I agree. 100% happy with my NB, it’s the no frills roadster I always promised myself, and not too far away from the NA. The only thing I’ve done to it is swap out that great big ugly lump of a stereo unit for a vintage look radio.
The NC is different and I quite see the point of lowering that one a little.
Yes, You are right. The NC sits way to high on its springs… To look right they need to be lowered 30mm. Then the ‘gap’ around the wheel within the arch is ‘ uniform ‘ The egg shape gap disappears , And the car looks much better. Especially if the track is extended in width by 25mm spacers, My car sits nice and squat on its springs once lowered (above)
The whole procedure costs ( approximately ) £700 including parts, At W.I.M ( wheels in motion ) … Top class specialists. Ask for Joe He’s their boffin…It can all be done whilst you wait in their showrooms. Drink their coffee and read their Magazines etc, It does take about 4 hours + but the time goes quite quickly and you can watch the work being done from the observation area, ….or wander around the town ( nearby )
I agree with Saz about wheel spacers. They put increased loading on the wheel bearings and in effect make your suspension spring rate slightly lower as they increase the resultant leverage and hence force applied to the springs,
I have an nc2 sport tech ,and have already scraped the odd speed bump not to sure If lowering would make her less usable
Regarding the use of wheel spacers, anybody thinking of doing this should read this excellent article in the web page as accessed by this link:
3 Reasons Why You Should Not Fit Wheel Spacers To Your Car – Blog – Suspension Secrets
The website also gives some very clear descriptions of various suspension features including the fitting of coil overs with adjustable spring platforms etc. which many on here may find useful.
Yes, of course there is a change of the geometry when using wheel spacers But it’s not the spacer’s alone, Wide offset wheels put the same ( extra ) pressure on bearings Etc, But where do yo draw the line, There is very little bad news on the use of spacers and the detrimental effect on wheel bearings. Many people * probably many millions * of car owners ( world wide ) either put offset wheels or spacers on all kinds of cars not just MX5’s A whole industry works to produce and sell these products, I’ve got 25 MM spacers And if or when the wheel bearings wear out I will simply replace them. They are an external repair job and not particularly expensive…. I don’t believe a 25mm offset is particularly damaging except over several years, I’m sure others will disagree…. I’m sure the author of the article would….
Fitting spacers also change the distance the load coming from the tyre to the wishbone meaning that it will also change how the suspension behaves.
I guess its like buying new wheel with a different offset but cheaper.
Fair enough Ray. I was just trying to inform people of the possible effects of fitting wheel spacers. In some instances they can be a good thing such as, if the offset of wider/replacement wheels do not maintain the correct scrub angle, in which case wheel spacers may correct for this and maintain the correct scrub angle. Some of the negative effects may also be rectified by readjusting the suspension geometry to compensate.
@ First rider off,
I wasn’t criticising your post concerning wheel spacers. I actually agree with you that there is a risk of damage to standard suspension settings when using spacers Etc …. I’m just not sure that it’s a consideration that would put a block on the practice ( by myself ) of widening the standard track by using spacers, nor were you suggesting such …. I read the ‘enclosure’ you supplied on the subject of wheel spacers , and found it very informative…. Thanks …
Hi All, I am new to the MX5 OC having recently purchased a 2007 MK3 and I must say I find the whole suspension, springs, lowering subject fascinating but at the same time frustrating!
You all sound far more experienced than me and I very much appreciate all your Q&A.
I took this same original question to my local garage whom I’ve known for over 30 years and they recommended HSD Monopro Coilovers…. Are these any different and/or better in answering the original question here?
before you sway on any opinion I would have a read on this.
If its too technical for you my suggestion is to seek advice from a suspension specialist that deals with mx5’s.
Thanks for the speedy reply, great advice & much appreciated.
The main problems of spacers are probably:
A. Many of the spacer kits on the market are junk, using substandard parts, and people tend to look for the cheapest. Beware of what “TUV approved” actually means. The TUV on’t always get things right.
