Coil Over Suggestions For SE

[wasabi]

Hi All

A suspension upgrade won't be far off for my little SE, so I'm starting to gather information.

At present I have Pedders Extreme Coil Overs (Installed by previous owner) & they aren't bad, but have no doubts there are some better performing products out there & that's exactly what I'm looking for!

Car is primarily used as a weekender that sees the skin pan as well as a little bit of a track work... Ultimately I'd like something that is relatively compliant on the road (Turned to the softest possible settings) but is capable on the track or skid pan. I know it's unlikely there will be a perfect "jack of all trades" option, so I completely understand that compromises may have to be made, so your opinions & experiences matter!

As far as costs go, I'm not looking to spend silly money with my ideal budget around 2.5K. I'm prepared to spend a little more within reason... Just not sure what the wife would have to say

At present, these are the options I've been looking at:

BC ER Series - These things seem to be a great bang for you buck option for track use. Not sure how the ride quality would be on the street, but have concerns about longevity with street use as they are technically a race only unit.

MCA Reds - Have heard good things from the EVO crowd & the one MX driver who I know has them. Seem like a good option & are at a reasonable price.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers

[ManiacLachy]

You could consider Flyin Miata's new Fox suspenssion. The dollar is in the pooper right now, but they're having a discount to mark their release, and could fit them into your budget.

Also, have you seen that MCA now have a middle ground between Blue and Red, called X? 3 different spring/valve(?) setups for Comfort, Drift or Track.

[Magpie]

Pedders are made in the same factory as BC's. MCA start their suspension off with BC's!

Again ride quality is dictated by spring rates. Rebound/bump control how the energy is released back into the springs or how it is absorbed by them. It is essential to understand what part does what.

With the settings turned "soft" does not mean softer spring rates!

[Dan]

Again ride quality is dictated by spring rates. Rebound/bump control how the energy is released back into the springs or how it is absorbed by them. It is essential to understand what part does what.

I disagree that spring rates dictate the ride quality. Dampers as the name suggests control the spring and good damping can make a stiffer spring more comfortable. That’s why you can buy shitty shocks with the same or lower rates as a higher end shock with better damping and have improved ride comfort with the better damper.

Here's a good article to explain things http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets6.html (there are some other good articles on that site about shocks).

Back to the original question, I just paid for a set of MCA Reds on Tuesday after looking at basically everything else from Ohlins with different springs (~3k) to FatCat (~3.5k) to Motion Control Doubles (~5.5k).

I heard all of the positive things you have about MCA (as you know I hang out with the Evo crowd too) and while I was first unsure about the value of them after speaking to Josh I felt comfortable and realised they have a real interest in understanding what you want to do with the car and the rest of the cars setup which they combine with their experience to determine the right damping and spring rates. They also said they are happy for me to come back to them if I think I want to make changes to the setup as the valving can accommodate some variation in spring rates (I am usually dubious when people say this type of thing before I buy something but I’ve spoken to an Evo driver who owns some and worked with them post-sale to change things).

They only have a single bump/rebound adjustor but the way I think about it the importance of having someone to consult with who can give you the right setup is more important than having more adjustments and I’m not sure my butt dyno is tuned well enough to make use of the additional adjustors (a quality set of doubles with custom valving from MCA or elsewhere is probably going to run you 5k+).

[Magpie]

Points noted Dan and your explanation is better than mine.

[Lokiel]

:
They also said they are happy for me to come back to them if I think I want to make changes to the setup as the valving can accommodate some variation in spring rates
:

A few weeks ago at one of the QLD MX5 Car Club runs I asked Danny from MX5 Plus what "budget" coilovers (ie. $1200-$1900 ) he would buy given his exposure/experience to what's available and he gave the thumbs up to MCAs, pretty much stating what Dan quoted above.

Even if you don't know what you really want, MCAs might be the best option since they can subsequently tweak them once you figure out what you really need.

[ManiacLachy]

Here's a good article to explain things http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets6.html (there are some other good articles on that site about shocks).

Man, that site has some pretty technical explianations. I'm going to need to read that a few times.

As far as shocks go... Don't get HSDs. I'm quite disapointed in mine, and after less than a year I'm looking to replace them as soon as the budget allows. MCA are a top consideration. Xida would be nice, but with shipping costs and tanking dollar, I don't think I'll be able to justify them.

[wasabi]

I'm not super knowledgeable when it comes to suspension, this why I'm looking for the additional input. Basically what I'm trying to avoid is buying something & regretting not spending those extra few dollars on something that would serve my purposes better.

