So far I've had a spec miata bilstein setup, the same spec miata bilstein setup with 550lb front springs, XIDAs with 1000/400 spring rates, and a set of off the shelf Tein Street Advance.

The XIDAs are as good as everyone says... best performance I've felt and they're more comfortable than stock suspension, even with the 1000lb springs.

Teins vs. Bilsteins- I would buy the Teins again if it were a 100% daily driver. They're very comfy and performance isn't bad. They also have really short rear shock bodies so you can get the car pretty low without bottoming. The 550/325 Bilstein setup was much better on track but can sometimes be a little harsh on the street.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Teins again, but I recently owned a 350Z for a few months with a set of KW V3s and I was VERY pleased with those shocks for DD and track use. I haven't seen many people running them on miatas, but I would really like to try the ST coilovers for the miata. ST is owned by KW and my understanding is that they just use KW V1 internals in a mild steel coilover body instead of stainless steel.

 

Also, spec miata bilsteins are just Bilstein HDs, which you can buy at autozone with a 20% off coupon. You want the NA HDs whether you're putting them on an NA or NB.

 

Found the data I was looking for, as relates to the conversation with mgeoffriau:





(images courtesy of FatCat Motorsport)

So, yeah- the MSM Billies are long. Much longer than AGX in the rear, and about the same in the front.

All else being equal (eg: assuming you don't run out of piston travel, which is rare), shorter shock bodies are desirable. Miatas in general don't have much suspension travel, and so they tend to spend a surprisingly large amount of time on the bump-stops. The shorter the shock body, the more useful travel you have where the spring can do its job before the bump-stop comes into play.

This is also why installing longer, progressive, aftermarket bump-stops made from a material softer than 20 year old hardened rubber makes a big difference- it makes the transition into the bump-stop much less harsh. And it's also why installing stiffer springs can, somewhat counterintuatively, lead to a much more comfortable ride on less-than-perfect roads; they keep you off of the bump-stops altogether.


Looking at the data above, I can see why Vlad likes the Tokicos so much. They're a fair bit shorter than most OE / Bilstein shocks, and this translates to more useful suspension travel before the stop.

 

Hmm -- apparently not uniquely long, however. I may have misremembered that or perhaps it was unsubstantiated folklore. In any case, yes, using MSM Bilsteins ideally involves extended tophats to compensate for the shock body length.

 

Ever think about going Koni race up front, Koni Yellow in the rear with GC coilovers and spec your own spring rates through them, 700/400s or higher depending on your tires. I've priced this around $1300 and I can't see a coilover in that price range being as good.

I have read a few good things about Feal, but I have yet to see it in person or see much data on them.

 

Any particular reason to spec two very different-valved and differently-constructed shocks on the same car?

 

Price

*More accurately, Cost

 

^price for sure. I'll be running xidas in the front and racelands in the back. PM Emilio for recommended spring rates for that setup.

 

I'm thinking:
bilstein front left
koni front right
raceland rear left
tecna right rear

Sustain 10G in the parking lot

 

Was that setup recommended by Shaikh or Emilio? Or is it from Racelands setup manual?

 

If I told you I'd have to kill you.

 

I think the setup would be fine for autocross and some street fun. I think it's not the perfect situation, but I think both being a twin tube setup and very similar design the differences wouldn't be analogous to a Xida/Raceland monstrosity, but to keep it inline with this forum you might as well be dramatic.

 

Women come and go,
Xidas are forever ...

 

OK yeah, I lol'd

 

That sounds like an excellent drunk driving simulator.

 

I am using BC coilovers in my nb and u cant beet them, handles like its on rails and at a fair price

 

They're not even fm vmaxx good, lol.

 

<br />
<br /><br />
<br />
<br />Can't beet them but can them

 

My Tein Flex's are ok. I really think it depends on road conditions also though. If you live somewhere with shitty roads for your DD I'd think vmaxx or some st coilovers would fit the bill. The ST is probably a little stiffer then the vmaxx but not by a lot.

I think my Teins are great when i'm on a decent road.... if I hit a beat up road it doesn't bother me too much but if I have a passenger I can tell they are like omg wtf (then you throw in a little boost and their like weeeeee and forget).

I had Tokico blue's on my honda w/ eibachs and liked them a lot. If I was trying to get coilovers i'd probably do ebay with revalved Bilsteins. Otherwise FM springs with tokico's would probably be what i'd go with.

If I were starting all over i'd probably go with one of those options. If I saw some cheap flex's on the FS section I wouldn't rule those out. Think i'm rolling 8kg/12kg on my flex and as said it's not bad.

 

Vmax are pure scrap, did u ever use BC coilovers yourself, most likely not by the sounds of it, I used blistiens and konis on other cars and the can't be put down, if the op is moaning about money BC coils should do him, I laugh at vmax users.