Suspension Issues
 

Just looking for information about suspension options for Monster Miata's. Im new to almost everything to do with cars, but Im trying to learn.

My car sits great in the front, but the rear of the car seems to have some sort of lowering spring or something along those lines. Front of the car has about an inch gap between the tire and the fender, and the rear of the car the tire is actually (barely) inside of the wheel well. Its not rubbing because the car has molded fender flares, which look awesome btw! :D

Anyhow, what im looking for is to bring the rear of the car back up to a normal height. I don't and most likely wont track the car, and if i ever do it would be a rare occurrence, so im looking to make it more suitable for day to day driving.

What options do we have as far as it being a monster miata? Can you still use any of the normal miata kits? coil overs, stock springs or other?

I know the v-8 is about 250lbs or so over the stock weight (according to info i find online) so does that rule out normal miata options? What about the rear of the car? Is it really any different than a normal miata? I cant see the T-bird 7.5 differential weighing a whole lot more than the stock miata one. (again - Im new)

My main concern is for the rear of the car. Its way too damn low for the streets around here, i hit EVERYTHING! :( Im trying to find an option that will take it back up to something near to factory height.
I am interested in options for the whole suspension of the car, but mostly the rear, something desperately needs to be done!

Thanks a lot guys for any info you may have, or if you have any ideas where i could look.

What suspension do you currently have? If you aren't sure, snap a few pictures and I'm sure we'd be able to help identify it.

FYI, Fat Cat Motorsports makes a setup specifically for V8 Miatas. http://fatcatmotorsports.com/FCM_Bil...er_revalve.htm

Im really not sure whats in the car right now. Even the previous owner said he did not know for sure.

Thats actualy something i could use some help with. Im able to get pictures on my computer, and I can send them through email, but i have no idea how to post them on a site such as this.
Any help on how to post pics?

thanks again!

btw I'll check out that site for sure! :)

Bookmarked that site.

That's kinda what I'm looking for long term as a permanent setup.

Short term that wont be within my budget this year (mid way through renovating my house) But definitely interested down the road.

As for the short term id really like to just find something like a stock spring setup to get back to a reasonable height. (if its even possible)
I can snap some pictures of whats currently on the car and give it a go posting them in the next few days.

Thanks a lot!

sounds like a stock miata setup would be better than whats on the car right now. If you're budget strapped and just want a street car, I'd say just pickup a set of used stock springs/shocks. I highly suggest an upgrade to a well respected coilover setup down the road though.

Where are you located? If you're around michigan, I have a set of used stockers I could sell you for cheap.

Im from B.C. Canada, so i dont know what the shipping would cost from Michigan. What do you think a used set of stock springs/shocks would go for approximately? I'll check with my local auto-wreckers and see what they have, but they have a habit of gouging people here when they can (small town bs)

Can you get replacement springs and shocks from an auto parts store or would they have to be bought from mazda?

The coil-over setup is out of my budget for the time being, but that is what i want to go with eventually.
Whatever i install will be in there at least for this season, and possibly the next at most. A used set would be okay, but i don't want to go too cheap either. I suppose i will go see whats available in my local auto-parts stores.

I just wasn't sure whether stock springs/shocks would even work for the rear of my car. In the short term you think it would be okay?

Thanks again for the replies!

Martin of Monster Miata just developed a completely custom set of front springs in cooperation with Eibach that he's now including in his kits. Using the stock spring perches you could probably put something cheap and effective together using a set of his custom fronts and a set of new stock Miata fronts for the rear. Call him and see if he'll sell you a set. If shipping from out of Canada is a problem Bishop (Martin's Canada distributor) could probably hook you up.

-Jason

you would need miata fronts for the rear? Is there that much of a weight different from stock that you cant use stock miata rears?

The front of my car sits at a decent height, so i'll probably leave it alone for now. The rear springs i dont care for at all. So just looking to clear it up, i would need a set of new stock miata fronts for the rear of a monster miata?

thanks a lot, just want to make sure im understanding

Yeah, you've got it right. The stock miata front springs can handle the weight of the rear in a V8 OK and are replaced in the front with a set of upgraded springs. This has been the accepted "stock" Monster Miata setup for the last two decades. A set of Martin's springs (or a used set of Monster Miata springs) on the front and a set of new NAPA fronts on the rears with a set of AGX shocks is a good low-cost, pretty high bang for the buck street setup for a V8.
That said, to really do it right though save your money and get a set of some type of ground control springs and perches so that you can adjust the hieght of the car. Many have found 500 lbs. works great in the front and 325 in the rear with an upgraded sway bar in front and no sway bar in the back.

