Need help deciding which suspension I should get.
 

Hey guys I need help deciding on which suspension to get for my 99 NB, I recently just bought it and I'm ready to get my stance right. I'm looking for something lower than 1,000, it's gonna be for street use only. And of course imma put turbo in it(: Haha

You're going to have a hard time finding anyone here who cares about "getting your stance right". We care about legitimate performance, and it takes a lot more than $1k to get a decent set of shocks under a car.

Under $1k, it doesn't really matter what you buy - it will all be mediocre and ride poorly compared to a high-end setup. Buy used so you don't lose too much money when you decide to upgrade in the future.

I'm trying to get my stance first but I am going for performance not just form. I'm willing to go over 1k for a great set up so I wouldn't have to upgrade for awhile. Hahaha I didn't make myself clear in the post, Function over form.

You're stupid.

Mmkay.

Raceland


j/k

Tein Street Advance using your existing upper mounts.

Hustlers always right :hustler:

Don't waste you money on a "cheap" set of coilovers.... If you want the car to handle and perform like it's a "true" race car, then go with either the Xida's or FatCat's. You won't be dissapointed in either.

Then get a RB front anti sway bar, and loose your rear bar.

ban this waste of sperm

I believe there's a set of tein monoflex for sale used at CR right now.

You're an idiot too.

I also really like it when people recommend a $2000 set of emulsion valved shocks with steel bodies, ebay sleeves, QA1 springs, brake-line hose for external cans, welded valve bungs (lol).

I wish that deal was around back when I was living in poverty and had the Bilstein/GC set-up.

I wish everyone would stop trying to build a setup for a DD around 700/300 springs and no rear bar because "fast guys are doing it"

I love the way my FM Vmaxx handle, and think the comfort is "ok" for daily driving, but think they're a tad over-valved for these dog-chit roads I gotta commute on.

would fm springs + tokico or billie shocks feel moar comfay?

Because street car.

My daily is 600/400 with an RB rear bar, lol.

you're obviously not fast.

I think valving has more to do with it than spring....(I know, obvious statement is obvious).

My ricelands were like 400/350 or something and felt much softer than current 390/280 vmaxxes (or whatever the rates are..somewhere in that range) because they had next to no valving (ie: valved for some stock chinese car as discussed in the riceland thread)

My ASTs have JIC guts.

But seriously, Racelands will git ur stance rite fa sho and they are perfectly acceptable for a street driven miata.

I am not looking to get my stance right. However I do need help deciding.

I have Vmaxx Extreme sports on order, but I just found out today that FM won't get new ones in until november (plus another week to ship them to me). I don't feel like waiting that long. So time to dive back into this.

As you can see, I drive a '99 (so no need to worry about tophats), and I already received the FM Sway bars, so I will probably just keep them. I haven't put them on yet, but for the purposes of deciding assume I have. The car will be mostly DD-ed, with the occasional autoX or track day.

From what I have found by searching, the Xida CS are baller and about the best damper you can buy for less than a bajillion dollars. I am still considering these, though I would obviously rather spend less.

Other options look like FCM (though they are not adjustable?), Tein Street Advanced (or possibly Flex's). Is there anything else I should be looking for? I am looking at adjustable dampers to help for both the street and the track, and also because I just like tweaking stuff.

Should I just stop being a pussy and make it rain on the xidas?

I've owned racelands, meagins, stance, and just got the afcos. Meagans where the best street coil for the $$ by far.

Dunno if OP has purchased yet, but I'll put my vote in for FM Vmaxx coils. Once he gets sick of stance, they'll offer a decent ride and performance at the proper height.

FlyinMiata NB springs, NB Bilstein HD's, FCM NB tophats and FCM bumpstops.

megan ez streets treated me great. full stiff front, 2 clicks from full stiff rear and 11.75" ride height front/rear

What does this mean? Something about photography? Is he using milk for shock oil? Mayonnaise? That juice with the chunks of flavored wax suspended in it? Does that stuff even count as an emulsion?

Emulsion shocks are shocks without separator pistons where oil and gas get to mix and froth. As far as I know FCM's retain the original Bilstein separator pistons. I wouldn't know what emulsion "valved" means and suspect that Hustler doesn't either. Which would be typical :)

Different set-up for emulsion shocks like the rears on my car since my bodies don't have room for the separator.

...What? That's a serious design compromise and totally unnecessary. Why?

My rears are different from Xidas since they are a development shock. Yes it's a change, but AST thinks it's still a good shock, Emilio drove the car and had no complaints. If I could do it again, I'd probably wait for the Xidas but I got these a long time ago.

That's bizarre. I can't imagine why the didn't use a bladder, a remote reservoir, or that weird foam stuff. Where does the air the piston displaces live, is it like a monotube with no separator piston and so the air rests against the shock shaft seal? Are they pressurized? Were they never really meant for the public? Are they consistent on different road surfaces? Once upon a time i was the shock rebuilder/ set up guy at a bike shop, and an imperfect shock bleed would ruin the ride, and when forks started using pressurized guts it was a massive improvement in ride quality. (Or at least the good ones were). I'm really curious how they're made.

Oh, and i disagree with you on every point you made about FCM stuff. I'd do the point-by-point thing, but you made that post a long time ago and i don't wanna make a peeing contest. Love to chat though.

I don't know, I'm not the suspension engineer.You disagree that they're overpriced boat anchors, designed to ride on bump stops, and disagree that they use SS brake lines for external cans? Those three points aren't really up for debate.

