Pfunk
08-01-2014, 06:04 AM
First, a link to the product, sparing me from repetition: http://www.keislerautomation.com/Miata_front.html
I bought the final set from the first run of these spindles, front and rear, along with the spacers for the shocks, and a three-wrench set that they ground down to fit in the tight spaces these spindles create. With shipping to Japan, which added several hundred to the cost, the full kit ran around $1850.
The machining on these is truly outstanding; it's a shame to 'hide' them by using them! The nickel plating isn't as tough as I'd hoped, however, with flakes coming off here and there from simple wrench impacts and the like.
My situation was complicated by the fact that I have V8R upper and lower control arms on all four corners, and the drop spindles were designed to be used with OEM bits. When we went to install the rear drop spindles, we found that the V8R arms used a bolt for the upper bushing that was 2mm bigger than stock. The bushing with the spindle was delrin and aluminum, but machining the aluminum enough to clear the bolt would have made it 1mm thick--too risky. Instead, we had a local shop make a set of sleeves from stainless steel. They're still thin, but the stainless is much stronger, so it should be good.
We also found that the V8R arms would contact the spindles at points, limiting the range of adjustments for alignment. We had to machine the tie rods to remove 20mm in order to stay within reasonable parameters. Final alignment values are: 6º caster, -1º 28' camber, 0º 10' total toe (all front values); -1º camber, 0º 15' total toe (all rear values).
The rear tire now protrudes a bit more so we did a mild roll on the fender; the fronts were pulled in a bit, so we added 5mm spacers. With regards to the shock spacers, we needed them for the rear, but not the front; the AFCO shocks had enough adjustment to deal with it. We did have to rotate the shocks 180º to spin the adjustment knob inboard.
The rear lower V8R arms are a scant 2.5mm from the 6UL wheels--it is a tight thing. You might want to consider 16" wheels if you have the V8R arms.
One other note: I have Wilwood brakes front and rear; the front mounting plates needed to be machined in two spots to make recesses for the two protrusions you can see in the first shot.
One concern I had which has so far proved groundless was the ABS. The spindles use MR2 hubs and the ABS sensor built into them sends out a slightly different signal than the Mazda one. We wired it up and have driven around, no errors have been spit out. I need to find a wet/rainy day to try out the ABS fully, however, since I don't want to risk a flat spot on my Rivals.
So much for the installation specs. How does it drive now? Handling is very neutral and stable but I've only had the chance to take it on some freeway ramps. Bump steer is noticeably reduced, which is the main reason I bought these, so I am happy.
In all, I am glad I have them, and I look forward to putting the car through its paces as soon as I can. Given that a comparable set of spindles in Japan would cost three times what I paid, they are a fair deal. If you have a mostly stock suspension and brakes, you should not have any of the installation issues I did.
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I bought the final set from the first run of these spindles, front and rear, along with the spacers for the shocks, and a three-wrench set that they ground down to fit in the tight spaces these spindles create. With shipping to Japan, which added several hundred to the cost, the full kit ran around $1850.
The machining on these is truly outstanding; it's a shame to 'hide' them by using them! The nickel plating isn't as tough as I'd hoped, however, with flakes coming off here and there from simple wrench impacts and the like.
My situation was complicated by the fact that I have V8R upper and lower control arms on all four corners, and the drop spindles were designed to be used with OEM bits. When we went to install the rear drop spindles, we found that the V8R arms used a bolt for the upper bushing that was 2mm bigger than stock. The bushing with the spindle was delrin and aluminum, but machining the aluminum enough to clear the bolt would have made it 1mm thick--too risky. Instead, we had a local shop make a set of sleeves from stainless steel. They're still thin, but the stainless is much stronger, so it should be good.
We also found that the V8R arms would contact the spindles at points, limiting the range of adjustments for alignment. We had to machine the tie rods to remove 20mm in order to stay within reasonable parameters. Final alignment values are: 6º caster, -1º 28' camber, 0º 10' total toe (all front values); -1º camber, 0º 15' total toe (all rear values).
The rear tire now protrudes a bit more so we did a mild roll on the fender; the fronts were pulled in a bit, so we added 5mm spacers. With regards to the shock spacers, we needed them for the rear, but not the front; the AFCO shocks had enough adjustment to deal with it. We did have to rotate the shocks 180º to spin the adjustment knob inboard.
The rear lower V8R arms are a scant 2.5mm from the 6UL wheels--it is a tight thing. You might want to consider 16" wheels if you have the V8R arms.
One other note: I have Wilwood brakes front and rear; the front mounting plates needed to be machined in two spots to make recesses for the two protrusions you can see in the first shot.
One concern I had which has so far proved groundless was the ABS. The spindles use MR2 hubs and the ABS sensor built into them sends out a slightly different signal than the Mazda one. We wired it up and have driven around, no errors have been spit out. I need to find a wet/rainy day to try out the ABS fully, however, since I don't want to risk a flat spot on my Rivals.
So much for the installation specs. How does it drive now? Handling is very neutral and stable but I've only had the chance to take it on some freeway ramps. Bump steer is noticeably reduced, which is the main reason I bought these, so I am happy.
In all, I am glad I have them, and I look forward to putting the car through its paces as soon as I can. Given that a comparable set of spindles in Japan would cost three times what I paid, they are a fair deal. If you have a mostly stock suspension and brakes, you should not have any of the installation issues I did.
12322
12323
12324
12325