New Shocks for NA

GP · Postby GP » Mon Jun 01, 2015 2:48 pm

Hi All
I am in need of new shocks. Spotted some K Shock adjustable coilover kits on ebay for $880. It's a daily driver so I don't want to spend too much but I don't want to end up with rubbish either. I do like the idea of just a straight swap without having to muck around swapping springs.
Does anyone know if these are any good? Or other more practical options?

Black_Penguin · Postby **Black_Penguin** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 4:06 pm

I wouldn't touch a set of $900 coilovers with a 10 foot barge pole. Especially for a daily driver, I would get a set of oem replacements and spend the difference on getting someone to install them if you don't want to swap springs yourself.

Dan · Postby **Dan** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 4:46 pm

If you are on a tight budget an option I'd take a look at are Tein's new budget "Z" Series Coilovers which have been getting some pretty good reviews with NC owners in the US and seem like they are priced around the same as the coilovers you are looking at, ¥75,388 which is $793AUD before shipping.

Here's a link to buy http://www.rhdjapan.com/tein-flex-z-coi ... -nb8c.html.

And here's some details from Tein on them http://teinusa-blog.com/new-for-2015-te ... coilovers/

Like the guy above said though they aren't going to ride like a magic carpet so if you want comfort and don't want to seriously track your car, a set of springs and shocks in that price range is probably a better option.

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 6:28 pm

Tein are making a lot of competitively priced stuff these days.

I had a quote from the Aussie distributor for a set of Tein Street-Advance, they said it would be about $1000 for the set for sea freight (2 shipments per year), $1400 for air freight (landed within 2 weeks or so)

There's also the Tein Basic, which only does height adjust, and it was I think about $200 cheaper.

Alternatively there's also BC, from memory their base model option is about $1100 or so.
My car is due for shocks, and i'm probably going to go for the BCs (the mid range ones, cant remember the model or whatever)

edit:
I'd avoid Yellowspeeds if you can, they're stupidly stiff.

smy0003 · Postby **smy0003** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 9:37 pm

Any unknown eBay coilover is going to be... interesting.
This is probably the most frequently asked question about MX5's; do a search here and on the other mx5 forums. There's so many options out there, you'll need to do some reading to get what is best for you.

GP · Postby GP » Tue Jun 02, 2015 2:00 pm

I was checking to see if anyone has tried them as I didn't want to be the guinea pig so I will take the advice of you fellas and scrap that idea.
Obviously I don't need fully adjustables for my driving but being a long time motorbike rider I love to play with that stuff and it would be nice to play with the ride height.
Dan, Thanks for the Tein link. That's sounds like a good deal and I know that they are quality shocks.
Kansei, Sounds like there's a few options from Tein. Excuse the ignorance but what are BC?
Thanks for the help guys, I will check out all these options and let you know what I'm going with

Dan · Postby **Dan** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 2:13 pm

GP wrote:Dan, Thanks for the Tein link. That's sounds like a good deal and I know that they are quality shocks.
Kansei, Sounds like there's a few options from Tein. Excuse the ignorance but what are BC?

No problems.

BC's are a brand from Taiwan who have been making affordable coilovers for a while now. They aren't an Ohlins or a Penske but for the price point (just over 1k for a mid range shock) they are good value.

I run a second hand set of the cheaper BC coilovers (called V1) with uprated Springs on my car and have nothing bad to say about them. Saying that, my MX5 is pretty much just dríven to and from the track/mechanic but they wouldn't bother me if I was driving them to and from work every day.

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 2:56 pm

As above, BC are just another brand.

From what i've read about them the concensus seems to be that while they aren't up there as the best, they are certainly better than lots of others.

For my uses they seem the best choice in the Function/Quality/Price triangle.

GP · Postby GP » Tue Jun 02, 2015 2:58 pm

Just checking out the BC website, The V1's are $1200 which isn't too bad but it does say this at the bottom.
"Vehicle Compatibility:
- Mazda MX5 NA8C/NB8C (89-05)"
I take it that they would fit an NA6 import, Anyone know for sure?

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 3:00 pm

They'll fit.

The only changes to MX5 shocks from 1989 to 2005 (or whenever the NC came out) were minor things like springs and bump stops.

None of that matters with coilovers though since they come with their own versions.

Dan · Postby **Dan** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 4:18 pm

^ Yep, similar to the NC, my BC's are for the RX8/NC.

BTW here's a thread with a couple of user reviews on the NC of the Flex Z's http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=577221 I couldn't find a similar one for the NA/NB ones unfortunatly.

You'll find post in that thread about a coilover breaking in the rear, that's for a different set of cheap coilovers, not the Tein's, but it is a good lesson about what to be aware of out there with some of the cheaper coilovers.

Good luck with the choice.