Cheap suspension components - buy cheap, buy twice?
Discussion
All
I have a super-budget (£500) MK2 MX5 as a fun car. Ultimately, I bought such a cheap one as once it inevitably rots away and fails an MOT I intend to fulfill a lifelong ambition and build a kit car. Interestingly, most of the 7-esque kits I'm looking at don't use the MX5's dampers/ springs, they supply them with the kit.
Now, I did my first track experience on Monday and the instructor drove my car during some demo pieces. He's a very experienced ex racing driver and runs a super car experience type club. It was his opinion that my dampers were "worn" to say the least and that the handling would be significantly improved by fitted new dampers to the car.
Now, I've had a look around, and even a set of pattern parts from somewhere like ECP/ MX5parts will set me back as much as the car did. A set of Blistein/ Gaz one's nearly twice that! I'm reluctant to spend money on components i will literally throw away, as early as next year if i get a bad MOT fail.
Then I turned to ebay, and saw a few full kit's for a lot less cash, for example:-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MAZDA-MX5-NB-MK2-MKII-CO...
So, on to the questions
1. Is this a stupid idea? Will they be made of cheese and last all of 10 minutes?
2. Lets say they are well made, will they be any good, or am I asking for ruined ride/ handling fitting them?
3. I've never fitted adjustable suspension before, do they start at the standard height and then go down from there? Or does fitted them mean lowering the car from the off?
Cheers in advance all for any advice.
I have a super-budget (£500) MK2 MX5 as a fun car. Ultimately, I bought such a cheap one as once it inevitably rots away and fails an MOT I intend to fulfill a lifelong ambition and build a kit car. Interestingly, most of the 7-esque kits I'm looking at don't use the MX5's dampers/ springs, they supply them with the kit.
Now, I did my first track experience on Monday and the instructor drove my car during some demo pieces. He's a very experienced ex racing driver and runs a super car experience type club. It was his opinion that my dampers were "worn" to say the least and that the handling would be significantly improved by fitted new dampers to the car.
Now, I've had a look around, and even a set of pattern parts from somewhere like ECP/ MX5parts will set me back as much as the car did. A set of Blistein/ Gaz one's nearly twice that! I'm reluctant to spend money on components i will literally throw away, as early as next year if i get a bad MOT fail.
Then I turned to ebay, and saw a few full kit's for a lot less cash, for example:-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MAZDA-MX5-NB-MK2-MKII-CO...
So, on to the questions
1. Is this a stupid idea? Will they be made of cheese and last all of 10 minutes?
2. Lets say they are well made, will they be any good, or am I asking for ruined ride/ handling fitting them?
3. I've never fitted adjustable suspension before, do they start at the standard height and then go down from there? Or does fitted them mean lowering the car from the off?
Cheers in advance all for any advice.
Without going into loads of detail and answering all your questions, how about picking up a set of HSD coilvers (which are quite pricey) and selling them on for decent money when you don't need them?
The coilovers you've linked will do a job, and probably for a year if you don't abuse them but make no mistake, they will ruin your ride quality, they will corrode to hell and back, they will be worthless at the end and they will probably bend at the sight of their first deep pothole.
Getting the HSDs will avoid all of the above.
The coilovers you've linked will do a job, and probably for a year if you don't abuse them but make no mistake, they will ruin your ride quality, they will corrode to hell and back, they will be worthless at the end and they will probably bend at the sight of their first deep pothole.
Getting the HSDs will avoid all of the above.
I think your best bet would be to to post on owners forums, or even in the MX5 section on here - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&a...
Personally I'd spend the extra cash on a good setup, you can always sell them when the time comes.
I fitted some BC's to my last car and they were set up lower than standard, a bit of extra tweaking and I was away.
Agree with Snowboy, if you're going to be doing some spirited driving, Suspension, Brakes and Tyres shouldn't be 'budget'.
Personally I'd spend the extra cash on a good setup, you can always sell them when the time comes.
I fitted some BC's to my last car and they were set up lower than standard, a bit of extra tweaking and I was away.
Agree with Snowboy, if you're going to be doing some spirited driving, Suspension, Brakes and Tyres shouldn't be 'budget'.
How fussed are you about comfort?
A friend bought some cheap Ta Technix coilovers for his Mx5. They were very bouncy. It felt fine on the motorway, but any other road it was far too bouncy. However he did have the helper springs removed, which apparently makes it more bouncy (i have never bothered with helpers).
