Discussion
Hi, thinking of getting some gaz gold pro, do you need to get new bumpstops when fitting them/ how do you tell if you need new bumpstops?
also is there any guides to fitting them?
oh an also which spring rates would you go for? the car is mainly used on b roads, but will go to trackdays aswell.. currently got the rock hard bilsteins on it, so I'm not bothered if the ride does suffer a bit with the stiffer springs, but will the compliance be badly affected on a bumpy b road? also does the car still corner flat with the road springs? basically i would prefer a really direct, flat cornering car, but with compliance for bumps(unlike the bisteins, which crash)
any help much appreciated
also is there any guides to fitting them?
oh an also which spring rates would you go for? the car is mainly used on b roads, but will go to trackdays aswell.. currently got the rock hard bilsteins on it, so I'm not bothered if the ride does suffer a bit with the stiffer springs, but will the compliance be badly affected on a bumpy b road? also does the car still corner flat with the road springs? basically i would prefer a really direct, flat cornering car, but with compliance for bumps(unlike the bisteins, which crash)
any help much appreciated
Edited by towelie on Thursday 7th July 11:52
towelie said:
Hi, thinking of getting some gaz gold pro, do you need to get new bumpstops when fitting them/ how do you tell if you need new bumpstops?
also is there any guides to fitting them?
oh an also which spring rates would you go for? the car is mainly used on b roads, but will go to trackdays aswell.. currently got the rock hard bilsteins on it, so I'm not bothered if the ride does suffer a bit with the stiffer springs, but will the compliance be badly affected on a bumpy b road? also does the car still corner flat with the road springs? basically i would prefer a really direct, flat cornering car, but with compliance for bumps(unlike the bisteins, which crash)
any help much appreciated
They come with bumpstops, so no you don't need to get new one's separately.also is there any guides to fitting them?
oh an also which spring rates would you go for? the car is mainly used on b roads, but will go to trackdays aswell.. currently got the rock hard bilsteins on it, so I'm not bothered if the ride does suffer a bit with the stiffer springs, but will the compliance be badly affected on a bumpy b road? also does the car still corner flat with the road springs? basically i would prefer a really direct, flat cornering car, but with compliance for bumps(unlike the bisteins, which crash)
any help much appreciated
Edited by towelie on Thursday 7th July 11:52
I think i've got 350/400 springs on mine, it's certainly firmer than the bilsteins but also smoother. Compliance on rough/uneven surfaces and how flat it corners is as much to do with where you set the dampers though - so you have a pretty wide range of adjustability in those areas.
As for fitting guides, it's not specific to Gaz so just search the net for MX5 coilover fitting. There's a couple of helpfull videos on youtube you should watch.
Provided you've got the necessary tools, if you are a competant amature mechanic you could get the whole setup on in a day, if you were detrmined to do so. However, not wanting to rush i gave myself the weekend. Spent about 4.5hrs on the fronts on a saturday then a couple of hours on the rear on the sunday morning.
I'd expect a pro with air tools to be able to do it in 4-5hrs in total.
Not personally had any experiance with GAZ stuff, however the MX5 suspension is pretty easy to work on. I expect they would provide some sort of assembly diagram for fitting.
I have 60/40N on my mx5 (340/230Lbs) Balance is pretty good, perhaps a little on the understeery side.
The damping will have a bigger effect on the "ride comfort" than the spring stiffness.
I have 60/40N on my mx5 (340/230Lbs) Balance is pretty good, perhaps a little on the understeery side.
The damping will have a bigger effect on the "ride comfort" than the spring stiffness.
ady_GTi said:
I expect they would provide some sort of assembly diagram for fitting.
Don't count on it... They don't even include a warning that you should never set the shocks to 0 clicks on the dampner as they'll then bottom out and be ruined.Learn't that the hard way.
There's lots of info on GPP on Nutz. Barring the complete lack of information on the boxes they're very good shocks.
I recently went through the same process and decided on Meister R suspension - I felt the additional rear travel afforded by their new top mount design would be a great asset in the 5. Finish is exemplary and the ride has been utterly transformed.
In answer to your concern about ruining the ride of your current set up, I replaced a 4 way adjustable Mazdaspeed set up which was very harsh and crashy over any uneven surfaces - if I ran over a sweet wrapper I knew about it.
The ride is now comfortable over rough roads but cornering is fantastically composed and the car feels supremely stable at speed. I have it set at 13 clicks above the softest setting (out of 32) at present which feels perfect for road use.
I'll be going to the 'ring in three weeks and will adjust to harder settings to test the difference.
In answer to your concern about ruining the ride of your current set up, I replaced a 4 way adjustable Mazdaspeed set up which was very harsh and crashy over any uneven surfaces - if I ran over a sweet wrapper I knew about it.
The ride is now comfortable over rough roads but cornering is fantastically composed and the car feels supremely stable at speed. I have it set at 13 clicks above the softest setting (out of 32) at present which feels perfect for road use.
I'll be going to the 'ring in three weeks and will adjust to harder settings to test the difference.
