Suspension Suggestions
06-16-2013, 09:56 PM
#1
!!!! I NEED TO POST !!!!
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 1
Suspension Suggestions
I just recently bought a '91 Miata from my uncle for $500 so there's a lot of things I've had to do to it. But oh well, I guess that's the fun about it 
Anyways I've been looking around and found a little info, but I'm still looking for some personal preferences y'all have.
I'm looking at lowering it a little bit, not the pointless stance type of low, but the more aggressive and better handling type of low.
So whatever your guys' personal preferences are that you all are running or have seen that really work well, I'd love to hear about it.
Thanks in advance for all information -mcg
Anyways I've been looking around and found a little info, but I'm still looking for some personal preferences y'all have. I'm looking at lowering it a little bit, not the pointless stance type of low, but the more aggressive and better handling type of low.
So whatever your guys' personal preferences are that you all are running or have seen that really work well, I'd love to hear about it.
Thanks in advance for all information
-mcg
06-22-2013, 11:47 PM
#3
MFz Lurker
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Portland, Oregon
Posts: 6
"How much do you really want to spend?" is really the right first question you need to answer, followed by "what do you intend to do with your car?" (other than lower it a bit). Horses for courses, as they say.
You might want to take a look at the different NA suspension packages (springs/shocks/anti-sways) from Flyin' Miata. Even if these are too costly for you right now, they are often what other setups are compared to in discussions (so, if you want to get coilovers, it is common for folks to compare them to the VMaxx, etc). see Flyin' Miata 1 800 FLY MX5s
There are plenty of other good suspensions out there, as well -- check BEGi, Good-Win Racing, 949 Racing, MiataRoadster, IL Motorsports, etc. You can also get suspension kits and components from eBay, but these vary greatly in quality so check with people who have used whatever specific parts you might be considering. BTW, you will find folks who spend thousands of $ for their Miata suspensions, so there is a very wide range of options our there.
That you want to lower your Miata pretty much eliminates moving to Miata Sport/Hard (good) or Mazdaspeed (better) suspensions. These are upgrades to the base Miata suspensions, but AFAIK they do not lower the car, at least not significantly.
Again, one of the basic questions is what you plan to do with your car. You can lower the car using coilovers (which are height adjustable), but these tend to be more track oriented (so harder riding), although they are also popular with those who want to slam their Miatas (which pretty much negates any performance) because of how low they can be set. You can also lower it using different springs and shocks, which tends to be more street oriented (more comfortable). Cars intended for street use, for auto-X use, or for track use all call for different suspensions for best performance. Cars used for more than one of these require a suspension that is a compromise, but where those compromises are made depends on just what you (and your regular passenger, if any) feel comfortable with. You would not want to drive a car with a dedicated track suspension on the street much (uncomfortable and unsafe), and the best street performance suspension will not be competitive on the track.
Any major change to the suspension will mean a realignment is called for, as well, and the best alignment settings will depend on what you intend to do (and are commonly agreed to not be Mazda's recommended Miata settings).
You might also want to consider adding chassis stiffening parts to your car -- Mazda added some of these in later years, and they can make a big difference in handling. Again, see Flyin' Miata and the other Miata vendors for examples.
OK -- my own preference (on an NB, but the suspension choices are very similar for the NA and NB), for a street car that is often used for "spirited" driving on twisty mountain roads (so, auto-X is OK but not primary, and no track use): Flyin' Miata Stage 2 suspension (springs/shocks/sways; with adjustable shocks) which lowers the NB about an inch (since the Miata stock height changed over the years, how much any given suspension package will lower a car depends on the year of the car). The equivalent NA package is the Stage 2.5.
The NB2 (2003-2005) has all the chassis stiffening Mazda added to the Miata, so the only addition there will be the Flyin' Miata Frame Rail kit (which stiffens the car and also protects the easily damaged rails). The NA equivalent would be the Frame Rails and Butterfly Brace (a similar brace is OEM in the NB2). For the NA, the Cannon rear subframe brace is also helpful. Frame rails and other braces are also available from the other Miata vendors.
