Coil Overs and Sway Bars

[ED_MX5]

Hey all, done a quick search and found a good thread regarding what coil overs to buy.
The thread was ( I want handling not slammage)
Very good read, I just want to add an offshoot question to that.
I am planning on buying a set of MCA RED coil overs at some point,
But also wish to get the WHITELINE sway bar set.
I usually have good success with this combo, I just wanted peoples oppinions on how the mx5 will react to this set up.

My model is 2000 NB with SE wheels (came with car)
Most of its use will be a spirited drive up roads like Palm Beach, Old Pacific Highway, Mcars Creek etc.
So I like next to no roll, but I don't want suspension so hard it skips everywhere.
Any suggestions on whether I will need to change the spring rates from what the Red's come with?

Also, if there is anyone else out there who is looking to buy coilovers at some point, should we/I look into a group buy from MCA?

Cheers in advance for all advice given.

[Trackphotos]

So I like next to no roll, but I don't want suspension so hard it skips everywhere.
Any suggestions on whether I will need to change the spring rates from what the Red's come with?

Josh knows what he is doing. I only have the Blues in my car, but I am incredibly impressed with how variable they are. At full hard, they are too stiff for Lakeside. At full soft, they're reasonably flowy over bumps etc on the road, no less comfortable than stock suspension; but they still keep the car flatter than stock through corners. There is absolutely nothing bad to say about them.

That being said, you are getting Reds, not Blues. They may include stiffer springs out of the box since the Reds are targeted at track work much more than road use. Mine are 11/7kg springs, quite stiff but not violent. Could maybe be a tiny bit stiffer for a dedicated track car, but they are still more than suitable for a car used for both. They do not feel like they are a compromise. Ask MCA what the spring rates provided are, they often will swap in whatever rate you would like at no extra cost.

If most of the use will be on the road, not on a track, what made you choose Reds instead of Blues? You could save yourself over $1000 by getting Blues, and on the road you will never need more than what they provide. You will not gain anything on your spirited drives, but you may lose comfort during normal driving if they are a bit stiff.

As for sway bars, I have Signature bars in my car with the coilovers. I believe they are the same size as the Whiteline ones, 22/16mm IIRC. They make the steering a little heavier in corners, and they definitely make the car sit flatter. They do not make it so stiff that a bump on one corner affects the other side in any noticeable way. Josh Coote would tell you to leave the stock bars in, as in his experience, the vast majority of cars suffer from excessive stiffness at the cost of bump handling when you put larger ones in. I'm undecided yet myself. This is only relevant if you track the car.

[Magpie]

I have found the harshness of a ride is also dependant on what is holding you into the seat.

This morning was the first time I have run my NA6 on the road for longer than 5km in quite a few months. I found the ride harsh, violent and the car wanted to go everywhere (BC Racing ER’s, whiteline 24mm front sway on hard, stock rear sway, no PS/AC and FZ201’s with 27 cold). However with the exact same setup on the track it felt very solid and not harsh or violent.

The only difference (with the exception of the road surface) is that on the track I have a harness and HANS whereas on the road I have just a seat belt. The seat belt allows the body to move whereas the harness holds you into the seat.

Try not to confuse the harshness of suspension with the way the bumps are transmitted to your body. Suspension holds the car to the road and whilst you maybe bounced around is the car still gripping? At least for me the grip of the car is no different with or without a harness, ride quality well another story.

Also only make one change at a time. Do the MCA's and then drive for a while and get them dialed in for your driving style. Then move to the sway bars.'

Good luuck

[sailaholic]

I have the mca reds.
Generally the mca red/blue seem to run the SAME spring rate.

If your not tracking just get blues is a fallacy. Reds have better valving and better oil. The better valving work everywhere you drive.

I suspect, but have not had confirmed, that ride comfort is higher on reds with the same or better wheel control.

I have a friend that helps build the units at mca. My car is mainly road. I asked him "are the reds worth the money for what I do" response "yes".

Swaybars:
I had aftermarket sway bars (Na) i found the car too flat with little to no progression between cornering ok and slip being able to be felt by body roll.

Mx5s are designed to have some roll as the camber curves are beneficial.

I took my aftermarket bars out put stock back in. My ride comfort went up noticeably and the car still corner very flat but with better feed back.

So my advice, do the coil overs first and drive it for a while.


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[kazama]

regardless of what you end up with its generally accepted that the whiteline rear bar is too big. but as above, get the coilies first and then go from there

[roket52]

the blues for a street only car are fine but they are not built to accomodate track level damping and lack a bit of rebound damping in particular. If you are planning on tracking ur car go the reds for greater damping control or look around at other proven brands on the market.

[roket52]

MCA are not the be all and end all in MX5 Suspension

[plohl]

^What else would you suggest for the same price?

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[tescoking]

flyin miata vmaxx is the best, specifically designed for MX5. package come with sway bar. I just can't tell you how much I love these coilovers.

[sailaholic]

Huh? Not even flyin miata think vmaxx is the best or they wouldn't have the afco made.


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[Nevyn72]

^What else would you suggest for the same price?

In the same price range as the MCA Blue's? (Daily driver category)
I suspect the HSR & BC Racing would give a similar result for slightly less money.

I'll probably end up going for the MCA's because I have a feeling they may be slightly better but more because I like to support local industry.

flyin miata vmaxx is the best, specifically designed for MX5

Well each of the above are also specifically designed for the MX5 too.

[Magpie]

I use BC Racing ER's and have had no issues on the road or track. Separate rebound and bounce adjustments your choice of springs. Cost is reasonable. Out of the box performance is no match for taking the time to setup correctly. Customer support from Just Jap is excellent.

Even if you purchase MCA's they will more than likely need to be setup for your specific car as the MCA's (excluding Gold) are based on a stock MX5 setup. Again it depends on your intended purpose

I'm more than likely swapping to MCA's when the BC's need replacing. However I may re try the BC's and request different valving.

[zossy1]

I have never dríven a MCA equipped car, and after all the hero worship I have read about them, would be intrigued to try them - especially the reds Though for $2800 they would want to be good, you can buy Ohlins for that.

I have dríven Yellowspeeds, BC (BR and ER), VMaxx Classic, various Tein coilovers, and Bilsteins. A well set up set of BCs were my fave (on Lightyear's old car), closely followed by the Bilsteins I am running on the blue rocket. I found the Y-Speeds to be difficult to dial in and generally harsh in terms of ride and bump/rebound response. The VMaxx in the turbo car were OK but not up to the standards of BC and Bilstein. The Teins were quite good but I still preferred the BCs (though I never spent much time playing with the Tein settings and didn't track them). YMMV.

The Americans rave about Motion Controls, Ohlins and 949's Xidas. Haven't tried any of them though, all are fairly pricey and Xidas are traditionally back ordered for months.

[ED_MX5]

Well that was a very good response from all. Very good information.
From what I'm reading I think I will go with the MCA red series. I reckon I will trybout the sway bars and see how they feel. I work in spare parts, so at least I get them a lot cheaper. I guess I'll see how they feel and go from there.

[sailaholic]

Zossy if you ever in Brisbane I'm sure back to back runs in mca red and ohlins can be arranged. If say valving is in the same ball park. Shock body length is much better it seems on the MCA.


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