I missing the famous '5 handling

[jammy_basturd]

Thought it was the rear anti-roll bar bushes, but no (have recently changed the mounting bushes and the drop links for rose jointed items).

When I'm going around corners, if I hit a bump the rear can 'skip' out to the side. In fact I don't even need to go around a corner, when I'm joining a motorway, when the rear wheels hit the bumpy white lines the back will skip sideways slightly.

Just wondering if this is a common symptom of a common problem?

[Richyvrlimited]

jammy_basturd said:

Just wondering if this is a common symptom of a common problem?

It's a symptom of a too low car riding on it's bumpstops. Whether that's your issue I don't know.

What suspension is fitted?

[jammy_basturd]

That's probably it then. I think the old dampers and springs are quite knackered. With me and a friend in the car it will quite easily hit the bumpstops. The suspension that's fitted is the original standard stuff.

Luckily I got some Gaz Gold Pro rear dampers on eBay the other week thinking it might be something like this. I'll get some nice new springs and top mounts and get them fitted.

[StressedDave]

Hold on... If you're going to fit Gaz Gold to the rear only then you're going to unbalance the handling quite a bit, unless you fit OE springs to them (in which case the damping will be a little awry). You need to change all four corners or you need to stick with OE.

[jammy_basturd]

I was actually planning to keep with OE springs, I'm not interested in stiffening things up, nor dropping the ride height.

[StressedDave]

In which case you may still find the handling a bit awry. There is a wide range of adjustment in GGP dampers, but I don't know if the rates can go low enough to control the lower stiffness of OE springs. Certainly they're going for higher and higer rates on their rear springs to try and get a semblance of control.

[Richyvrlimited]

Can you even fit OEM springs to the GGP, I thought they used a standard 2.5" ID spring?

I think the GGP can adjust low enough for OEM springs. I inadvertently broke a shock by setting it to 'full soft' this apparently let the shock bottom out and wreck the pistons.

Shame GAZ don't see fit to put warnings to the effect in the box

[jammy_basturd]

I say OEM springs, I'll probably get OEM spec springs from Eibach or similar.

Personally I'm not a huge fan of Gaz, but these were quite a bargain for what they are. As you say, I find it quite appalling that they can be adjusted to a setting that the damper isn't actually designed for.

[StressedDave]

TBF Rich's problem was more one of specification in terms of the body being too short for the piston rod length rather than the ability to set the damper so soft that it can easily bottom out.

[MX-5 Lazza]

Could also be due to poor alignment... Also check your tyre pressures!

[jammy_basturd]

But wouldn't poor alignment be a bit more progressive? This can be quite a violent jolt to the side, as if something suddenly shifts in the suspension.

[MX-5 Lazza]

Bad alignment can cause all sorts of problems. If you have toe-out at the rear it can certainly cause the rear to jump out with very little provocation. What you are describing in the 1st post sounds more like this to me.

As it's usually free to get an alignment check (you pay for changes) it'd be worth getting a check over before you go to the time/effort/expense of replacing suspension components.

[jammy_basturd]

OK, will do, thanks.