MazdaSpeed3 - BC Racing Suspension Installation

Courtesy:mazdaspeed-3.com
Link: http://www.mazdaspeed-3.com/2011/01/bc-racing-suspension-installation-for-mazdaspeed-3/



I received and installed my BC Racing Suspension system the other day. It is pretty simple but does take some time. No spring compressor is necessary, however, there is a bit of brute force needed during certain parts of the installation. So without further delay… How to install the BC racing Suspension on the Mazdaspeed 3.
Where is it:

You will need to lift the car with a lift, 4 jack stands or 2 jack stands if that is all you have handy. just do front and rear separately if need be. You must remove all 4 tires. Remember to loosen the lug nuts before lifting the car off the ground.
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Tools Needed:

• degreaser
• rubber mallet and/or mini-sledgehammer
• needle nose pliers
• flat-head screwdriver
• allen wrench set (metric)
• 12mm-19mm regular and deep socket wrench
• 14mm-19mm wrenches
• long socket wrench to get the proper torque to break the bolts
• socket extension
• Gloves
• suspension adjuster tools that come with the suspension

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What to do:

We will start with the front since they are the hardest to do. (1) After you remove the wheels start removing all the sensors and break line mounts from the strut. (2) To remove the brake line mount use your needle nose and flat-head screwdriver to remove the clamp then (3) push down and slide out hose from bracket and remove bolt at base of strut (4) make sure all bolts on strut have been removed (not pictured: you may have a sensor connected in the center of the sway arm, remove that as well).
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At this point you may be asking, “what about bolts in the engine bay?â€. Not yet. Now comes the fun! Get your degreaser and sledgehammer ready. Time to start loosening the strut from the wheel. (1) CAREFULLY start pounding on the cast iron part as shown in the picture below. Hit it firmly and don’t be afraid. you won’t hurt it! but be careful to hit is square every time and not damage anything in the wheel well. Basically, make sure you only hit what is pictured below. Use plenty of degreaser as it starts to loosen. Took me about 10 minutes per strut. (2) Once this is completely loose you can now remove the bolts from within the engine bay and slide out the strut.
Note: there is a tool that will gap the sway arm where the strut inserts into. I didn’t have one so i used the above method.
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Just when you thought the hard part was over… you have to slide the new strut on. (1) insert new strut and tighten down, but not all the way, the new strut in the engine bay. (2) This goes much easier with 2 people and you will want to use the jack to help slide the strut on to the arm. GO VERY SLOWLY as to not damage the car or strut. As one person slowly raises the jack, the other person will align the arm and strut. There is an angle that both should be at that will let it slide in easily (about 15 degrees or so). Use lots of degreaser and patience. You may have to back out and start over multiple times. (3) Also wiggle by hand, bang with sledgehammer, lift slowly until it sets in. Then reconnect all sensors and clamps. It will all line up perfectly. Make sure everything is tight at the base of strut and in the engine bay. Then, Repeat for other side of front suspension.
Note: Either before you put the tires on or before you install the suspension, be sure to adjust your suspension height with the tools provided with the struts. I set mine with an inch gap since it is winter here! Use a tape measure as well to make it as even as possible.
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Now that that Hell is over we can move on to the back suspension. This is much easier in comparison. (1) Remove the rear wheel. (2) Remove rear sway bar 4 bolts on frame. (3) Using the allen wrench and a wrench, remove the sway bar from the connection rods. I chose this point because it was easier to access and loosen the bolts. (4) Once that is done loosen the bolt that connects the strut to the wheel arm at the bottom. (5) then remove the bolt that connects the sway arm and encloses the spring. (6) Now remove the two bolts that hold the strut in place and slide out the strut and spring.
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Now prep your springs. (1) adjust your height as you did for the front. However, this is easier before you install the spring.(2) Now put together your spring. The spacer goes in the smaller circumference end of the spring. (3). at this stage you also want to set the dampening of the strut.
Note: The 2010 mazdaspeed 3 makes it very difficult to adjust this once installed. You have to remove the rear panels in the trunk to access it later. Turn soft all the way, this is position 1. There are 32 points of adjustment in total. I chose 16, half way. As you turn the knob you will feel it click to the next position. Do this 1 to 32 times depending on how you want your ride to feel.
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Now we start installing the strut. (1) slide it on to the bolts and do not tighten all the way at this point, as pictured. (2) Now bolt the strut at the bottom firmly but not all the way. (3) Now we insert the spring and spacer. There is a weld where the top of the spacer is inserted. (4) The notch in the spacer must align around this weld for proper fitment. (5-6) Slide the spring in so that the bottom of the spring fits into the base properly as well.
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(1) Now with the jack you want to lift the sway arm and compress the spring into place. make sure your spacer is around the weld and your spring is properly set at the bottom as you do this. Slide the bolt through and begin tightening bolts. This will take some finessing but far less then the fronts.
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Once this is complete tighten all bolts completely and then do the same for the other side. Once you have fully installed both rear suspensions reattach the rear sway bar. (1) The left over parts are pictured below. (2) The finished product with wheels nicely tucked away!
This installation will take a pro about 2 hours. I am not a pro and it took me 4 hours, especially since I had to figure it out on my own! I have set my struts to 16 front and rear and 32 front and rear and will have a full writeup on it after further testing in the review section shortly.
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BC Racing Suspension Installation Review


