Bryan (07-14-2019)
I don't have artsy pics of them like you (or Adam), but I did post pics of them in my other build thread. I really can't introduce the gauges without introducing the context that brought them about.
Last edited by Bryan; 04-07-2020 at 05:20 PM.
Originally Posted by DazedAndConfused
Also: I have a line on an MSM rear lip. You can complete the look if you're interested!
Originally Posted by DazedAndConfused
Just realized how long it has been since I posted. Enough of these Hallmark movies....build entry incoming in the next couple days.
JamieH (04-07-2020)
The Lascivious Laser Blue NB2:
Chapter 4: To Xida and beyond!
So I have been slacking on my build thread. Sad reacts only. So what can you do in the face of a global pandemic like COVID-19 after being quarantined with your wife for a month. You guessed it…MIATA build thread time. To be fair it is either this or watch another Hallmark movie with my wife. My estrogen levels are at an all time high so I’m going to take a break from the Hallmark movies and do something more masculine like write about my Miata. So sit back in enjoy…cause this ones for the boys!
So lets talk about coilovers for a min. I should preface this entire entry by saying I consider myself to be a “driving” enthusiast more than a “car” enthusiast. What is the difference you may ask…good question. I find myself at a point in life where I don’t enjoy working on cars as much as I enjoy driving them. I simply WANT IT TO WORK. I enjoy cat and mouse driving. I care less and less about someone else being “faster” than I am. So rarely does being “faster” play into my decisions about modifying a component of a car. If anything I am a firm believer that most people leave something on the table, in terms of a cars performance, before modifying it….and in this case….I am no different haha.
I spent a fair amount of time driving Miatas and this car before deciding to get coilovers. I did want to experience the stock nature of the car but an NA and NB Miatas are highly documented cars. There is little I can say about this car that you could not read in a hundred other places. So lets skip to it and talk about my decision to jump right to 949’s Xidas. What was I looking for?
Firstly I wanted something to create a bit more stability at speed and while cornering. Yeah that’s a broad comment so specifically I didn’t want the car to punish me for my bad driving especially when changing direction quickly. I was only willing to compromise on ride quality A LITTLE BIT. I wanted something that could perform while also being livable. I love my spine and god bless I’ve been in some cars that are on a set of $500 raceboi’s riding the bump stops the entire time….not today SATAN! Lastly, who doesn’t love a tastefully lowered Miata…I’ll wait………yeah exactly everyone likes to lose a bit of wheel gap while also adding massive quantities of sex appeal.
The real question then is why Xidas? It’s really simple…Xidas were designed for Miatas (at the time). Not many chassis have an affordable multi-use coilover setup designed for them. Not only that the pedigree of the followers are a testament to the product. That is to say conversations at your local car meets are much different than the ones you have with people at driving events. The overwhelming consensus was Xidas or Ohlins at the price point. Sure there are other great options out there like KW which run about the same cost but Xidas are the Olive Garden of Miata coilovers….when you’re here you’re family.
So what do I think after the install. As I said I was very concerned with ride quality. I did not want anything too rough especially with spending 2k on a set of coilovers. My initial feeling when I read the recommended rates for my application, 700/400, sounded rather high. I mean I have a wife that wants kids someday….”lightbulb”….so I chose to go with the 700/400 spring rates! I would describe the ride as firm but not rough. It is daily-able for me for short commutes. I, however, will not blow smoke and say that it’s “more comfortable than stock”. It is not imo. Is it more compliant at speed? Absolutely. I also chose to go with the stock orange NB top hats 949 offers as an option when ordering. Take them or leave them...your stock black NB tophats would be fine here.
The orange on the tophats is a different color than the adjustment rings on the shock body which I don't care for. Ultimately am I happy with the purchase? Yes I can say that I am very happy with the Xidas and would recommend to anyone interested in purchasing after market coilovers.
