XIDA Gen2 700/400 Coilover Review
 

I've owned my MSM for a little over 6 years, during which time I've had a few setups. Obviously, most of us MSM guys started on the stock Billies and MSM springs. The first route I chose were the FM springs, which did not give me the ride height I wanted, but performed impressively. The second setup was a set of Raceland (laugh it up) Coilovers, which gave the height I wanted, but left performance to be desired. When a friend started working at a speed shop, he gave me a deal on a set of Tein FLEX 7kg/6kg Coilovers, which were a decent blend of both. I lived with this mentality for 3 years, but when I got the tuning done and doubled the stock power, I started looking at higher end setups like the Fat Cat Motorsports, FOX, AFCO (which are no longer around), and the XIDA. After a several month long mental struggle, the recent price drop on the XIDA coilovers sealed the deal. Let me tell you, they are a no compromise solution to both ride quality AND performance, and in the words of Donald Trump: "They made my Miata great again!"

The spring rates I went with are the 700/400, so to compare it to my TEINs fairly, here's a breakdown in lb/in for both

TEIN - 392/336
XIDA - 700/400
Ride height for both 4.25"f/4.5"r pinch weld to ground

Product Link - Xida coilovers Miata

What I found with the TEINs with their 32 points of adjustment, was that they were underdamped at low settings, but too stiff in the higher settings, and I did not find a medium ground that suited both. Now, this is to be expected with coilovers in the $900 range (though they were 1300 when I got them), and I am to blame for getting the 7/6 setup, which in retrospect is not the correct balance for our cars, but the dampers are what they are. I don't get to the track really, so most of my fun driving is on windy country roads, which are not paved as ideally as a track is. On lower settings, the TEINs were just too soft, and produced a lot of body roll. On higher settings, going over these bumps in the turns would make the car jump and shift over a few inches to the outside of the corner, and since I'm not doing rally racing, airtime was not what I wanted.

Fast forward to the XIDAs which have 20 points of adjustment. When I initially put them in, I left the shop at a setting of 3 front 2 rear. I have to say, I had the most comfortable ride home, with ride qualities resembling a luxurious BMW, and handling properties reminding me of the old FM Spring setup on the Bilsteins. I couldn't go home, I had to see what else these could do! I set the dampers to 8 front and 6 rear and drove further, now feeling a firmer ride, still with a very German solid feel, less roll when doing quick swerve manuevers, not a note of harshness. I upped the ante again, 12 front, 10 rear, and this is where I have left them since. Ride qualities are still incredible, the steering response is nuts, and grip even in yesterday's 60 degree weather during a night cruise did not make me feel like I was out on slicks, inspiring tons of confidence.

A friend who does tons of racing in his NA FM2 Miata with aero, who runs TEIN MonoFLEX 10kg/8kg (that's 560/448in/lb) did my alignment on the car and was very impressed with how they performed, though being a good friend he did not push my car. Last night I decided to take him out, and took him over a local bridge that has absolutely horrid joints. We went over the joint at 30mph, feeling little discomfort, and my friend telling me how his TEINs would break his spine every time going over the same bridge. Taking corners, the car felt absolutely composed, soaking up all of the imperfections in the road, responding crisply to sharp inputs, and my favorite test, the "last second pothole swerve", was just beastly. An hour later, we took the same bridge home at 40mph, again, incomparable to the TEIN setup I grew to like over the last 3 years.

I will update this with track impressions when I get out there in the spring, but WOW is the quickest way I can think of to describe this setup. Despite the stiffer spring rates, the ride quality seems to have done a complete 180* turn, while the handling properties seem to have exponentially improved as well. I think this is particularly due to the Tractive dampers which seem to soak up almost any road imperfections, and taking the bumpy kind of turns I encounter almost effortlessly, with only the deepest potholes causing any trouble. I know these are a $2,000 setup and not in everyone's budget. I know that suspension alone will not improve lap times, and I am fully capable of admitting that my buddy with his TEIN setup and 100whp less than myself, will still run laps around me on the track. However, if you're on the fence about buying this setup, it's all people say it is and more. For the 2 weeks I was waiting for this setup to ship, I was creating expectations in my head, and when I got the coilovers, for some reason, I did not think my expectations would be met. I'm happy to say that my expectations have been XIDA'd (hahaha), and it is yet another product from 949Racing that is a staple in the Miata community.

