Dropped my minivan on Megan Racing Coilovers

[crashtech]

I think that if we weren't so close to being empty-nesters, we would probably be rocking another minivan instead of an Accord. And the only reason we have an Accord is because there were no nice used 6es...

 

[JCH13]

Alright found out the spring rates. Front is 8KG and back is 7KG.

Hopefully will find some time to play with it some more but had to wrap up photos of this Mercedes S550 today and getting in a Chevy Colorado press car this week.

With spring rates like those your damper settings should be of an 8:7 ratio, or as close as you can make it. Right now your rears are considerably under-damped compared to your fronts! I can only imagine how weird the handling is as a result of that.

Thanks for adding that. I should have said something similar in my post.

I've often wondered about swapping in MS3 or other suspension onto a 5 for a fun family hauler. Glad Tuanies is paving the way! I believe Car and Driver did a full MS3 drivetrain swap into a 5 a few years back, too.

For sure.

I believe a number of people on Mazdas247 have done just that, even just stock MS3 springs and shocks.

 

[Wuzup101]

So I expected to see something laughable when I looked in here... but honestly... that is pretty cool (and a nice looking van).

Note: I think the minivan is like the most particle vehicle on the planet for someone with a family. While my choice in cars is rarely confused with practical, I definitely would have no issue rocking a minivan during the week if I had kids (or another reason) to do so. More people should buy minivans instead of these stupid little "SUVs" (with verry little "S," 'U," or "V" in them).

 

[crashtech]

The only real reason to have a small SUV over a minivan is if you NEED all wheel drive. So few do, though, it's all about burning fuel just to think you are cool.

 

[WoodButcher]

The only real reason to have a small SUV over a minivan is if you NEED all wheel drive. So few do, though, it's all about burning fuel just to think you are cool.

Astro or Safari vans come RWD or AWD.
I wish they still made them.

As for the stigma attached to the minivan some of us just like vans, period.
My parents never had a van, I work in the trades and a van keeps the toys dry. Got the first one in my 20's and had a van since. Bought a '97 RWD Safari in 2000 and a '93 the year before last.


Stigma?
http://www.astrosafari.com/viewtopic.php?f=127&t=17922&start=200#p577578
how's that for stigma???


I like the look of that van Tuanies, the dual rear sliders are something I wish my van had. Good luck at the track with it, have fun.

 

[Tuanies]

Astro or Safari vans come RWD or AWD.
I wish they still made them.

As for the stigma attached to the minivan some of us just like vans, period.
My parents never had a van, I work in the trades and a van keeps the toys dry. Got the first one in my 20's and had a van since. Bought a '97 RWD Safari in 2000 and a '93 the year before last.


Stigma?
http://www.astrosafari.com/viewtopic.php?f=127&t=17922&start=200#p577578
how's that for stigma???


I like the look of that van Tuanies, the dual rear sliders are something I wish my van had. Good luck at the track with it, have fun.

The Astro 4WD is pretty awesome.

With spring rates like those your damper settings should be of an 8:7 ratio, or as close as you can make it. Right now your rears are considerably under-damped compared to your fronts! I can only imagine how weird the handling is as a result of that.



For sure.

I believe a number of people on Mazdas247 have done just that, even just stock MS3 springs and shocks.

Yea I turned it up to 16/14 and it feels pretty good in leisure driving, but still understeers when I try to push it. I might turn it up to 16/15 and swap in the MS3 rear sway bar I have to see how that goes.

I'd highly advise using stock MS3 suspension. The front will be the same but the rear suspension is designed for the extra 400lbs the 5 weighs over the 3.

So I expected to see something laughable when I looked in here... but honestly... that is pretty cool (and a nice looking van).

Note: I think the minivan is like the most particle vehicle on the planet for someone with a family. While my choice in cars is rarely confused with practical, I definitely would have no issue rocking a minivan during the week if I had kids (or another reason) to do so. More people should buy minivans instead of these stupid little "SUVs" (with verry little "S," 'U," or "V" in them).

The goal is to keep it clean so only real enthusiasts will be able to spot it. People are already confused by the 6MT in it as is.

 

[Tuanies]

Took a couple more shots after I ran the car through the car wash too.

P1120356 by tuanies, on Flickr

P1120355 by tuanies, on Flickr

P1120354 by tuanies, on Flickr

P1120351-Edit by tuanies, on Flickr

P1120347-Edit by tuanies, on Flickr

P1120338 by tuanies, on Flickr

 

[AgentUnknown]

Pretty cool thread. Thanks for the pics!

 

[JCH13]

The Astro 4WD is pretty awesome.



Yea I turned it up to 16/14 and it feels pretty good in leisure driving, but still understeers when I try to push it. I might turn it up to 16/15 and swap in the MS3 rear sway bar I have to see how that goes.

I'd highly advise using stock MS3 suspension. The front will be the same but the rear suspension is designed for the extra 400lbs the 5 weighs over the 3.



The goal is to keep it clean so only real enthusiasts will be able to spot it. People are already confused by the 6MT in it as is.

Adjusting the dampers WILL NOT change the balance of the car. It will affect the transient response (i.e. how turn-in feels) but it won't help understeer. You will need a sway bar, i.e. a rear bar like you mention, or different springs, to help adjust some of that understeer out.

