• We have updated to the newest version of the forum. Please let us know if you see any issues. And, yes, we know the shoutbox is gone. We'll see about getting it back if they make a newer version.

hit a freakin ROCK! bent parts

I

ihugcurves

New Member
last week i hit a frickin rock that my lowered 02 protege wasnt able to overtake, i bent my front suspension sub frame? and the cross member that the front lower motor mount bolts to. not sure the technical terms. i cant find any oe parts, from junk yards or anywhere. the only thing i can find is on streetunit.com, they have a GT Spec 4 point ladder brace for 175$, and a AWR subframe reinforcement for $190 thats apparently for raceing apps, are these even the right parts? they dont really specify. any other ideas? id appreciate any input, thanks!
 
dmention7

dmention7

Hater
I've been considering picking up that AWR subframe brace myself... you should get one and let me know how it works, and why it's not recommended for street applications. lol

My guess is that the subframe bushings on the AWR piece are much stiffer than stock, or even solid, resulting in increased NVH in the cabin.
 
mndsm

mndsm

I'M OFFENDED!
Depends on exactly WHAT you bent. If it's actually the subframe itself, you need a new one, and that's gonna be a whole pile of not fun to replace.... and IIRC no one's ever made an A/M part for it. Now I don't exactly know how the proteges are, but if there's additional bracing in there like there is in the ms3, and you only bent that- you should be ok replacing it with the GTSpec stuff.
 
dmention7

dmention7

Hater
None of the GT Spec braces replace any stock parts to my knowledge... they are only additional bracing. The subframe brace that the front and rear motor mounts attach to is pretty simple to replace. The subframe itself... that will probably be a weekend job.
 
mndsm

mndsm

I'M OFFENDED!
I would assume he only bent a brace, because if you bent the front subframe, you probably wrecked the car and won't be able to drive it anyhow. Those are kinda designed to not bend.
 
mndsm

mndsm

I'M OFFENDED!
Yeah, almost positive that's just a brace. If you can get a GTSpec front subframe brace, you can probably replace that with it, and get more stiff!
 
mndsm

mndsm

I'M OFFENDED!
It's possible. Call em and ask em if the front subframe brace they sell is a direct replacement for the OEM unit. They ought to know that.
 
Workdawg

Workdawg

NARWHAL
Jay already said that he didn't think any of that stuff was direct replacement... and I would be inclined to agree with him. If it's extra bracing, then it wouldn't be.
 
mndsm

mndsm

I'M OFFENDED!
Depends. I know a lot of the GTSpec stuff for the ms3 is actually replacement parts. I was thinking this might be the same. I could (obviously) be wrong though.
 
dmention7

dmention7

Hater
I saw your PM... I'll have to look at the relevant parts on my car to say for sure. But the front-back piece is not a suspension critical piece. Unless you really fucked it up, it's not a big deal to get replaced ASAP. It sounds like that AWR piece is a replacement for that, but I can't find any good details on it. I forget if the lower part of the front subframe is removable or not... I can take a peak later this morning.

Also, check out mazdas247.com. That's where most of the 3rd gen protege tech can be found.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top