Opinions on Suspension

[Greg]

OK heres my delima. The car is going to be a daily driver, but I want it pretty damn low. I'd love for the tires to just barely clear the fenders. I plan on just getting some 15" sportmax wheels... I am also planning on getting the fender flares, so that may come into play.

What do you think?
Springs?
Springs and struts?
Coilovers? (I'd rather not since its a DD)

[Greg]

This is what I'm going for as far as height.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m157/GPJamesMVT/008__scaled_600_003.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m157/GPJamesMVT/012__scaled_600_003.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m157/GPJamesMVT/013__scaled_600_001.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m157/GPJamesMVT/2562850_13_full.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m157/GPJamesMVT/2a0936d9.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m157/GPJamesMVT/miata.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m157/GPJamesMVT/miata_r_750.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m157/GPJamesMVT/photo1.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m157/GPJamesMVT/untitled.jpg

[Roadster]

I don't think there are any springs that'll lower it as much as you're looking for. Will probably have to be coilovers.

I'll be going for the Megan coilovers before too long. They're pretty damn cheap and supposed to have good longevity. Last I saw they're around $800. So after you spend $400 on dampers and $300 on springs and more for bumpstops and then have to assemble it all, it'd be well worth it to just spring for the coilovers that are already matched. Just a thought.

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

There's no way you're gonna be able to get that low without going for coilovers. And even if you did manage to find a strut spring combination you'ld end up sacrificing all suspension travel.

You could go with ground control sleeves and lower the car some, not sure how low they can go but again, anything your adjusting height without doing it inside the actual strut body is gonna be bad for handling. With the double wishbone setup the Miata likes travel and a bit of height, it just keeps on gripping :cool:

[Greg]

do you know how stiff the megans are?[hr]
I have Tein Flex coilovers on my Suby, and its so damn rough its rediculous

[Roadster]

http://enjukuracing.com/megan-racing-coilovers-mazda-miata-8997-p-7532.html

I'm trying to figure out exactly what the conversion is from kilograms to lbs...lol.

[Roadster]

One site says to multiply the LB/in. figure by 56...Not sure if it's right or not, but that would come out around 560 front and 448 rear.

*Edit*. Conversion factor from Kg/mm to Lb/in. is .0179, which comes out to 559 front, 446 rear. So the original was close enough. :)

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

That's really not too bad, certainly manageable.

[Greg]

Looks like I may be getting megans then

[simontibbett]

Get Ground Control sleeves, cheap.

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

They cost $400 before shipping. If you want a sleeved coilover set and aren't afraid to spend I would opt for the fat cat motorsport ones. He puts alot of time and research into them.

[RotorNutFD3S]

Wow, not only did I miss this thread, I missed that it had my car in it to. Double Fail! lol

Anyway, in that picture of my car, I have Bilstein struts and the H&R springs, nothing else. Ride is not harsh, and has complete travel.

But now I'm becoming wary of installing the Tein SS coilovers. No one can seem to agree on how the ride quality is with coilovers, and it's a big deal to me since the car is a daily driver. Some say it's fine as long as the dampening is set well, and then some say it kills you with roughness. :cry:

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Yep with correct dampening I was fine with megans. They will be firm. They will probably be how you imagine the next step in firmness from your current suspension to be.

[MeFryRice]

Wow, not only did I miss this thread, I missed that it had my car in it to. Double Fail! lol

Anyway, in that picture of my car, I have Bilstein struts and the H&R springs, nothing else. Ride is not harsh, and has complete travel.

But now I'm becoming wary of installing the Tein SS coilovers. No one can seem to agree on how the ride quality is with coilovers, and it's a big deal to me since the car is a daily driver. Some say it's fine as long as the dampening is set well, and then some say it kills you with roughness. :cry:


that's going to be a personal preference. I rode in a car that I thought was "soft" but the owner thought it was harsh....

....only one way to find out. :D

[RotorNutFD3S]

Yeah. Plenty of time between here and there too...

[Doppelgänger]

Yeah, people's opinions on what works and what doesn't varies greatly. Like the idiots on IA who put Tein S-techs on a 1987 Accord and swaer it handles like it's on rails :lol: In that case, they clearly have no clue as to what good suspension and handling really feels like.

[Sawyer]

Oh geez, IA..
I only go there when I need a good laugh!

[RotorNutFD3S]

I don't go there period... It's crazy. lol

[MeFryRice]

I go just for amusement, rarely do I post.

[Sawyer]

Me either.. I just looked, I have 34 posts.

[Doppelgänger]

I used to post more, but all of the OG members are pretty much gone and it's not nearly as close-knit as it used to be. So now I just go there to point and laugh.

[RotorNutFD3S]

I just don't have time. I frequent too many active forums as it is. Can't keep up with any more. lol

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

I really don't like the rep system on IA, and the crap they do to mix it up with being able to post classifieds... complete load of ****, after all gettin reps means you are a good seller http://www.toon-talk.net/forum/images/smilies/13.gif

[MeFryRice]

Well the rep system on IA isn't used properly. It should be used only for selling items to give the buyer a better indication of the seller.

[RotorNutFD3S]

Yeah, that's why I like the feedback system we use on miataturbo. It's almost like eBay's feedback setup.

[MeFryRice]

Instead of just giving out random reps, you can only rep posts made in the for sale section.

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Yeah that's what I'm trying to incorporate on here although we're fortunate with a local system we can just name and shame people or meet them in person. We don't have the same quantity of low lifes as IA on here.

[Doppelgänger]

I don;t think we are at a point of needing reps on here by any means. Luckily, most of us know eachother :) It's the stray Miata owners that come out of left field that need to be watched....

[Greg]

:whistle:

[MAC-G35]

I had Racing Beat springs on KYB Greens on my first Miata and I have Tein Super Sport Coil overs on my current Miata nad the ride is much better. My only complaint is that you have to keep the rears fairly stiff otherwise you feel like you're riding waves when you go over bumps. Plus, you can infinitely adjust the height.
Brian

[MeFryRice]

We don't have the same quantity of low lifes as IA on here.

That's a damn good thing too! :)

[RotorNutFD3S]

I had Racing Beat springs on KYB Greens on my first Miata and I have Tein Super Sport Coil overs on my current Miata nad the ride is much better. My only complaint is that you have to keep the rears fairly stiff otherwise you feel like you're riding waves when you go over bumps. Plus, you can infinitely adjust the height.
Brian


First off welcome to mx5Atlanta! Please introduce yourself in this thread: http://www.mx5atlanta.com/forum/introduce-yourself-t-3.html

Also do you mean the Tein Super Street coilovers? If so, I'm pretty glad to hear that because I just picked up a set, and I've been reading mixed reviews. I've pretty much settled on just installing them and seeing how I like them, but first hand experience with how they perform is good to have too.

[Doppelgänger]

I've always heard that KYB shocks are so-so

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

It's odd, in the Suby world alot of people swear by the AGX's, everything I've heard from everyone else tends to be negative. People normally say they don't hold up too well and start to soften after a few months. I had a set of agx's with ground controls on my suby briefly, the setup was **** as I was trying to incorporate some tein coilover camber plates, ended up with simple megans and a happy face.