I just bought a 02 protege5, about a month ago for a dd. Car runs great but it is in need of some suspension work when i hit a speed bump or pot hole (i work in new orleans) its very rough and sounds almost like a baking pan flexing "if that makes any sense". I searched around on fourms looking for possible coilovers and control arms to replace my stock setup, just wanting some opinions and directions i should take.

thanks

 

how much rust is on the bottom of the car? generally you can get away with just replacing shocks and that will fix the problem. but in salt water climates rust builds up and can cause a headache of problems. summit racing, car toys, ebay, are good places to look for suspension setups

 

none that i have seen

 

Hey TC:

I am not sure if this relates to your exact model but it may be worth looking into. There have been problems with some 5's rear suspension. So if your noise comes from the rear this may apply.

https://www.mazdaforum.com/forum/maz...-mazda5-20951/

(I did not re-read it, but somewhere it states that the shock towers needed additional welds.)

 

The noise from the suspension is only on the 5. It's an oversize weld that rubs on the rear coil spring along with worn out sway bar bushings. I would check the shocks first and also grab the rear sway war and see if there is movement along with the end links on either side of the sway bar.

 

thanks guys i will have to check it out this weekend,