Ultimate Miata Coilovers Thread, what are you using?

[bogaut]

yea xidas are nice but id rather not give emilio any money

[MaRcOp01o]

Wow thanks for the tip. The car would be primarily road driven or cruised maybe an autocross or 2, and I am in Florida so I don't have any canyons to carve sadly. And the car is really clean and nice to drive so I wouldn't mind a more forgiving suspension. I would probably opt for the Swift springs and thats about it. But I will look at Xidas because i have only heard good things.

[HarryB]

FM's Fox is also rumored to be nice, but I have not found a lot of feedback on them. Daryl uses them AFAIK so he can chime in. TBH for your intended use, I would go with NB2 Sport Bilstein dampers, Maruha deep top hats on the rear, FM springs and quality bumpstops.

[DarylSibcy]

FM's Fox is also rumored to be nice, but I have not found a lot of feedback on them. Daryl uses them AFAIK so he can chime in. TBH for your intended use, I would go with NB2 Sport Bilstein dampers, Maruha deep top hats on the rear, FM springs and quality bumpstops.

Did someone say my name?

Anyhow, to Marco!

My FOX shocks are sublime, I've had them for a few years now and I've played with spring rates a bit and dialed the shock settings in too. For street use I can't imagine there's anything "better". They don't squeak or rattle and they have an excellent amount of travel; suspension travel is much more important on the street/back roads rather than a smooth and well-maintained track.

For the record, I've never driven on Xidas coilovers, so I honestly can't comment on their performance or what they're like on the street. The FOX's are serviceable with OEM parts (bump stops, hats, washers, joints, etc) which for me was the selling point. In 5 years time I can take them off and replace them with readily available parts without worrying about whether Flyin' Miata is even still in business.
I'm sure they will be! But it's the peace of mind knowing I can get parts from any Mazda dealer is irreplaceable.

It also says a lot about FM's thought process when designing the setup. The coilovers are miata specific and built from the ground up using OEM parts. I find it humble that a major aftermarket company hasn't said "we can do better than they did"..

HTH!

[MaRcOp01o]

Did someone say my name?

Anyhow, to Marco!

My FOX shocks are sublime, I've had them for a few years now and I've played with spring rates a bit and dialed the shock settings in too. For street use I can't imagine there's anything "better". They don't squeak or rattle and they have an excellent amount of travel; suspension travel is much more important on the street/back roads rather than a smooth and well-maintained track.

For the record, I've never driven on Xidas coilovers, so I honestly can't comment on their performance or what they're like on the street. The FOX's are serviceable with OEM parts (bump stops, hats, washers, joints, etc) which for me was the selling point. In 5 years time I can take them off and replace them with readily available parts without worrying about whether Flyin' Miata is even still in business.
I'm sure they will be! But it's the peace of mind knowing I can get parts from any Mazda dealer is irreplaceable.

It also says a lot about FM's thought process when designing the setup. The coilovers are miata specific and built from the ground up using OEM parts. I find it humble that a major aftermarket company hasn't said "we can do better than they did"..

HTH!

Daryl- Thanks for your thoughts! FOX to me as always been up there in my choices and are insanely nice and quality is top tier. I am really happy FM decided to go that route. But the OHLINS for the price I am able to get them is such a good deal it really makes the FOX shocks not as attractive.

Harry- I found a mint set of OEM Bilstiens with 4k miles on them for $350. I love the idea that they're OEM and a sports upgrade but they don't lower the car enough for me. I want to be an inch lower.

[Slampen]

I got these recently.




Haters gonna hate.

[MaRcOp01o]

I got these recently.




Haters gonna hate.

Much want.

[HarryB]

I found a mint set of OEM Bilstiens with 4k miles on them for $350. I love the idea that they're OEM and a sports upgrade but they don't lower the car enough for me. I want to be an inch lower.

NB springs/dampers sit a bit high on NAs; FM springs do lower things, but need to check on numbers. The selling point for me on these is that FM rates are spot on for the damping curves of the NB Sport dampers, and a good compromise for daily use. Plus OEM Bilsteins are known to live pretty much forever and they are cheap to replace if you ever need to do so.

But the OHLINS for the price I am able to get them is such a good deal it really makes the FOX shocks not as attractive.

If it is a really good deal, I would get the Ohlins. I am sure they will not be bad by any means, and at the end of the day you may sell them and not lose money if you do not like them (which I doubt).

[MaRcOp01o]

NB springs/dampers sit a bit high on NAs; FM springs do lower things, but need to check on numbers. The selling point for me on these is that FM rates are spot on for the damping curves of the NB Sport dampers, and a good compromise for daily use. Plus OEM Bilsteins are known to live pretty much forever and they are cheap to replace if you ever need to do so.



If it is a really good deal, I would get the Ohlins. I am sure they will not be bad by any means, and at the end of the day you may sell them and not lose money if you do not like them (which I doubt).

Yeah Ohlins is the move I think and maybe one day do a DIY Blistein setup.

[CLZinn2]

Thank You DarylSibcy for you posts on FM FOX Shocks as I have been thinking of buying them and wondered if they lived up to what FM has to say about them. From what I've heard FM is a stand up act and I was pretty sure. Now I know what shocks I'm going to buy. It always costs more to go 1st class and I don't mind if it's worth it. Besides, every time Chris tries to save money, it's a disaster!!!

[Slampen]

Much want.

For me TUV is a big plus for the Ohlins.

[chiefmg]

I'm running Ohlins (bought them used) and like them a lot. I got a pair of Feal extended top hats and put them on the rear, that helped with the lack of travel. At the recommendation of someone I know I bought a pair of Maruha top hats for the front and will be installing them soon after I get home in a month. Don't think anyone else has installed deeper top hats on the front on Ohlins, I'll be sure to post what I think.

[Hyper]

Save your money and get the best coil overs in the market today. I chose the MeisterR CRD coilover kit. They are super Awesome in my son’s NC. I M going to buy them again for the white NB2 I have st home

[HarryB]

I do nit think that MeisterR are the best coil-over on the market by any means. They are indeed good enough for what they cost, especially if you are in Europe, but they are still a bit of a "one damper do it all", plus they are not rebuildable. I think Daryl moved from them to FM Fox, so he can chime in again.

IMO the biggest problem with Miata coli-overs is travel vs ride height. And a length-adjustable damper body means you have sacrificed travel to accommodate lowering. You can remedy that to a certain extend, but I would choose fixed body dampers any time, especially ones that their length suits your intended ride height. AFAIK only FM Fox and Xidas do that.

[Hyper]

Bro but what do you expect for the price and quality of the components? Upgrading for $995.00 is a big difference from OEM stock suspension. If you wsnt to spend $3000 on coil overs and suspension parts on a 2000 market value car that’s completely fine.
as for me the Meister R paired with aftermarket sway bars made a big difference from stock suspension. With the OEM suspension the car felt like it was floating and unstable at high speed. This car is daily driver when I switched to the 13 pounds light weight FD wheels and 225 50 16 tires for extra comfort it transformed into a handling beast. The biggest issue I had so far is adjusting the damper settings at height speed. I am happy where I am right but wish was bit flatter ride.