I want this now

Nice review.

One thing - can you define ride quality? does it mean ride comfort?
Cause ride comfort between xida and fm/tokico and fatcat billies has been identical each and every time I've compared. Emilio and Sav both told me it's some heavenly experience which will spoil all others for me, I disagree, and drove all 3 back to back to prove it to myself. Got gen2 xidas in my back yard right now actually.

The performance part of it though, is just as good as everyone says it is. A newb driver like me definitely wouldn't find their limit any time soon :D

Ride quality does mean ride comfort, but also how the suspension can move at the intermediate damping settings and soak up the bumps in the road while still being stiff enough to maintain low body roll under hard cornering. This makes both cruising and "cruising" a pleasurable experience. I can go much faster through certain sections of road than I could before because the bumps don't disturb the balance of the car. The TEINs in the middle of the adjustment range were too soft (again, spring rates play into this), but the same bumps would jarr the car and you could feel the jump over bumps. A good comparison would be that the TEINs were stiff, whereas these are firm, if that makes sense.

I never had the FM springs on Tokicos, but that setup lacks the adjustability of the XIDA. The FCM I hear have great ride qualities, but they are damped more to a specific spring, making future upgrades a bit harder to do without re-valving, and also use heavy and older tech Bilstein shocks. How this translates to lap times I don't know, but I think the FCMs I priced out were more expensive than the XIDAs, and for me, getting in touch with FCM has been difficult. One other thing is that Emilio emailed back and forth with me for no charge helping me nail down the spring rates for my car. FCM charges consultation fees which you lose if you ultimately go somewhere else.

I think the difference is more apparent when you compare them to budget coilovers like the BC, Stance, Megan, some TEIN stuff, etc. Once you get into the higher priced stuff, we're probably talking about marginal differences. I have always been impressed at the performance of a good coil/shock setup compared to coilovers, you can get very good results for less money if you fore-go the adjustability.

Send them to me, I'll give you a review on ride quality.My take is this: from what everyone hase said I was expecting stock like ride comfort. It's not that. It's stiff, but not harsh. Like a really hard pillow.

Yep, agreed on that :)
The tokico seems to be the closest to "stock-like soft" in that regard. But Most don't care about comfort so most don't care.

There is sports car comfort and luxury comfort. You will never have an 70s cadilac boat comfy suspension with stuff springs. I bet xidas with some stock stiffness springs would be heavenly.

I'll still take those xidas and give you a better review. I have a lifted wrangler and a lifted 72 f100 to compare to.

haha

overdamped/undersprung won't be heavenly. Have you driven an 04-07 sti? bleh

Fine, showas and cut springs for you. Gimme the xidas anyways, you don't need em ;)

AWWWWWWWWWWWWW

YISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

:noob:

I patiently await your package

Bah! I am trying to save money! Stop! Xidas are a year or two out still. Have other things I need to do first.

Try an 09-14 Honda Fit. Under sprung, too much compression damping and not enough rebound. What a mess.

Mazdaspeeder: nice rundown :bigtu:

I will say that the worst thing I've done in a while was ride in @turbofan's NB with the XIDAs on public streets while he was down here for Miatas@MRLS. Worst because now I really really want a set. :vash:

Fast forward and xidas should never be in the same sentence. :giggle:

Nice review. I also struggled with never finding the correct setting for tein flex on the street.

Same. I had edfc in the car and would play with the settings quite a bit searching for the golden settings.

I will say: It's reviews like these that left me disappointed in the Xidas ride quality.

700/400 springs on my car. I run them full soft on the street, and it's acceptable but very firm. I've driven quite a few BMWs lately, and unless you're talking about an E46 M3 (which still rides better IMO) this doesn't feel anything luxurious like a BMW. It is a firm, race suspension. It's satisfactory for daily driving if you're OK with a very firm ride.

