Hi Team,

I have a mostly stock NB2 with blown stock suspension that needs to be replaced. I have new Wrangler and an Outback XT, so I just use this run errands around town during the week and won't see any track or autocross days. Possibly HPDE. I would like to do more spirited driving in the car but with the current suspension I haven't been driving very far. I would also like to keep this as budget as possible since I might sell the car in a year or so for an ND. I would like to keep the budget under $1000 if at all possible.

Members here seem to have a different opinion on suspension options than I have seen elsewhere, but it seems mostly track/autocross related so I was curious what recommendations there would be for a street car.

Current suspension options I have been considering:

• Stock shock replacement with stock springs (KYB GR2 or AGX, Bilstein B6/B8, Koni STR.T etc)
• Stock shock replacement with lowering springs (I don't know which shocks can take a lowering spring with increased rates)
• FM V-Maxx Classic's with bumpstops - $720
• FM V-Maxx XXtreme with bumpstops - $950
• FM Koni Yellow's, with FM springs and bumpstops - $1050
• Meisterr Sportives - $700
• MeisterR ZetaCRD - $1250
• Tecna Touring - $1400

I have seen the community here really not liking both the V-Maxx and the Koni yellow's. I am surprised by this with FM's reputation and that these have been specifically valved and tested for Miatas, where other options on the market are more generic. Meisterr Sportives seem like a nice budget choice but I'm not sure why I would go with that over the FM V-Maxx classics. Adjustable dampening does sound like a nice feature though (Koni's, XXtreme's, ZetaCRD etc).

Obviously there are more expensive options on the market now like the Tecna Touring at almost $1400. This is really pushing the budget for me. The car needs tires and wheels if I can swing it as well.

My preference would be a small drop to fill the wheel gap an increase performance mildly. Like most places my roads are bad, but I live in Colorado where it can get pretty nasty. I would prioritize suspension travel and comfort. The Koni's and FM springs are advertised as being aimed directly at this goal. The Koni's seem a little expensive for what they are though. I will also be getting either a FM or RB front sway bar with upgrade end links. It doesn't sound like it's worth upgrading the rear bar.

So, if you're just scooting around town. What's your budget suspension setup?

 

Best value if you are selling it next year, Bilsteins on stock springs.
Best shocks on that list, Tecna.

 

Ty sir. Since posting this I've been going back down the rabbit hole on the DIY Bilsteins again. Bilstein prices seem to have gone up so I'm not totally sold on the value proposition still but we'll see. Maybe it's worth the annoyance of sourcing everything. But if it's close to a grand I'll probably just buy something off the shelf instead.

 

DIY Bilsteins don't offer the same comparative value they did 10 years ago.

 

Diy bilstein coilovers are a great value if you source some used ones for cheap (not terribly difficult). Or, simply run them with stock springs or aftermarket lowering springs. Keep in mind, the NA version's a bit different, and requires a little modification to use NB tophats.

IMO, the biggest benefit to converting them to coilovers is the ability to use standard 2.5" springs. I currently run 550 front, 350 rear and it rides fantastic for the street. I was really blown away how comfortable those rates are, as I was expecting it to be really stiff, but it's not at all. Better than stock I think. I'm sure technas are fantastic as well.

Since you won't be keeping it long, GR2 or similar would be fine also if you just want a stockish suspension. My '03 came with them, and they rode pretty nicely on stock springs. I still have them and would sell for cheap if you are interested.

 

Yeah I've been looking around locally and on Ebay and such for a used set but haven't really seen anything I felt was worth the cost yet. I was thinking going with Bilsteins and using my stock springs now, and then buying the rest of the parts to do the DIY coilover setup later on if I wanted to. I just haven't been able to decipher which version of the Bilstein to start with (NB or NA, B6/B8 etc)?

I hate to spend the money, but buying Tecna's and just selling them off the car later on is temping me. DIY Billies are the only other thing but it seems like such a faff honestly. And if I buy new Bilsteins, or even used, I'm 1/2 to 3/4 the cost of Tecnas anyway.

I'll keep that in mind. I was pricing KYB's, boots and bushings today. That's roughly $350 from rockauto. If I knew I would be happy with that I would probably go for it. But then I see cars on stock suspension looking like a 4x4 and it hurts my soul a little.

 

Buy the Techna's and only cry once.

 

Pulled the trigger. You guys better not be full of **** XD. I'll report back with my thoughts.

 

I know you already pulled the trigger, but wanted to throw out there for future reference that Meister R is getting ready to release their Sport-Z coilovers, which fall between the Sportives and the Zeta CRD and cost right under $900.

 

@jstark How are the Tecnas treating you? What configuration did you end up getting?

 

Tecna review central

https://www.949racing.com/supermiata/tecna-reviews/

 

Thanks for the link Emilio. I've read through those but was just trying to get more anecdotes and feedback.

I found a good number of reviews and stories across some of the other forums and Reddit. Can't seem to find anything negative about them.

I ended up ordering some with the sport springs. Hopefully they're going to get here right before a big road trip/autocross weekend. I'll do a writeup in my build thread once I've got some miles on them.

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