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leica posted:Save your money and get Xidas or Fat Cat coilovers. Either you spend $600 on mediocre coils or you spend $2000 to get good things (after that it's a grand a corner for a custom Penske setup). There's really no good in-between on the low end.
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Jun 12, 2015 01:17
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destructo posted:If you buy any FCM product over Xidas at the ridiculous prices (read: $1800 for revalved steel body Bilsteins) that Shakih is selling them at now, you're an idiot. Not to mention his Monster Cable marketing with ~flat ride~ and ~RIPPLE REDUCER~ options. News to me, last I heard they made good stuff but apparently I'm wrong? Guess you'll have to fill me in since I'm not a hard core Miata enthusiast that's "in the know".
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Jun 12, 2015 01:53
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leica posted:News to me, last I heard they made good stuff but apparently I'm wrong? Guess you'll have to fill me in since I'm not a hard core Miata enthusiast that's "in the know". I have FCMs, they're alright. I bought mine in January of 2011, and then like 3 months later 949racing had the 1st gen Xidas. Shaikh's a good guy, but he's also one of those "the crystals have power" dudes and he had a meltdown on mnet a little while back. Budget option: Racelands or a take off MSM kit (GC + Bilsteins if you can snag them used) Actual option: Xidas If you compare Xidas to what it costs for other popular cars to get a similar suspension, they're a bargain. Like $4-5k territory.
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Jun 12, 2015 02:30
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I think every single vendor on mnet has had a meltdown in that forum at one time or another. It's impossible to please all those idiots, and god forbid if you ever stick up for yourself and feel the wrath of the mnet nerds.
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Jun 12, 2015 02:35
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To be fair Emilio had a meltdown on MT.net because one of his customers didn't mention him in a video or put a 949 sticker on his car.
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Jun 12, 2015 02:42
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Ok, I was a bit wrong about my post. If you want a good setup for less than a grand, get some bilsteins revalved and throw some springs on them with some ebay collars. http://clubroadster.net/vb_forum/22-suspension-sponsored-flyin-miata/198881-budget-bilstein-ballers.html edit: Leica, it's not that Shakih makes bad stuff, it's just stupidly overpriced at this point. $2k+ for a non-adjustable, steel bodied compromise suspension is not a great deal. destructo fucked around with this message at 03:21 on Jun 12, 2015 |
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Jun 12, 2015 02:51
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1k is FM Vmaxx extremes territory as well. I have a set and like them, but my comparison point is blown 20 year old oem suspension. They were also only on for a couple hundred miles and 1 autocross until the motor blew up. In short, avoid the vmaxx, they'll kill your motor.
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Jun 12, 2015 03:02
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I've had Feals coilovers, Koni with Ground Control, Tein street flex, Tein Basis and Megan super cheap things. They're roughly in order of best to worst there. In my experience the difference only becomes apparent near the limit (say 7-10/10th's). If I just wanted to replace blown shocks on an old cheap miata, I'd buy cheap Tein coilovers (or the cheap VMAXXX) because they're comfortable. They're under-dampened for "serious driving", but totally fine for occasional spirited use and far better than the rotted tat on a 100k mile car. If you are such a consistently precise driver that you'll notice a set of "budget" coilovers holding you back 2/10ths of a second, then all realistically priced options are not on your radar anyway. If you're a normal to intermediate driver, you are still the limiting factor. It's awesome when someone comes to an autocross after spending $2k on something suspension related, only to PAX and place lower.
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Jun 12, 2015 03:33
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Thanks, Chriskory. That's exactly the kind of thing I was thinking. Now to save my pennies.
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Jun 12, 2015 03:42
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Unfortunately ego isn't limited to power and muscle cars, it just seems to take the form of suspension for miata drivers. edit- did this get posted here yet? from this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yauFjNknhSg 
Chriskory fucked around with this message at 04:03 on Jun 12, 2015 |
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Jun 12, 2015 03:54
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The Miata community still goes after power (see: everything about the power figure for the ND). Budget shocks usually improve on rebound versus a stock shock, but ride like garbage on the street. My FCMs are fine on freshly paved roads and highways, but as soon as there's any washboarding, it's a trip the bounce house; on a setup like the Teins it's even worse. Xidas ride incredibly well for the high spring rates you can get for them. If your goal is to replace a worn suspension, take-off MSM parts are perfect; so is a used GC setup. Used Bilsteins can be revalved. If you're just looking to slam the car, get whatever you can that has an adjustable collar. The $1k price point has a lot of garbage available.
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Jun 12, 2015 04:11
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My car is worth 3.5k or so, so spending 1k on suspension is not on the menu. I daily drive this car and use it to haul my mountain bike, so comfort is way more important than perfect handling.
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Jun 12, 2015 04:18
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Phone posted:Used Bilsteins can be revalved. Are those what come on the NA R package? I test drove a low mile 94R with new Bilsteins and it was so unbelievably harsh, like shocking. Revalving seems mandatory on them, but I really don't know if they're all like that. Nocheez posted:My car is worth 3.5k or so, so spending 1k on suspension is not on the menu. I had this 30k mile Mariner Blue Miata on $520 Tein coilovers. Had a few people drive it, everyone said it drove basically like stock but slightly improved. I paid $5500 for the car, and 10% of the value on shocks seemed okay at the time. About 12% of the value on the RPF1's. I miss that car, 185 section "general touring" tires were key to it's fun. 
