Coilovers - tein vmaxx Mca bc

810DRY · Postby **810DRY** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 1:46 pm

Sorry to start another coil over thread...

can anyone give some reviews on the flex z for a NA ?
I've read on other mx5 forums that they're a bit bouncy in the rear? Same for the street advances... just hoping I can get clarification on this before purchasing...

I have looked at the vmaxx xxtreme coilovers too but I think the tein would be a better build quality all round and obviously are more reputable so I would trust them over vmaxx

I am only looking at these 2 For a cheaper option, otherwise I will go with my original plan of bc br or Mca blue.
I know the Mca blues are very popular amongst this community , however I only use the car for street and spirited driving at this stage and will be doing so for a couple more years and not sure if it's really 'worth it' as I probably won't use them to there full potential

Will I benefit much in buying Mca blues ($1500)
Over tein flex z for ($1000)
Or I can get the vmaxx xxtreme for $900 delivered, would they be worth a shot? Haven't seen many people talk about them in Aus...
Any other suggestions? Trying to steer clear of yellow speed , I think the tein flex z are a more popular alternative

Don't want the ride to be bouncy and soft but not too stiff as if it was a dedicated track car,
I want it to be a firmer and flatter ride whilst going slightly lower than stock but I'm not overly concerned about 'comfort'

Any advice/criticism whatever will be appreciated!

tails · Postby **tails** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 1:54 pm

I can't speak for the Teins, but I currently have MCA Blues on my NA6 and will recommend them to anybody who asks. The MCAs were installed earlier in the year, replacing some BC BRs. The MCAs ride much better than the BCs ever did with less bounce and they feel more like OE suspension when encountering bumps/holes on the road.

I currently only use my car for daily duties and spirited weekend stuff.

The MCA Blues are also assembled here in Australia, so there's the added advantage of supporting local.

810DRY · Postby **810DRY** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 2:57 pm

I guess the locality of Mca is a added bonus, not having to send back to overseas or communicate to a Japanese bloke in an email is definitely a plus

I really would like the Mca blues but with my clutch coming up for a replacement I was trying to see if I could save some money and get the teins or others

Mca blue is my desired option

Do you know what spring rates you have on your mx5? I think we both use our cars for a similar purpose

sailaholic · Postby **sailaholic** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 3:18 pm

A note on the MCA stuff. Springs are essentially at cost of $50 a corner. I recently saw a forum member selling a set of tien front springs he'd bought for $150 a corner, not sure if he got shafted on not.

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Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 3:32 pm

The 'bounce' is more associated with the spring rates, the OEM spring rates for the NA6 were quite low hence anything more than OEM rates will feel stiff. What sets the dampers apart are the way they are valved, that is how do the dampers react to the bumps in the road. If the roads are quite bumpy then stiff springs will have a tendency to 'skate' over them, however on a smooth surface stiff springs keep the tyre in better contact with the road that softer ones.

When comparing dampers it helps to know what the spring rates are, especially if you are taking a car for a test drive.

Ask to see the damper curves, most coilover manufactures will give you the generic one, but it is better than nothing and at the very least it will give you an idea on how they will react.

What the coilovers will allow is height adjustment... and this is another can of worms. Height adjustment by the spring perch or the damper length.

Another can of worms is what size sway bars to run...

When did the car have an alignment last?

manga_blue · Postby **manga_blue** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 3:52 pm

Just so you know where they sit in the Tein range ...

810DRY · Postby **810DRY** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 4:56 pm

Okay that gives me a better understanding with the 'bounce' thanks for that

The last wheel alignment was by the previous owner around 3.5 years ago , I have had the mx5 for about 6 months but haven't spent much time on it yet
I was going to try to do coilovers as I've gotten new wheels recently and get a proper alignment after the coilovers, is this not the best way?

Cheers

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 5:03 pm

Happy to be wrong, but I would do an alignment first and make sure everything is acceptable down there before making changes. Get a baseline to compare from and make one change at a time.

810DRY · Postby **810DRY** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 6:47 pm

No that is a very good point , I might go down that path

tails · Postby **tails** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 8:59 am

810DRY wrote:Do you know what spring rates you have on your mx5? I think we both use our cars for a similar purpose

I have 10kg front and 6kg rear springs. MCA also recommended keeping the stock sway bars.

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 10:06 am

Consider that the OEM spring rates were 2.7kg in the front and 1.7kg in the rear.

http://fatcatmotorsports.com/FRC_1_6NA/FCM_MSDS_1_6NA.htm

MattR · Postby **MattR** » Thu Nov 10, 2016 9:23 pm

BC V1 series coilovers could also be a cheap option compared to the Tiens.

I used then in my old NA6 and it handled pretty well for what it was, was comfortable on the road and punched above its weight on the track in the Qld club days

KevGoat · Postby **KevGoat** » Thu Nov 10, 2016 9:42 pm

Suspension feel/comfort is so very individual but when I had BC BR's they handled ok but we couldn't set them at any sort of acceptable comfort level for us. I think they were 9/6kg. I've dríven an SE with Tein Flex with 6/5kg Springs (from memory) and they were great comfort wise. Wasn't my car so can't really say what the handling was really like but for normal road and my limited abilities felt pretty good.

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91BRG · Postby **91BRG** » Thu Nov 10, 2016 9:55 pm

i have tein monosports coilovers on my car (10/8 spring rates)
i felt the roll rigidity was enough so i didn't upgrade swaybars, but used racing beat adj endlinks so there was no preload.
comfort wise it's better than stock on smooth roads, but worse on harsh roads. I set it to the softest setting. I reckon if i had anything less than 60 profile tires the ride would be too harsh because of the spring rates. I will probably change the springs to 8/6 when i get the chance.

smy0003 · Postby **smy0003** » Thu Nov 10, 2016 10:09 pm

KevGoat wrote:when I had BC BR's they handled ok but we couldn't set them at any sort of acceptable comfort level for us.

That was essentially my experience with BC BR's.

810DRY wrote: I'm not overly concerned about 'comfort'

Be careful with phrases like that, as the song says, you don't know what you got... It does get old very quickly.
Personally I'd go for Tein Flex Z as they are designed to be what you want. See if you can spec them in lower than standard spring rates. I'm sure the MCA Blues are the bees knees, but they are also 50% more expensive, and like you said I'm not sure you'll see the benefits during normal driving.