[DK wolf]

kyb lul.. ride quality is awesome. :woolery:

let me rephrase that... i personally like it.. -.-
might be a tad "rough" for older backs i guess, but its got a nice planted feeling

 

[stormin'norman]

let me rephrase that... i personally like it.. -.-
might be a tad "rough" for older backs i guess, but its got a nice planted feeling

I'm wasn't referring to comfort. I'm no stranger of an uncomfortable ride.

 

[daftIntrovert]

I love FM, but I don't love lowering springs. A real threaded coilover system will always beat short springs in ride quality.

What if said lowering springs are paired with a set of good adjustable dampers? At that point all you're gaining with a real threaded coilover system is ride height adjustability. Most people set their ride height once and never bother with it again. Lowering springs on non-adjustable shocks, then I'll agree with you. I went that route on my MSM and regretted it (though on the MSM bilsteins it wasn't that bad).

anything 12" or over is quite practical. You can get over speed bumps slowly without scraping, unless you're heavy, have a heavy passenger, or the speed bump is an absolute monster.

H&R race springs + MSM bilsteins = 12.0" front, 12.25" rear

IMO, if you want it to look good at a practical ride height, steer clear of 13s or even 14s. 15s are where it's at, maybe even 16s on an NB depending on the look you're going for.

here's a pic at that same ride height on the MSM 17s:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4471008765_5bbab10bbb_b.jpg

 

[avantcore]

IMO, if you want it to look good at a practical ride height, steer clear of 13s or even 14s. 15s are where it's at, maybe even 16s on an NB depending on the look you're going for.

Although I wasn't aware this was the answer I was looking for, when I read it, it clicked. Part of what I was subconsciously pondering was if 13x8's would still look good not slammed and with shown pictures and the above great statement I fully agree the wheel gap is hideous and hinders the cars look with 13's with not being really low.

Daft, what size wheels are on the red NB at that height? I am thinking maybe I should reconsider buying an NA since I cannot drop it really low and should perhaps purchase an NB since they seem to be more appealing at less extreme heights.

Sidenote: I should probably add that the reason I was started this thread was mainly to help me decide on buying an NA or NB Miata (just so that people don't think I am a ricer or something of the sort), I am just very, very fickle about minute details of cars such as bad wheel gap or crude atenna placement of the early 90's on many cars (it takes away from a cars lines and throws everything off).

Thanks

 

[stormin'norman]

Daft, what size wheels are on the red NB at that height?

15's

 

[daftIntrovert]

Although I wasn't aware this was the answer I was looking for, when I read it, it clicked. Part of what I was subconsciously pondering was if 13x8's would still look good not slammed and with shown pictures and the above great statement I fully agree the wheel gap is hideous and hinders the cars look with 13's with not being really low.

It's all about the right ratio of wheel gap to sidewall height. The sidewall to wheel gap ratio was much better when I ran the 15s on my MSM due to the big sidewalls of 205/50 tires, which made it look lower even though there was a little more wheel gap than with the stock 17s.

 

[Massey Ferguson]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned spring rates. The higher the rates you are willing to run, the lower you can run the car without the geometry going nuts and hitting the bump-stops.

Also, if you are running FM springs or the like, it helps (on an NA) to use NB or FM tophats to get a little more travel.

In MY particular case, the ride height is controlled by the fact that in very hard cornering, the car is very close to the bumpstops (and flat scours the inner fenders on roads like the Snake and the Dragon), and a small bump mid-corner (near the limit) can cause bad things to happen. I'm at 12.5, F&R, with 15x8 and FM bumps and tophats.

So, I guess it depends on what "practical" is to you.

 

[stormin'norman]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned spring rates. The higher the rates you are willing to run, the lower you can run the car without the geometry going nuts and hitting the bump-stops.

I agree with the spring rate statement helping to keep you off the stops but I don't see how stiffer rates are going to help in preserving the original suspension geometry. Lowering the car will alter the angle of the control arms etc.. whether your on soft Racelands or using 700/350 lb sm Eibachs.

 

[Massey Ferguson]

I agree with the spring rate statement helping to keep you off the stops but I don't see how stiffer rates are going to help in preserving the original suspension geometry. Lowering the car will alter the angle of the control arms etc.. whether your on soft Racelands or using 700/350 lb sm Eibachs.

It won't help the static geometry, but the real problem occurs under load... The stiffer springs don't allow as much compression where the geometry gets screwy, so you maintain your static settings/geometry under higher cornering loads. This is one of the biggest reasons uber-high spring rates are used in autocross. My background is in racing VW's, and this was the only way you could lower the CG and still control the insane roll axis.

 

[stormin'norman]

Ah ok that seems logical. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[nannerpus]

And consider that the increased leverage that more extreme static control arm angles have is effectively counteracted by increased spring rate. Also I'd wager that a Miata with near-stock spring rates at stock ride height is going to spend more time in the unfavorable range of its suspension travel than one with 550/350 springs and big sways at 12".

 

[emmi]

another firm believer of 12"

 

[VagaXt]

another firm believer of 12"

Blasphemy. 11.5" or die.

 

[revlimiter]

I'm loving these 12" cars. That's where I'm going next.

 

[falcon]

I have found that from the bottom of the pinch weld to the ground, 4.25F and 4.5R work excellent for me on the track. Running 15x7 w/ 205 R888's. Control arms are JUST slightly on a upward angle. But if you have a proper alignment for that height there is nothing wrong with it. And I DD at that height to without issues on shitty Vancouver roads.

 

[theshdwconspracy]

So I read through all this **** to find out he doesn't own a miata. We should lock this

 

[Miatadam]

I'm loving these 12" inside cars. That's where I'm going next.

That's what she said.

 

[Doppelganger]

I'm running 11.25/11.75 w/12k f and 8k r springs. The problem for me is the added bracing on the 01+ sport suspension cars..which I have. It sits about 2" off the ground and scrapes on everything. Same for the rear bracing.

 

[Verwah]

 

[ABNB]

^
And your ride height is?
Which suspension?