Is there a comparison? Xida's seem to have a great reputation but I cant seem to find what I'm looking for regarding any of the FM suspension kits. Anybody running FM suspensions care to comment?

FM Benefits: Cheaper, includes sway bars
Xida Benefits: More expensive

 

FM's kits use Tokico shocks, the comparison is night and day vs an AST shock. FM's AFCO suspension would be the comparable setup to the Xida CS's.

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=400616

 

Can you extend those acronyms? AFCO? AST? And what do you mean night and day? Is the Xida really worth my $$ compared to the nearly half priced FM kit?

 

If you have the money and really want to get the most out of your suspension, then the Xidas are the way to go. If you just have a weekend car that gets driven around but not pushed hard, then just get the FM kit and call it a done deal.

 

That is the impression I was getting. Got a bit further in the thread he linked.

 

AFCO and AST are brands. AST makes the XIDAs. Don't get me wrong. The FM kit is a great suspension setup and is all inclusive. The XIDAs are more customizable to people who know what they need out of suspension.

 

Well, I'd prefer a great all around setup, but I'm not sure how much suspension customization I would do. I'm looking for a great street ride, that does well on track days. The Xidas look amazing, but half of the options I wouldnt know what to do with, necessarily, for a bit.

 

Xidas were designed for open tracking. The FM kit is designed for daily driving. The Xidas will work fine on the street if you have the money to spend.

 

so FM 2.5 best all around from them?

 

For a street car you'll be happy.

 

Xidas are the best all around, and there are a lot of better options for same price as FM2.5 kit.

 

I did no street driving with lower rate springs when developing the Xidas. Now that there are a lot of the Club Sport versions on cars, many with softer springs, we're seeing that they can ride better than just about anything at any price.

For a street car that wants the best possible ride quality period, we recommend 450/300 springs on the Xida-S or Club Sport. With those rates they'll still work beautifully for the occasional autocross or track day. Run higher rates for a full race set up like our team cars.

 

Wait, Xida's standard is 700front 400rear. Is that there standard for more of a race setup? I want great ride quality but not at the expensive of great handling either.

 

Call us (not email) and we can go into your set up in more detail to figure out what you need.

 

Look, if you're looking for a comfortable street set-up that can still hold its own on twisty roads or on an autocross course/road course, the FM AFCOs are a phenomenal choice. They have oodles of travel, inspire lots of confidence and, did I mention?, they're extremely comfortable. Our pock-marked and cratered roads typically remind drivers of the lunar surface, so keep in mind that this is not from the perspective of our brethren residing in sunny California.

 

I do love feeling confident and inspired...

 

I have no doubt that the Xida-CS's are good, but my conundrum is how good is good enough for me. Is throwing on koni yellows good enough? What about stepping up to ohlins? (I have friends who use ohlins and they handle great while feeling very comfortable).

I want something comfortable since I daily drive the car, it doesn't really see potholes too often and I like west coast lapping days a few times a year, ie, PIR, ORP, PR, Laguna, Infineon, etc.

I could go out and buy the best out there (in my book right now it's the XidaCS's) but I'm wondering if I can just buy a cheaper coil-over/shock for now and have it work just as well, because by no means am I a good race car driver.

 

This logic is so dumb. Good shocks make everything easier. When I bolted good shocks to my car suddenly, the car did what my brain told them. There was no more over-driving to get the car where I wanted it, suddenly driving became intuitive. I now use the steering-wheel to get the car doing what I want, rather than stomping the loud pedal to make it turn. If you go to the track at all, not buying a quality level like the Xida is a mistake.

I have 700/400lb springs. With the low-speed damping turned down on the street its really smooth and never nauseating.

If I ever build another car, which I will in the form of an AI car, the very first thing it gets is an incredibly high quality damper like what I have on my turbo car.

 

Ive had koni yellows since 2005...I'll never run them again.

with similar spring rates and better dampers, my suspension is significantly improved in all aspects (comfort/perofrmance).

 

By what you just said, I would buy a cheaper street focused kit that was all inclusive. I am partial to the FM setup, as I have run it before and it felt great on the street. The FM stage 2 kit is a great all around kit with quality components and is what I will run on a street miata if I even get one again.