The Suspension Thread.

[steebs]

Use: Street (Daily)
What is it: YellowSpeed Dynamic Pro Sport
Handeling Impovement: 5 - definitely an improvement over stock (26 clicks front, 20 clicks rear)
How much lower: ~105mm at pinch welds
Comfort: 8 (crap - but if i dont have the settings on stiff, i find that they keep hitting the bump stops, might have to play with preload and softer settings)
Ease of fitting: 2, easy and straight forward
Cost: 950


note:
these replaced the factory bilsteins\mazdaspeed combo on my SE

[NitroDann]

Use: Touge/street/skids
What is it: YHKS Hippermaxx III
Handeling Impovement: 8, very good, not a true race shock and a shock/spring combo alone cannot hit 10 IMO cos 10 is perfection.
How much lower: Whatever height I felt like.
Comfort: 9 for what they were, not uncomfy at all, never had a passenger even mention them, but they were firm. However the dampers controlled them beautifully.
Ease of fitting: Same as any coilover, just like removign and refitting stock.
Cost: 3500 new, came with the car, sold for 600.

Dann

[manga_blue]

Use: Track and crap NSW country roads daily driver

What is it: Tein HA coilovers. Tein HA are an earlier mid-level race coilover, probably replaced now by much improved Tein Mono Flex or HT/HG Comp. Spring rates at the moment are 10/7Kg/mm using 150mm length, 70mm ID Tein standard springs with Tein 70mm high helpers and OEM sway bars. Have also used 5/3, 5/4 and 7/5 combos in these coilovers with bigger sways. These are over 10 years old, travelled over 100,000kms, still reading virtually as new on test equipment at http://www.racing-car-technology.com.au/. Capable of spring rates up to 10Kg/mm.

Handling Impovement: 8 for 10/7 spring rates, 6 for 7/5 and 5 for 5/3 and 5/4.

How much lower: Whatever height I like. Usually track is 100/106mm F/R sills (= 12"/12.25" hub to fender), road is 150/160mm so I can drive over rocks and dead foxes.

Comfort: 4 for 10/7 spring rates on the highways but basically unbearable at city crawling speeds. 10 for 5/3 and 5/4 spring rates and anything below 5/3 feels like a yank tank and makes manga_scarlet carsick.

Ease of fitting: Same as any coilover, just like removing and refitting stock. Takes me an extra 10 minutes to raise or lower the car during a wheel change. Takes me under 2 hours to remove a set, swap springs and re-install, drive in drive out.

Cost: They used to retail at just under $2k long ago. Good low-K Tein HA sets with 8/6 springs now sell at about $200-400 in Japan.

[mazmad]

Surely you aim for live foxes too?

[KevGoat]

Model: 1990 NA6
Use: Days out / Touring / Some daily & city use
What is it: Monroe shocks / Fatcat bump stops / King Springs
Handling Impovement: Old suspension was stuffed so a massive improvement, but probably slightly better than stock
How much lower: 1 (standard height springs)
Comfort: 3 - Very comfortable set up, without being soft/soggy. Still handled like a sport car should. Soaked irregularities nicely, wouldn't get thrown off line. Toured twice on this set up, sometimes driving for hours at a time, without any issues at all. As comfortable and enjoyable as almost any car I've owned, especially considering my wife and I have back problems.
Ease of fitting: With correct tools, patience and a helping hand, easy.
Cost: $600 for shocks & springs from Autobahn + bump stops

[KevGoat]

Model: 1998 NB8A
Use: Days out / Touring / Daily
What is it: BC BR Coilovers
Handling Improvement: Huge. Handles great
How much lower: adjustable height
Comfort: Not as compliant as the stock suspension. Not uncomfortable, just "different". I can accept the ride for the handling, but some bumps that were soaked up with the stock set up are just nasty with the BC's, no matter what the setting. Have found a setting that the wife is finally "satisfied" with, but she still wants the stock set up put back in. Having just re-injured my back, I'm not going to argue any more ...
Cost: New price - I think about $1300 delivered?

[MattR]

Model: NA6
Used for: Day trips/touring/track days
What is it: BC V1 Series with standard 6/8kg springs offered
Handeling Impovement: 7, for what they cost great bang for buck, but for mine MCA Gold series would be a 10 if Murray set them up for you and tested before handing the car back
How much lower: 5 sensible for raods
Stiffness : 5 can crash over some bumps when using track settings for bump, otherwise very good, but I am used to running 900-1200lb/in springs in old Dattos on the track
Ease of fitting: For a handy mechanically minded person, pinch of piss as long as the beers are done at the end.
Cost: $1200 fitted with ride height set and a 4 wheel alignment done.

After a few discussions with a lot of people who race 5's and from my own knowledge from racing I chose the V1 series as the dampers on the stiffest settings are generally softer than the BC and ER series coilovers. In a lot of cases people set up their cars where the adjustment of the damper takes over and doesn't allow the spring to do it's thing, not the best way to adjust the ride of the car. As MX5's are relatively light, they need to be fairly lightly sprung and as a result the dampers can be set relatively soft as well to get the best out of them.

Even running semi slicks they still need to "lean a little" to get the most out of them. I also still run rubber bushes for the suspension arms and sway bar mounts and the rest of the suspension is as it left the factory.