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]

RE: Opinions on Suspension

This is what I'm going for as far as height.

[Roadster]

RE: Opinions on Suspension

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]

RE: Opinions on Suspension

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]

RE: Opinions on Suspension

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]

RE: Opinions on Suspension

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]

RE: Opinions on Suspension

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]

RE: Opinions on Suspension

That's really not too bad, certainly manageable.

[Greg]

RE: Opinions on Suspension

Looks like I may be getting megans then

[simontibbett]

RE: Opinions on Suspension

Get Ground Control sleeves, cheap.

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

RE: Opinions on Suspension

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]

RE: Opinions on Suspension

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]

RE: Opinions on Suspension

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]

RE: Opinions on Suspension

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]

RE: Opinions on Suspension

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