Chriskory fucked around with this message at 04:32 on Jun 12, 2015 |
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Jun 12, 2015 04:22
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New OTS Bilsteins have garbage valving (see: an NC with Suspension package being beat by the nondescript block bodied Japanese shocks around a slalom). I can't remember what body Miatas use, but it should just be a B6. As long as it isn't damaged, they can be fully rebuilt and revalved by any race shop that has a shock dyno. You can also send them off to Bilstein USA, as well. Konis are a good OTS replacement shock since it does have a nicer ramp up in the damping curve; however, only Koni can revalve Koni shocks, so they're a lot less versatile if you're looking to swap out springs.
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Jun 12, 2015 04:31
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Phone posted:
I was pretty surprised by a Koni Sports range. I had doubted "adjustable dampening" actually meaning anything, but they handled 450 lb springs well in the middle, and 600 lb well 1 click off full stiff. I guess the adjustment is just to keep the shock "in range" as it softens with time on a stock vehicle. I'm not good enough to setup a double adjustable anything, but the koni sport really feels like a quality choice to start down that road. I warrantied one for the cost of shipping as well, very quickly I might add.
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Jun 12, 2015 04:37
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So what are the ideal springs to use with a Koni/GC setup?
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Jun 12, 2015 04:47
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Today I somehow managed to put power locks in my car. I've got to say of all the annoying jobs on a Miata, attempting to thread wires through to the doors is one of the worst. Then there's that god drat black goo on the doors. Anyone know how to get that off clothes?
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Jun 12, 2015 05:53
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RillAkBea posted:Today I somehow managed to put power locks in my car. I've got to say of all the annoying jobs on a Miata, attempting to thread wires through to the doors is one of the worst. Then there's that god drat black goo on the doors. Anyone know how to get that off clothes? With fire.
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Jun 12, 2015 05:54
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Goof Off if they have it in Japan, or just some kerosene or something. Wait, why are you locking car doors in Japan, is theft a thing there now or something?
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Jun 12, 2015 07:39
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Anyone in the market for an NC in Hawaii? Oahu specifically 2006, ~36k miles. Looking to get a more practical car/get rid of the car entirely. Still an ongoing debate on whether or not we'll get a new car with my wife.
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Jun 12, 2015 09:45
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leica posted:Goof Off if they have it in Japan, or just some kerosene or something. I'll go out on a limb and say we probably don't have goof off, kerosene on the other hand is abundant, I'll try something like that tomorrow, thanks. And no no, it's still the same old Japan, I've just got a compulsive need to lock my doors and I want to do a bunch of stuff to my car anyway so power locks were on the list. Next up is power mirrors, as cheap as possible of course, so I've got two odd colored ones that I've got to paint black out on my tiny balcony.
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Jun 12, 2015 14:46
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So I asked my friend about service records for the miata. He said he really didn't have any. He hasn't driven the car much. The first owner was a miata enthusiast and the second was an older gentleman. It's been maintained like that it's entire life allegedly. Thoughts? I want the car but that kind of worries me.
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Jun 12, 2015 15:08
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Frankly miatas are simple and tough and every part is cheap. I wouldn't worry too much about it.
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Jun 12, 2015 15:10
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mariooncrack posted:So I asked my friend about service records for the miata. He said he really didn't have any. He hasn't driven the car much. The first owner was a miata enthusiast and the second was an older gentleman. It's been maintained like that it's entire life allegedly. Eh, I've bought very few cars with service records. It's a nice benefit if you can get it, but if not I wouldn't worry. Part of the fun of buying a new car is the first few months where you get to Sherlock Holmes your way through figuring out what was skipped.
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Jun 12, 2015 15:14
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Asking for service records on a $3,000 car is being ridiculous. Just assume nothing has been done ever, which is correct 99% of the time. The other 1% jiffy lube has filled the crankcase with gear oil.
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Jun 12, 2015 15:21
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The most common worst case scenario (ignoring outliers like the crankcase full of gear oil) is a timing belt not bring changed and snapping. What would happen if the timing belt went? You'll lose power, need a tow home, and have to replace the timing belt. That's it. I know I'm coming off as somewhat flippant, but the Miata TB job is literally "baby's first major car maintenance item". If you manage to gently caress up at every step of the job, it'll still only take you 10 hours to do.
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Jun 12, 2015 15:35
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So I'm looking at a 1990 NA with over 300K kms on the clock and I'm wondering how much of a potential issue the short-nose crank is going to be with such a count. Thoughts? Anything to particularly look out for with high-mileage examples?
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Jun 12, 2015 16:17
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leica posted:So what are the ideal springs to use with a Koni/GC setup? Well, autocrossers in STS class tend to end up around 700lb F and 400lb R. (650-700 is the upper limit of Koni Sport before it gets too bouncy) Ideal for daily driving may look much different, maybe half that? so 350F/200R ? That would be about double the stiffest factory miata spring rate that came on R package cars of 160/110 or so. If you set it up perfect for autocross, but still daily drive the car then your setup is wrong 98% of the time.
