What springs/Shocks for a Daily Drive but still looks good??

peterg · Postby **peterg** » Wed May 11, 2011 7:58 pm

Hi all,
I have only had my NA for a short while and it came with some pedders shocks and red springs. Whilst the car looks very low and pretty cool, it scrapes over every bump in the road and is starting to really get to me. I will not be racing my car and really just need it for a daily drive, however still want a good handling vehicle. (I have a front sway bar and looking at one for the rear as well)
I have seen all the yellow coil comments etc and would appreciate some guidance/comments on the way to go. I am in the Hornsby (Sydney) area and would like to know if anyone has a good recommend for a suspension shop etc that they trust. I don't want to spend a fortune but happy to pay for quality.
Help???

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Wed May 11, 2011 8:17 pm

red coils are probably Pedders as well.

anyway, what is it you're looking for? height to reduce scraping? or softness to increase comfort?

going to OEM springs will greatly reduce the likelihood of scraping while still providing nice handling, and as a bonus will be softer meaning more comfort.

whenever you lower a car one of the things you must give up is a bit of comfort. (Stiffer springs help resist the car from slamming into the bumpstops)
as to how stiff, depends of the brand. For example, the Tein S-Tech for NB was roughly 2 times stiffer than stock, where the Mazdaspeed springs are only about 1/3 stiffer.

I've assumed you don't want adjustable coilovers, these tend to be quite a bit stiffer than most spring and shock combos.

PaulF · Postby **PaulF** » Wed May 11, 2011 11:51 pm

MX-5 Mania are in your area and, obviously, have a lot of knowledge of MX-5's. They're also a sponsor of this forum.

I'm sure they could help you out.

surok · Postby **surok** » Thu May 12, 2011 9:43 am

tein superstreet are a bit stiffer that stock, but are very very comfortable. and when you crank up the damping rate they are also pretty nice on twisty roads.

xmx106 · Postby **xmx106** » Thu May 12, 2011 12:35 pm

I am running KYB AGX adjustable shocks, standard height KMFS king springs and 46mm fat cat bump stops on my 1990 NA.
My AGX shocks are set to a soft position 3 front and 4 back (8 positions) all round for normal every day driving, it drives nicely.
The height on standard king springs is naturally stock and most forum members want to drop an inch or so but I have been lower on bilsteins and RS*R springs before and I had speed bump and a driveway kerb issue's. Behind the front wheels bottomed out and the underside of the rear bumper has gravel rash from running about 30mm lower.
King springs lowered KMFL are about 25mm lower than their standard KMFS standard springs they may be an option if you want to stay low.
I dont think its possible to buy OEM standard springs from mazda anymore, they just do not hold stock (obsolete), so heading back to standard means buying used, I dont think an unkown used spring set is worth the effort.
I can recomend my set up, its comfortable.

RED93 · Postby **RED93** » Thu May 12, 2011 1:53 pm

I too just installed KYB AGX adjustables with the lowered King springs and fat cat bump stops set on 4 front and 3 rear , we are very happy with the change not too low , not too hard , not too soft , would recomend and I just graze coming out of my badly angled drive and my number plate is mounted very low.

stb · Postby **stb** » Thu May 12, 2011 2:26 pm

I think you'd struggle to go past NB Bilsteins for a daily driver NA, with slightly higher rate than standard NBsprings at your desired ride height. Of course you'll need NB strut tops though.

Mine rides better than my wife's Mazda 3, but still has remarkable balance and grip.

peterg · Postby **peterg** » Fri May 13, 2011 4:26 am

Thank you all for the input. I now have some options to go with. Are the KYP and standard springs etc available from most dealers?

theaussieinhk · Postby **theaussieinhk** » Tue Jul 12, 2011 1:02 am

peterg wrote:Thank you all for the input. I now have some options to go with. Are the KYP and standard springs etc available from most dealers?

Hi Guys, I am also want to know this as well.

Slightly different, what suspension set up will give me the most comfortable ride and where can I buy this from and approx how much it will cost?

My girlfriend finds the ride too rough and I also prefer a comfortable ride...

Thank you guys for your input. Love this forum

Postby **NitroDann** » Tue Jul 12, 2011 1:23 am

Hmm, a good price/cmfort/handling compromise would be NB bilsteins.

Hang on, you have an na right?

Dann

red devil · Postby **red devil** » Tue Jul 12, 2011 10:02 am

Loose your girlfriend :wink:

50kg saving and you get to keep the car nice and stiff!!!

Seriously though I was running tein ss and they were great for the street, I would look into those! I've seen them on ebay for $1k new a few months back

just my 2c eren

theaussieinhk · Postby **theaussieinhk** » Tue Jul 12, 2011 2:40 pm

The NA8 I was eye-ing was sold before I could check it out... so I have settled for a NC

Was hoping to spend approx $1000 for a comfortable ride.

Off topic a bit, the VW polo had a really beautiful and smooth ride even though a horrible roads like pacific highway or delhi road.

Hjt · Postby **Hjt** » Tue Jul 12, 2011 3:03 pm

Do what I did, make your girlfriend get the VW Polo :p

PaulF · Postby **PaulF** » Tue Jul 12, 2011 7:39 pm

red devil wrote:Seriously though I was running tein ss and they were great for the street, I would look into those! I've seen them on ebay for $1k new a few months back

Knock-offs? Do people make counterfeit Teins? They're a big enough brand name that it might be the case.