Mazdaspeed3 Extreme Performance

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?”. 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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