The ride height looks pretty good right now! If it were my car I wouldn't go any lower, except maybe a little bit in the back.

Do you have any plans to get it corner-balanced?

 

[manimal]

how often are you really gonna push it in your minivan? I would balance and adjust for maximum comfort when driving for a mini imo


Is this OPs only car ? sorry on my phone.



I considered adding coilovers to my sienna to improve the hwy ride. I hate the bouncing and wobble they have above 70.

 

[Tuanies]

Ah, thanks for the tip. I'll put the MS3 rear sway bar on soon. Turn in is fantastic where I have it now. Going to drop the back a little bit more and get an alignment done. Unfortunately I don't have the time or patience to get it corner balanced, but the struth are bottomed out.

 

[Tuanies]

how often are you really gonna push it in your minivan? I would balance and adjust for maximum comfort when driving for a mini imo


Is this OPs only car ? sorry on my phone.



I considered adding coilovers to my sienna to improve the hwy ride. I hate the bouncing and wobble they have above 70.

Yes this is my car. I hammer the hell out of it and work that 6-speed like a dirty whore every chance I get... it's also half the Size and around 1000lbs lighter than a Sienna though.

 

[JCH13]

how often are you really gonna push it in your minivan? I would balance and adjust for maximum comfort when driving for a mini imo


Is this OPs only car ? sorry on my phone.



I considered adding coilovers to my sienna to improve the hwy ride. I hate the bouncing and wobble they have above 70.

Probably just needs new shocks, if I had to guess.

 

[JCH13]

Ah, thanks for the tip. I'll put the MS3 rear sway bar on soon. Turn in is fantastic where I have it now. Going to drop the back a little bit more and get an alignment done. Unfortunately I don't have the time or patience to get it corner balanced, but the struth are bottomed out.

That's probably okay, but some of the understeer you're seeing could very well be the result of some wedging (bad corner-balance) that would easily be fixed by a corner balance.

While it is not absolutely necessary for our customers to corner balance their vehicles after installation of our fully adjustable coil-over kits, we do recommend it to maximize the performance characteristics of their suspension. The need for corner balancing depends on the intended use of the vehicle. During normal daily driving on the street, you probably would not be able to realize the benefits of a corner balanced vehicle anyway, but this is always recommend for a track-driven vehicle. Once a vehicle is corner balanced, we see a drastic improvement in the three aspects of corner weight, particularly in the cross weight percentage.

http://www.meganracing.com/tech/faqs.asp?id=84&subject=CDK: To corner-balance

 

[Tuanies]

Interesting. I'll have to look into it and find a shop that can do it.

 

[manimal]

Probably just needs new shocks, if I had to guess.

It handled like this new sadly. Sienna was the least sporty ride of all the minivans we drove though the torqueist. Had to pick Sienna because of the seating we had triplets.

I am usually on the hwy fully loaded with 3 kids and wife who overpacks so I may have blown them at 30k miles already. It does seem worse lately so your probably right.

 

[Tuanies]

It's been a busy couple of months with a new job and everything but I finally got around to dropping the back end of the van. Now the amount of wheel gap is about the same in the front and rear.

DSCF0829_HDR-Edit by tuanies, on Flickr

Also swapped in the thicker Mazdaspeed 3 rear sway bar as well. The car doesn't understeer when being pushed anymore but now body roll is a little more noticeable.

Not sure what to do next, maybe a thicker rear sway bar or new wheels. The plastidip around the lugs is pealing off and pricing on the 2014 Mazda3 accessory wheels in black is pretty enticing ($234 each). Still in search of a set of Mazdaspeed 3 front calipers for a little more braking power.

Visually I need to pickup side skirts, rear lip, foglights and get the roof and mirror caps vinyled gloss black. Just not in too much of a rush to get the visual stuff done. I did order a sharkfin antenna cap that'll be here in a few weeks though.

 

[Fenixgoon]

it looks like you are sitting right on top of your tires. you still have enough clearance that you don't hit your tires against the wheel well?

 

[Tuanies]

it looks like you are sitting right on top of your tires. you still have enough clearance that you don't hit your tires against the wheel well?

Yea it looks like its really close in the shot, but thats probably because of the gravel pit.

There's enough clearance for the wheel. I haven't noticed any rubbing or odd noises.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Very nice!!! I like it!

 

[tweakmonkey]

Manual trans, modded suspension and a good chassis. Having kids can't be so bad

 

[Vdubchaos]

Manual trans, modded suspension and a good chassis. Having kids can't be so bad

I have 4.

We can't live without a minivan. And I find them to be the best multipurpose/people movers/best bang for the buck vehicles out there.

I've had a LONG love affair with minivans. When I was younger I was too stupid and ashamed to admit it. Now days, I don't care.

I love them and will most likely always have one (even once the kids are gone).

 

[inachu]

You plan to break the 4 second record for in your class?

Kinda like putting flames on van or air spoilers on a honda accord.

 

[Tuanies]

You plan to break the 4 second record for in your class?

Kinda like putting flames on van or air spoilers on a honda accord.

Going fast in a straight line is boring, but I have no troubles keeping up with your typical hot hatches on windy roads and that's where the fun is.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Yea it looks like its really close in the shot, but thats probably because of the gravel pit.

There's enough clearance for the wheel. I haven't noticed any rubbing or odd noises.

ahhhh gotcha