I think the magic of the street ride on the Xidas is that they're very firm, but never harsh. Big bumps don't do a damned thing, it's unbelievable. But don't buy them thinking they're going to ride smoother than stock shocks (another line I've seen regarding this setup). They DO offer MUCH better handling than stock shocks while still offering an acceptable ride, but my FCM billies were far more comfortable on the street (and floppy all over on the track).

No regrets here, after spending more time in the car. But for any reading who are thinking of buying these... they're still firm, yo. If you're building a daily, ride in a car with these on it before you buy them.

THANK YOU!!!

I'm so glad people are finally starting to post up realistic reviews.

Perhaps we can chalk that up to a difference in preference. IMO, for 700/400 springs, they ride amazingly well, they are firm, but never harsh IMO. Emilio does recommend softer springs for a more comfort oriented setup.

"For a mostly daily driver that only sees occasional autocross or track use, 550/350 if using ultra high performance 205/50 street tires. If ride quality is priority number one, 450/300 rates. 450/300 will not be enough spring to run low ride heights with high grip tires. Either run above 5" front pinch weld or 300+ treadwear 205's for 450/300. LSx V8 conversions use the same guildelines. Small block Ford conversion, add 100# front and 50# rear to each recommendation. If you are still not sure, give us a call. We'll get the system matched exactly to your needs."

Don't forget to mention springs. Because that is a huge part of it. Run softer springs get softer ride.

Right, I realize that. But your initial review said, and I quote:

That's a long ways different than what I experienced. YES, they do ride exceptionally well CONSIDERING the spring rates. YES, they do ride exceptionally well CONSIDERING their performance potential.

They don't ride ANYTHING LIKE a luxurious BMW. They DO have excellent damping characteristics that give the car a very solid feel. But something your review--and other similar reviews--leave out, is that these are still race shocks and race spring rates, and are still very firm. You won't be confusing it with a luxury car.

Unless their quality control totally blows and your shocks are completely different from mine (not likely).

I'm sure we have the same shocks, maybe our butts feel differently. Yes, they are firmer than stock, but they do remind me of my friend's 335i in how they handle bumps, you can tell you've hit it, but its a firm bump, not a jarring one. Maybe the 335i is not a "luxury" BMW, but it's still a very comfy car to ride in.

Aidan, I feel like it's not really relevant to mention softer springs if I'm writing a review -- I have only driven on the stiff springs.

Mazdaspeeder, essentially it seems you're saying "they feel like high-quality shocks." That's not a surprise -- they are high-quality shocks.

I dunno. This suspension isn't comfortable on an ultimate scale. It's definitely comfortable compared to other race suspension. which is sortof the point. I'm very happy with them, but I really wasn't super happy with them until I got on the track and realized HOLY SHIT the ride is decent and they perform like this on the track? Yes, much win.

I have no problem with saying they've got great ride quality as long as the qualifier "for race shocks on stiff springs" is included. and through your clarification, I understand what you're saying. But most people would read your initial post and say "Wow, BMW comfort, racecar handling! Magic!" and that's simply not the case.

They are FANTASTIC shocks. I love them, and absolutely would buy them again.... with tempered expectations in terms of ride comfort.

I had experience with a cheap set of dampers on comparable spring rates before the xidas, and that is where the ride comfort comment from folks come from. After putting these on the miata I will never cheap out on suspension again. So absolutely the ride comfort comment should include "for a race suspension" but its still impressive. On the street with the dampers set full soft the car feels solid but never harsh, and I don't have a cushion in my race seat. I prefer the feel of a stiff suspension anyway, I cant stand vehicles that wallow around the road.

Drop to 450/300 and I'm sure the ride would be more BMW like. Anyway you slice it, 700/400 is race spring rates. Then again, anything less that 550 is too soft for most tracks.

I was debating going between the 800/500 and the 700/400, but emilio said that if I went on bumpy tracks (or in this case country roads) to stick with the 700/400. Now that I've experienced it, I think the 800/500 would have been able to soak up the bumps as well, and still been way more comfortable than my last coils.

