Do you know they compare to the Ohlins DFV?

 

Why wouldn't they be?

 

What made you choose so much front bias?

 

How do you guys feel about the NB tophats versus the spherical bearings?

 

I don't know, I've only run sphericals, lololol.

The NB uppers aren't bad on my daily, probably not as crisp but hard to compare to my all-poly track car.

 

Run the sphericals. I wish I bought them the first time. The NB upper setup with xidas is just janky IMO. I mean it works, I dont like it, and I know the plastic isolator is the source of my front end clunk.

 

Yeah, but for the price difference between the two I could basically buy a set of 6ULs...

 

Helpers or no ?

 

One distinct difference:

DFV stroke
96mm front
76mm rear

Xida stroke
125mm front
103mm rear

The Japanese made Ohlins are very high quality coilovers. As well built as anything on the market I think. They are however, older tech and not specifically designed and tuned for a Miata in competition as the Xidas were. I think the DFV's cost a bit more too.

 

Yes, helpers.

 

Do other Miata dampers offer the development work that AST and 949 did, how common is it? I don't know that I believe Ohlins, Tein, nor KW are out there testing shocks in track driven Miatas and swapping out shims and pistons. I remember talking to Brian a couple years ago and he was telling me about putting shock-pots on his EvoX when he was making dampers for it, I don't know that anyone aside from Multimatic, Penske, or Nitron are doing stuff like that...and if they are they're not selling the product for sub $2000.

 

There no chance tein did any development work on the miata, those are universal shocks with universal valving and go on various platforms. thats the downside to MOST ots coilovers; AST/Xida is unlike any other shock for the miata.

 

lol at $1800 Xida rears with more stroke than $2500 Ohlins front dampers.

 

The Penskes have work depending on who you buy them from, like guy ankey or someone like that. Buy them from penske and they're generic valving that sucks on miatas. The penskes seem to be the cost of springs more than xidas, not including the club sports. Since you cannot get penskes without the upper mounts. The penske upper mounts are better than the 949 upper mounts IMO, much easier to change springs, have a hex flat for tightening the top nut, etc. And IMO with the right valving they're better race shocks, I cannot comment on street manners, I've only ever raced on them.

 

Why? Are you answering a question that no one asked...again?

 

Penske mounts better than our spherical bearing, billet, coaxial perch mounts on the Xida-S?

You have raced on 700/400 or 800/500 Xida-S?

 

Hustler, I cant make a too direct comparison, penske car was on 850/500, very well csp prepped, same front bar as I have, no rear bar. And I have club sports 650/400 (because 700 was out of stock). Comparing both cars on 275 hoosiers. The Penskes just worked better, any of the sort of cracks, breaks between type of pavement, or missing chunks of pavement were just not as noticeable, and there was even less worry than the xidas that some random surface defect was going to upset the car. Maybe it was mental but the penkes felt better, I do not have any data, and it would be meaningless because I'm down like 40 hp from that car and 650/400 is way too soft to hoosiers.

Emillio, I've never driven or ridden in a car with your solid mounts. And taking a harder look at your mounts they two are much more similar than I remembered. Main differences being the slot on the penske upper spring perch and the hex flats on the top of the shock shaft.

 

So:

-Coaxial perch, spherical bearing mounts vs fixed perch, urethane bushing mounts

- 30% stiffer springs

-different car

-30% power difference

I'd say your comparison indeed has some relevance but not really conclusive.

 

Agreed. The budget is going either way at the moment if I'll be able to afford the xida upper mounts for my car, spring rates will be the same for next year, and the power difference will be swung the other way. Its so hard to compare this ****. It'll be a lot better comparison with the same spring rates at least. I think some of the skiddishness I was feeling was just living on the bump stops on any turn that lasted longer than a slalom, because the springs were too soft for the grip I was creating.

 

This thread is now adequately trolled, carry on.