Mazda MX5 NC Ideal ride height.

[Colin King]

I've had the standard 'Sport' set up on which I did not like at all. Swapped the ARBS to the ILMotorsport ones (with rose joint drop links). Which improved things but still didnt stop the body roll on fast tight bends. So I fitted the Eibach springs onto the Billies and dropped the car. Still rolls and feels underdamped - also it just catchs speed bumps underneath when they are short, sharp ones. So I've decided to do the job properly with height adjustable Meister-R shockers and increase the ride height slightly. Current figures are a bit lower than I expected anyway - Left Front = 340mm, Right Front = 340mm, Left Rear = 335mm, Right Rear = 345mm. All figures taken from centre of the wheel to top of wheel arch. If I stick 10mm on the front will that be ok? And which rear figure should I stick 10mm on...or has the whole lot settled oddly?

 

Thanks Guys

 

Cheers Col

[joeB12]

The ideal ride height to achieve the optimum geometry set-up is 345mm front and rear. That being said, it can go 10-15mm lower, which still enables us to achieve a 'fast road' setting and remains practical. Personally I wouldn't go any higher than 345mm if body roll is already an issue. 

Joe

[Colin King]

Thanks. I was hoping to go to 350mm with the coil overs. I've been out in a car with these dampers on and it corners virtually flat. What happens with mine is all the weight seems to transfer to whichever is the outside rear wheel which then causes the tyre to skip/grip etc whilst the DSC kicks in because of it. Very annoying. Tyres are Avon ZZR3s which should be well up to the job when warmed up.

 

Cheers Col

 

P.S When are you opening a Northern franchise

[steveh]

My experience with MeisterRs on my MX5 mk 3.5 is that you can probably go to nearly the previous ride height that you had on lowering coils and not have the same grounding issues. I'm at 330-340 corner weighted, the chassis no longer dives/bounces as much as it did when you come off the bump.

[Colin King]

Cheers. It's driving me up the wall at the moment - the Eibach/Billie combo is so bouncy it's untrue. That with the corner at 335mm is enough to scrape on loads of things. Some of the MX5OC runs have had the middle grounding out on steeply cambered single track roads as well. I'll go for the 345mm at each corner and see how it goes...it can't be any worse

 

Cheers Col

[Tony]

As said 345mm f/r is ideal for the roll center...... My questions are, what damper clicks do you have f/r and has the geometry been calibrated?

[Colin King]

Just about to swap out the original Bilstein/Eibach combo for the Meister R set up. Just wanting to make sure I got the ride height right to stop removing metal from underneath the car! I've been advised to go at about 12 clicks (from 32) when the Meister R go on. Geometry has been set at figures I got from you (thanks again) a few years ago and as long as I get the same technician at North Eastern Tyres and Exhausts in York I'm fine as he seems to hit all the figures held in the db for my car exactly everytime. The problems I'm having are with the old set up.

 

Thanks for all your help.

 

Cheers Col

[Tony]

Your welcome.