B. They are fitted incorrectly, either under-torqued, over-torqued (the euphemistic “FT”), or, if a generic spacer is used, they fit loosely over the hub and aren’t centred properly (the wheels are hub-centric, so should the spacers/shims).
No worries Ray. I speak from having a poor experience of using wheel spacers. Too many years ago I used to own a Davrian Mk1 (Hillman Imp running gear and chassis subframes). The car at the time had the original pretty narrow Imp Sport wheels and tyres that did not fill the arches and wanting to improve the appearance of the car I fitted wheel spacers to make it look more like the cars used in Production Sports Car racing. I only drove the car for about 10 miles before deciding to take them back off as the handling was awful. May have been as a result of the suspension design which was basically swing axle at the front. Anyway the car became very unstable and squirmy so they had to go! I later invested in some wider wheels which had the correct offsets to ensure the scrub angles remained as original.
Hi First rider, and Richard … Thanks for your message I am coming to the end of my motoring years now and hardly use my car. So for me it’s all about making my car ‘ look nice ‘ I clean it more than I drive it,
I had an Hilman Imp myself many years ago … light green …
Many of them had a hole in the back panel behind the rear seat ( Mostly cut out by the owner or the Garage ). The Imp was prone to leaking from an “inacceble” core plug on the side of the engine, and to save a very expensive job. They used to cut a hole in the rear bulkhead behind the rear seat and repaired the leak through the hole…. Of course Many imps didn’t need this work done. But just thought I’d mention it as a bit of superfluous info while the kettle is boiling, Take care And keep safe … happy new year to you
My schoolfriend’s Mum had such an Imp; a few months after the warranty ran out that plug let go. This was in the African summer, and she always tried to drive it like it wanted - foot-flat-fast, but at 5,000 feet altitude it had no go, just overheated.
So at sixteen and with driving licenses for only a few months, but having fixed several cars each already and armed with the proper service manual we sorted it, and cured the overheating - simple adjustments as per the manual.
Only when the engine etc was out on the drive did we realise it was not a warped cylinder head, and an easier way to fix it was through that bulkhead, so a hole was cut for next time. Fortunately she sold it soon after and bought a Mini instead.
Oops sorry drifting off-topic.
Very very true. The hub centric ring should be in place if the spacer is loose over the hub, ( Just a few quid extra, ). It takes up the slack and any ( slight ) movement that might occurs as the car is travelling, if It hits a bump The spacer cannot then move even the tiniest bit. Because the shim prevents it doing so…
It is therefore important to ask the Garage doing the work if the part is hub centric and if not “ will it be “ after the work is carried out, This all sounds daunting But don’t let it be of concern, It’s a very easy “none costly” remedy ! And will probably be done by any garage of repute, I go to W.I.M for any such Work. ( Wheels in Motion ) They are a leisurely 45 miles from my address in Essex, They are one of the best around, well worth the journey They use THE best products too, Ask to speak to their boffin JOE,
What a fantastic post, Bless you all, The hole in the rear bulkhead of the imp was an absolute best way to deal with water leaks or core plug issues, Sazz is too young to know about this so he is keeping very quiet. Bless you all. And have a good year 
Fantastic story
Thought I’d update this thread now i’ve fitted the lowering springs. (and done a few 100 miles)
On fitting the lowering springs I found the original shocks to still be in excellent condition, the bump stops were still “as new” , I did however replace the rear rubber shrouds around the top of the shocks.
(the original springs were also nearly “as new”).
The car now sit’s much better, and although only 30mm lower, makes the car look 6" lower than it did before.
I roughly set up the suspension using a cheap caster gauge (that I calibrated so it was more accurate), and 2 off 1 meter aluminium angle sections bolted to the hubs to set front and rear toe.
The car is completely transformed, roll is reduced by about 50%, the car feels much more connected to the road and it looks much better. It seems to miss all the local speed bumps and the ride is still very compliant (much softer than my BMW M3 on soft or my wife’s Golf GTI).
Whilst i’m sure expensive aftermarket coilovers would give even better results, for the cost (<£100), this has been a fantastic upgrade, and has totally transformed the car.
I would recommend it to anyone if they have an early NC like mine.
