I disagree with what you are saying. A set of optional lowering springs is not far removed from the factory springs, but they offer a significant improvement handling wise at little to no cost to comfort.
A set of coilovers is a very different thing, whilst they offer a better degree of handling over lowering springs I would argue for most people most of the time they offer no more (other than the ability to customise ride height and damping further) to handling than a set of lowering springs do. I’m speaking from experience having gone from Sports suspension, to Eibach lowering springs, to MeisterR GT1s.
My car is only weekend / enthusiast driven (less than 3k miles a year), for me the MeisterRs are fine, if I was using the car more regularly I’d 100% want it back on the lowering springs. I think to advise people to go for coilovers without knowing their usage is irresponsible.
Thank you for everyone’s advice. I love the forum for the difference of opinions which give me lots to think about. My original aim (and still aim) is to just get the car to sit a little lower in the arches. My original question was to try and see if I could save some money by using mx5 parts eibach product and an independent fitter. I’m pleased to say the car is booked in on the 3rd feb at a specialist recommended by a club member. It is 70 miles away so will give me a good chance to experience the car both journeys with and without the new springs. Any handling improvement will be a bonus as I’m not a particularly quick and certainly not a professional driver.
I can only back this up. I have had two MX-5s with the “Sports” suspension i.e. factory Bilsteins fitted. I had both of them fitted with the Mazda spec Eibach lowering springs and the handing was markedly better without compromising the ride. To be honest I thought that the ride was improved and the cars felt much more stable, with much improved handling. This was particularly evident after I had the second car’s suspension geometry set up by Roddisons Motorsport. I have every intention of doing the same to the 2.0 litre ND2 GT Sport Nav+ that I have just bought.
MX5’s use ‘coil overs’ as standard. The standard fitment, be it std or sport type are a mainly cost driven compromise.
Lowering springs only, by their very nature, restrict suspension travel, and most have a higher spring rate to limit the amount of time the bump stops come into play.
To deal with the intended use (road/track/combination whatever) good quality aftermarket coil overs have a spring rate and damper travel set to deal correctly with this, and ride height, spring pre load and to a limited degree damping control are adjustable.
Your intimation that ‘coil overs’ should only be considered for a weekend/track car is simply uninformed and wrong.
I have heard comments on here that with adjustable platforms, damping coefficients etc. some people have gone round in circles trying to optimize the car for both track and road purposes. For track use, yes they are advantageous if you are an expert enough driver to be able optimise all the variables for best lap times. People have got into muddles just trying to optimise for road use only, with the added complication of differences in road surfaces etc.
IMHO I think that the standard springs are designed to operate with the standard dampers. The Bilsteins used on the sports suspension models fitted with the standard springs are probably overdamped giving a jittery ride.The Bilsteins are probably optimised for use with the slightly stiffer Mazda spec Eibach lowering springs and provide the correct damping for improved spring/damper system function. The fact that the Eibach springs can be sourced and fitted by Mazda dealers suggest that Mazda think that this is a suitable combination. Mazda do not fit these springs as standard to the sports suspension models as they would have caused problems with homologation for ride height reasons (headlight height, bumper height, pedestrian safety etc.)
I’d suggest the people liking my post also disagree with you. I’ve met plenty people who have said the same thing and have seen many sets of coilovers for sale where the owner has decided to go back to lowering springs.
I wasn’t suggesting coilovers should only be considered for a weekend/track car, I was merely stating I personally wouldn’t recommend them for anything other than that and I think its wrong for people to suggest they are a better option than lowering springs (that’s very subjective) and its wrong to suggest they offer nothing but improvement over lowering springs.
As for whether the standard car comes with ‘coil overs’ or not that’s an argument I’m not getting into as you know full well what I mean by coilovers and this isn’t the first time that argument has come up.
You are overthinking it, I have spent an obscene amount of time and money over the years on cars and admit that some of that was wasted as it made the car worse not better. @GarethC is talking sense here.
Exactly. I also agree that GarethC is talking sense. For a road car the Eibach springs are a much less costly option and for most people they will get what they want from them.
Down to personal preference I would feel, to say the Eibachs are average is a little unfair. I could quite easily say Meister R’s are too firm and below average. Each to their own I suppose
So to round this off I got the mx5parts eibach springs fitted today. 70 mile journey to my recommend fitter and the same back. So far very impressed, the front looks noticeably lower although the back less so. Ride is certainly firmer but I really like it. Very noticeably better in the corners too. For context this is on a stock spec 1.5 sport with 16” alloys.
I have the exact same, 1.5 on 16" wheels… Once the springs settle a little it’ll be great… I noticed the back of mine seems almost untouched at first but after a few days it did settle and looks great now
Yes you kindly helped me decide to take the plunge! It is fantastic really glad I did it. On another subject have you ran your car on premium unleaded and did you see a benefit to it? Thanks.
I have always filled up with Shell V Power ever since my MX-5 was driven off the forecourt. However, about 4 weeks ago, with only about 4 miles left in the tank (which I do not usually do), I went to fill up at my local garage, but arrrr no V Power .
I had no choice other than to use regular fuel, so just put £25 in.
Over the course of the following few weeks I thought mmmm, I am not really noticing much different here . I am not a mad head but enjoy giving my MX-5 the beans every so often .
Conscious of going back to V Power, on the next trip to fill up, I let the tank go down to about 9 miles (again ), then filled up with V Power… almost immediately, well 1-2 days later wow I could really tell the difference in performance.
Over 7,000 miles I am averaging over 36 miles per gallon. for the two weeks I had the regular fuel I averaged 32 miles per gallon over 190 odd miles. Not really a fair comparrison but a big difference non the less.
For me as with many here, its V Power every time .
Thank you. That’s great. I’m not blessed with many local(ish) petrol stations near me but do go past a BP on occasion. I am out tomorrow on an OC run and lunch so plan on filling up with their premium to see what I think. (I have ran the tank empty).
Just doing this job on my RF, on my factory fitted rear springs it looks like there is a grey plastic sheath covering the top coil on both sides, the Eibach springs don’t have the sheath, do you swap the sheath over to the new springs or just fit the Eibachs as they are?
I am desperately trying to remember how they were fitted. My son physically swapped the springs from one strut to the other. If I recall the rear was a slightly different set up with the plastic sheath swapped over too.
I usually take loads of pictures of the work I do but alas none that show the new springs fitted to the struts.
I think I’ll fit the plastic sheath, I was just curious as I’ve read a lot and watched quite a few you tube videos of suspension instals and it is the first I’d seen of the sheath.
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. I am not a mad head but enjoy giving my MX-5 the beans every so often 
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), then filled up with V Power… almost immediately, well 1-2 days later wow I could really tell the difference in performance.
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Anniversary Edition.