Kerb weight in relation to coilover height

Wheels, Suspension, Brakes & Tyres questions and answers

Moderators: timk, Stu, zombie, Andrew, -alex, miata

User avatar
blackster
Racing Driver
Posts: 782
Joined: Wed Jun 28, 2006 2:11 am
Vehicle: ND - 2 GT
Location: Sydney

Kerb weight in relation to coilover height

Postby blackster » Tue May 13, 2008 9:29 pm

After measuring the OEM height I have noticed that passenger side sits about 5-6mm lower then the drivers side, putting mwah in the drivers seat makes D & P height about equal.

Is kerb weight considered when setting P & D coilover height? If so, would you apply the same principle when setting the height with aftermarket coilovers.

Cheers

P = passenger side
D = Driver's side
Last edited by blackster on Wed May 14, 2008 1:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Previous
04' MX5 SE.
02' MX5 Classic ed.

wun911
Speed Racer
Posts: 2114
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2007 12:13 pm
Vehicle: ND - 2 GT
Location: Melbourne

Postby wun911 » Tue May 13, 2008 11:50 pm

Seeming you have coilovers you can cornerweight the car.
every ounce counts

User avatar
PASHN8
Racing Driver
Posts: 648
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2005 11:28 am
Vehicle: NB SE
Location: Melbourne
Contact:

Postby PASHN8 » Wed May 14, 2008 2:02 am

Did you buy coilovers Phil? If so, what did you get?
- 2005 MX-5 SE

http://www.dinography.com.au - From the ground
http://www.skysight.com.au - From the air

User avatar
blackster
Racing Driver
Posts: 782
Joined: Wed Jun 28, 2006 2:11 am
Vehicle: ND - 2 GT
Location: Sydney

Re:

Postby blackster » Wed May 14, 2008 2:32 am

wun911 wrote:Seeming you have coilovers you can cornerweight the car.


Corner weighting (if i can use that word) as i undestand it attempts to provide even weight distrubtion to stop the car from wedging or reverse wedging. The process of going about it seems a bit of an overkill for a street car.

I am wondering if whether mazda deliberatly from factory adopted corner weight principles, as un even height; which is noted affects weight on that corner. Perhaps the placement of the battery in the right rear also serves a purpose other then being placed there because of a lack space.
Last edited by blackster on Wed May 14, 2008 6:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Previous
04' MX5 SE.
02' MX5 Classic ed.

User avatar
Charlie Brown
Speed Racer
Posts: 2623
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 11:00 am
Vehicle: NC
Location: Sydney, Just out of Dragon Territory over the bridge in the "Shire"
Contact:

Postby Charlie Brown » Wed May 14, 2008 10:55 am

You have a very rare car there Blackster. 99% of vehicles would be lower on the drivers side than the passengers, especially once they start to age.
Image

Wakefield 1:09.13 Eastern Creek GP 1:50.198 Ext 2:17.538 Sth 1:02.9003
Phillip Is 1:58.50 Winton Short 1:10.7 Lakeside 1:05.7711 MDTC 45.20

User avatar
blackster
Racing Driver
Posts: 782
Joined: Wed Jun 28, 2006 2:11 am
Vehicle: ND - 2 GT
Location: Sydney

Re:

Postby blackster » Wed May 14, 2008 1:51 pm

Charlie Brown wrote:You have a very rare car there Blackster. 99% of vehicles would be lower on the drivers side than the passengers


Care to share the reason why? Apart from having a driver that surpasses "kerb weight"
Previous
04' MX5 SE.
02' MX5 Classic ed.

User avatar
Charlie Brown
Speed Racer
Posts: 2623
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 11:00 am
Vehicle: NC
Location: Sydney, Just out of Dragon Territory over the bridge in the "Shire"
Contact:

Re:

Postby Charlie Brown » Wed May 14, 2008 2:24 pm

blackster wrote:
Charlie Brown wrote:You have a very rare car there Blackster. 99% of vehicles would be lower on the drivers side than the passengers


Care to share the reason why? Apart from having a driver that surpasses "kerb weight"


Yep, overtime that great lump of dead weight located amidships of the car (the driver) causes the suspension to settle/droop/drop/sag on the driver’s side. Race around to a few cars with a tape measure and see what I mean.

I'm NOT saying there's more unladen weight on the drivers side, just that most vehicle without the driver are down on the drivers side. A lot of people swap sides with their springs when replacing their shocks in an attempt to have the car settle evenly over time.

S’pose if you think about it, it would mean that the car is level when the camber of the road is taken into consideration. :roll:

PS Out of the factory mine was 5mm lower on the right rear than the left but the fronts were within 1mm.
Image

Wakefield 1:09.13 Eastern Creek GP 1:50.198 Ext 2:17.538 Sth 1:02.9003
Phillip Is 1:58.50 Winton Short 1:10.7 Lakeside 1:05.7711 MDTC 45.20

User avatar
Garry
Speed Racer
Posts: 3481
Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2003 11:00 am
Vehicle: NB SP
Location: God's Country
Contact:

Postby Garry » Wed May 14, 2008 3:21 pm

Both my MX5's have listed to the drivers side. Though tended to even up a bit after a long drive with some ballast in the passenger seat
Shiney black one with added red bits. Member of the fart club. Now with extra doof and Sunlong. - deceased and gone to heaven


Return to “MX5 Wheels, Suspension, Brakes & Tyres”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 200 guests