Looking to drop a coilover suspension kit into the MK1 to replace the tired original suspension. It’s a 1990 1.6 Eunos, for reference, without ABS.
I’m looking to try and get rid of most of the body roll without compromising on the ride quality too much.
Most of the MX5 places seem to rate GAZ systems and I’ve seen that TEIN offer some cheaper alternatives with good corrosion resistance.
Open to suggestions, thanks in advance.
Hi I put these on my mark 1 and never looked back they were just so much better allround.
No compromise on ride and the handling was vastly improved…link below
https://www.mx5parts.co.uk/adjustable-shock-absorber-mk1-p-577.html
These are the best though imho and if fitted then with the car corner weighted and Geeod the transformation is superb
https://www.meisterr.co.uk/car/suspension/mazda/89-97-mx5-na/
Which springs did you pair them with?
Oh eye forgot after fitting spray them with ACF-50 anti corrosion block tis wonderful stuff
fitted the KYb with the original springs on the mark 1 had it 13 years with no bother at all and was 22 when i sold it
KYB AGX are designed to be used with standard height stock springs. Paired with lowering springs, their longevity is greatly reduced. As for adjustable coilovers, the Meisters seem to be a highly thought of option these days.
I love the Miester Rs fitted by Paul Rodders of sheffield to my Mark 3 they are just superb and the quality is amazing.As mentioned before I got the car geod by him and corner weighted after and the difference is so amazing you just smile all the time when out driving
Back to back, I much preferred and ride quality of the Performance5 Puredrive (Protec shocks, Mk2 top mounts, Pigtail springs, SuperPro bumpstops) on my 96 over the Meister Zetec-Pro on my former 93. The Meisters always seemed fidgety over road imperfections. The springs MeisterR used went rustier much more quickly than the UK-made springs in the Puredrives. Of course, the Puredrive kit is no longer available.
After a few years and many 10s of thousands of miles, the seals. Protech claimed they couldn’t rebuild their own shocks, so I took them to IG Racing in Wellingborough; Ian Gardiner is a great guy to deal with. He sets up pretty much every Protech shock used in stockcar racing. He buys in shocks from Protec, Avo and Gaz dry, and builds them up himself. That way he achieves better QC than the factory (metal particles from assembly he says is a big killer of shocks). He can set up shocks pretty to how you want them.
For the NA, I would recommend a shock combined with Mk2 top mounts. You keep the Mazda quality hardware (top mounts and bushes). Something like Protech uses a standard narrow diameter spring on the perch, so a Pigtail spring is need to proper engage with the Mk1 or Mk2 top mount; Mk2 top mount is recommended because of the extra travel you get at the rear. Protech lists a MX5 specific shock, but you need a custom spring to go with that.
If it were at all possible, I’d have Puredrives in a heartbeat. Pity.
Protech, Gaz and Avo shocks were all designed by Rod Avon. They’re not the same, but share common features in the valving.
I would take a look at the Gaz Classics for the Mk2, combined with Mk2 top mount hardware (your Mk1 top mounts will be shot by now). Back in the day, there were a number of different suppliers for Gaz, who did different springs sets, eg Corby Motorsport.
Also have a word with Tony at Wheels in Motion; he has a lot of insight into setups, in particular getting the right spring rate, depending what you want to do with the car. If you look at discussions here, compared to, say, miataforum, there is not a lot of discussion about getting the spring ratings right. You need the rears to be about 60% of the fronts. I never figured out what the exact ratings of the Puredrive springs was, but I think the fronts were around 400lbs, so that makes the rears 240lbs. Quite stiff springs, but somehow when combined with the Protech, translated into a really nice ride.
Good forum for discussion of shock=spring combinations for the MX5, that is UK relevant:
https://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk/forum/index.php?/topic/9955-best-coilovers-for-nb-mx5/
Right I think I’ll go with the GAZ setup initially. The spring rate is 350/250 lbs giving a 70/30 split front to back - I’ll throw some ACF-50 oin them to prevent any corrosion as mentioned earlier.
With regards to the top mounts new mk1 mounts can be purchased from mx5parts and places etc, made by KYB/Mazda, but they’re £50-£70 a corner. Are the mk2 top mounts compatible then? Do they need any mods to fit?
In addition is there also any other bushings/rubbers I should take a look at while I’m down there? I’ll have a look in the books before I start work anyway.
Thanks again to everyone who’s posted thus far.
This is a diagram of both the MK1 and Mk2 shock absorber / spring assembly for your info.
https://www.flyinmiata.com/tech/suspension_diagrams.php
I could say the same for the Ohlins I have on my car
Rich.