sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

I'm pretty sure Xida's are cheaper than OEM Cayman S shocks, lol. They are a definite bargain for what you get.

dsamani

What is it exactly about the Xida coilovers that make them so ideal? Spring rate? Damping? I see that they have extended top hats from the factory.

borka

iTrader: (1)

It's all about the valving. Xidas have high quality shocks with ideal valving specifically for miatas.

Xidas have regular nb top hats. Or the more expensive custom hats.

I run bc racing br coilovers, the street ride is great and they handle well at the track. It's a great option at the $1k price point.

jonboy

A good setup is not just about the valving - for a setup to be good it's the combo of valving in conjunction with spring rates, and suspension travel.

dsamani

Alright, anybody got a shock dyno of some Xida coilovers ask well as dyno sheets of other coilovers?

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

You want me to Google that for you or something?

borka

iTrader: (1)

You can try to find all the dyno sheets you want. There is nothing sub $1k that compares to the xidas.

You want sporty reasonable comfy ride? Bilsteins extended rear top hats, and 400/250 ish springs

Comfort and good track performance? Xida gs

Less comfort and excellent track? Xida race

Have small budget? Raceland or tein. Will get you low, **** ride and performance.

BC makes good midrange coilovers, as well as FEAL, and MEISTER. All around $1000-1300

This is most of the popular miata suspension options.

I personally only have experience with BC and I like them.

matrussell122

iTrader: (1)

Cant wait to step out from teins into a xida or penske setup. Teins get the job done but are nowhere near great.

90LowNSlo

Xidas or nothing

/Thread


Seriously, they are EXACTLY what you want. They were custom made for your exact car to ride exactly the way you have described. Save up some more and DO IT.

I'm on some Racelands installed by the PO (ugh) but they aren't terrible feeling. I've been in a Miata with stock suspension and they feel better than that. But I wouldn't call them pleasant either. My next major purchase will be Xidas

18psi

iTrader: (76)

IF YOU DONT BUY XIDAS YOU WILL DIE A SLOW PAINFUL DEATH AND NEVER BE REMEMBERED!!!!!!!!

matrussell122

iTrader: (1)

But penske 8300 for dick swingery

turbofan

iTrader: (1)

In all seriousness, there's a few factors as to why Xidas ride so well. First, and this may be surprising - top quality shocks perform well. Low friction, light weight, carefully built shocks work well, resulting in better performance but also a better ride.

Xidas improve this balance further with the double digressive valving. At low piston speeds, the shocks have a lot of damping. This keeps them nice and tight for excellent responsiveness. At high piston speeds, the valving allows the shock to move freely through its stroke, absorbing impacts with minimal upset to the chassis.

Neat stuff.

emilio700

iTrader: (3)

You're familiar with shock dyno plots? PVP vs FVP, pressure corrections, etc?

I only ask because it is very rare for the average car enthusiast understand all the data. I still ping Tractive and Inertia when I have questions about things and I'm the guy that determines the valving on Xidas

dsamani

Yes

I have spreadsheets for calculating motion ratios and suspension frequencies, at SEMA last year I was told by a KW engineer that it was refreshing to actually talk to someone that knows what they're talking about.

dsamani

Yeah I mean that would be pretty nice of you to do.

EDIT: Googled myself, found this
EDIT 2: I realize that the Y axis is missing. What the heck guys?
EDIT 3: It would be cool if I could get a PVP dyno sheet showing the performance through different steps

XIDA:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1398734679

I see, good range of options here. Xidas are what the people rave about, but just aren't in the budget for this project. Maybe if I had more money to spend, but if that were the case I wouldn't have a Miata, I'd have bought a more expensive car.

Finally, some answers! Agreed, better quality shocks perform better. Valves that will last longer, shock oil that will perform consistently over a range of temperatures, and robust materials that can take a little abuse without bending.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

so you're allegedly smart, but not smart enough to know that quality parts are always a smarter investment than non quality parts?

hornetball

iTrader: (4)

I'd also add the all-aluminum machined bodies. Strong, light, sheds heat well. It's a quality item, custom-valved for the application and one heck of a good value. Will buy again.

90LowNSlo

Nailed it, reminds me of this:

turbofan

iTrader: (1)

And unless that "more expensive car" is a Cayman (and for many people, even then) you'd still end up wanting to buy a high quality damper package for it.


None of what I said had anything to do with durability. Though Xidas do tend to have a long life (mine are 4 years old now and have seen their share of abuse), if your criteria for quality is how long something lasts and how much abuse it can handle, it's damn tough to beat the Bilsteins.

No, I'm talking about performance, which was your first post. Performance in terms of capability on track and a good ride on the street.

dsamani

I am smart.

I am also on a tight budget.

I am also new to the Miata scene and researching and finding information that is new to me.

Low price is not necessarily low quality.

High price is not necessarily high quality.

I just want what fits my needs within my budget.

I don't understand why so much time is spent on off-topic discussion.



edit: (with regards to high price/high quality statement, although it does tend to be this way, you'd be surprised at how many expensive things are actually just cheap things made to look expensive)

edit 2: I'm not saying that Xida coilovers are just made to look expensive, I'm just generalizing about some expensive items