mx5cartalk.com

Hi guys,

I realise this is the nth thread which has been created on the "what to buy" premise.
I've done a fair amount of research though and found quite a lot of conflicting views on what is good and what is not.
In part I think that may be due to the fact that people don't clearly state their intentions for vehicle use, and because some people just ignore it anyway!

The current setup in my NA8 is (to my knowledge) stock suspension- and dead. Every time I hit a bump the car crashes on the way back down.
It doesn't feel like anything is absorbing the bumps either, they just transfer into the body of the car. That said, the springs still compress and depress reasonably well.
I only intend on driving the car on the street, and maybe a small amount of track (very little at best, maybe once or twice a year).
The focus of the purchase is primarily to lower the car some, and also maintain nice ride quality as this is my DD.
I'm also on a reasonably tight budget, as I need some cash to splash around on hunting down a vibration.

The suggestions i've seen are:
KYB AGX with king lows or eibach pro's.
Koni yellow with king lows.
Tokico Illuminas with FM springs.
FM 1.0 kit
Tein Basic coilovers

Something with damper and height adjustability would be nice, but if it means forking out $$ for a feature which results in reduced ride quality or an overall inferior product, then i'd rather go without damper adjustability.

What are your opinions or thoughts?
Cheers

What model do you have?

I'd go for something like FM springs and Bilsteins or Illuminas or maybe Konis.

Matty wrote:What model do you have?

I'd go for something like FM springs and Bilsteins or Illuminas or maybe Konis.

NA8, updated to reflect this in the main post.

I've heard the NB bilstein HD are good. I'm sure there were some going for only $500'ish on here a while back, but I think those would have sold by now.

I say Tein Basics, height adjustability, no dampening. A good street coilover.

My car (NA8) has adjustable konis on the softest setting, king lows and is running on 15 inch rims. It's pretty rough on any bumps and jolts you around a bit. I don't know what the stock ride is like to compare it to, but I do know that my last car (S13) had 5.5kg springs, which converts to around 310lb/in I think, and billies and was much smoother all around with a shorter sidewall in the tyre. This may be due to the stiffer body. All the MX5 has is a front strut brace that seems fairly flimsy. I'm keen to see what some chassis stiffening does to improve the whole deal.

I, of course, have my opinion, but taking a more pragmatic view, think of it this way;
Koni and Eibach have been around for decades.
You don't survive in the suspension business with scores of competitors if you make crap.

The problem with MX5 suspension compared to most other cars is that it has relatively short suspension travel. So if you lower it and dont substantially increase the spring rate or compression damping or find a shock with a shorter body then you will be spending most of the time bouncing off the bump stops which generally results in poor ride comfort. So just because you can lower your Falcadore 2.5" and get away with it if you try to do the same thing with an MX5, especially an NA, then you're going to run into trouble unless you have a well engineered coilover set up.

Wivvex,

http://www.fatcatmotorsportsport.com.

Have a look and a good read.

Then have a look at tbro clubman and read comments on how it all works. Not saying this is the only way to go, but at the very least try the bump stops. They are the best way to get some smoothness in your suspension.

Terry

How about attending a WA Forum Meet up or WA club cruise or WA club track day?

Then you could get a ride in the different suspension set-ups and decide which one you like best.

We have had good results with Koni & Eibachs and also the TEIN Flex. Not to say that these are the best out there but just the ones that have been tried and proven by WA MX5 owners.

Suspension took some of us a long time to get right for different applications so why not join us (or the club) and benefit from all of this? Hope to see you at the meet up tomorrow.

mx52nv wrote:How about attending a WA Forum Meet up or WA club cruise or WA club track day?

Then you could get a ride in the different suspension set-ups and decide which one you like best.

We have had good results with Koni & Eibachs and also the TEIN Flex. Not to say that these are the best out there but just the ones that have been tried and proven by WA MX5 owners.

Suspension took some of us a long time to get right for different applications so why not join us (or the club) and benefit from all of this? Hope to see you at the meet up tomorrow.

I have
I'm Trent, I met up with a bunch of you guys at the motoring cafe in Applecross last month.
I'll try and make it tomorrow but I can't promise anything, very busy day for me tomorrow.
Cheers for the input though. I haven't looked at TEIN Flex yet.

Flyin' Miata make rear mounts that increase suspension travel by about 20mm from memory. Should help a bit with smoothness. Does anyone know the shaft diamater of Tein though?

ok, i'm just gonna throw my questions into this - and I hope that I don't steer it too far off track...

the car has done almost 90k and the suspension is gettin a bit old in the tooth... so I'm looking for a new setup...

i'm looking at the Koni Yellows (viewtopic.php?f=82&t=37051) sorta package, or the Tein Super Streets... I know Thunderbird has the Teins, and has given his 2c - so can someone who has the Koni's let me know what they are like...

the car really is a daily driver - it gets thrown around a bit (not nearly as much as it should!) - so I'm really after something that isn't going to be too rough, but at the same time will respond when I'm out by myself and have a twisty road ahead...

ideas?

ringo

i think that you cant go past any of the TEIN products for the MX-5

the factory Bilsteins are also a very good product

Koni are great, but pair them with quality springs (Eibach) to get the most out of them.
As you may or may not know, they have a very wide range of adjustment and can be set to very soft (much softer than factory/worn dampers) to very hard where you will feel every pebble on the road.

I have set mine to a little above 3/4 hard on the front, and 5/8 hard on the rears for a neutral response (but that will be different according to what anti-sway bars you have). This is my "road" setting and it's not harsh when you hit potholes or sudden dips, bit it's a little harsher going over bumps. I drive my car once a week or so, so this may be a bit too hard for a daily.
I leave it at that rate on the track as well, and it does the job

I will buy them again next time around, unless I somehow am able to afford an AFCO system.

Cheers for that... Ok so has anyone done the eibach pro kit (http://mx5mania.com.au/product698.htm)

I know the king springs are loved by many...

Ringo