I’ve always thought that just about any car looks better when it’s a little closer to the ground. It’s also been my opinion that a stiffer suspension makes the car more fun to drive. I had a sport set of Tokico struts and lowering springs on a Honda Prelude that really made the car feel more solid, lighter on its feet. In stock form, the Mazda was good, but I knew I that wanted something more.

The struts and springs were nice for the Honda, but I wanted some adjustability this time around. I decided on Tein Flex coilovers. Tein is a quality Japanese brand and, hey, I guess that’s what I like. The dampening is adjustable as well as the height. They’re a decent set for the track as well, but I’d be lying if I said that was my goal from the start.

The installation was not difficult. I did a little more than I had to, essentially dismantling the spring/strut/top hat assemblies in the process of removing them. I followed a how-to online that was really meant for replacing an element of the assembly rather than the whole thing. Still easy, it was only one step beyond the other process. The vendor I ordered the Flex coilovers from shipped them assembled and set up to a certain height. As you see them in the photos is how they came to me.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take many photos during the install. It was a lot of fun and the first suspension modification I’ve done with my own hands. And the car looked and handled so much better after!