So, I’m well aware that this is a well covered subject but I can’t seem to find any of the old posts I’ve seen…
I’m now seriously contemplating this upgrade, but they obviously come at a substantial cost.
The Bilsteins with eibach lowering springs on my NC, (particularly in the rear) are feeling really soft and wallowy and although the ride is comfortable, it’s far from sharp and confidence inspiring and it just feels far too bouncy.
Are the meisters really worth the money for normal driving (I tend to find the Billy’s really let me down on fast, uneven b roads, it has bottomed out once or twice).
On the same subject, where have you all bought from?
And how easy is it to set the ride height equally on all 4 corners?
Meisters are an improvement on old higher mileage Bilsteins, no doubt about that. They’re probably not worth the money for normal driving, they come into their own when adjusted for occasional track use.
Buying the MeisterR CRD’s (affordable adjustable type) now in the UK is kind of difficult because they’re not in stock anywhere (?)
There has been a rumour kicking about that they are developing a new version with different spring rates so I’m guessing they will be the next ones available (when this Covid s**t buggers off and the world manufacturing returns to some kind of normality.
You don’t say what kind of mileage is on your car ? New springs, shocks and bump stops might be the order of the day, cost wise. Don’t forget to add in the cost of a 4 wheel alignment too in your man maths. Your last question will be dealt with by whoever does the alignment.
Is it an NC1,2 or 3? I used to have a NC1 sport many years ago and the stilts ride height made for awful pitch & roll. I fitted WIM springs which made it better but it bottomed out on my drive entrance if I had a passenger
Fast forward to my current NC2 and on factory Bilsteins it’s a lot lower than the NC1and after a good alignment it drives really well. I was planning on buying Meisters but not going to now. If you’re ride is wallowing then I suspect the shocks are past their best. I had a set of Meisters on my old mk1 and they were brilliant, really compliant ride, not too firm and stopped any body roll. You could dial them up for a spirited drive round a track, and turn them back down to drive home.
Not sure if that helps, but I guess what I’m saying is that the NC2 & 3 are worth sticking with Bilstiens if they are in good condition, but the NC1 I would save your money for the Meisters.
I believe you can get an owners club discount on Meisters direct from them. (check the members section)
You describe exactly what mine felt like. Don’t get me wrong the Bilsteins with lowering springs were great but occasionally bottoming out when pushing it on undulating roads.
I think it was money well spent when I changed to MeisterR’s. Not cheap, let’s say at a guess now £800+ to buy. Add fitting and alignment/corner weighting which I had done you can say goodbye easily to around guessing £1100 and some, I’m out of touch with prices and of course depends of where. Then of course rusted up adjustment bolts, these will cost extra etc. But hey I’m just going on nearly 4 year old prices.
Well worth the investment if you are sticking with your car long term.
I’m thinking that the Meister Sportives will be the best upgrade for my NC1. I don’t think I’d get the value out of the adjustable CRD’s and like the thought of fit and forget. Then there’s the cost saving to consider. Apparently the Sportives will not be available for possibly another four months !!
It’s what I have on my Sport Tech. Third set in my time with 5’s. Had them on mk1’s and currently on mk3.5. I run these on full soft for just normal driving (not that I’ve done much of that over the last year!) and find them very good indeed. Still a touch stiff but that’s exactly what I want, it is a ‘sports car’ after all. Getting ride height to suit what you need is straightforward but car does need to be on level ground. I love having the damping adjustment on top so very easy to adjust (adjustment extenders worth having) depending on what your needs are for a particular drive. Yes, they’re not cheap but neither are they massively more cost than new complete Bilstein coilovers either. Once ride height, pre load and damping are set, you don’t touch them really so you could say that all the adjustments aren’t necessary? However, I like that you can get them to what you want (everyone is different with preferences) then just enjoy! In my case, OEM Bilsteins had done 114k miles when changed out. Massive difference with the club race fitted. Having said that, new OEM replacements would also feel much nicer but no lowering or damping adjustments to play around with. There is a school of thought that the Meister’s are no good, can’t be rebuilt, Chinese tat,etc, etc but I definitely am not attending that particular education facility. Love them and would buy again if needed.
Barrie
EDIT: just checked OEM Bilstein prices on mx5Parts! Over £1200 for PRHT Model and that’s without top mounts! Meister’s are a no brainer based on that for me!
Hi Reggie, yes I understand that, was just providing another option (albeit slightly more expensive) plus they are the ones I have experience of. Didn’t want to offer advice for a product that I had no knowledge of apologies and I hope I haven’t clouded the issue? It is a large investment and you do right asking for information! Good luck and hopefully you’ll get something sorted, there’s always the GT1’s to consider?
Right, so my thoughts on the above are that they’re definitely the best bet for coilvers in general, however I’ve got no intention of going anywhere near a track and aside from the softness, I have no issue with them… This makes justifying the cost of them really really difficult, more so as its currently having a full body wrap which is also really expensive, and I’ve just bought a hardtop and fitting kit, which was also really expensive
Does anyone know if there’s anyone that can rebuild/refurbish them OEM Bilsteins?
I checked with bilstein when I went through the same process and spoke to them directly. They informed that they do not refurbish. Someone did say that there may be independents who will do it, but I chose to go for VMAXX coilovers instead at £400 a set.
My NC1 PHRT was floaty and imprecise on the original 12 year old Bilstiens. I bought a B12 kit (quality Bilstiens and Eibach springs) and it was great, but too low. I then bit the bullet and bought the CRDs which are great, and I should have done this in the first place.
The ones you have linked to were not available when I was buying, or I may have gone for them. I think you are just losing the damper adjustability of the CRDs? I have mine set in the middle and have tweaked them a few times, but suspect I would have been very happy with no adjustment.
I would forget about refurbing the originals. They are cheap (maybe not at Mazda prices, but lower quality than the Bilstein B6, B8 models you can buy for around £400 for all 4), and it doesn’t make economic sense to rebuild. You also have old springs, so makes sense to go for a full spring and damper swap. Bistien B12 kit is around £500 - but not height adjustabe. That was the mistake I made.
Neither do they have bump stops included, shock dust covers or top mounts. The Meister range are pre assembled, making DIY fitting much easier (as in my case) or less expensive at a garage I would have thought? Those sportive ones look great for the price point
Hello ChrisMK3
Contact Roddisons Motorsport Sheffield S9 1US 0114 244 5300 ask for Paul.
There is not much Paul does not know about suspension advice.
Regards
Keith
If you’ve got a line of communication working with them ask about having Meisters rebuilt in the future. It’ll be interesting to hear what they say, unless it’s mentioned on their website?
If you’re on some of the FB groups or Miata.net you can actually get to talk directly with Jaylo who works for them.
apologies and I hope I haven’t clouded the issue? It is a large investment and you do right asking for information! 
