Amigos

It's black - it is just a basic standard damper that came with the car.

I've now driven 1500 miles since the Eibach springs were fitted, and I'm very satisfied with the new height. I seem to be driving it more now for some reason! However, I think one of the front shock absorbers is leaking a bit now (it's going into the local garage on Monday to check). If it is the shock absorber, is it OK to get the standard Mazda product replacement, or is it not really suitable now with the lower springs? MX5 Parts sell the standard part, but they say it fits convertible Mk3 models (2005-2008) with standard suspension and 16" wheels only. http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/shock-absorber-front-p-2321.html So will I have to get a more expensive shock absorber now (such as Bilstein B6 or Koni Sport)? If so, do you recommend any brand in particular? And if I get new front shock absorbers (I assume I need to replace both?), do I then need to get another full re-alignment done?

The Eibach springs were fitted to my MX-5 last week and the re-alignment work carried out. I am very pleased with the new look, and also the handling seems more direct. The old 4x4 gap above the front wheels (in particular) has gone, and the car looks much better. It doesn’t look unusually low – it just looks appropriate for a sports car. I think it was money well spent, so thank you WIM.

Time changed to 12:00 for springs and 13:00 for geometry as we're driving up from Portsmouth and want to avoid the morning rush!

Sounds good. I've booked a slot with WIM for Monday 14th July to have the Eibach springs installed (lowering the car by 30mm front / 25mm rear) and to have the geometry reset. I understand the geo will be set to allow for the settling in period, so that it can all be done on the same day. I'm looking forward to seeing an end to the 4x4 look !

I have a 2007 Mazda MX-5 Mk.3 soft-top with 16†alloy wheels and Yokohama Advan A11A (205/50 R16 87V) tyres. I don’t have any issues with the road-holding capabilities (although I’m not much of an expert – and in the five years I have had the car, I’ve always thought the MX-5 was great in this respect anyway), but I’ve always thought the car looked a bit high (the 4x4 look with big gaps over the wheels). So I am considering getting the suspension lowered. This is mainly for the looks, and I don’t want to start worrying about too much the car bottoming out, etc. My local Mazda dealer say their blue springs to lower the car by 30mm (part number 4100-77-774A) will cost £184.99, and they want 2.5 hours labour costs (£261) on top. If I get them to fit these springs to my car, how long should I leave it before getting someone (WIM) to do a full wheel alignment afterwards? Or is there someone as good as WIM nearer to Portsmouth who could do it?