exocet offroad

I also loved the video, it gave me so many good ideas! Not sure why this struck me, as I've seen dozens of Mistas rallycorss, but it did. Probably the tires. I do love big tires.

What is the benefit of dual shocks on the long travel suspension? Seems like it would be cheaper and less complicated to use a high quality single shock.

EvanB wrote: What is the benefit of dual shocks on the long travel suspension? Seems like it would be cheaper and less complicated to use a high quality single shock.

The only real reason to use dual shocks is if you can't run a large enough single shock to prevent overheating. Running 2 softer valved shocks will make it harder to overheat / fade the shocks. With something the weight of a Miata, I'd be surprised if there's ever a real need for dual shocks.

Am I the only guy who thought that the video was lame? Not the car, but the video. When did a bit of wallowing in the mud at 10-20 MPH with a way-too-stiff suspension become awesome?

I think it was mostly because Mark at Paco got a little carried away

I may have posted this already in this thread, but this thing hits me dead center. I've been tossing around the idea of a small off-road buggy that used Miata parts. And here it is. It's not like I need another vehicle. But man.

The look of the car from a low front angle is excellent.

Kreb wrote: Am I the only guy who thought that the video was lame? Not the car, but the video. When did a bit of wallowing in the mud at 10-20 MPH with a way-too-stiff suspension become awesome?

Sorry, I forgot the generic rock and roll overdub to make it appeal to the older demographic. I will give you a full refund on your time.

Please reference earlier post about internet commenters. You got mud because it's mud season on the Western Slope of Colorado. Sand dunes are not an option.

Keith Tanner wrote: In the video, we simply swapped out the tires and threw on the lift kit brackets. The suspension was as used on Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Yes, it was too stiff. It was still fun though, and I could have it back in racetrack mode in an hour

Not that I'm in the market for real, but being able to swap from track to off road in an hour seems quite reasonable.

No need for a re-alignment during that?

Not really. I'm going on the assumption that alignment isn't all that critical offroad. With the lift kit, it lost some camber (about 1.5 degrees) and the toe changed slightly. That's all due to the increased static ride height, the alignment adjusters don't need to be moved.

I'd align it for the track work and then just let the big tires smoosh around when it's tall.

Depending on what you're doing off-road, the changes in alignment may or may not matter. You'll probably need less camber than a track setup anyway, so depending on what the toe does, you can likely get away with not changing the alignment.

Keith Tanner wrote: Could the long travel setup work well on the pavement?

its can get a bit squirrely but the super stadium truck guys still manage

Are there any pictures of a big tire Miata out there yet? Google searching only finds me the one that was for sale on here last spring.

This one is equipped with the same lift we put on the Exocet. 29" tires, I believe. Not the same car as above.

Don't know anything about this one.

Keith Tanner wrote: This one is equipped with the same lift we put on the Exocet. 29" tires, I believe. Not the same car as above.

That settles it. I want this!

Keith Tanner wrote: Don't know anything about this one.

For some reason this looks like a Suzuki X90 to me. In a good way.

Of course this breaks just AFTER I sold my Miata and just BEFORE they are going to get super expensive again.

I don't have any experience with pneumatic suspensions, but it sure would be cool to be able to dial in ride height on the fly in conjunction with this setup. Hunker down on the street and jack it up off road.