I just stumbled onto an idea, and need to take a real upclose and personal look at a mazda3’s suspension and take a few measurements. This could be Epic for me. If you can help me out and give me about an hour or two of your time, I will buy you lunch afterwards and tell you what you helped me do lol.
Post here or PM me, I’m looking to check it out sometime after thansgiving before christmas
Im guessing your trying to swap a speed 3 drivetrain into your hatch am I close lol?? I willing to gamble its sort of close but theres going to be a decent amount of slight tweeks needed
hmm i suppose I could lend a handy hand…
Nope, Sheerly suspension idea…(hint, focus hubs are fucking stupid 4x108 and have a terrible choice for aftermarket wheels)
I noticed the rear suspension on the mazda3 is literally the same, but has disc brakes in the rear. the speed3 has even bigger brakes. not to mention the mazda3 has a 5x114.3 bolt pattern, with a PLETHORA or wheels to choose from. OMG this could be epic lol. I searched the focus forums and no one has thought of this yet.
EDIT:
all I really want to do is put the front end up in the air and take a wheel off, snap some pics, take some measurements, and see how everything comes together, it very well might be a direct swap onto a focus, which is going to be a HUGE deal
So is this just to put some different wheels on? or is there more within the suspension you are looking to do/improve?
well basically, this could be another/cheaper solution to a number of issues. You cannot get anything wider than 7" for wheels for a focus, so anyone who wants to flare the fenders and run wider wheels has to have them custom made or search the ends of the earth for some fox body cobra R wheels that are 17x9 and run longer wheelstuds and such.
basically, if the componants of the mazda3 can bolt in, It will combine a 5 lug swap with a rear disc swap, and if you use MS3 parts you also get the same size brakes as an SVT focus but with the 5x114.3 bolt pattern…so now up to 11" wide wheels are available in this bolt pattern which will accomodate ANY needs possible. It could be as simple as just the wheel bearing swap, or up to swapping the entire front end knuckle and strut assembly…which is what i want to figure out.
LOL
ok well, lemme know Ive got the 08 speed3, next weekend could work for me
I would REALLY appreciate it lol, I’ll PM you late next week to try to work something out.
Well, after some serious sluething, things are looking VERY GOOD, I found some pics of a suspensino install on a mazda3 forums without logging in. I think I’m in business.
FUCKING IDENTICAL…YESSSSSSS
nice good luck that could be a real bang for your buck improvement if you can get a deal on the pieces! now you have to find a junked 3 for the parts.
Sounds like you’re in business
yeah, actually im going to go to advance and see AndyB tomarrow maybe, have him stick wheel bearings from both cars on the counter so I can compare them…I did more research and I think I could just buy the wheel bearings and be done (well, If I had the SVT brake kit on my car already, or even the disc brake option from a 4dr ZTS focus…)
If thats the case, SVT owners could upgrade to 5lug for about $250 the fuckers. lol
You would be dumb to let your secret out.
Create your own product kit and sell it for more with instructions.
/profit
/I get 10%
Yeah I def. thought that myself lol. If this works out thanks NYspeed for keeping it hush hush lol. I’ll be buying rounds if it works out lol.
have your people call my people, im off but call me and we can meet up at the shop.
pretty neat, i dont know if i missed this but… how did you notice this similarity?
What brought my attention to this is on a focus forum there is a sponsor that has designed fully adjustable sets of toe arms, and states in the introductory post in the sponsor section that they are a great addition to any focus or mazda3…So I had this Epiphany that “OMG, mazda3’s are 5lug…I wonder If…”
spent some time searching, and here I am. LOL.
and Andy, I may be in tomarrow or not…I have to do a timing belt on Amanda’s civic. that shit is off by almost 90degrees lol, and the belt has seen better days.
yo, lmk what happens. I hate looking for wheels for our cars. Im also considering goign to rear disc on my hatch
I’ll let you know if you promise to keep the secret lol. I’m gonna stop at advance this week to compare wheel bearings.
I promise
