Is there a coilover that can be as "comfortable" as stock? I started to say soft but that doesn't include other factors, most that I no little about, like damping etc. I have 6 ruptured discs, I'm 48 yes old, and I just can't do a harsh ride no matter how good it handles. Is there a weight benefit for some vs a penalty on others like wheels? Thanks in advance.
How much are you wanting to spend?
If you want to lower the car, the spring rates are going to have to increase to keep the car from crashing off the bump stops at every bump.
What are you trying to accomplish (just lower the car a bit)? What are you willing to spend?
I thought that the FM Vmax coilovers road very well for daily use, but I am also 23 so ymmv. You might be better off putting some nice dampers and swaybars on if you want a nice ride + improved handling.
As the others said, what do you want to accomplish with the coilovers? Are you looking for a general suspension upgrade, do you want to slam the car, be able to corner weight it?
If you just want to get the shocks back to functioning (assuming you have the usual worn stock shocks), just grab a set of good shocks that work with the stock springs. For example, a set of Konis.
I've had the FM VMaxx Classics and they seemed to work well (I've got a bad back, but not to the extent you have), right now my NA is rocking an FM Koni + springs + sways kit and that's also fine.
I might go FM Fox coilovers on the NA that's waiting in the wings if I feel particularly flush.
This post is not sponsored by FM.
I only want to do it once, so I'm willing to save for the right ones. I dont WANT it lower, but if that works better for handling it is an option. I'm mostly wanting the best compromise between fun daily driver and an autox/HPDE track day tool. I understand some coilovers lower without compressing the springs, but also am aware that that may reduce travel which I've read is bad. I need more load carrying capacity in the back occasionally, but dont want 10,000 pound springs 7 days a week and thought coilovers would give me the adjustability to have a softer ride during the week and crank the springs for a track day or if I have to haul something.
The general consensus is that Xidas or FM Fox are really the best all around coilover. Sure, they’re a bit pricey relative to Vmaxx, but fora DD, I’ve heard they’re worth saving for. Personally, I’m trying to decide between the Vmaxx and Koni/FM right now but my commute is short, any trips longer than an hour are happily soaked up by my partner’s Sentra, and I always have my beater civic
You'd have to pull the coilovers and physically change the springs to get different rates.
The collars are there to provide the ability to adjust the height and corner weight.
Justjim75 said:thought coilovers would give me the adjustability to have a softer ride during the week and crank the springs for a track day or if I have to haul something.
This is generally not how they work- the adjustable spring perch is used for setting the ride height, unless you're talking about taking the coilovers off the car and swapping springs.
For your use, I'd recommend a set of Koni Sports (adjustable damping) and new bumpstops. Stock springs.
There's a lot of misunderstanding out there about how coilovers work and what effect spring preload will have. Some of it is propogated by the vendors of coilovers.
The spring rate is NOT affected by changing the preload, so coilovers do not give you the ability to turn a perch and suddenly have high spring rates. Coilovers give you three attributes:
- the ability to use a generic spring size
- the ability to adjust ride height by moving the perch up and down
- the ability to cornerweight the car
That's it. Not change spring rate. Some of them will use a two-piece setup that combines a generic shock insert with a vehicle-specific adapter, and that's where the marketing starts to overwhelm the engineering. These two-piece setups have less total shaft travel so you lose travel overall if you're in a tight packaging situation like the rear of a Miata. They allow you to trade off your compression versus your droop travel, but it's not a feature, it's a bug. You're having to choose if you want to sacrifice either compression or droop travel, while a one-piece shock (like the Xida, Fox or V-Maxx) gives you the most overall travel.
Justjim75, you're getting good advice about non-coilover setups. Stock springs with Konis and a set of sway bars work very well. If you want more performance without punishment, the FM springs on Konis are what I'd suggest.
Is it possible to increase load carrying capacity (by a couple hundred pounds) temporarily without using air bags/shocks for things like a hitch rack with track day wheels and tires or would I have to just put springs on with a higher rate and deal with it when there is no extra weight?
Do most agree the shock and spring suggestion mentioned above are still a comfortable ride?
And thank you a for clearing up my misunderstanding of coilovers. I thought you could just crank a threaded collar and make them stiffer, then wind it back down for a softer ride.
