MX-5 OC Forum

Just bought a Roadster V-spec 'B' (whatever that is) and it's slightly down at the rear, esp on the driver's side (without me in it!). Damping's not bad but it does hit the bump-rubbers too easily on B-roads. Ideally I'd simply replace the springs but what chance of getting some which will give me close to 340mm height? And where from please? Or will I need to get adjustable coil-overs to ensure I can achieve the right height? If so, is there a recognised favourite make/supplier please? Many thanks

Colin

 Morning Colin

Is she just for road use? if so just get a full set of Mk 2 dampers,springs and top mounts,the full set up, straight swap, i would have a full G done also which will do wonders to how she will feel ,she will ride the bumps bettter (more travel)without losing anything on the corners.

Give Andrew at Autolink a bell,see if he as a full set,as i know he as a couple of Mk 2's arrived from Japan that he is breaking

If she is for road and a bit of track time,then a set of meister r's is the route to go, you'll get best of both worlds with them.

http://www.meisterr.com/

http://www.meisterr.com/Site/Clearance.html

Dont get the cheap Sh*t nasty coil overs  off e-bay, you'll pay for what you get.

If you need any help,just give us a shout

M-m

 Many thanks M-m (and ditto for your engine-spec reply).

The straight swap sounds simple but 2 probs: First I only have a single spring problem so maybe to replace all 4 plus dampers is OTT? Second, I was told my model (with Bilsteins, low-ratio LSD, etc, as standard) should sit a little lower than the 'normal' models, so swapping to a 'normal' setup would be a bit of a backward step methinks.

Thanks for the Meister link too. They do look great and maybe I might be forced to go that route in the end, even for mostly road use, just so I can get exactly the right height.

Do you know if there was an equivalent UK model to the VR-Limited, and would I be able to get springs for that from Mazda??

No, there was no equivalent model to the VR-Limited Combination B.

The VR was based on a S-Special;this is mechanically identical to the US R-package (except for steering; R-packages were power steering delete), so if you have a US contact, you may be able to source the correct springs from there.

Alternatively, find a Mazda dealer with access to Roadster parts lists; they can order parts based on your Roadster VIN. I know Milcars Mazda in Watford can do this. Perhaps Bourne Road Mazda, who operate an internet mail order business, can as well.Parts I think come from Japan, and are a similar (slightly more) than the equivalent UK part.

Thanks AT, that's really helpful. Next stop Kentucky (brother)!

Colin 

 You could also try Andrew at Autolink, he is always bringing in fresh imports for breaking

M-m

Mazda-mender:

 You could also try Andrew at Autolink, he is always bringing in fresh imports for breaking

M-m

the sport springs he sells are very good! Plus at a very good price as well.

You can find the parts numbers for 95-96 model cars with Bilsteins here:

http://www.miata.net/garage/90-99Parts/95-96/MX5%2095%201%20OF%203%20CHASSIS.pdf

1997 part numbers are listed here:

http://www.miata.net/garage/90-99Parts/97/MX5%2097%202%20OF%202%20BODY.pdf

I think they will be the same, but then, I was surprised to see two different front Bilstein shocks listed in the 95-96 catalogue, depending if the car is a MY95 or MY96. The VR Limited is a Series 2 1.8, which in the US might be referred to as a 1997 MY car.

 Unbelievably helpful AT - now an even bigger fan of the OC. 2 q's:

1 Will they be able to use my VIN to sort out 95MY vs 96MY, do you think?

2 How long do these great posts remain in place for me to access again later?

Maybe a helpful mod will pop this as a stickey. I'll extract all the relevant data later for an FAQ

More data needed please anyone!

I've followed up the excellent earlier postings on this, plus a few alternative suppliers of springs and dampers (of which there are many!) and I'm now much more clued up. This is what I've found so far, in case others might be interested...

Bourne Road Garage were excellent (so's their website) and could easily supply factory spares from Japan for my VR-Ltd, using the same parts catalogue linked to earlier. BUT these are expensive at nearly £500 just for the rear springs, dampers and bump rubbers AND received wisdom is that the VR-Ltd/Miata R-package set up isn't brilliant even when new (any 'R' owners want to argue otherwise?).

The Autolink sport springs are cheap BUT may be too soft, at 3kg/mm Front and 2kg/mm Rear, especially as mine is already hitting the bump-stops too easily.

The Meisters look good BUT seem too hard for road use, at 7F and 6R. And they guy I spoke to wasn't very communicative.

Tein have a big range BUT the only product significantly softer than the Meisters is non-adjustable so you'd be a hostage to fortune - if you don't like the ride/handling compromise or the height, it's too late, you've bought 'em.

Phil Dixon of Performance 5 is clearly knowledgeable and helpful BUT his springs are nearly as hard as the Meisters, at 6.25F and 4.5R, plus that's a big differential front to rear.

I looked at others, eg Flyin Miata, but you're probably getting bored by now. SOoooooo...

Can anyone give me the spring-rates for the standard Mk1's and, ideally, the VR-Ltd/R-packagemodels?

Thanks all

Colin

Got Trim springs from MX5 Parts (http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/product_info.php/products_id/353) on my Mk1 and I'm pretty happy with them.

marlin:

Phil Dixon of Performance 5 is clearly knowledgeable and helpful BUT his springs are nearly as hard as the Meisters, at 6.25F and 4.5R, plus that's a big differential front to rear.

I looked at others, eg Flyin Miata, but you're probably getting bored by now. SOoooooo...

Can anyone give me the spring-rates for the standard Mk1's and, ideally, the VR-Ltd/R-packagemodels?

Thanks all

Colin

Have a look at:

http://j3cht.webs.com/miata_spring_rates.xls

Its a collection of various spring rates

You want to shoot for rear springs being about 60-70% of the rate of the fronts. P5s spring bias is just about bang on. With the S-Special/R-Package, having a stiffer rear, Mazda has dialled in a little more oversteer than the stock car. If you go for a much softer spring; more understeer during slow turns, but increased high speed stability.

I have P5's old Puredrive kit, with its very stiff springs, but the ride is very smooth.

 Got Trim springs from MX5 Parts

Hi there, are these the latest spec 2011 springs, and did they have properly shaved flat ends ? (oooher missus !)

AT:

I have P5's old Puredrive kit, with its very stiff springs, but the ride is very smooth.

Great data and advice AT, thanks again. Phil D of P5 says the current Sportdrive springs are the same as yours but he's changed the dampers to 'in-house' units to get better tuning and quality control.

I'm not quite sure what 'very smooth' means so how comfortable would you say yours is on a weekend B-road, for example? Is your car used for track as well as road?

On another recent post, you wisely suggested people shouldn't get too carried away with new kits. The new P5 kit is about to become available at a £70 discount but, given that he's taking on the damper production, do you reckon I'd be wise to hang on and see what others think of them? The only report (very positive) I've seen was in Pistonheads.