I have been running my BC Racing coilover suspension for my Mazdaspeed 3 for well over 2,000 miles now. I have run the suspension dampening at 16 and 32 with a ride height set at 1 inch during my testing. The BC Racing coilover suspension for the mazdaspeed 3 allows you to easily adjust the ride height and dampening of the struts with over 32 points of adjustment with position 1 being the softest setting and position 32 being the firmest setting. For my installation I did not completely slam it due to the fact that I contend with speed bumps, potholes, and iffy winters where I live. I also did not want to roll the rear fenders, which you will have to do if you lower the suspension all the way.
Installation

The installation for this suspension system is not for the faint of heart. It will take a pro about 2 hours and a DIY-er such as myself, about 4 hours. The front suspension is the hardest to install, however, the rear is easy and quick. You can see the DIY for installing the BC Racing suspension here.
Tuning

The BC Racing coilover suspension turns out to be a very well made and functional system and it is not just for show, although it shows nicely! It is built for the track, whether you are auto crossing or hitting the drag strip the easy access dampening controls can get you fine tuned for either, quickly. However, at no fault to BC Racing, the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 makes it difficult to access the rear dampening controls. You must remove the side panels within the trunk to access them. I have heard it is much easier to access on earlier models though.
Handling and Ride

So how does all this translate to handling and ride? It translates very nicely, indeed. Stability and stickiness to the road or track are increased ten-fold. Depending on your settings, body roll is nearly eliminated around S-turns keeping all 4 wheels firmly planted on the road. The stock suspension of the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 can handle 0.96g’s in the skid pad. I have a very strong feeling that this suspension system will crush that number and go side by side with a Porsche Carrera in handling. But that is just my personal opinion and is not tested to my knowledge.
The ride is a lot stiffer as to be expected. You feel every bump, hump, groove and crack in the road. More so the harder you set the dampening. 32 is bone jarring, however, I found that at 16, about half way, it is a very comfortable ride even though it is more aggressive than the stock suspension.
Rating:

5 of 5
As you can see you really can’t go wrong with the BC Racing coilover suspension and just when you think it can’t get any better… yet another plus to the BC Racing coilover suspension is the price. A completely new suspension system can be purchased for as low as $999.00. I would personally be willing to pay $1,500 for this system! The amount of control, custom tuning and increase to handling and stability all packaged for perfect fitment makes this product one of the biggest bangs for the buck I have yet to see for the Mazdaspeed 3.