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Jun 12, 2015 17:02
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Phone posted:The most common worst case scenario (ignoring outliers like the crankcase full of gear oil) is a timing belt not bring changed and snapping. How long does it take for someone who's mechanically inclined (I've swapped a 5-speed into a car that was originally an automatic) the first time? I bought a kit with a water pump, should I do anything else while I'm down there?
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Jun 12, 2015 17:11
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buy dis https://www.flyinmiata.com/flyin-miata-cam-gear-ninja-tool.html
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Jun 12, 2015 17:13
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Phone posted:What would happen if the timing belt went? You'll lose power, need a tow home, and have to replace the timing belt. That's it. I know I'm coming off as somewhat flippant, but the Miata TB job is literally "baby's first major car maintenance item". If you manage to gently caress up at every step of the job, it'll still only take you 10 hours to do. I managed to make the TB too tight on my BP Kia and had to go back in and re adjust it. It sounded really cool though, just like a supercharger  Chriskory posted:If you set it up perfect for autocross, but still daily drive the car then your setup is wrong 98% of the time. Yeah right. Basically I'd like to set it up for the street, and then be able to adjust the damping for autocross. But that's kind of wishful thinking anyway since I haven't had weekends off in over four years, so unless I get a new job I'm not going to be auto crossing any time soon 
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Jun 12, 2015 17:16
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Nocheez posted:How long does it take for someone who's mechanically inclined (I've swapped a 5-speed into a car that was originally an automatic) the first time? I bought a kit with a water pump, should I do anything else while I'm down there? It's been a while since I've done one in the car, but I'll try to remember how to get to everything and roughly in order. 1. Remove undertray, drop sway bar 2. Loosen accessory belt and alternator+wp belt 3. Drain coolant and remove radiator 4. Remove valve cover 5. Remove crank pulley (put car in 5th and bump the starter with a breaker bar touching the ground) 6. Remove all of the timing covers (3 plastic bits) and the water pump pulley 7. Spin motor to TDC 8. Remove spring on the tensioner 9. Remove belt, tensioner, and idler 10. Remove water pump since you're right there 11. Install new wp, tb, and pulleys 12. Button everything back up There are a poo poo load of resources out there including pictures. Personally since you're touching a lot of things, it's a good idea to replace things when you're right there. A lot of people skip over them since they aren't the water pump, timing belt, tensioner and idler pulleys, or the valve cover gasket. A list of stuff you should probably replace since it's made of rubber (usually) and other 1 time use things: - Cam seals - Front main seal - New crank pulley (it's the damper and made of rubber) - New tensioner spring - New crank bolt - New Woodruff key - New coolant hoses (upper, lower, mid) - New accessory belts If you take your time and double check everything, figure 5-8 hours. If you've done a bunch of them, you know that pulling the motor is the pro way to go since you can get a motor out in 90 minutes with the transmission attached.
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Jun 12, 2015 18:18
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So clever and so simple.
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Jun 12, 2015 19:11
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2 wrenches and a c-clamp or vice grip work just as good.
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Jun 12, 2015 21:12
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My girlfriend told me that the middle 2 air vents and the 4 way button make a clown face and now I can't unsee it 
Partial Octopus fucked around with this message at 22:20 on Jun 12, 2015 |
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Jun 12, 2015 22:13
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Finally, an upgrade for my car!  Best $1 ever spent. I don't think the smoked cover makes as much of a difference as claimed and it's probably better to save the  . I think this was the shot with the cover removed. Just seems to lose some spread (note the passenger airbag cover) and barely any brightness gain elsewhere.
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Jun 13, 2015 01:31
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I have bilsteins on my NA - had them for nearly 50k (guessing). They ride a hell of a lot better than the stock worn shocks. Suspension tuning is really quite an art, so just because you throw $$ at it doesn't mean it's better. I'd say go for a nice namebrand shock replacement like a bilstein and you'll be fine. I really find a lot of the 'opinions' in this thread re: suspension setup sound like parroting stupid opinions from other user forums.
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Jun 13, 2015 06:05
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Emilio posted:Got a chance to ride (passenger) in a Club Edition today. Driver was an expert on one of our key suspension testing roads near the shop. Succinctly, the car feels like an NA with a built NB2 engine and 6 speed. This is all the grab by the scruff of the neck driving dynamics of the NA with whatever NVH improvements can be had 25 years later. The car has serious grunt down low. Unlike the NC which sorta died on top and the NA8 and NB2 which had good midrange but weak top end, the ND motor pulls eagerly with a very flat torque curve, just slightly softening in the last few hundred RPM. I'm told that's the OEM fuel cut strategy to save the cat, as opposed to an abrupt fuel cut that heats the cat. Flywheel felt really light. I don't know the weight but it felt nearly like an aftermarket flywheel, it revved so fast.
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Jun 14, 2015 04:05
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Jun 14, 2015 04:15
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That excites me to a worrying degree.
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Jun 14, 2015 04:41
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