2002 Mazda Protege New shocks or struts?

DRACONA1031

MEMBER
2002 MAZDA PROTEGE
4 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
94,118 MILES

I just bought my first car - a used 2002 Mazda Protege ES (2 liter) that had been used as a commuter car from the Hudson Valley to NYC (~65mi one way). The car needs new tires and has a bent front passenger side rim. I'm concerned because the car bounces excessively on even slightly bumpy roads. Does this mean I need new shocks and/or struts? Or is the bouncing caused more by old tires and a bad rim? I'm planning on replacing the tires soon and I'm trying to decide what to do about the rims - the car has one alloy rim on the front driver's side, but the rest are steel, including the bent rim. I'm not sure how to replace the rims - does having a mixture of alloy and steel rims affect the handling or the suspension?

Thanks in advance for the help!

3 Replies

MERLIN2021

MECHANIC
17,250 POSTS

The recommended replacement mileage is 50,000, so thats a given, If it were mine I would put a matched set of tires and wheels, balanced of course.

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Saturday, October 4th, 2008 AT 10:54 AM

DRACONA1031

MEMBER
2 POSTS

I'm not sure if they were replaced at 50k or not - the guy I bought it from wasn't very good with keeping track of important maintenance. All I know for sure is that the engine was rebuilt and the timing belt replaced at around 66k. I've changed the oil and the oil filter, and I'm trying to figure on what to replace and when to replace it, but whatever is causing the bouncing is driving me nuts so that's going to be first on my list. As for tires and wheels, would it be better to go with all steel or all alloy? I live in a fairly hilly area that gets a good amount of snow and ice in winter, so I'll probably be going with snow tires and then buying all season for the rest of the seasons.

Thanks.