-Jason

Stock miata front springs are something like 110 pound springs. The stock rears are around 70 or so. With only 70 pounds of spring pressure in the back you Monster will have a very impressive (and disconcerting) squat to it every time you even touch the throttle. The higher rear spring rate is more about absorbing more torque than about carrying more weight.

-Jason

Another option if you like a smooth ride would be 400/220's with stiff sway bars front and rear. The sway bar gives you the added spring rate only when its needed.

hmm
maybe that's what i have now is stock springs in the rear then? My car drops hard when i hit the gas.

Thanks a lot for the info, I'll be looking into it soon.
I suppose when i change the springs i'll need an alignment too. I have a copy of the alignment specs that the previous owner used, and i like the way he had the car set up so id like to keep it as close as possible.
How crucial is it that its done properly? I'm not going to skimp here and try and not have one done, its just that I'm from a small town, and I'm not sure about the quality of work here sometimes.

I believe my car was built using the monster miata kit, so i would assume (i know its not great to assume) that monster miata springs are what is currently on the front of the car, as it sits well and i haven't noticed any issues

so assuming i go to napa, whats on my shopping list?

Front miata springs, and agx shocks? Is agx a brand name? Is this what i ask for, or do i need to give them some specifications of what i want?
sorry for all the questions, im new to this.

thanks again

AGX shocks are a entry-level adjustable shock. You can pick up a set of four for under $300 on eBay if you're lucky. Just type in "Miata" and "AGX" and you should get a nice set of choices.

If you want to go with a set of new fronts for the back just go into NAPA and say you need fronts for a 1990 Miata. you could also try RockAuto online. I've saved a lot of money on my builds using them.

-Jason

The rear sway bar is only capable of adding spring rate if the car is rolling from side to side. When accelerating the car in a straight line forward the rear sway is doing nothing. It's moving in the same direction equally on both sides of the car.

-Jason

thanks a ton for the info! Not sure what i would have come up with left to my own devices, probably nothing! haha

take care

just a couple more questions (sorry, just don't want to purchase parts that wont work)

Why the adjustable shocks? Will a replacement stock type shock not work for this, or is it just that the adjustable ones would be preferable? Not worried about the price difference to get the adjustable, just curious.

this is what i understand so far:
front miata springs, and rear miata shocks are what i need for the rear of the car? I plan to leave the front as is for now

sorry about my confusion, and thanks for the help

I'm sure stock, replacement shock would work to a point but I can't think of anyone who has ever tried it. Usually by the point in its life when a Miata is eligible for an engine swap the original shock are pretty close to shot. AGX's give you a bit higher performance factor for not that much money. The adjustablility is sort of a bonus. I always had them adjusted to the hardest setting when I used them.
If you have another $100 or so to spend I would get a set of Bilstein HD's over the AXG's. They are non-adjustable but thier dampening is very much better suited to the stress of a V8. As an added bonus, if you do ever decide to go with Fat Cat Motorsport's custom V8 set-up you'll already have a set of shocks to send him. He uses the Bilstien HD's as his starting point.

-Jason

Id like to thank you all for the information about suspensions. Ive been reading quite a bit over the last few days, and beginning to realize that i need to read a lot more!

Had a good look over the car today. I think I'm going to live with it as is for this season and try to go with the v8 miata setup from fat cat motorsports as soon as i have the budget for it.
I'm sure id be better off getting a proper set up rather than trying to come up with something myself. I'm quite out of my skill level here for sure and i really don't want to mess around with it too much and make things worse. In fact I'm not even sure whats on the car at the moment, for all i know i may already have stock miata front springs in the rear.

The suspension as is isn't horrible, at least from my very limited knowledge. Its just that its a little soft and definitely quite low (for my liking) in the rear.
The car still handles extremely well in comparison to the other cars Ive driven, i just need to be extra careful with speed bumps and driveways etc. (probably a good idea anyhow)

Mostly i just wanted to raise the rear height about an inch or so, and i still do. I'm starting to see that this probably is not a quick fix, and probably not the project i should tackle for this season as my expendable cash is being used elsewhere for now.

I'd hate to get in a position where i have to go a summer with my car pulled apart!

again,
thank you all for the help!



Would it help at all if i posted some clear pictures of the suspension as it sits now? The weather hasn't been very nice, but if it clears up i can take some shots.

A cheap and easy solution to just raise the rear would be to get a set of used front Miata springs and swap them in. One thing that people used to do was take a coil out of the stock front springs before swapping them to the rear. It was discussed a few years ago and the conclusion was drawn that that may not have been a good idea. A lot of guys swapped thier "cut" springs with a set of uncut ones and the cars sat much better.
It's possible you have a set of cut front springs on the rear of yours.
-Jason

How would i check to see if they have been cut? would there be an end that showed saw marks of some sort?

Also, my springs in the rear are painted bright red in color, any idea what that could be? Were any stock springs red?

thanks