Buying shocks and springs

[Legend83]

Had the MX5 for over a year now and thinking she should be treated to some new shocks and springs (no idea when shocks last changed, lack of s/h).

How long typically should shocks and springs last as I am looking at some used items on Ebay? - eibach springs and KYX adjustables.

Cheers,

Ed

[Legend83]

Listings 'claim' the springs have been on the car for 1 year and the shocks are 6 months old and have done less than 2000 miles. How I validate that is anyones guess!

[Legend83]

Thanks for contributions so far guys - so anyone want to answer the original question ? Can't remember what the service schedule says but I am guessing springs 50-60k and shocks 20-30k?

[Legend83]

miniman said:

I'd be surprised if it was that little to be honest. My BMW is on 112k on its original springs and dampers.

In which case, I feel a little more positive about buying them used!

[Legend83]

What are people's consensus on a good suspension set-up for a daily driver on normal roads, but with the occasional fast-hoon round country b-roads?

Reading MX5-Nutz is making me a bit wary of the Eibach springs being overly stiff for my needs - I have read the trim springs on MX5-parts lower the car by 15mm rather than the 30mm the Eibachs do.

The KYB's seem to be popular so am happy to put those on I think.

[Legend83]

MX-5 Lazza said:

I used to have the same KYB AGX shocks / FM Springs setup as Planet Claire but also with FM ARBs and was very happy with that setup. It was comfortable and very well controlled on the road and by knocking the shocks up a notch were also very good on the track.
The FM springs I had were from a batch FM had made that dropped much further than they should - I had about a 50mm drop which looked great but was hell on speed-bumps! The newer FM springs are a much better compromise between looks & practicality.
I changed to Performance5 PureDrive mostly to get the advantage of height adjustable shocks so I could fine-tune the ride-height but they have also given an improved ride over bumpy roads. Not sure they control the roll and bump quite as well as the AGX/FM combination did though...

FM/KYB AGX combo is £429 at P5 - do you know how much it would cost to fit them (estimate)? So what total cost would be?

[Legend83]

In people's opinion, is there a risk involved in ordering FM springs & KYB shocks direct from Flyin Miata www.flyinmiata.com, then getting a local garage to fit them?

Do they need a specialist set-up that a local wrench-monkey might bugger up? Or can I just get them fitted then take them to WIM for a proper setup?

[Legend83]

MX-5 Lazza said:

The only real risk as far as I know is getting them through customs without being hit with a ridiculous import duty tax. This is the reason why, despite the apparent cost saving by buying direct, it usually ends up no cheaper than buying from a UK importer such as Performance5 and that way you get support from UK too.

Hmm. Good point that I did not think of. And I call myself an accoutant!