XYZ Racing Tarmac Rally Coilovers — Mazda 2 (DE) 2008-2014

The DE-generation Mazda 2 was Mazda’s lightest hatch of its era, and that kerb weight is the whole story when you start thinking about stage suspension. A car this light reacts hard to spring rate changes, and on a loose tarmac surface the standard damping runs out of travel long before the tyres run out of grip. The XYZ Racing Tarmac Rally coilover is built for exactly that problem: a sealed-surface rally setup for a chassis that already wants to dance.

Tarmac Rally sits between a circuit kit and a gravel kit. Stiffer than fast-road, more compliant than full slick-tyre Top Sport, with the bump absorption a closed-road stage actually demands when the surface goes from billiard-table to broken patch repair mid-corner.

What this coilover does for your 2008-2014 Mazda 2 (DE)

On a DE shell, the immediate gain is platform control under braking into a tight hairpin. The factory dampers wash out the moment you trail the brake past turn-in; the Tarmac Rally damper resists that nose-dive and keeps the front contact patch loaded where you put it. Ride height is adjustable independently of spring preload, so corner-weighting for a co-driver and a full tank stays honest. The 36-way damping range lets you run softer for a wet Donington tarmac stage and firmer for dry Anglesey-style closed road. Body roll drops sharply, but the kit retains enough mechanical compliance that mid-corner kerbs do not unsettle the rear axle.

About the Tarmac Rally coilover

The Tarmac Rally is a monotube damper with a separate spring perch and pillowball top mounts where the chassis allows. Spring rates are higher than the road-biased Super Sport range, chosen for surfaces that are sealed but imperfect rather than smooth circuit asphalt. Damping is independently adjustable across 36 clicks, which gives a meaningful working window between road-stage compliance and tighter sealed-surface response. Construction is steel-bodied for the durability stage use demands, with replaceable cartridges and a fully rebuildable internal architecture. The geometry of the strut allows full ride-height adjustment without sacrificing shock travel – critical on a short-wheelbase hatch where running too low on a fixed-length damper kills the rear bump stop and binds the front.

Fitment for the Mazda 2 (DE) (2008-2014)

This kit is built specifically for the DE-chassis Mazda 2 across the full 2008-2014 production run, covering both pre- and post-facelift bodies. The strut design matches the DE’s MacPherson front and torsion-beam rear layout. No subframe modifications are required for a standard fit.

What buyers also search for

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• Tarmac rally damping for a lightweight Mazda hatch

The DE is a rare base for a tarmac car and the suspension choices for it are thinner than they should be – configure your spec below.