Looking like MCA's are getting the big thumbs up!

For the record, the feed back I've gotten from a few people (Re: MCA) is that you wouldn't want to go any less than the Reds. Now as to the exact reason that is the case, I have no clue, but I get the impression you get better value for money with the Reds.

PS - Dan! Long time bud!!! Need to catch up soon.

[forcedfive]

Hi Wasabi,

Have a chat to MCA. They are really helpful

[Lokiel]

Here's a good article to explain things http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets6.html (there are some other good articles on that site about shocks).

Man, that site has some pretty technical explianations. I'm going to need to read that a few times.

As far as shocks go... Don't get HSDs. I'm quite disapointed in mine, and after less than a year I'm looking to replace them as soon as the budget allows. MCA are a top consideration. Xida would be nice, but with shipping costs and tanking dollar, I don't think I'll be able to justify them.

I'm surprised about your thoughts on the HSDs, that's what I would have bought if they were available when I bought my BC Racing BR Series coilovers (which I'm actually happy with).
Can you provide more info on what the issues are?

[pezchops]

I'm not super knowledgeable when it comes to suspension, this why I'm looking for the additional input. Basically what I'm trying to avoid is buying something & regretting not spending those extra few dollars on something that would serve my purposes better.

Looking like MCA's are getting the big thumbs up!

For the record, the feed back I've gotten from a few people (Re: MCA) is that you wouldn't want to go any less than the Reds. Now as to the exact reason that is the case, I have no clue, but I get the impression you get better value for money with the Reds.

PS - Dan! Long time bud!!! Need to catch up soon.

i think MCA'S BLUES are the same as BCR with the single adjustment for rebound and dampening.
MCA REDS have separate adjustment for rebound and dampening so you can fine tune to your driving style and the road conditions you drive most.
like Lokial i fitted BCR's and after a year i cant fault them for DD work.

[RS2000]

i think MCA'S BLUES are the same as BCR with the single adjustment for rebound and dampening.
MCA REDS have separate adjustment for rebound and dampening so you can fine tune to your driving style and the road conditions you drive most.
like Lokial i fitted BCR's and after a year i cant fault them for DD work.

Both Blue & Red have single adjustment of rebound & dampening.
I'm really pleased with my Reds.
Cheers

[sailaholic]

Peezchops is not correct.

But first things first.
MCA SUSPENSION IS IN NO WAY RELATED TO BC SUSPENSION

All MCA parts are made to MCA designs. Valving and setup is completely in house.

The MCA website currently has a graphic showing the differences.

Blues have budget oriented design in many ways. The main item of difference for a mx5 being the valving design used is simpler.

reds and purples share a more complex valving design that allows for much better control.

Purples get a variation of 3 valve sets based on what MCA would suit the majority of users for each type (comfort, race, drift).

red series units are custom valves based on what you want the car to do after a consult. You might end up with the same valving as a purple you might not. Depends on what you ask for. Additionally the reds are all individually shocked dynoed to make sure they perform as expected and match each other as a set.

There are some other features reds can get but they are not that applicable to mx5 suspension.

blues purples and reds are single adjuster for both compassion and rebound. I didn't think you'll find a montube shock with out external canisters that has separate adjustments.

Wasabi, I would say you would be looking at Xc (purple comfort) or reds to meet your needs. If in doubt call MCA and ask.

Disclaimer as such: I do not work for MCA in anyway but did go to school and uni some of their staff so I am able to ask questions.

I currently own MCA reds and am very happy with them so do probably have some bias.


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[pezchops]

being curious about the differance in BLUES and REDS i checked out the website.
i see from the MCA site that "REDS use 3 to 4 times the components to adjust dampening."

And BLUES are more an entry level coilover similar to BC's

i was wrong in my assumption of how the REDS work

[ManiacLachy]

I'm surprised about your thoughts on the HSDs, that's what I would have bought if they were available when I bought my BC Racing BR Series coilovers (which I'm actually happy with).
Can you provide more info on what the issues are?

I'd be happy to let you take a drive if you're at Auto+ tomorrow and see for yourself. But, the rears are shocking (pun not intended, but there you go). They clunk, and chatter and crash. Over ripples in the road, or sharp drops they handle horribly, it's not just stiffness. I could accept that this could be due to the setup, but after almost a year of adjustments I just can't find a suitable configuration.

I'm at a loss with them honestly, I curse them every day, and they look to bump my ECU upgrade back a year due to the need to replace them.

Unless you only want low, look else where.