A/S/L?

Overpriced is for the buyer to decide.

Bumpstops are part of the suspension. My miata doesn't use its bumpstops except for damage control, and i assure you that there are drawbacks, especially in collision avoidance maneuvers. Sure does fly off curbs nice though.

Boat anchors? Measurable but irrelevant. Pretty sure threaded body coilovers are aluminum because it's cheaper to machine, and bilsteins are steel because it's cheaper to weld.

I'm not sure why having easily sourced replaceable sleeves and remote reservoir lines is a bad thing.

I think the welded on shrader valves are awesome. They make the shock user serviceable and give a consistent repeatable (if subtle) way to adjust compression and bottom out.

Yep, shitty springs. Although if you're using top mounts that have a spring seat fixed to the chassis you aren't getting the spring rate you think you are anyway.

A great option for the right buyer, who may or may not be an idiot. You could very easily do worse.



A/S/L? Sweeeeet. ....Let me go find my robe and wizard hat.

I know that if I'm going to spend $2k on dampers, I want the heavy ones with the 40-year old Schrader valve and the brake-line adapter to the vintage can. :bowrofl:

Weren't you the guy who spent 2000$ and came back with emulsion shocks? :)

I spent nowhere near that.

Maybe you could get them covered in this stuff

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1355197711
:D

Are Tein SA really that good? I was looking towards purchasing a set of FM V-Maxxes.

I think FCM is a bit expensive but I'm sure his overhead cost to volume is huge. I do think the Xida air valve is a better design.

The design might be nicer, but they need regular regassing too. Mine need it every other year at least and I know the high end stuff is the same or worse. Normal racing shock maintenance.

Shocks aren't material intensive, they're knowledge intensive.

Since this thread is completely off topic anyway...

Anyone know of a more comfortable street suspension than 450/500 and 300/350 XIDAs?

get megans or what ever there called. stiff as hell and have bumpstops. what more can you ask for street. I got them and slammed my car. but then again, i like to make people wait when i cross rail road tracks too.

Ban.

Hostile aren't you?

Why dont you get a new hat or maybe a tranny to tuck back your sack and stretch out your butt?

The vmaxx is 400/260 that i find very nice.

Nagase

What did you end up buying? Looking for something really comfortable as well.

Haven't gotten anything yet. Emilio is telling me 450/300 is not even enough for my 185 width summer tires, suggesting 550/350.

That much spring rate for that little tire does have me rather confused. :hustler:

I would take Emilio's advice regarding the spring rates. AFAIK, he doesn't charge extra for different rates, so he's giving you that recommendation for a reason.

I just ordered 700/400 Xida's Friday. Really looking forward to getting them.

Why not megan ez-streets?

600$, full coilover, 800-600 spring rate for daily use it seem's more then good?

Cheap shocks with those kind of spring rates don't sound like a good match for our roads, but I have no experience with the Megans. If you get them, let's take a ride in each others' cars and see how they compare to my FM springs and Illuminas.

I am pretty much in the same dilema than the OP, but with maybe a couple track days. When i see people riding vmaxx and flying miata ofering them i dont know why megan coun't do the job in my head megan quality > vmax?

Post up shock dyno's of megans.

If not, then already they're inferior to vmaxx.

Ah, and those Megans have been track tested by FM also?

Yeah that too.

At least there is some thought/development put towards the vmaxx working on our cars.

Even if the damping quality and spring-shock matching is equal or better - and I've seen no evidence that Megan has put in the R&D that FM has - you're talking about 800 lbs spring rates. Xidas are said to give a decent ride at high spring rates, but they're a $2000 set of shocks that the racers say "defy conventional logic" in the way they handle bumps at those rates. I don't see a cheapish shock being streetable, especially on Montreal's roads, at nearly FIVE TIMES the stock spring rate (and about twice the spring rate of what's on FM's kits). Furthermore, I don't see what you're trying to accomplish with those kind of rates on a daily driver that will rarely see the track and is driven on the unmaintained roads of a corrupt, bankrupt province.

I'm serious about trying each others' setups, though. More data points is more better.

I'm doing 800/500 duals on my track car, I have 600/400 on my street car and the shit is bauce as fuck.

There are two options:
Xida
MSM Bilstein w/ eBay perches and <400/300 springs

Those two set-ups are awesome, I've never driven anything that comes close to those two. I'm not sure the MSM set-up handled better than my Tein Flex, but it sure rode better on the street.

i just read on FM vmaxx and it's seem's that as long as you don't go below 12" front and 12.5"back it sould last.

and what do you think of st suspension (kw) and STD since you live in montreal you should know about them they are very popular here.

I've never tried V-Maxx, but read good things about them. According to FM itself, the FM spring and Illumina combo gives a better ride - it's more street-oriented than the V-Maxx - which is why I decided to go that route even though it cost more. I also like that the damping is adjustable and their ride height is right where I want to be, so I had no desire for adjustable ride height.

I've never heard of ST or STD, nor have I heard of anyone at St Eustache running them, especially not Miatas. Of the few Miata track guys I've talked to, I've seen Koni, Tokico, and KYB. For what it's worth, at 5:00 and 10:30 in the following video you can see not only how poorly I drive, but how the FM suspension responds when pushed a bit. For a suspension that's set up to be tolerable on bad roads, I feel it does pretty well for casual lapping, at least at my skill level.

I'm pretty happy with my Vmaxx's. I don't have the adjustable dampening but it hasn't been an issue so far.