[WebDevDan]

oh laawwwdd we have lift off. This is just one side on the rear, heres hoping nothing goes wrong doing the other side haha. But at least we know that IT WORKS!

Also I had to do some very dangerous things involving tow straps and the individual side compressors to get this on. If you can get ahold of the compressor mentioned above it will most likely make life much easier.

Edit: The flex issue I was concerned of it not a problem here. Since once the weight is put on the springs it evens out.

 

[SlyCoopers]

2nd side on, rear confirmed working but good luck getting it on in a safe way without proper tools lol I thought I had to saw through the compressor to get it off since it got stuck on the bottom plate . Taking a break then putting rear back together

 

[SlyCoopers]

REAR INSTALLED WOO!

I put before and after measurements using the cheapest tape measure I had around at the time which is only in inches lol. Final shot is just the rear but you can see the massive gain in it. Probably will settle a bit the next few days but Im glad I bought the ones with springrate for awd and not fwd.

Edit: I dont know why pictures are changing from portrait to landscape but I swear I took them right side up :/

The gap measurement is taken from where the view of the wheel has flat tread, since different angles can give different readings.

 

[WebDevDan]

REAR INSTALLED WOO!

I put before and after measurements using the cheapest tape measure I had around at the time which is only in inches lol. Final shot is just the rear but you can see the massive gain in it. Probably will settle a bit the next few days but Im glad I bought the ones with springrate for awd and not fwd.

Edit: I dont know why pictures are changing from portrait to landscape but I swear I took them right side up :/

The gap measurement is taken from where the view of the wheel has flat tread, since different angles can give different readings.

THIS. IS. AWESOME. And that's a hell of a gain! Looks bad ass with the KO2s. If I'm really lucky I can do this before winter. Which part #/spring set of the three did you ultimately go with?

 

[SlyCoopers]

I posted it a while back ill double check when i rest after the other front side. I barely got the front spring in because you have to compress it so much that I had to rent a 2nd set of side compressors. 4 compressors total. I would definitly suggest you use the individual ones because any compound 2-in-1 type compressor is really really risky considering how much it has to go down to get it to fit on the strut. But we are making progress haha

 

[SlyCoopers]

Front and back total install complete, we have LIFT!
Will post pics later because my body is dieing from all this and I need food right now haha

 

[Jroper]

Wow, wish I hadn't bought tires and wheels that are still like new. I would definitely like the 2" increased height for entry/exit. I rotated your pics.

 

[Jroper]

More rotated

 

[SlyCoopers]

THIS. IS. AWESOME. And that's a hell of a gain! Looks bad ass with the KO2s. If I'm really lucky I can do this before winter. Which part #/spring set of the three did you ultimately go with?

I thought I posted the link before my bad,
https://www.ebay.com/itm/TANABE-SUS...205230?hash=item2ce8e9eb2e:g:0x0AAOSwikNcrdkC

I guess after learning about the spring rate difference it made sense to go with awd version so I dont sag in the back with the extra weight of the awd components. Was not able to take measurements of the front yesterday since I basically overexhausted myself with those dreaded compressors and went straight to sleep. Definitly feeling it today haha an alignment is needed for sure due to the height difference vs stock suspension/configuration.

Some after shots taken last night-

Note: This is uneven surface since their driveway was not flat like the garage so the height from the ground is skewed

 

[WebDevDan]

I thought I posted the link before my bad,
https://www.ebay.com/itm/TANABE-SUS...205230?hash=item2ce8e9eb2e:g:0x0AAOSwikNcrdkC

I guess after learning about the spring rate difference it made sense to go with awd version so I dont sag in the back with the extra weight of the awd components. Was not able to take measurements of the front yesterday since I basically overexhausted myself with those dreaded compressors and went straight to sleep. Definitly feeling it today haha an alignment is needed for sure due to the height difference vs stock suspension/configuration.

Some after shots taken last night-

Note: This is uneven surface since their driveway was not flat like the garage so the height from the ground is skewed

Totally inspiring. I've found my next unnecessary expense. Probably going to go with some Sparco Terra wheels, make myself a little wannabe rally car. I also have an idea for a front light bar with the tiedown hook mounts.

 

[SlyCoopers]

I really wanted sparco terras but got these ones at a closeout 1/3 price of sparcos at tirerack so it looked much more appealing for the price at the time especially when you factor in the price of full set of ko2s lol.

So after getting the suspension alignment done its much much better and sounds less awkward on the tire noise since its not trying to angle weird. I know the guy before said it needs new shocks but honestly to me it feels great. If anything you feel bumps a little less hard (especially with over inflated ko2s) but not as underdamped as the original guy on fb claimed. Maybe they got fwd parts? I can still drive like usual and sharp turns/'creative driving' have not been impacted.

