suspension kits questions

[miata5620]

I finally am getting to the point i have enough money to get some tires and suspension under my car and i was wanting to get peoples opinions about suspension kits. i am looking at getting the FM stage two since it has shocks , springs, and sways in it and its in my budget but its maxing it out. looking around at different places it seems like one of the better deals with all it gives you for my purpose, which is mainly a fun daily driver that can be taken to the mountains or to the occational track day / auto cross. i looked at getting koni sports and FM springs but from what i have found that will cost as much as the FM kit and i wont have sways. so what do you all think? for tires i am going with the Falken Azenis RT-615 they seem like the best all around tire.

[Doppelgänger]

I'd highly recommend KONI adj. "yellows" if you look into any shocks.
They pair up nicely with H&R springs too. It's a good basic setup that will work well for street/mountains and learning the limits of the car in auto-x and HPDEs.

If you're patient, you can come across a set of used Teins on miata.net or ebay. Stay away from these strange offbrand suspensions on ebay and what not (like D2...or whatever they're called).

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Counter view of Mike's, Megan's are a good value fun coilover but are pretty damn stiff.

I think the FM kit would probably make you happy. I'ld try and keep an eye out for some good deals on shocks on the various classified sections. I picked up some brand new Bilstein HD's for a little over a hundred bucks from craigslist for example.

http://www.partsgroup.com/ might have some good suspension deals for you.

The FM setup is a good solid one though, you won't be upset about it.

[miata5620]

yeah i will be on the lookout on criagslist and ebay for a set of coilovers that are used and in good shape but patience has never been one of my strong suits.

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Another route to take, which amaff here is a big fan of. Is to buy some Koni's, used or new and then buy some of the ebay coilover sleeves. Dump the springs but keep the sleeves and then buy some springs like these:

http://www.shutokoengineering.com/Megan-Racing-REPLACEMENT-SPRINGS-62-180-12KG-p/mr-6218012.htm

Basically a homebrew Ground Control coilover kit for about half the price.

[Doppelgänger]

^^ that works very well too.... if you trust the integrity of chinese made aluminum :lol:

Unless you're saving every ounce of weight, pretty much any swaybar set will work too. RB has the tubular if you're that concerned about weight though. So feel free to find the lest-expensive set you can dig up.

(yes, I just went there)

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

I would like to see some comparison tests between all the chinese goods and the expensive ones. Most of the time they just reverse engineer whatever the original is and then make their own casts. With a stationary metal perch I don't think there would be too much trouble otherwise half of import atlanta wouldn't be driving right now :lol:

[Doppelgänger]

they aren't :lol:

[matredd]

Not everyone had Ohlins come on the car they bought.

[RotorNutFD3S]

Not trying to start anything, but since I know a decent amount about the sale and purchase of that car, Mike didn't get those Ohlins for free, so they definitely didn't "come on the car".

Also, as someone who deals with Chinese and other imported metals and materials on a constant basis, some of the metals that we see here are great, and others are very brittle. If you want to go the cheaper route as suggested, just make sure you do some research about who's using them with good or bad luck. The last thing you want is suspension failure.

[amaff]

Another route to take, which amaff here is a big fan of. Is to buy some Koni's, used or new and then buy some of the ebay coilover sleeves. Dump the springs but keep the sleeves and then buy some springs like these:

http://www.shutokoengineering.com/Megan-Racing-REPLACEMENT-SPRINGS-62-180-12KG-p/mr-6218012.htm

Basically a homebrew Ground Control coilover kit for about half the price.

Man you beat me to it. It's not ever going to be "the best" bust as far as bang for buck on the miata it's right at the top

Also, as someone who deals with Chinese and other imported metals and materials on a constant basis, some of the metals that we see here are great, and others are very brittle. If you want to go the cheaper route as suggested, just make sure you do some research about who's using them with good or bad luck. The last thing you want is suspension failure.

Completely agree here. That said, tons of folks run the 'ebay' threaded sleeves and I don't think I've heard of any failure of the sleeves.

[matredd]

Not trying to start anything, but since I know a decent amount about the sale and purchase of that car, Mike didn't get those Ohlins for free, so they definitely didn't "come on the car".

Just a joke. I'm only envious.

[RotorNutFD3S]

Just a joke. I'm only envious.

Ah, looked serious. Sorry. I just :facepalm:'d myself for you. :D

[miata5620]

yeah ill have to look into that too not sure which why i will end up going just trying to get peoples ideas who have already tried different set ups on a budget.