I considered the VMaxx Classic kit, which for my NB would have been a couple of hundred $ cheaper, but heard one too many comment from people who have it about regular passengers complaining about the ride and/or refusing to ride in the car any more. Again, coilovers tend to be more track oriented.
BTW, don't fall victim to the "I only paid $500 for the car so I don't want to spend much on parts" trap -- it only leads to sadness in a Miata. Think of it for what it is -- a purposely designed sports car capable of being pretty easily transformed into a race car. Pick your parts carefully with your budget in mind, but avoid the cheap junk that will ruin your ride.
Bill
You might want to take a look at the different NA suspension packages (springs/shocks/anti-sways) from Flyin' Miata. Even if these are too costly for you right now, they are often what other setups are compared to in discussions (so, if you want to get coilovers, it is common for folks to compare them to the VMaxx, etc). see Flyin' Miata 1 800 FLY MX5s
There are plenty of other good suspensions out there, as well -- check BEGi, Good-Win Racing, 949 Racing, MiataRoadster, IL Motorsports, etc. You can also get suspension kits and components from eBay, but these vary greatly in quality so check with people who have used whatever specific parts you might be considering. BTW, you will find folks who spend thousands of $ for their Miata suspensions, so there is a very wide range of options our there.
That you want to lower your Miata pretty much eliminates moving to Miata Sport/Hard (good) or Mazdaspeed (better) suspensions. These are upgrades to the base Miata suspensions, but AFAIK they do not lower the car, at least not significantly.
Again, one of the basic questions is what you plan to do with your car. You can lower the car using coilovers (which are height adjustable), but these tend to be more track oriented (so harder riding), although they are also popular with those who want to slam their Miatas (which pretty much negates any performance) because of how low they can be set. You can also lower it using different springs and shocks, which tends to be more street oriented (more comfortable). Cars intended for street use, for auto-X use, or for track use all call for different suspensions for best performance. Cars used for more than one of these require a suspension that is a compromise, but where those compromises are made depends on just what you (and your regular passenger, if any) feel comfortable with. You would not want to drive a car with a dedicated track suspension on the street much (uncomfortable and unsafe), and the best street performance suspension will not be competitive on the track.
Any major change to the suspension will mean a realignment is called for, as well, and the best alignment settings will depend on what you intend to do (and are commonly agreed to not be Mazda's recommended Miata settings).
You might also want to consider adding chassis stiffening parts to your car -- Mazda added some of these in later years, and they can make a big difference in handling. Again, see Flyin' Miata and the other Miata vendors for examples.
OK -- my own preference (on an NB, but the suspension choices are very similar for the NA and NB), for a street car that is often used for "spirited" driving on twisty mountain roads (so, auto-X is OK but not primary, and no track use): Flyin' Miata Stage 2 suspension (springs/shocks/sways; with adjustable shocks) which lowers the NB about an inch (since the Miata stock height changed over the years, how much any given suspension package will lower a car depends on the year of the car). The equivalent NA package is the Stage 2.5.
The NB2 (2003-2005) has all the chassis stiffening Mazda added to the Miata, so the only addition there will be the Flyin' Miata Frame Rail kit (which stiffens the car and also protects the easily damaged rails). The NA equivalent would be the Frame Rails and Butterfly Brace (a similar brace is OEM in the NB2). For the NA, the Cannon rear subframe brace is also helpful. Frame rails and other braces are also available from the other Miata vendors.
I considered the VMaxx Classic kit, which for my NB would have been a couple of hundred $ cheaper, but heard one too many comment from people who have it about regular passengers complaining about the ride and/or refusing to ride in the car any more. Again, coilovers tend to be more track oriented.
BTW, don't fall victim to the "I only paid $500 for the car so I don't want to spend much on parts" trap -- it only leads to sadness in a Miata. Think of it for what it is -- a purposely designed sports car capable of being pretty easily transformed into a race car. Pick your parts carefully with your budget in mind, but avoid the cheap junk that will ruin your ride.
Bill
Last edited by NW Bill; 06-22-2013 at 11:56 PM.