In case youre wondering how much of an impact the suspension had on sensors without the alignment, it kept setting off my tpms (pre 2018 style) which was based on tire/wheel rotation measurements as opposed to regular sensors in the wheel measuring pressure. It was sufficient enough to keep triggering it as if something was off constantly even through resetting. Once alignment was done with it has not come back and I just drove about 50 miles since then.

 

[SlyCoopers]

Totally inspiring. I've found my next unnecessary expense. Probably going to go with some Sparco Terra wheels, make myself a little wannabe rally car. I also have an idea for a front light bar with the tiedown hook mounts.

Speaking of front light bar mounts, this might interest you
https://www.cx3forum.com/forum/appearance-body/18863-project-front-rally-bar-lights.html

 

[WebDevDan]

Speaking of front light bar mounts, this might interest you
https://www.cx3forum.com/forum/appearance-body/18863-project-front-rally-bar-lights.html

I'd seen that - I'd prefer not to do any slicing, dicing, or drilling if I can avoid it.

How are the springs treating ya?

 

[SlyCoopers]

I'd seen that - I'd prefer not to do any slicing, dicing, or drilling if I can avoid it.

How are the springs treating ya?

After a few days of heavy driving I can say it definitly complements the ko2's well. The ride got rougher for obvious reasons when i switched from oem to the ko2 tires and this somewhat helped restore that a bit. Acceleration and turns are still the same and the car still feels glued to the ground. The tires also have larger sidewall then usual 16s so it effects the car with an extra 3/4" ish of lift as opposed to someone putting these springs on an entirely oem wheel/tire setup.

Braking is still good and there no bounce when hard braking, though this will probably depend on what conditions peoples shocks/struts are as well. Overall I would never go back to oem springs after this lol besides the much better look and ground clearance for the front bumper it is exactly what the cx-3 should have been like from the factory imo.

 

[Stokers Rule]

Man, it looks fantastic.
Just to clarify in my mind, this lift is the new springs alone or did you use the spacers you bought earlier?

 

[SlyCoopers]

Man, it looks fantastic.
Just to clarify in my mind, this lift is the new springs alone or did you use the spacers you bought earlier?

Just the springs all around, no spacers. I was gonna use the spacers on the rear shock and maybe the front if there was an issue with the suspension rebounding but there was none at all. Probably the only benefit of our unnaturally stiff suspension to start with lol

 

[Jroper]

Slycoopers,

With the springs installed, what are your thoughts on increasing tire size?

Like a 215/65 on a 17" wheel?

 

[SlyCoopers]

2 Things I would say prior to people taking on any tire changes in association with a lift, or even without anyways.

1) Lift helps with upper clearance not the side. So if you were rubbing on the fender which will most likely happen on the side as opposed to the top of the wheel well, you will still probably rub. Trucks usually have wider fender sides which allows a lift to accomodate larger tires but in our case its not so much the same. I have 215/65 16s (downsized from 18s) and it has about 1/2" - 3/4 clearance from contact on the sharpest wheel turns on the closest point from wheel to fender. which is on the sides of the wheel. Taking into consideration that I am already larger sidewall than stock 16 size of oem mazda wheel and a little bit more less offset (pushing the tire out a bit more also contributes to the distance between wheel-fender rubbing possibiities) The lift helps mainly with ground clearance of the front bumper in my opinion.
2) Speedo is going to be really skewed. Im already a few mph and up to 5+ when on the highway at higher speeds than what Im actually reading. Your size mentioned will most likely be even larger resulting in an even higher speed difference.

I wish I could provide better help with the size but my tire calc site is apparently dumb when comparing different sizes now since a recent update. It assumes we have same sidewall height which is not the case since the numbers are differed by the overall tire spec ratios which change more than just the difference in wheel size.

But then again another part of me just says meh why not go for it haha. Trial and error is always fun. Worst case scenario if it does not fit, you can use it as a spare tire for the rear if it has rubbing issues in the front. This was my logic when I ordered the first ko2 tire of this size.

 

[Jroper]

Slycoopers,

One more question about the lift, which is based on my age (old). Do you find any difference in exit/entry to the car? Do you feel it's neutral or still a little more like going down?

My warranty is up next summer and am thinking this might be a worthwhile mod for entry/exit, because I really love the car and don't want to replace it.

I look forward to your further appraisal's of this lift. Do you have a Youtube channel on this?

 

[SlyCoopers]

I dont have a youtube but was debating it haha alas theres not much to showcase on the mazda once the initial stuff is presented. It for sure wont be a problem to get in or out. I personally have the seat on highest setting to see better and still find myself 'going down' to sit on the seat, I am 5'11 for reference. It is not like a truck lift where you have to step to even get up to the base of the car. Basically its just a few inches higher than usual height, it might seem like a bigger difference in pictures but we sometimes forget how low our car actually is compared to a suv.

My mothers 08 base model nissan sentra oem suspension is almost the same height off of the ground as the cx-3 with the lift installed. The cx3 really should have come like this from the factory but aerodynamics and such for milking mpg ratings makes manufacturers do questionable things.