He then went on to buy Gaz coilovers. What a difference! The build quality is much better, and you can adjust the rebound settings to whatever you want.
Ta Technix, Ap, and all of the other 'Ebay' brands, are all from the same factory, they are just painted different colours. If you do decide to go down the cheaper coilover route, then just find the cheapest ones you can on ebay, as they will still be the same.
A friend bought some cheap Ta Technix coilovers for his Mx5. They were very bouncy. It felt fine on the motorway, but any other road it was far too bouncy. However he did have the helper springs removed, which apparently makes it more bouncy (i have never bothered with helpers).
He then went on to buy Gaz coilovers. What a difference! The build quality is much better, and you can adjust the rebound settings to whatever you want.
Ta Technix, Ap, and all of the other 'Ebay' brands, are all from the same factory, they are just painted different colours. If you do decide to go down the cheaper coilover route, then just find the cheapest ones you can on ebay, as they will still be the same.
Don't get the ebay stuff for MX5. Couple of mates had those and they are truly the worst suspension I've ever come across, ludicrously poor body control, no body control at all would be close to the truth.
While on it, I have HSD monopro, they corrode just as badly as any other coilover, the zinc coating doesn't last at all. Next time I will use those coilover covers to prevent this.
While on it, I have HSD monopro, they corrode just as badly as any other coilover, the zinc coating doesn't last at all. Next time I will use those coilover covers to prevent this.
I bought an MX-5 with Gaz Gold Pro shocks already fitted. Adjustable height and damping.
Brilliant things.
I found a ride-height that was just lower than standard (to my eyes anyway) worked well on the road and track.
On road i ran the damping quite soft, then on arrival at the track i leaned underneath (no need to remove wheels) and turned the knob on each shock to firm it up.
After tracking all day, just turn the knob the other way and drive home.
Brilliant things.
I found a ride-height that was just lower than standard (to my eyes anyway) worked well on the road and track.
On road i ran the damping quite soft, then on arrival at the track i leaned underneath (no need to remove wheels) and turned the knob on each shock to firm it up.
After tracking all day, just turn the knob the other way and drive home.
eltax91 said:
All
I have a super-budget (£500) MK2 MX5 as a fun car. Ultimately, I bought such a cheap one as once it inevitably rots away and fails an MOT I intend to fulfill a lifelong ambition and build a kit car. Interestingly, most of the 7-esque kits I'm looking at don't use the MX5's dampers/ springs, they supply them with the kit.
Now, I did my first track experience on Monday and the instructor drove my car during some demo pieces. He's a very experienced ex racing driver and runs a super car experience type club. It was his opinion that my dampers were "worn" to say the least and that the handling would be significantly improved by fitted new dampers to the car.
Cheap coil over kits from eBay are utter crap in any aspect you'd care about, apart from cost. Unless your only goal is to slam the car on the deck or bounce your way down any road that isn't like a billiard table, then you might as well just flush your money down the toilet.I have a super-budget (£500) MK2 MX5 as a fun car. Ultimately, I bought such a cheap one as once it inevitably rots away and fails an MOT I intend to fulfill a lifelong ambition and build a kit car. Interestingly, most of the 7-esque kits I'm looking at don't use the MX5's dampers/ springs, they supply them with the kit.
Now, I did my first track experience on Monday and the instructor drove my car during some demo pieces. He's a very experienced ex racing driver and runs a super car experience type club. It was his opinion that my dampers were "worn" to say the least and that the handling would be significantly improved by fitted new dampers to the car.
You can buy good quality aftermarket dampers (e.g. KYB) for about £50 a corner for your car.
scott15 said:
How fussed are you about comfort?
A friend bought some cheap Ta Technix coilovers for his Mx5. They were very bouncy. It felt fine on the motorway, but any other road it was far too bouncy. However he did have the helper springs removed, which apparently makes it more bouncy (i have never bothered with helpers).
Helper springs perform no function, other than keeping the main spring seated when the dampers are fully extended. Under normal loads they are completely coil bound and don't contribute to the cars suspension. The bounciness is caused by a wonderful combination of too high a spring rate and piss poor damping, which are pretty much standard characteristics of cheap coilover kits.A friend bought some cheap Ta Technix coilovers for his Mx5. They were very bouncy. It felt fine on the motorway, but any other road it was far too bouncy. However he did have the helper springs removed, which apparently makes it more bouncy (i have never bothered with helpers).
So, that's a resounding NO then! 
