I wonder if anyone can help with some advice on my ride height? Alignment is all set up, new sachs super touring dampers with new Autolink standard Mk1 springs. New IL bushes throughout and everything torqued up with the car on its wheels but still my front is high and the rear looks like its collapsed! I can’t figure it out?
Long springs on the back and short springs on the front as Autolinks website. 
This is how it should look:
Did you put the shocks on the right way, short shocks, long springs at the rear,
First thing I did was check the springs and shocks are all the right place and they are. It’s got me completely stumped!
I am also experiencing a similar problem and would be interested in a solution.
New Autolink springs all round, the front is fine although a little lower than before but the rear is very low and to add to the problem the drivers side is some 25mm lower than the passenger side.
Like Gav84 I have checked correct placement and allowed to car to settle before tightening up.
Dave
That’s very interesting that you’re experiencing the same problem. I have exactly the same with the drivers rear being around 20mm lower than the passenger side too!
I really just want a standard early mk1 ride height and these springs came highly rated but I’m now not at all convinced. Fronts are about right but the rears look like they’ve collapsed after about 200 miles.
So not just mine then.
I am wondering if jacking up the rear corner and tightening everything up with the wheel off the ground will have an effect. I know that this is contrary to the way it should be done but the only other solution that I can see is fitting a spacer between the top of the shock and the body and there is limited scope for this due to the length of the studs.
Dave
Hmm, try, if you can, counting the number of coils, diameter of the springs, and thickness of the wire.
Factory spring specs (Miata, but will be the same for other Mk1s, except Bilstein cars which aren’t listed here):
http://users.telenet.be/miata/english/suspension/Springs.htm
I would get onto Autolinkuk. Its possible their supplier has changed something.
That’s really useful info, thanks.
I’ve emailed Andrew at Autolink and I’m going to make the trip to their workshop once they’re back to work so they can investigate. Very odd but it does seem like the springs are just too soft.
Andrew seems very helpful though and has a good reputation so fingers crossed they can help.
It’s amazing how hard it is to get an early Mx5 back to OE standard in terms of suspension!
I’ve counted my coils and they’re 7 front and 9 rear. Basically they’re as the description on Autolinks website here:
Wire thickness, coil diameter all controbute to the spring weight (how firm it is). There are hundreds of coil spring calculators out there:
I would be interested to hear Autolink’s thoughts on this matter, as it is a bit far to take my car for advice.
I was thinking that I would contact Andrew who as you say is very helpful, but asking the same question twice will not help.
I am curious to know why the driver’s side is low and am wondering if releasing the camber bolts will help and if in some way there is some sort of memory effect in the bushes that affects the ride height.
Dave
Hi Gav84, did you get any response from Andrew about the uneven ride height?
Dave
Hi Dave,
Andrew was keen to listen but couldn’t think what was wrong. He offered to take a look but his workshop is still closed and I don’t think I can really justify the 300 mile round trip.
I think the spring rate is just too low. I’ve measured my springs and used the calculator above. I get a spring rate of 70 ibf/in where oem is 96. That would surely explain the sagging, although might not explain the difference side to side.
If the rate is down, the springs might not be tempered correctly, or possibly but unlikely the wrong steel alloy.
In the 1970s I took several pairs of old Landrover and Rover 90 rear leaf-springs (identical) to be re-tempered, simply because they had sagged with age. At the time it was much cheaper than buying new springs.
I think the OP has calculated the rating based on the common coil spring calculators, so different number of coils than stock… But on the car, you can’t estimate the free length.
You can change the springs without affecting alignment by not touching the alignment bolts… Surprised Autolinkuk just doesn’t send down a replacement set of springs to fit.
Hi Gav84, spent the day fettling the rear suspension with some success I think.
Heights are now
N/Side front 12 3/4" O/Side front 12 1/2"
N/Side rear 14" O/Side rear 13 1/2"
Not perfect but not bad for a 25 year old car, will check them again after a few miles.
Good luck with yours.
Dave
Hi Dave,
Those heights sound a lot better than mine, and about where they should be!
What did you do to fettle it?
I had this same set up a few years ago, no issues with ride height. Here it is, at Andrew’s old place nr Winchester:
Hi Gav84,
I was told along time ago that if you work on suspension components you let everything settle before you tighten bolts up. So considering that I like you have had the wishbones off at the front this is what I did. The car will now have to be aligned/tracked so to enable it to be driven I set the camber angles approximately with one of the cheap gauges that you can buy.
The rear had a broken spring so both were replaced the only difference was that the camber bolts etc were not released only the upright top bolt and the shock bottom bolt, again it was left to settle.
The front appeared to be ok so I reasoned that rear bushes/bolts which were very rusty might be having an effect on the setup. The solution in my case was to slacken off the what bolts I could, then retighten with the suspension uncompressed, if that makes sense. The result as the previous figures show was much better and almost as per spec.
Now that lockdown is easing a little I intend to use the car and to this end will take it to the local National Tyre fitting place who are offering half price front wheel set up. Now I know this will cause indignation as I should take it to someone who understands these little cars and I will later in the year when I have sorted the rear end.
Not sure if you did the work on your car but I hope my experiences might help.
Dave