Coilover Tophat.jpg
coils - floor.jpg
Coilover perspective.jpg
Coil - Lift 1.jpg
Installed:
Coil - Installed.jpg
coils - front.jpg
Test fitting 6ULs for fun:
Coils - 6ul.jpg
Last edited by R4bbit; 04-09-2020 at 09:53 AM.
Greasemonkey2000 (04-10-2020),JamieH (04-10-2020),MiataQuest (04-09-2020),Paul B (04-11-2020),tsingson (04-10-2020)
Your pics are all flipped
Originally Posted by DazedAndConfused
R4bbit (04-10-2020)
Nice writeup and review! For your use, I would also consider FM Fox as another option, but I do not think I have met a single person being unhappy for purchasing Xidas.
But why are your pictures upside down? You are not in AUS?!
R4bbit (04-10-2020)
Yeah they were oriented correctly before upload but after it was flipping. Think I found a workaround.
The Lascivious Laser Blue NB2:
Chapter 5: Front Sway and Wheels
So I should have covered the front sway in the last chapter. Since I forgot to we will just talk about it here since everyone will likely be “So bored bro” by my wheel choice anyway. So I will echo my thoughts about the stock car feeling a bit “soft”. I also enjoy a much more tail happy driving experience because understeer just sucks. So it totally makes sense that I would be upgrading the front sway bar on this car. It is worth noting that the sway bar was installed at the same time as the Xidas.
So what did I choose….que the drum roll….the tried and true Racing Beat tubular front sway bar with bracket blocks. ***Awkward pause***….I mean what can you say. It’s a sway bar. It does sway things. Installation is as you would expect for any sway bar. The blocks installation is also very straight forward. I mean who cares about listening to me go on about a sway install. Of course there is always that one lonely masochistic soul who raises their hand in the back. All I can tell you sir is, I’ve heard “Theres a Lid for every Pot” but we fresh outta lids here. So we’re moving on much like your Ex would if you had one.
What do I think it did for the car? Well I think that the front sway did all the things I wanted, as far as increasing the “tail happy” driving experience and buttoning down the movement of the front end. It did, however, do one main thing that I loathe…it increased harshness. I believe the “harshness” was increased largely due to the sway and not the Xidas. I believe with a stock front sway and dialing in the Xidas, that they may actually be able to achieve a stock ride quality or better on average streets and roads. Though that is just my thoughts after putting 7k miles on the setup.
Now let’s talk about NB Miata wheels for a min. I was not really sure what direction I wanted to go with as far as wheel design. So, at first, my attention was on color choice. All I had orginally imagined Laser/Bulma on was a set of medium/dark bronze wheels. I have always wanted bronze wheels but have never had the car that I felt would do them justice or pull them off. I felt like this was the car that could finally bridge the gap but design was still up in the air.
So I begin my search…I don’t want to spend an arm and leg on a set of wheels but I do want something reputable. Of course 949 6UL’s are an option but I just had those on my FRS. I kind of want to switch it up. After searching for weeks, and no less than 1 zillion google image searches, I am starting to lean towards a set of 15” bronze Jongbloeds. There are a couple of write ups on why Jongbloeds are so cheap. So if you’re interested you can go read about it but….Yes I realize they are heavy….and yes I now realize they are virtually impossible to get but I really liked the look of the wheel. It is much easier to accept damaging a $150 wheel that can be replaced than it is to throw $500 a wheel at a set of forged wheels.
So turns out the wheel design I like can’t be had atm. Something about low stock and no one can get a new shipment for now. So my attention turns to RPF1s. I know you always hear people say “RPF1s are so played out” blah blah blah. People make it sound like every other car has a set of RPF1s. The truth is I rarely see cars on RPF1s. Not only that I happen to really like the look of the 15x8 +28 on the Miata. I begin to really stare down a set in Enkei’s SBC coating which is a departure from the original bronze wheel idea. My only worry about the SBC coating is that it may be too flashy. I then begin to look at silver RPF1s. Oh no…not only is he looking at boring RPF1s but now he is looking at basic boi silvers too. I digress. The silver admittedly is a “safe” pick but I also really like the look. Not a week goes by when, out of nowhere, a friend of mine offers me a brand new set of silver RPF1s 15x8 +28 NIB, for a very good deal. It seems that fate had plans other than bronze wheels for Bulma and thus I ended up purchasing those silver RPF1s.
