They are alum bodied.

 

Awesome! Buy now.

 

Chuckling at the Xida comparisons. The Penske's are $200 per bare shock, non adjustable and valved to have similar damping curves as the Bilsteins. No digressive pistons or sexy bits inside. If you can find Bilsteins, they, at $100 each new, are still a better deal.
Xidas are $375 each bare shock.

I'm curious to see final shock dynos, lengths and strokes. We offered custom steel shocks to SMAC at around the same price as the Penskes but heard nothing back.

 

Last couple years have shown a few good moves for the class, I can't wait to see how these new shocks perform.

Not sure if the SM8 tire is dropping next year as well, could be an interesting season.

 

You've had them on a dyno then, and know what's inside them, or are you just spouting off nonfacts as wishful thinking?

 

If you were paying attention you'd have seen he was asked to bid on being a supplier for the new shocks. This would have included design parameters.

Read more, snark less.

 

 

This seems like another incredibly short-sighted decision for Spec Miata. Basically every new spec series in recent history has learned from SM and went with a quality, adjustable coilover.

Do they really think they are getting a top end Penske shock for $200 / corner? They're more like Penske Lite. You couldn't buy a non-adjustable shock from them for less than about $500 per corner(without coilover hardware), so what on earth are they doing to cut the price by 250%?

Furthermore, why are they so concerned about running dirt cheap shocks when the greatest expenditure by far are the SM7's?
This really makes me wish Supermiata came out East; it makes so much sense compared to SM...

 

Yeah, I'm still stuck on the claim that qualifying lap times were similar to the Bilsteins, but they don't fade as much. They couldn't manage to turn faster laps on "better" shocks? What? It sounds to me like they are not trying to build a better suspension--just a more available one.

 

Its availability was running short, it makes perfect sense that they were entertaining alternatives. The shocks didn't have to be better, they just all needed to be the same and available. Better is just a bonus, if achieved.

 

 

Ditto the plea for super Miata out east. I race spec because it's the only Miata series in the north east that has consistent fields of 10+. I could race PT (now ST) and have a better car, but race against myself or one other guy who is 4 seconds off my pace. No thanks.

These new shocks are fine I guess, but I'd honestly rather have seen a simple move to 15x8 or 9 wheels. I'm also tired of battling it out for 3rd because drivers 1 and 2 have $6k engine builds and make 5 more hp than me. I'll happily make 3 Dyno pulls and be allowed to drop a little weight.

 

The SM Penske as I understand it, is not a threaded body. I presume that was done so current Bilstein owners could swap their Ground Control sleeves and Eibach springs over to reduce overall upgrade costs. So not cooler running than a threaded body without the air gap/ insulating sleeve. All indications currently are that the valving was at least similar, if not based directly on the Bilstein. I have not read or heard any references to the Penske being shorter than the Bilstein. Until I can get my hands on the set and measure the body length and stroke we will assume they are the same. We are in line to get a set. We plan to send them off to be dynoed. We will share that information when we obtain it.

 

 

Aluminum body with aluminum sleeve running cooler than steel body with aluminum sleeve. Pretty obvious. Al body with al sleeve not running as cool as threaded al body and no sleeve. Equally obvious.

 

How many sets of wheels you think the SM community collectively would have to purchase if they changed sizes, that'd be a metric **** ton of wheels. I don't wanna have to buy 3 new sets.

But I do agree that Supermiata needs to spread, I'd jump ship in a second if we could have a 10+ car field.

 

Off topic: WRL is trying to get an East Coast Series going. Marcus setup a Facebook group (SuperMiata East Coast Support Group) to start bringing a list of racers together. Contact WRL (race@RaceWRL.com) and let them know you want a race in your area. Tell your friends to contact them as well.

 

Not sure why all the hate before the product is even finalized, not even released. No one is forcing Bilstein to stop making their shocks for Miata and anyone who wants them can still do custom coil-overs. If anything, we get more options with Penske. There is a potential for something good happening here, but people go on bashing product that hasn't even gone to production yet.

I really seems that the spirit of the forum is that of a really old grumpy guy putting up signs telling kids to get off his lawn before any kids have moved into the neighborhood. Cheer up folks, life is good.

 

What hate are you seeing? I'm not sure we're reading the same thread.

 

Mazda just announced that the Penske/integrated threaded collars are available. $1200 for the set and you still need to spend $250 to the tops.
Link: Mazda Announcement

Highlights:
- One coil-over shock (shock valving is the same as previous version)
- Coil-over thread protector (new addition)
- Threaded adjuster (new addition)
- Friction lock (new addition)

Details:

• Eliminated a separate coil-over sleeve to integrate it into the shock in order to 1) eliminate the spring contact/wear on expensive components and 2) improve heat dissipation:
  • Reduced wear. The new coil-over shock allows for the proper amount of clearance between the spring and more expensive aluminum components. Because the ride height adjustment threads are machined directly on the shock body, there is increased clearance to the spring. The spring is also properly guided by a plastic component, which is more typical in motorsports. The slippery plastic component is meant to properly guide the spring coils as the suspension compresses. This smooth operation reduces wear and provides smoother spring operation for better performance.
  • Improved heat dissipation. The elimination of a secondary threaded ride height collar covering the body of the Penske shock allows for better heat dissipation. The extra thick aluminum collar is like wearing a winter coat in the summertime, increasing running temperatures, and potentially causing the shock oil to break down faster. More consistent performance and longevity should result from the more efficient design.

• Integrated a new ride height adjustment system to offer more accurate ride height adjustment:

•  
  • The new, integrated ride height coil-over system provides a more positive, accuratemethod of adjustment. The first version by Penske Racing Shocks (i.e. the two-piece collar system) allows for the potential of ride height adjustment error as there was potential for the collar to rotate during adjustment. The integrated coil-over system is standard in motorsports because every turn of the ride height adjuster results in an accurate, repeatable spring preload. Pervious adjustment equaled 0.125” of vertical movement per turn; the new coil-over system in 0.100” per turn.

• Added self-locking hardware to remove the complication and hassle of locking screws:
• The included Penske ride height adjusters include tool-free locking features to simplify adjustments. Adjusting ride height has been made easier by quickly unlocking and re-locking the adjuster without tools.