havoc1 Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Hi, I have a 2002 Mazda MX-5 S-VT with 50k miles on the clock. BEGi turbo kit; Autoexe front and rear braces, Boss Frog door bars and frog ribs, Carbing upper 3 point strut brace, frame rails, roll bar. Car currently rides on KYB AGXs and Koni lowering springs, but have Gaz Gold Pros on order. I intend to lower the Gazs by 30mm, to the usual MX-5 recommended heights. The car runs 20mm spacers per side front and rear, and runs on stock 16" wheels with 205/45 tires. The car currently feels 'baggy'. It runs on KYB AGXs, Koni lowered springs, and FM anti-roll bars. Along with fitting the Gazs I'm convinced the car would benefit from being re-bushed. My question is, should I go for OEM bushes or poly? The roads where I live are really bad and part of the motivation for new suspension is for a better ride. I want the car to feel more accurate, but I'm wary of slapping on poly bushes and getting beaten up. What bushes do you recommend, given the above? Thanks Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hms Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Hi, I have a 2002 Mazda MX-5 S-VT with 50k miles on the clock. BEGi turbo kit; Autoexe front and rear braces, Boss Frog door bars and frog ribs, Carbing upper 3 point strut brace, frame rails, roll bar. Car currently rides on KYB AGXs and Koni lowering springs, but have Gaz Gold Pros on order. I intend to lower the Gazs by 30mm, to the usual MX-5 recommended heights. The car runs 20mm spacers per side front and rear, and runs on stock 16" wheels with 205/45 tires. The car currently feels 'baggy'. It runs on KYB AGXs, Koni lowered springs, and FM anti-roll bars. Along with fitting the Gazs I'm convinced the car would benefit from being re-bushed. My question is, should I go for OEM bushes or poly? The roads where I live are really bad and part of the motivation for new suspension is for a better ride. I want the car to feel more accurate, but I'm wary of slapping on poly bushes and getting beaten up. What bushes do you recommend, given the above? Thanks Mark I'd do the suspension changes first, see what difference that makes. Do the bushes look as though they need replacement? Personally I wouldn't run with spacers. Have you tried the car on 15" wheels? 195 x 50's Oh and get a proper alignment from WIM! (That will make a world of difference) Some nice bits on your car, currently looking for an s-vt, Arizona, Phoenix or Euphonic, for the lsd. H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havoc1 Posted October 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 The state of the different bushes does vary a fair bit, but IIRC the lower inner ones on the front look kinda ripped. I actually have a 2000 Icon with 15s that I could switch over but I admit I so much prefer the look of the 16s that they are going to stay. Got the car aligned just last week, and it was done a couple of years ago. It does feel nice and stable at speed on the motorway, that's not in doubt, but the whole feel on a windy/bumpy road is just....sloppy. The 2000 Icon has better, pointy-er steering, it just feels nicer to drive (I realise part of this may be the 15s, but surely not all). Regarding bits. I've got a 3.6 LSD on the floor of my garage, to swap over with the 3.9 Torsen on the car currently. If you are looking for a LSD I could let you know once mine is for sale. Cheers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonybarber Posted October 21, 2011 Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 Mx-5 OE bushes are pretty bomb proof especially on that year, I would definately put the all the suspension components on as Howard sugested and with proper alignment see how it is! The powerflex two piece poly bush are normally a good choice, easier to maintain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hms Posted October 21, 2011 Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 The state of the different bushes does vary a fair bit, but IIRC the lower inner ones on the front look kinda ripped. I actually have a 2000 Icon with 15s that I could switch over but I admit I so much prefer the look of the 16s that they are going to stay. Got the car aligned just last week, and it was done a couple of years ago. It does feel nice and stable at speed on the motorway, that's not in doubt, but the whole feel on a windy/bumpy road is just....sloppy. The 2000 Icon has better, pointy-er steering, it just feels nicer to drive (I realise part of this may be the 15s, but surely not all). Regarding bits. I've got a 3.6 LSD on the floor of my garage, to swap over with the 3.9 Torsen on the car currently. If you are looking for a LSD I could let you know once mine is for sale. Cheers Mark Thanks, I'll keep looking for one that's fitted from new. Spanners and me no longer mix well! h Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 All our cars live most their life's in the realm of worn? Meaning components are good as new but not knackered either. The MX5 bushings are in my opinion indestructible whatever the age, they live in "worn" indefinitely. Personally i'm not keen on "Poly's" outside of racing where fractions of seconds mater between 1st and 2nd... They are expensive to fit, or at least time consuming, they destroy the ride and are high maintenance, squeaky little buggers. Get your suspension fitted... check the roll bar rubbers for slop and go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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