I will ponder over the merits of keeping it as it is vs buying a good kit that I can sell on afterwards. I've scoured the enthusiast forums hoping for a cheap deal on some good kit, but found nothing (yet)
I'm happy spending money on things that will go on the kit car. Hence it has refurbished alloys with 4 new Uniroyal Rainsports and is also likely to get a decent brake upgrade soon.
I will ponder over the merits of keeping it as it is vs buying a good kit that I can sell on afterwards. I've scoured the enthusiast forums hoping for a cheap deal on some good kit, but found nothing (yet)
I'm happy spending money on things that will go on the kit car. Hence it has refurbished alloys with 4 new Uniroyal Rainsports and is also likely to get a decent brake upgrade soon.
The plot thickens!
This is the kit I one day intend to purchase, if it still exists when I get to that point:- http://www.greatbritishsportscars.co.uk/wp-content...
No, it doesn't mention the dampers/ springs in there at all. Neither on the list of supplied parts, or on the list of parts required from the donor. However, I clearly need dampers for the car!
So, MX5 geniuses out there, from the limited pictures available on their website, do the springs/ shocks fitted to the car look like MX5 one to you? If so, I might be getting some nice expensive suspension.
This is the kit I one day intend to purchase, if it still exists when I get to that point:- http://www.greatbritishsportscars.co.uk/wp-content...
No, it doesn't mention the dampers/ springs in there at all. Neither on the list of supplied parts, or on the list of parts required from the donor. However, I clearly need dampers for the car!
So, MX5 geniuses out there, from the limited pictures available on their website, do the springs/ shocks fitted to the car look like MX5 one to you? If so, I might be getting some nice expensive suspension.
curlie467 said:
To be honest, i would keep it as it is until MOT time. It is only a very experienced race driver that spotted it, not you who I presume was perfectly happy beforehand?
Just drive as is, enjoy the cheap fun and save some cash for the kitcar fund!
That's a fair point.Just drive as is, enjoy the cheap fun and save some cash for the kitcar fund!
But I was happy with my S2000, then I got new shock and the geo done and it was like a different car that I was very happy with.
Although this may seem at odds with my earlier advice;
Either do it properly, or don't do it at all.
Fwiw; my second bit of advice is to not wait for the mot fail to start the kit car. But just start the build.
If you wait for the fail it might be 5 years of driving a ropey mx5 that you never bother to fix properly.
Snowboy said:
curlie467 said:
To be honest, i would keep it as it is until MOT time. It is only a very experienced race driver that spotted it, not you who I presume was perfectly happy beforehand?
Just drive as is, enjoy the cheap fun and save some cash for the kitcar fund!
That's a fair point.Just drive as is, enjoy the cheap fun and save some cash for the kitcar fund!
But I was happy with my S2000, then I got new shock and the geo done and it was like a different car that I was very happy with.
Although this may seem at odds with my earlier advice;
Either do it properly, or don't do it at all.
Fwiw; my second bit of advice is to not wait for the mot fail to start the kit car. But just start the build.
If you wait for the fail it might be 5 years of driving a ropey mx5 that you never bother to fix properly.
Also, good point about the racing driver spotting it and not me. I'm very happy as it is, just now something in my mind says "it could be better"
I've resolved to ring the kit car people and check that I don't need to transfer the struts over, then only bother to upgrade if I spot a cheapo 2nd hand branded kit on a forum or something.
eltax91 said:
The plot thickens!
This is the kit I one day intend to purchase, if it still exists when I get to that point:- http://www.greatbritishsportscars.co.uk/wp-content...
No, it doesn't mention the dampers/ springs in there at all. Neither on the list of supplied parts, or on the list of parts required from the donor. However, I clearly need dampers for the car!
So, MX5 geniuses out there, from the limited pictures available on their website, do the springs/ shocks fitted to the car look like MX5 one to you? If so, I might be getting some nice expensive suspension.
The Zero does not use the Mazda springs and dampers, AFAICT. All the build diary pics I can find show the same kind of compact coilover shocks that almost every other '7' inspired kit car uses.This is the kit I one day intend to purchase, if it still exists when I get to that point:- http://www.greatbritishsportscars.co.uk/wp-content...
No, it doesn't mention the dampers/ springs in there at all. Neither on the list of supplied parts, or on the list of parts required from the donor. However, I clearly need dampers for the car!
So, MX5 geniuses out there, from the limited pictures available on their website, do the springs/ shocks fitted to the car look like MX5 one to you? If so, I might be getting some nice expensive suspension.
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