I joined the OC earlier this month, went to my first local meeting on Tuesday and met up with a great bunch of guys in the Chiltern area.
My girlfriend and I picked up our Niseko RC last March (2008), and she enjoys it so much, she is just buying an MX5 Sport (soft top) tomorrow on an 09 plate.
Now, at the Owners Club meeting on Tuesday, we were talking about handling and the Eibach springs etc. Does anyone have a MK3 and upgraded to the Eibach Springs, or even to the WiM (Wheels In Motion) springs? I would love to get some first hand experience from someone as to whether this is really worthwhile doing, and if anyone is local to me (Beds/Hearts/Bucks borders), would love to feel the difference…
Im not that close, but have to say, its a totally different car if you get it done!
Word of warning though, only the mazda supplied springs will be covered in your warranty so its best to get them dealer fitted if you dont want to run warranty risks.
They do the whole thing (supplied and fitted) for a special price of £295. Make sure the dealer checks his price list as it is a special fixed price deal from mazda. Some dealers then also offer discounts on top for OC members so it should be even less!
Obviously then drive straight to WIM to get the magic allignment work and you will notice the difference straight away.
Mine just sticks to the road now, however do be aware some roadhumps need to be approached carefully.
Other than that, there will be a few of these lowered cars no doubt at the beauliea phot shoot on 5th april, so get your roof down and come along and join the day!
Hi Steve, Welcome to the forum from another Bedfordshire 5er
Can`t help with the questions you ask as i have a MK1 but may see you out and about sometime. I work in leighton Buzzard & live on Luton / Dunstable borders so not a million miles away from you.
Im still to get to one of these meets yet. There always seems to be something else more pressing to do but will make it one month im sure. I met a few of the Chiltern guys at last years OC Rally. In fact drove up there with a few in convoy! As you say…great bunch.
Meeting a few tomorrow too as one is having a small tech day at his house.
I totally agree with Harco. The Eibach springs make a world of difference. It’s a completely different and much better handling car. Leave if 500 miles or so for new springs to settle before your trip to WIM. In my case they didn’t need much re-aligning though.
Dealers will sometimes do an even better price on the springs for OC members and especially if you’ve bought a new car from them.
Make sure you tell your insurance company you’ve had them done. I’m with Norwich Union and I told them I had Genuine Mazda Accessory Springs fitted by a Genuine Mazda Dealer, thus preserving the warranty and they didn’t charge any extra.
Yes, as everybody else has said, the Eibachs do make a real difference.
Firstly, the car looks much better without the 4 x 4 look and the wheels become concentric with the wheel arches.
Secondly, the car drives and handles much better - especially after a trip to WIM for a chassis calibration.
My theory is that the car was always designed to be lower, but Mazda added longer springs for the UK market to avoid problems with Britiish roads and speed humps. Therefore by fitting Eibachs you are just returning the car to how it was always meant to be
We are insured with Mazda Insurance and when we notified them of the change there was no adjustment of the premium
If you are in Beds you could take the car to EMG Mazda in Cambridge, they offer a discount to OC Members and you will also get them fitted by the legendary Roadster Robbie - a win win situation [:)]
Go ahead get them fitted, you won’t regret it. Just be careful with speed humps [;)]
Guys, how does changing to the Eibach springs impact on tyre wear? I am just changing my 2 rear tyres at about 15,000, although all round they still ahve another ~2000 miles left in them.
I had my MK3 lowered by Mazda £270 10% off and then went to WIM for the geo £100, all I can say is that it’s the best value mod you can do to your MX!!!
It will transform your car to a true sports car that is! Sharper handling, no more wandering all over the place at high speeds. Plus you lose that 4x4 look.
One word of warning mind is to check that when you have it lowered is to check for twisted suspension bushes (front)!!! I found that all the bushes were twisted so I had to travel 150 miles back up to WIM to have the geo done all over again. Here are some pics of my MX for you to look at.
The wheels are Momo Corse 17 X 7.5 with Toyo Proxy tyres at 17 x 7.5 x 205 on the fronts and 215 on the back and the offset is 48mm. They can be bought at Road Runner Church Village Llantrisant @ £138 each, they are extremely helpful and they can be brough in black as well, I know because I just had to buy another one because some some idiot in a white van tried to run me off the road. You can have a closer look if you Google Momo Corse and you can get a close up pic, be careful on some of the sites tho coz they say they are out of stock but they are not. If you need any more info or help please message me. Just one thing to point out, the outer ring is polished alloy with Momo Corse engraved into it, the contrast between the polished finish and chrome is awesome.Please let me know how you get on,
