Ohlin and swaybar selection recommendations please

[Brian]

Are you running the bumpstops that came with the Ohlins? How low are you?

Yes, Öhlins bump stops. I'm only about an inch-and-a-half lower. About where Mazda would have put the car if they'd had their druthers. The car is primarily street-driven so I want ground clearance.

Okay, then I don't have an easy answer for you. The description of understeer on the way in, oversteer on the way out....sounded like classic riding the front bumpstops under braking and riding the rear bumpstops under gas....but with that mild amount of lowering you should not be having a bumpstop issue.

[slartibartfast]

For the standard Ohlins kit everything you need comes in the box....you will use again your factory rear aluminum top hats, and the Ohlins include bumpstops, etc.

For plug-n-play, you can order spare rear hats and isolators. The hats are about $125 each but if you've ponied up the money for a set of Öhlins this shouldn't be a show-stopper.

[Cotomeus]

Thanks for the tip, slartibartfast

I just checked with the local parts supplier and they told me they don't carry the top hat nor isolators (what are the isolators btw?)

I guess no one keeps their rear coilover in "one piece" over here in Singapore.

[slartibartfast]

I bought my spares from Montgomery Mazda in the USA. They are big seller of OEM parts and get to offer nice discounts. I don't know if they'll ship overseas.

Isolators are rubber pads, in this case you'll need the upper shaft isolators, otherwise known as bushings.

You can check the Montgomery web site for parts fiche diagrams that will show you exactly what you need and associated part numbers.

I'll be updating my perceptions of the Cobalt bars in a week or so as I just had the car aligned and cornerweighted. Rear height is slightly lower than what I brought the shop but they lowered the front nearly an inch. Between more negative camber in the front and a bit more weight there, maybe the understeer will have been purged.

[Cotomeus]

Great help! I was looking all over the net for the part numbers so that I can go check around, last alternative being to search in the scrap yard for all this things.

Hope to hear your feedback with the cobalt sway/ohlin combi... can you also let me know what clicks setting you are on for both the front and rear? as well as the cobalt setting soft front? hard rear? or?

Cheers

[morrisg]

I bought my spares from Montgomery Mazda in the USA. They are big seller of OEM parts and get to offer nice discounts. I don't know if they'll ship overseas.

Isolators are rubber pads, in this case you'll need the upper shaft isolators, otherwise known as bushings.

You can check the Montgomery web site for parts fiche diagrams that will show you exactly what you need and associated part numbers.

I'll be updating my perceptions of the Cobalt bars in a week or so as I just had the car aligned and cornerweighted. Rear height is slightly lower than what I brought the shop but they lowered the front nearly an inch. Between more negative camber in the front and a bit more weight there, maybe the understeer will have been purged.

So how did the Cobalt bars / Ohlins run after the cornerweighting and alignment?

The reason I'm asking is I'm at the same point in my suspension upgrades: which bars to use with the Ohlins????