We installed my old Teins on a buddy's car yesterday, an 02 SE. The 7/6 spring rates were much better in his car, we softened the dampers and they work rather well with his 205/50/15 Rival 200tw.

If I ever make it up to Philly, could I get a ride?

Absolutely. Maduh from Chicago, IL has had a ride, you're way closer. Do it up!

Way late on this but 450/300 springs may not be more comfortable with ride heights at 4.25". Being on the bump stops all the time is not what I call comfortable. Maybe at stock ride heights.

Just saying, you wanna be that low, you gotta have the spring. And when you have that much spring you'd better have a damper that can control the spring.

Correct, they actually say to run 5" or more at the front pinch weld with those rates.

I chose 750/450 rates on my car, and mostly drive imperfect surface twisty mountain roads.

At full soft, with soft sidewall 185 snow tires, the ride is honestly comfier than oem.

At full soft, with 205 RE71R on 8 inch rims, the ride is significantly more harsh, but doesn't rattle my spine or head over rough pavement. (talking like two inch or more bumps/hard undulations)

The highest setting I've driven on is 16 clicks front and rear. I don't dare go any higher on the street. IT WAS HELL. It was so harsh and bumpy, I was getting woosy. I could only bare it for a couple miles, and the road was actually pretty smooth.

Ha. Yeah. I run 10 clicks in on the track and it feels great. Always full soft on the street.

When I was at Miatas at MRLS I asked Andrew at TSE how I know what stiffness to run. He said it's fastest to run the softest setting that still prevents wallowing, so that's what I went for.

I am running XIDAs at 800/500 with helper springs on 15x9" 6UL, 225/45-15 Hankook RS3. I have the full "big grip" package with sways etc.

At full soft, it is very firm compared to stock (duh) but perfectly fine on the street as long as the roads weren't too bad. I drove from Chicago to near Atlanta Georgia on them and my girlfriend never complained after 400 miles of driving when I got down there.

In retrospect I wish I would have bought the 700/450 (or 400?) setup instead as my car is mostly a daily driver. I would be happy to trade a little bleeding edge performance for a bit nicer ride.

I talked to Emelio about my car before buying but I might not have been clear enough about how much I drive the car on the street. My desire to take the car to the track relies on me putting a bar, seat, and belts in and that's not happening for some time.

That's interesting. When I emailed him, I told him it would be primarily a track and autox car, but needs to still be streetable for weekend use, and would be running 225 RS3 (or equivalent) tires, and he recommended 700/400 for a full interior NB.

Very happy with that choice. Would not want stiffer.

I doubt you speak the hole truth.

Ed likes it soft.

Must have soft. Can't take it hard.

Spent about 2 hours in the car today. I dooooo loves me this suspension. Yes it's firm but it does ride very very nicely. Stock S2k still rides considerably more comfortably but less control too.

If you get steady-state chattering in a corner, you need to up the damping. You may not run into this on street tires.

What's the cause of that chattering symptom? I noticed it on gen1 & 2.

Not enough dampening... :fawk:

Yeah I thought that the explanation was obvious.

You experienced it on Gen 1 & 2 because the owners of those shocks (myself included) didn't understand what was happening in the corner. For me, switching from RS3's to Toyo RR's is when I noticed the chattering. Specifically in T12 at PIR. I mentioned it to Eddie, who enlightened me as to what was happening. Upping the stiffness two clicks took care of it.

Edit: to be completely, absolutely clear, this is a brand-independent phenomenon. It has nothing to do with it being Xida's or Afco's or Fatcats or MCS. It has everything to do with the damping being set too low for the grip the tires are producing. The oscillation occurs because the damping isn't high enough. Adjusting the dampers to be stiffer fixes it. New dampers are not required unless you raceland bro.

Sorry. Let me rephrase that. What exactly is occurring? Is the tire skipping up and down very quickly?

That is my understanding, yes.

Coo. I haven't experienced that sensation since but it's nice to know what it was and how to tune accordingly.