.8

[TurboEight]

I say the sportlines, its a progrssive vs the tein's liner.

and drops the car quite evenly and low=)...just how I like it

[Mafty]

i just bought sportlines and i had the same debate. the only problem i had with tein was that the rear drop was so far from the front. every picture i saw with stechs the car didnt look lowered in the back, and slammed in the front. apperance wise it didnt do it for me

[Fuman]

keep in mind these spring rates are for the regular mazda 3s.
You may want springs that are designed for the speed3

[RallyPlaya]

Cosic is Getting Dropped big time never expected this ???

[cosic]

I was always leaning towards the sportlines, but the price is nearly 100 difference in favour of the teins, so I wanted to be sure.


i just bought sportlines and i had the same debate. the only problem i had with tein was that the rear drop was so far from the front. every picture i saw with stechs the car didnt look lowered in the back, and slammed in the front. apperance wise it didnt do it for me

Alright so these are the same springs. A CPW MS3 came to my dealership the other day and it looked ****ed! He said he had the teins..


Cosic is Getting Dropped big time never expected this ???

I can't help it. I'm stopping at fog overlays, springs, MM, tints, SRI, and the AP way after it comes out if I hear good results..

[Kevin@nextmod]

I say the sportlines, its a progrssive vs the tein's liner.

and drops the car quite evenly and low=)...just how I like it
neither the sportlines or the s-techs are linear. they are both progressive.

[Garu]

Lower is not always better.
You should also consider if you're going to stick with stock tire size or going to be upgrading to something larger. If you're going to upgrading to wider tires, there is no way in the hell you're going to fit that with 2" drop.

Also 2" drop will throw your camber out of whack, you should be getting adjustable camber links.

Like someone said in the forum get springs that are designed for the car, I wouldn't get the springs for Reg. 3 which manufacturer probably had 0 testing on MS3.

[Kevin@nextmod]

Lower is not always better.
You should also consider if you're going to stick with stock tire size or going to be upgrading to something larger. If you're going to upgrading to wider tires, there is no way in the hell you're going to fit that with 2" drop.

Thats not necessarily true. He can drop 2 inches with 18x7 +48 offset rims with 225/40/18s tires and will not rub for sure, but thats if he can find that setup. He can find it but it'll take a while.

[Garu]

225s are not recommended size for 7 inch wide rims.
Besides I think that setup may work in the front without rubbing but for the rear fenders you're taking a risk. May have to roll it.

[Kevin@nextmod]

225s are not recommended size for 7 inch wide rims.
Besides I think that setup may work in the front without rubbing but for the rear fenders you're taking a risk. May have to roll it.
I ran a 17x7.5 +48 rim with 215/45/17 in sportline 2 inch drop and i had lots of room. no rubbing whatsoever.
But as you stated, yes the 225 is not recommended for 7inch rim but its still safe to use.

[stevenlung]

I ran a 17x7.5 +48 rim with 215/45/17 in sportline 2 inch drop and i had lots of room. no rubbing whatsoever.
But as you stated, yes the 225 is not recommended for 7inch rim but its still safe to use.

+100000

[Mafty]

225s are not recommended size for 7 inch wide rims.
Besides I think that setup may work in the front without rubbing but for the rear fenders you're taking a risk. May have to roll it.

i have 18x7 with 225 tires..........and ive had this for 3 years.

[Garu]

Not recommended. But who follows the recommendation from manufacturers these days? We are all smart!

[Garu]

I ran a 17x7.5 +48 rim with 215/45/17 in sportline 2 inch drop and i had lots of room. no rubbing whatsoever.
But as you stated, yes the 225 is not recommended for 7inch rim but its still safe to use.

So did you try 225 on that rim?

[Kevin@nextmod]

So did you try 225 on that rim? Even i run 225 i know for sure i won't rub.

I ran 215 was because they didn't have 225 in stock at that time and i wanted the tires badly. BUT another thing i need to mention is that i had a lot of camber which i really don't mind.

[Mafty]

Not recommended. But who follows the recommendation from manufacturers these days? We are all smart!

mmm well the people who sold me the rims said that was the tire size to use. so i imagine they know what they are doing

[Garu]

Even i run 225 i know for sure i won't rub.

I ran 215 was because they didn't have 225 in stock at that time and i wanted the tires badly. BUT another thing i need to mention is that i had a lot of camber which i really don't mind.

So you're sure it won't rub on every cornering or on every bumper on Toronto streets or on driving on potty 400 series highways?
Most of the fender damages occur above scenarios, the paint inside fender crack causing the rust without you even realizing it.
The damage occurs when you're driving on crappy road condition in Toronto not when the car is sitting safely in the driveway.

[stevenlung]

It really depends on the model of the tires and shocks, I'm running sportline/bilstein with 18x8 +45 225/40, and I drove on the shittest roads, over speed humps/bumps, broken railways, and whatever you could think of, I tried to make it rub but it won't, my non-edgy tires and shocks did it pretty well, my head almost broke the driver's window when I was testing out the rubbing thing on the shittest railway (on 14th between Birchmount and Kennedy), but it still won't rub. If you don't want it to rub, get some non-squared edge tires and/or better shocks (to settle the lowered car).

Edit: brake disc (the thickness of the hub) is also a factor too

[cosic]

Thanks guys for all the feedback, but last night after those first few comments, I purchased them around 1am.. Talk about impulse lol! I work at a dealership so no problem with installation. If all doesn't work out, I'll sell em.

[Unoriginalusername]

225s are not recommended size for 7 inch wide rims.
Besides I think that setup may work in the front without rubbing but for the rear fenders you're taking a risk. May have to roll it.

