Looking to upgrade to coilovers on 06' NC. Need some advice please

Technical Area Steering & Suspension
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  1. My model of MX-5 is: 06’ NC - 1.8i - 5 speed.
  2. I’m based: North Dorset
  3. I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: Wanting to Upgrade to coilovers and getting a wheel alignment done.

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On the 24th of June 23 I became the 3rd proud owner of an 06’ NC 1.8i with 45,000mil on the clock. It’s my first MX5.

I’m totally in love with the car. I’ve never owned a car like it and I really want to take care of it in a good way.

The idea is to drive it during the summer months and keep it under a cover during the winter months.

Since owning the car, everyday seems like a learning experience.

So far I’ve had to get the ball joints and link stabiliser done. (MOT fail).
Auxiliary belt has been changed. (Squeaky cold start.)

Unfortunately I’ve discovered a leak that floods the foot wells thanks to all this wet weather we’re currently having.

I’m probably going to repair it myself with some silicone and the cowl repair kit. MX5Parts and MX5City are sold out with no new stock till end of August so I’ve ordered replacements from eBay (£29). I might not need to replace them, but got the parts just in case. Currently waiting for the silicone to arrive.

Then in September I’ve got it booked in for some body repairs as there’s some dents that need repairing along with small signs of rust that needs addressing. I figured if I catch it early enough it won’t be such a problem down the line and will hopefully retain the value of the car?

I’m kind of thinking ahead about the possibility of getting coilovers as I’ve been told that coilovers can enhance the driving experience along with the asthetic looks that come with lowering the vehicle.

My questions are:

Are coilovers a good choice of upgrade for country roads?

What brand of coilover would you recommend?

Is it a good idea to get wheel alignment done after the work has been carried out?

Can anyone recommend a garage the can do the work in the North Dorset area? I’m located really close to Somerset and Wiltshire.

How much am I looking at to get all the work done? Parts + labour.

Are coilovers a good 1st choice of upgrade or should I look at something else before getting this done?

Thanks in advance for any replies. :+1:

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Hey, i live in suffolk pretty much back roads and b roads i got meisters and had full geo for fast road set up. coils were 650-750 and geo set up was 170. Changed the car night and day. i have 59 2.0 sport

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Thank you for the quick reply.

Sorry, I’m a bit of a noob. :sweat_smile: What does full geo mean?

Also, what model of MeisterR did you get? Is it best to buy the parts yourself and get the garage to install them? How did you do it?

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Alignment / suspension set up. I brought the parts and took to local mx5 guy lucky i have one 30 mins away.

i brought the lower model meisters. About 650 ish. Perfectly fine with me as im not using it for track.

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Sweet! That’s not a bad price tbh. How much did they charge to install and do the alignment/suspension setup?

Are these the ones? https://www.meisterr.co.uk/products/meisterr-sportive-coilovers-2006-2015-mazda-miata-mx-5-nc/

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Yes those ones. So i got a cobra race, suspension, Geo and caliper rebuild. £358 installed

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This is also new to me. :smile:

What does a caliper rebuild involve?

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One of my calipers was binding so he dismantled cleaned greased and rebuilt

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https://cobrasport.com/collections/mazda-mx5-exhaust/model_mk3-nc-1-8-2-0l-2005-14

You upgraded your exhaust as well? How does that sound now? :grin:

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its fully run in and its amazing. I went race as i wanted over run and more noise

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Nice man… I’m already on a tight budget. What would you say. Do coilovers first then look at exhaust in the future?

MeisterR are out of stock atm. Do you know if they ever do a reduction in price during sale days like black friday at all?

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On the official MeisterR website (when in stock) type in ‘mx5nutz’ when asked for a coupon code (top of page when asking for your name/address) once you’ve added whatever to your basket
I tried mx5oc and all variables, nothing works but the above still does, I’m still a member of that forum but you don’t have to be, wink wink.:grin:

I’ve got Sportives on, they are pretty good but I’m flirting with the idea of going for the CRD’s. I like the damping adjustment, I had them on my previous NC. Price wise, they’ve shot up but that’s how parts are going now. Very popular choice too.

1 Like
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Thank you so much dude! They are currently out of stock. Mid to end August apparently they will get more in.

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I like the idea of adjustable dampening, but it’s a bit more than I’m prepared to fork out right now. Lord knows I’ve spent way more that I anticipated already… :rofl:

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I need to justify changing the Sportives for the CDR’s, I mean they are pretty good as is. Then when I’ve just forked out for some paintwork to be done and need a full set of tyres soon, it’s priorities.
I’m glad they are out of stock​:ok_hand::grin:

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Totally. The quote I got for the paint works to be done is an eye watering 744quid all in. :money_with_wings: :cry:

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I got mine from idworz

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Do the give a competitive price compared to buying direct. I’m UK based.

19

I went with HSD Monopro coilovers from driftworks.
Ride height adjustable and 16 way damping.

Oh and welcome to the club of empty pockets :rofl:

1 Like
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Welcome . I’ve got a NC 06 as well. Mine is booked in mid september to have Meister R sportive fitted . All in price £938.00 . I had to replace all my tyres when i got her in september they all had gone hard Dunlop’s. I want to replace the back box but this will have to wait for now.