I have just put these on mine, with 400/300 springs. On track it's great - hardly any roll and great grip. On the road, with the dampers turned down, it's definitely firmer but having come from an Elise it's perfectly tolerable.
Changing the rear shocks was a doddle, fronts were absolute gits. For me, and admittedly I'm no mechanical expert, the problem was separating the front upright from the lower wishbone in order to drop the old shock out. There's a vertical bolt that holds the two together, that sits in a little crud-filled recess and as a result was stuck solid. No amount of wd40 / blow-torching would shift it. I shattered two sockets trying to get it undone with a hollow metal broom handle over the end of the socket handle as an extension bar. In the end had to give up and get a professional to do the fronts - the shame!
I'd be interested to hear how others got round this. Good luck!
Changing the rear shocks was a doddle, fronts were absolute gits. For me, and admittedly I'm no mechanical expert, the problem was separating the front upright from the lower wishbone in order to drop the old shock out. There's a vertical bolt that holds the two together, that sits in a little crud-filled recess and as a result was stuck solid. No amount of wd40 / blow-torching would shift it. I shattered two sockets trying to get it undone with a hollow metal broom handle over the end of the socket handle as an extension bar. In the end had to give up and get a professional to do the fronts - the shame!
I'd be interested to hear how others got round this. Good luck!
jimbobs said:
I'd be interested to hear how others got round this. Good luck!
I dismantle the shock assembly in-situ, then with the ARB disconnected you can lever the hub down far enough, (after manually compressing the shock shaft), to remove first the topmount, then the spring, then finally the shock.Easy peasy, lemon squeazy.
disconnect the ARB from the wishbone, and also remove the lower mounting of the upright from the lower wishbone - makes it a lot easier to push it all out of the way. you think removing mk1 suspension is difficult, try fitting mk2 suspension into a mk1 with those stupid long top mounts!!
Seems everyones different...
For me, the most obvious, and surely by far the easiest way to remove the front shocks is to undo the ARB, then undo the TOP wishbone connection to the car - the big long bolt.
The benefits of this are -
- doesnt touch the alignment bolts
- dont need spring compressors on the shocks
- ARB can be undone in any of 3 places
- The great big bolt through the top wishbone has a girt big head on it, so your less likely to snap sockets, and also its positioned so that you can easily get a whopping big bar on it to undo?
Shirley, this is the easiest way!?
For me, the most obvious, and surely by far the easiest way to remove the front shocks is to undo the ARB, then undo the TOP wishbone connection to the car - the big long bolt.
The benefits of this are -
- doesnt touch the alignment bolts
- dont need spring compressors on the shocks
- ARB can be undone in any of 3 places
- The great big bolt through the top wishbone has a girt big head on it, so your less likely to snap sockets, and also its positioned so that you can easily get a whopping big bar on it to undo?
Shirley, this is the easiest way!?
snotrag said:
Seems everyones different...
For me, the most obvious, and surely by far the easiest way to remove the front shocks is to undo the ARB, then undo the TOP wishbone connection to the car - the big long bolt.
The benefits of this are -
- doesnt touch the alignment bolts
- dont need spring compressors on the shocks
- ARB can be undone in any of 3 places
- The great big bolt through the top wishbone has a girt big head on it, so your less likely to snap sockets, and also its positioned so that you can easily get a whopping big bar on it to undo?
Shirley, this is the easiest way!?
I - predictably For me, the most obvious, and surely by far the easiest way to remove the front shocks is to undo the ARB, then undo the TOP wishbone connection to the car - the big long bolt.
The benefits of this are -
- doesnt touch the alignment bolts
- dont need spring compressors on the shocks
- ARB can be undone in any of 3 places
- The great big bolt through the top wishbone has a girt big head on it, so your less likely to snap sockets, and also its positioned so that you can easily get a whopping big bar on it to undo?
Shirley, this is the easiest way!?
- think my way is the easiest.Want a suspension off/face off :P
Little Bob said:
Best of luck Towelie - that video certainly makes it look easy...
It will be worth it though, you will love them.
cheers, yer Ive been struggling to decide which to go for all day.. Yer I'm definitely hoping it will be that easy, soaked all the bolts i need to undo in oil, but as with all the bolts on my car.. I bet they'll be seized tight! Is it worth chucking some copper slip on the threads once I'm done or is this a no no one suspension?It will be worth it though, you will love them.
Richyvrlimited said:
Don't count on it... They don't even include a warning that you should never set the shocks to 0 clicks on the dampner as they'll then bottom out and be ruined.
Learn't that the hard way.
There's lots of info on GPP on Nutz. Barring the complete lack of information on the boxes they're very good shocks.
I really didn't realise that!! Learn't that the hard way.
There's lots of info on GPP on Nutz. Barring the complete lack of information on the boxes they're very good shocks.
They're fantastic shocks (I have 350/250 springs on my Mk2.5) but the lack of any documentation was a bit odd.
towelie said:
Is it worth chucking some copper slip on the threads once I'm done or is this a no no one suspension?
I'm sure I used a bit of Lithium grease on mine. Gassing Station | Mazda MX5/Roadster/Miata | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff