NA Bilstein coilover on the cheap
#1
NA Bilstein coilover on the cheap
Hey guys,
I have been reading every thread I can find searching with every combination of "Bilstein + ebay + sleeves + coil over + NA + mounts + bumpstops" and here is what I have come up with for getting the best bang for the buck coilover setup. The car is a 1994 miata that I will be adding a turbo kit to over the next month or so. It will be street driven 99% of the time, so I need something that is good handling but complaint and something that has great suspension travel for these shitty DC roads.
I just bought a set of 94R billies with 100k on them. They are rusty but I got 'em for what ended up being around $100 shipped and none are leaking, so I don't mind the strip+repaint procedure. Now comes getting the setup ready for my occasional autox/daily driver, heres what I was thinking.
350lb QA1 8" springs for the front, and 275lb SSS 9" springs for the back
Ebay coilover kit for the sleeves and drill out included aluminum upper perch (haven't picked a kit out yet, any recommendations?)
ISC mounts all around (unless someone else has a better idea to have decent ride height and lots of travel).
Not sure on bumpstops, I hear they are unnecessary for the ISCs? Is this true?
I plan on running the sleeves on top of the existing shock mounts, provided I can get what I am looking for in ride height (12.5-12.75).
Anybody have any opinions on this setup or have any other suggestions? I love this car but the stock suspension leaves much to be desired.
Thanks in advance! -Charlie
I have been reading every thread I can find searching with every combination of "Bilstein + ebay + sleeves + coil over + NA + mounts + bumpstops" and here is what I have come up with for getting the best bang for the buck coilover setup. The car is a 1994 miata that I will be adding a turbo kit to over the next month or so. It will be street driven 99% of the time, so I need something that is good handling but complaint and something that has great suspension travel for these shitty DC roads.
I just bought a set of 94R billies with 100k on them. They are rusty but I got 'em for what ended up being around $100 shipped and none are leaking, so I don't mind the strip+repaint procedure. Now comes getting the setup ready for my occasional autox/daily driver, heres what I was thinking.
350lb QA1 8" springs for the front, and 275lb SSS 9" springs for the back
Ebay coilover kit for the sleeves and drill out included aluminum upper perch (haven't picked a kit out yet, any recommendations?)
ISC mounts all around (unless someone else has a better idea to have decent ride height and lots of travel).
Not sure on bumpstops, I hear they are unnecessary for the ISCs? Is this true?
I plan on running the sleeves on top of the existing shock mounts, provided I can get what I am looking for in ride height (12.5-12.75).
Anybody have any opinions on this setup or have any other suggestions? I love this car but the stock suspension leaves much to be desired.
Thanks in advance! -Charlie
Last edited by cmalouf; 07-12-2013 at 04:25 PM.
#3
I run ebay sleeves on my NB Koni Yellows. The kit I went with is sold by a vendor by the name of "Jessie's Kits" on Ebay IIRC. A few members on the M.net ebay coilover thread have used that kit as well. It actually comes with a pretty stiff spring (~#550 front and back) so I ended up using the ebay springs in the front with #300 in the back. One problem you might encounter is the factory shock mounts not being low enough on the shock to get you your desired ride height. I had grooves lathed into my shocks for the circlips to sit on so that I could mount the sleeve lower on the shock.
#5
Any thoughts about this?
#11
I was thinking that was the case with the stock upper mounts but I was kinda under the impression that with the resultant 3/4" drop from the ISC mounts running a 8" front 9" rear might be possible and beneficial in terms of reducing coil binding. I am not opposed to a high-ish ride height, especially if it means more ride comfort and shock travel, but I would prefer some drop from stock.
Any thoughts about this?
Any thoughts about this?
I'm not sure that the mounts are necessary for the front. I've had the tire rub the fender liner using short bumpstops and NA mounts with lowring springs.
I second emailing FCM and describing your planned setup they might have some input on which height mounts would be good for the front.
#14
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ISC tophats do not alter ride height at all vs. NB tophats. The top spring perch location remains the same, yielding the same ride height. They recess the bumpstop further from the shock body to allow additional travel before contacting the bumpstop. Therefore you can lower the ride height using coilover adjusters and still maintain some suspension travel. But the tophats do not lower the ride height themselves.
If you have NA tophats it will lower it as much as switching to NB tophats, about 3/4 inch.
If you have NA tophats it will lower it as much as switching to NB tophats, about 3/4 inch.
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