Justjim75 said:Is it possible to increase load carrying capacity (by a couple hundred pounds) temporarily without using air bags/shocks for things like a hitch rack with track day wheels and tires or would I have to just put springs on with a higher rate and deal with it when there is no extra weight?
You'd be better served with a small tire trailer, I think. A hitch rack with a set of tires is a fairly significant weight cantilevered out over the back. A properly set up trailer will only have about 10-15% as much weight on the back of the car. Plus then it's easier to bring a jack and tools to change the tires!
That doesn't address the 50 to 75 pounds of tools I drag all over the great (football) state of Alabama on the regular. And yes, the handling is noticeably different. I thought about just doing the Hard S springs, big front sway bar, and the extended bumpstops. Yes, getting a small trailer sounds like the way to go but it's hard to do with a big trailer in the yard already that I pull with my Bronco. Theres a neat fiberglass motorcycle trailer close by on CL, and with a homebuilt rack I could haul mountain bikes and canoes too.
Most likely will get the VMAXX's and be done with it tho. Grip is ADDICTIVE AS HELL
Get the swaybars as well - the combination really transforms the handling (IMHO) without making the whole car too stiff.
Just to add another data point, I have VMaxx Classics on my daily driven MSM and really like how they ride. Good improvement in handling over stock but smooth enough that my wife will still ride with me. I stayed with the stock sway bars, since they’re already larger than standard NB sways.
If you wanted to install something insane, there are electronically controlled dampers for the Miata that are capable of a dramatically more comfortable ride: https://supermiata.com/Xida-ACE-coilover-miata.aspx
They're also over $4,000. :P
Other than that, I'd just consider a good set of shocks and possibly extended progressive bump stops so bottoming out doesn't hurt your back as much. When Mr. Flyin' Miata himself isn't recommending the Fox shocks with soft springs, that's truly saying you don't need much.
I just installed a set of Xida GS a few weeks ago and they’re really, really nice. Worth every penny for a mixed street/track/autox car IMO.
I think Xidas cost more than I have in my whole car, lol. But if it means saving and only buying one set it may be the route i take. Especially if i can get by with bump stops and sways for now
Xidas. I went the DIY route using a set of MSM Bilsteins. Had a few mis-steps along the way and now I'm $800 into my "cheap" suspension setup. I should've just bought Xidas, would've saved a ton of time and had a much better suspension.
Don't discount something simple like Koni Yellows and slightly stiffer springs with adjustable perches if necessary. I'm personally in love with my rallycross setup which is just that run at stock height. I autocross it this way as well as driving it all over. It soaks up everything the world can throw at it and is beautifully balanced. It could be faster if it was lower (probably) but I don't think it could be more fun.
In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
Yeah, but what do all the people suggesting Konis in this thread know about suspension?
Justjim75 said:And thank you a for clearing up my misunderstanding of coilovers. I thought you could just crank a threaded collar and make them stiffer, then wind it back down for a softer ride.
Many coilover setups have damping adjustments on the shocks. By turning it up or down, you can make the suspension feel more or less stiff. I don’t have experience with the other setups, but it seems to be a useful feature on the Xidas. You can crank damping up a bit and have less body roll on initial turn-in. On long sweeping turns, it probably doesn’t make much difference.
Thanks yall
ShinnyGroove said:Justjim75 said:And thank you a for clearing up my misunderstanding of coilovers. I thought you could just crank a threaded collar and make them stiffer, then wind it back down for a softer ride.
Many coilover setups have damping adjustments on the shocks. By turning it up or down, you can make the suspension feel more or less stiff. I don’t have experience with the other setups, but it seems to be a useful feature on the Xidas. You can crank damping up a bit and have less body roll on initial turn-in. On long sweeping turns, it probably doesn’t make much difference.
Damping adjustment is a function of the shock choice, nothing to do with “coilovers”. The Koni yellows mentioned previously have adjustable damping, the orange Koni STR.t do not.
As noted, damping is a transient thing. It will not increase the ability of the car to carry a heavier load without sagging. It may affect turn-in depending on how the shock is valved. It’s also an important part of controlling the springs.
A lot of people equate a high level of damping with performance, but in reality it often means a busier ride that feels harsher.
You'll need to log in to post.
