Power Installation Review can be found here

Sedan’s are naturally agile cars, at least when it comes to the Mazda 3 lineup.  While there is technically more room in a hatch model, we chose the 4-door sedan model for its look and its rear seat room with enclosed trunk.  The Mazda 3 suspension and handling out the door from the dealership is actually quite stiff and responsive, it might come with a little bit roll, but what standard base model car doesn’t? To take care of our suspension needs we enlisted the help of several manufacturers: Stance USA, CorkSport Performance, Konig Wheels, Hankook Tires and Speedware Motorsports.

Stance USA GR+Plus Coilovers – $1439

The moment we opened the box of our Stance USA coilovers, we knew we had received a quality product with attention to detail and quality. GR+ is the main flagship line of coilovers for Stance, with oversize diameter shocks that allow large pistons for ultimate performance and response.  15-way adjustable damping allows us tune the shocks for any conditions and handling characteristic, whether it be every day commuting or auto crossing, this set is ready for action. Installation went as expected, long and arduous, as we were testing the 09 fitment on the 2010 model. Everything went according to plan, the removal of the old suspension was rough, but we managed to pull everything out and install the new suspension without breaking anything. The only thing we noticed that might vary from the 09 model cars is that the top bolts for the studs that mount into the engine bay are just long enough for the nuts to secure tightly, this means we couldn’t install our CorkSport Tower Brace with the new coilovers unless we were to switch out the bolts. Another issue was the brake lines, the mounting brackets on the coilovers should be reversed for the newer models; we just ended up securing them another way.  Lastly, we’re dumped! Our car is sitting as low as it can go with the springs that come with the GR+ kit, so until we order up a new set of lower springs (which should put us another 1” lower) this is as low as we can go! So you fitment freaks will need to relax while we work on it!

**Coilovers installed by SpeedFactory Racing and Tuned by Speedware Motorsports.

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CorkSport Front Upper Strut Bar – $149.00
CorkSport Lower Rear Sway Bar – $199.00

It’s always beneficial to have a good stiff car when you’re lowering to help reduce body roll and push your car through the corners making it more responsive and agile. As previously noted, we did have our CorkSport front strut bar mounted, but after the coilover installation, we had to remove it, we did feel the added stiffness, and we miss it! Once we get new bolts to replace on the coilovers, we’ll be back in business! The one piece stainless design is impressive and goes well with the car.

The CorkSport sway bar minimizes traction-robbing body lean that rolls the outside tires off the pavement.  Their sway bar replaces the stock bar and rubber bushings with a larger diameter which is 32mm compared to 19mm on the stock bar and comes with polyurethane bushings.  With less body roll or leaning you get faster cornering speeds, more traction, and improved driving confidence.  We noticed this especially after the installation taking a nice long turn onto a highway at a decent speed, the car had less roll. The nice feature is the adjustable settings, with 3 different stiffness setting, you can really dial it down to fit your needs.

Konig Lace Wheels – 18 x 8” +35 Offset – $180 Per Wheel (Avg.)

We fell in love with these wheels shortly after we saw them on the V-LEDS Intec Racing S14 from Formula Drift last year! We knew we had to have them! Excellent design, excellent construction and made to handle a beating, we knew this would be a good wheel for us that fit in with our original design. We opted for an aggressive +35 offset, to which many questioned its fitment, but after the car was lowered, the fitment was nearly perfect. Mounting and balancing on these wheels was a breeze and the BLOX Racing black aluminum lug nuts we picked out for them are a great match.

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Hankook V12 Evolution Tires – 225/40/18 – $130 Per Tire (Avg.)

We have to admit that we were skeptical about using Hankook tires, as this would be the first time using this brand for any car. Kelly Campbell of Speedware Motorsports insisted that we were picking a great high performance summer time that also killed it in the rain, being from the Northwest that was indeed what we wanted.  The tread pattern is nice and the tire has just enough stretch on the Konig Lace wheels to give it an aggressive look. We haven’t put the car through too many hard corners but we can tell you that they handle the rain really, really well.

Speedware Motorsports – Alignment & Balancing – $Call

Regardless of what you do to your suspension, new tires, new wheels, or coilovers, you should always get a proper alignment done by a shop that knows what they’re doing.  That’s why I had the tires & wheels wrapped and balanced at Speedware Motorsports where they also did the alignment with their laser guided system. If you make the proper investment in your tires, you might as well take care of them by ensuring your camber and toe alignment is good to go! We did end up purchasing rear camber links for the car, but after Kelly got the car dialed in, our camber was only off by a fraction of a percent, so we’ll reserve the camber links for another installation day.

Stance USA – Stance USA has been around since the mid 2000’s producing high end suspension components for several makes and models. You can find their full line up of parts at http://www.stanceusa.com

CorkSport Performance – CorkSport was founded in early 1998 by Derrick Ambrose and Richard Harris in Portland Oregon. Mazda performance was almost non-existant except for the Miata and RX-7′s back then. Our original aim was to serve the Mazda brand and offer performance products and support for all Mazda powered vehicles. http://www.corksport.com

Konig Wheels – König Wheels has been setting trends and revolutionizing the wheel industry for 25 years. Dedicated to providing high quality products and services, KÖNIG combines twenty-Five years of track-tested innovations to create the industry’s most coveted aftermarket products. Sought by professionals for their superb quality and craftsmanship, recognized by enthusiasts for their great value and admired by all for their signature styling. http://www.konigwheels.com

Hankook Tires USA – Ensuring value for their customers is one of their top priorities. Hankook achieves this by, first, providing high-quality products and superior services, throughout the United States. http://www.hankooktireusa.com

Speedware Motorsports – Speedware Motorsports was founded in 1994 by motorsports enthusiast Shaun Duncan, who had a passion for everything from Formula One to NHRA competition, but was having trouble finding parts for racing his own Lotus Super 7 and Husquvarna motorcycle. http://www.speedwaremotorsports.com