MX-5 MK1, wallowy handling

[sulphh]

Hello,

Just picked up my MX-5 after putting my 172 into a tree.

Love the car but the back end feels VERY wallowy, going over any bumps in the road will send the car into a small spaz and is frankly, dangerous. A brief check of the shocks and all seems to be ok, although the back seems softer than the back but not to warranty the driving experience I am having.

I'm guessing:-

Buggered shock
Alignment
Tires

In that order?

[Riknos]

Could well be all 3.
Firstly I would do the following:

• Check tyres for funny bumps, tread depth etc.
• Check pressure are okay (26ish PSI all round).
• Make note of the brand.

Then I would check the shocks:

• Jack up the car and check for leaks.
• Make a note of the brand - if unbranded looking coilovers - google TA Technix, if they look the same, that will be the problem

If all the above appears to be fine, check bushes etc, then I would look into getting an alignment done.

[Gilhooligan]

Mx5's eat through anti roll bar drop links. Might want to make sure they're ok too.

[Sbloxxy]

Good wheel alignment is essential on an MX5. There is more scope for adjustment than you might imagine, given the age and new price of the car and a car with poor wheel alignment will handle like a pig.
I think you have to check the obvious things first such as broken springs (common on MX5s) and especially worn out shocks (the most likely thing). By the way, are the tyres on the rear a matching pair? They really need to be otherwise that can also upset the handling.
After that, it must be alignment. You need to take it to someone who can carry out a proper four wheel alignment. I had a customer's MX5 in with similar issues a couple of weeks ago. It turned out to be alignment that was way out at the rear.

[sulphh]

Thanks!

Will check this out today, was dark after I got a chance to leave work yesterday.

Also, noticing a whine from the back end like a spooling turbo? Pretty sure it's not a wheel bearing as it only happens during heavy acceleration, I'm guessing this points to the diff?