Of course I will at some point find a set of bronze wheels in 15x9 but for now these will do the trick!
Blue - Laser.jpg
Blue - Laser 2.jpg
Laser - Backend.jpg
Laser - Profile.jpg
Bryan (04-09-2020),Greasemonkey2000 (04-10-2020),HarryB (04-10-2020),JamieH (04-10-2020),MiataQuest (04-10-2020),mx54life (04-10-2020),Paul B (04-11-2020),Roadster7 (04-24-2020),tsingson (04-10-2020),Vegard (04-10-2020)
Nothing basic about them; they are extremely high quality and very lightweight for the size. Plus I love the looks, silver suits blue just right and matches your rollbar too!
Great work and taste in parts!
Love the custom Warbird gauges! Really cool color scheme and customization!
I definitely would say the sway bar is the culprit for the increased harshness and perceived reduction of ride quality on the Xida's vs OEM. I've read plenty of reviews of people saying the Xida's ride much better than OEM, no surprise. Again this would be dependent on ride height and the setting on Xida's. I have also read alot how stiffer sway bars have a big impact on "ride quality".
As far as the mismatched orange colors, that looks to be due to the type of finish. The adjustment ring appears to be anodized where as the NB top has looks like just paint or powder coat. That probably comes down to cost effectiveness so I wouldn't hold that against Supermiata.(as Emilio is always pointing out 949 is their wheel division)
RPF1s are always a SMART choice but also a SAFE choice, nothing wrong with that. Probably one of the easiest aftermarket wheels to resale if you are ever so inclined. I agree about rarely seeing them on other cars, even Miata's.
You didn't mention tires, what ones did you go with?
P.S.-Great story telling/writing skills! One aspect I wish I focused on more but I have always thought I am long winded enough just sticking to the facts.
Last edited by Greasemonkey2000; 04-10-2020 at 10:24 AM.
'01 NB2 aka MisF1re: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....218#post207218
'97 M aka Warbird, gone but not forgotten: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....B&goto=newpost
Instagram: @greasemonkey2000
I too have read many reviews on the Xidas in terms of ride quality. Ride quality is such a difficult thing to effectively describe in a forum. I had also heard from many that the quality was "above" that of OEM. I wouldn't necessarily disagree as I can see how many may feel that way. More importantly I would say to simply manage a reasonable expectation when you are changing to an aftermarket coilover. You definitely get what you pay for.
The adjustment collar I believe to actually be an orange paint that closely resembles an anodized part. I may be wrong but the finish can be scratched off by accident especially given that you are instructed to adjust the collar with an allen wrench. It would be nice if they offered an adjustment tool with the Xidas.
As far as tires go, I wrapped the RPF1s with the Continental ECS's. This car sees spirited driving regularly and occasionally will find its way to a driving event. So I don't currently have a need for a 200+tw tire but I may venture in that direction in the next round of tires.
The top hat is painted steel. The aluminum bits are supposed to be hard anodized. The finish should not just scratch off. I took a 3/8 M6 hex socket and ground it down to fit snugly in the adjusting collar instead of just using an allen wrench.
Supermiata Xidas. No Miata parts on 949 Racing.com
If the ride quality isn't what you expected, two things to check on the setup. Make sure you're within the recommend ride height ranges for Race or XL variant. Too low and you'll be hitting the bump stops too often. The other thing is simply adjust the damping softer. Crank the damping up for canyons or competition, forget to turn back down for the daily drive and you'll have a ride that's probably too firm.
Sorry the colors were not full matchy matchy. Orange powder coated steel vs translucent anodized aluminum.