I have 225s and cobb springs and don't have a problem

[Garu]

I have 235s and cobb springs and don't have a problem. However he's going for about twice the drop than cobb springs.

[Kevin@nextmod]

well the lower the drop the more negative camber you have meaning the further away the tire is from the quarter panel

[alhope34]

Lower is not always better.
You should also consider if you're going to stick with stock tire size or going to be upgrading to something larger. If you're going to upgrading to wider tires, there is no way in the hell you're going to fit that with 2" drop.

Also 2" drop will throw your camber out of whack, you should be getting adjustable camber links.

Like someone said in the forum get springs that are designed for the car, I wouldn't get the springs for Reg. 3 which manufacturer probably had 0 testing on MS3.

It's a 2" drop for a MZ3, but the MS3 is already 1" lower than an MZ3. Personally, if I had to take MZ3 springs for a MS3 instead of proper Cobb springs, I'd get the 1.8"/1.8". The MS3 is a lot heavier on the front than the MZ3 so the front will sag more anyway. Probably around .2-.3" more front sag than a normal 3. I say get the Cobb springs. A little more money, but actually meant specifically for the MS3. Pat can price them for you.

[cy88]

I went with eibach prokit and never regretted! It's not as low as the other two kits do, but also save me quite a bit of headaches when going through bumps :)

[Nextmod]

did some one say prokit lol
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j106/nextmod/DSC_4299.jpg

instock

[Karateman]

I went with eibach prokit and never regretted! It's not as low as the other two kits do, but also save me quite a bit of headaches when going through bumps :)

How much did the ProKit lower your MS3 by? I am after a mild 0.75" - 1.0" drop max with OEM struts. I can check the Eibach website, but most spring mfrs quote a figure that's too conservative.

[Karateman]

Forgot to mention that I have used both Eibach and Teins in the past. Both mfrs offer a street and race line for lowering springs. Both slightly lower the car more than they claim, especially after it settles within 2 weeks after install. Quality of both are excellent. You can't go wrong with either, but my advise is to check out the specs for spring rates if they both happen to lower the car by the same amount.

[cy88]

How much did the ProKit lower your MS3 by? I am after a mild 0.75" - 1.0" drop max with OEM struts. I can check the Eibach website, but most spring mfrs quote a figure that's too conservative.

I would approximate a 1.0" drop. The front is a good drop but the back is not as noticeable since our back is already lower than the front, and according to spec the prokit drops less in the back.

http://www.christography.ca/images/car/tenzo.jpg

[Speed_Racer]

Did anyone buy the Tein stech's?? I had them on my Is300 and they worked great. But then again it's a different car.

[Mitchell3]

Did anyone buy the Tein stech's?? I had them on my Is300 and they worked great. But then again it's a different car.

I have them on my mz3

[Jackal]

I went with eibach prokit and never regretted! It's not as low as the other two kits do, but also save me quite a bit of headaches when going through bumps :)
+1 about the bumps
Also I think the height will be fine for winter so no need to change it back to stock height for winter.

[Darkice]

did some one say prokit lol
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j106/nextmod/DSC_4299.jpg

instock
How much?

[07carbon3]

what is the cash price for the kit and is all i would need to lower my car?


did some one say prokit lol
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j106/nextmod/DSC_4299.jpg

instock

[Fuyuzora]

what is the cash price for the kit and is all i would need to lower my car?

It's all you need to lower your car, however...

Changing the suspension geometry places additional strain on the OEM shocks, which may wear out faster as a result. Some people prefer to change to performance shocks at the same time, while others prefer to run the risk and keep OEM shocks until they fail. Changing to performance shocks at the same time reduces labour costs and allows you to return the car to stock if/when you decide to sell the car, though.

Also, it may be necessary to install an aftermarket camber kit to return the car within specifications. On a drop as mild as Pro-Kits it's not likely necessary, but if you lower the car then go for an alignment and discover a camber kit is necessary, you'll be paying twice for labour/alignment etc.

Food for thought. :thumbsup

[07carbon3]

It's all you need to lower your car, however...

Changing the suspension geometry places additional strain on the OEM shocks, which may wear out faster as a result. Some people prefer to change to performance shocks at the same time, while others prefer to run the risk and keep OEM shocks until they fail. Changing to performance shocks at the same time reduces labour costs and allows you to return the car to stock if/when you decide to sell the car, though.

Also, it may be necessary to install an aftermarket camber kit to return the car within specifications. On a drop as mild as Pro-Kits it's not likely necessary, but if you lower the car then go for an alignment and discover a camber kit is necessary, you'll be paying twice for labour/alignment etc.

Food for thought. :thumbsup

thanks for the advice, but thankful my father is a certified mechanic and can get free labour in the shop lol

[Speed_Racer]

Nice!! How low after the springs settled?

[Speed_Racer]

I have them on my mz3

Sry new at this... How low was the drop after the springs settled? Is yours speed3?

[Fuyuzora]

Sry new at this... How low was the drop after the springs settled? Is yours speed3?

Mitchell has a naturally aspirated Mazda3 (MZ3), rather than a turbo Mazdaspeed3 (MS3).

Us n/a MZ3 owners don't visit this section as often (although we stick our noses in every so often!), hence he probably hasn't seen your reply to his post.

Mitchell's Members' Rides thread can be found HERE (http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?47434-Mitchell3-s-Mazda-3); if you leave a post there he can probably get back to you more quickly. :thumbsup

[Kiyomi]

no problems with mine so far.