rowen210

I an about half way done with my 5.0 build and need to pull the trigger on some susspention.
I am a working class guy and cannot afford custom valved coil overs... yet.
Any thoughts on what struts to use? I will be using martins front springs and the stock fronts on the rear.
I have Koni adjustables on my M3 and Bilstein HD on my other Bimmer. Both nice and stiff rides. I have heard good things about Tokico but have no experience with them.
Please tell me what your riding on and how you like them!

mazdaspeedmiata

What's your price range

Flyin' Miata : Chassis : Suspension components : FM V-Maxx Classic coil overs

tbone heller

I am running a set of these Koni struts that I got from Rspeed which is local to me. I like the way they ride, but having the adjustable perch is very helpful for setting ride height without having to cut springs. They can also be fitted with coil overs in the future. https://www.rspeed.net/Koni_Sport_Sh...p/na0-3348.htm

rowen210

That is a very reasonable price. I just wonder if it has strong enough springs for all of my additional weight.

rowen210

This might be my choice. I already know they are awesome in my M3. I see in your sig you have a heavy 5.0 also and that fills me with confidence that they will work for my application.

charchri4

You would be hard pressed to find more bang for your buck that the vmaxx stuff but I would do the track pack not the classic so you have a bit more spring for the V8.

Otherwise if $$s are tight you might consider used. I picked up a complete set of spec Miata stuff with 1 race season on it for 600 bucks and have been very happy with it.

MRM331

I went with the VMAXX track pack as a stop-gap until I can get my hands on a set of $2000+ stuff the car truly deserves. You can not get a better set up for under $1000. It's a bit rough on the street but has done well on the track. Keep in mind that a V8 Miata is at the very end of that set-up's range. I expect to get another year or two of life out of it before its toast.

If you click ahead in this video to about 15:40 you'll see me pass the car that's filming and work through some traffic with him. The car also has a hollow Racing-Beat front sway with stabilizer blocks, a stock rear sway and urethane bushings (superpro):



I highly recommend the VMAXX track pack for a budget build.

-Jason

charchri4

Seeing a Ford V8 Miata dust a 4 LS powered cars in a row kind of warms the heart on a cold day!

Gator Bait

I'm running the V-maxx classic though an older version of the damper. Keith updated the front springs to their current setup prior to me taking delivery though. I'll eventually want a more adjustable set up, but there is no 'need' for my use currently. Call FM rather than order on line. They can spec the spring rates you want within the shocks valving capabilities.

Shrimpy59

This ^^

rowen210

Ummm... so it is unanimously? Guess I know what to buy now. A little out of my budget but WTH? I've already blown my budget and what the wife doesn't know won't hurt me!

Gator Bait

Forgiveness rather than permission!

I'll talk smack, but my budget also includes reciprocity.

MRM331

Honestly I would not go any cheaper than this with a V8 Miata suspension unless you found something reasonable used. Your alternatives are a set of AGX adjustable for $400 or so which will blow out in a year using the kit's front coils or a set of Koni Yellows which will run you 2/3 the cost of the highest level VMAXX for just the shocks. Coil overs really should be considered a "must" for this type of car. Once you have the ability to simply turn and lock a lower spring mount on a threaded shock body to dial in the car's height you'll laugh at the though of ever even considering cutting a coil off a spring to accomplish the same thing.

-Jason

charchri4

This ^^

rowen210

My Miata will be spending 99 percent of its life on the streets. Very little auto X. Would V-MAXX track be too rough? Would the sport package be better for bumpy city streets or too soft?

charchri4

I guess it just depends on who you are. My car spends 99 percent of it's time on the streets too and I'm running a WAY stiffer set up than the vmaxx track stuff and love it. Keep in mind the track stuff is designed for a 4 cylinder car and don't let the name fool you, the vast majority of them are on street cars with 4 bangers in them.

You are after car control here and the track set up will give you a better feel of the road and firmer control than the street will. No question I would go for the track pack for any V8 car but you could ask Pat (toysnake) about his. He is on the track pack with a street duty only LS swap and as I recall from his build thread he likes the track pack a lot.

One last thought for what it's worth. I learned long ago that even if you never run your car on the track the more you set it up for the track the more fun it is to drive to work.

charchri4

This is the spring rates you are looking at.

Stock NA spring rates:
164 lb/in front and 96 lb/in in the rear.

The spring Monster sells with the kit:
450 lb/in front and 164 lb in rear.

The vmaxx classic and Sport:
391 lb/in front and 258 lb/in rear. The difference is the valving in the sports is adjustable to be more aggressive.

Vmaxx track:
504 lb/in front and 336 lb/in rear with more aggressive dampening yet. But if you read the info on FM they are still very much designed for the street.
For what it's worth I'm riding on 750 lb/in front and 350 lb/in rears with shocks that are not at all valved street use and love it. But again I'm sort of like

Gator Bait

I'm going to have to disagree with this. On my 996 I had PSS9's set up for track duty. It was pure misery at any pace bellow 7/10's. The springs and damping rates were track oriented and set up for someone much faster than I. ...I guess the point is, there's track day set up that would fine/fun on the street and race level set up that will make you **** blood on the street. Of course it was a much heavier car and I'm an idiot, so your results may vary. That was my experience.

MRM331

I'd say the track pack is as comfortable for the street as any suspension you are going to find in the sub $1500 range. I would not go for the lesser version of it, even the kit's 450 pound springs are just stiff enough to work.

The best suspension I ever used on one of these cars was a coil over set built by Fat Cat Motorsports. He took a set of off the shelf Bilsteins and revalved them to match a set of ground control springs matched to the car's specific weight and my intended use for it. I think we went with 500/325. Additionally he built them with a set of NB as opposed to NA shock mounts (more travel) but then scrapped the factory NB rubber packing and bump stops and put in his own microcellular foam replacements that he sells.

Before going this route I also believed that you could have not a suspension that would be both BMW like on the street AND awesome on the track. His was. I built two cars with that setup. I think the current price for what he does is about $2000.

One of the big factors in that suspention's ability to make the street feel comfortable was the MCU packing and bump stops as opposed to rubber. Before I actually go and dump my current VMAXXX track pack for a $2500-range setup I'll probally try purchasing from him the MCU packing and bump stops I'll need to upgrade the rubber bits of my stock NB shock mounts to how his are configured. It will be interesting to see how close in comfort the resulting VMAXXX track pack with Fat Cat mounts will come to a full-blown Fat Cat setup. The cost to upgrade is under $150 and can be done without taking the shocks out of the car.

-Jason

ItsAllRigged

^^^ Now thats some good info

charchri4

Sorry I'm not seeing the problem here. .. Oh wait .. .. .. .. Nope still not seeing it...

v8miatanet

Great posts. To add,

MX-5 Miata Forum - View Single Post - [NB] Suspension choices
For the experienced guys go to 16 and watch the sway bar flex the car. For greener guys like me, go to the top.
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread...61#post7360761

Good info.

charchri4

Just don't post a link to this forum over here your infraction meter will be pegged and you'll get hate mail from the admins.

Good info in that thread but if you want an understanding of how things work I would suggest a better place to start is here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...C286CD2172A755

rowen210

All of the FM VMaxx track pack coilovers for NAs are sold out at the moment.
https://www.flyinmiata.com/na6-fm-v-...nsion-kit.html
Is this the sport pack with the addition of sway bars? That is what the description leads me to believe but I didn't want to order the wrong thing. It also has a box you can check for V8 applications.

Gator Bait

Call them.