NBFL suspension refresh thoughts?

Technical Area Steering & Suspension
2

My NBFL is coming up on 80k miles and my assumption is that it’s running on it’s original and 17 year old suspension.

The car is in good overall condition, and my long term intent is to extend it’s life by saving it from the tin worm, so has already been fully under-sealed and will be getting replacement front chassis rails in the next 12 months.

 

Can I please ask for your views on:

  1. Do you think it’s worth refreshing the suspension?  My assumption is that it’ll be rather tired

  2. By “refresh”, what’s your view on what I should consider as “in scope”.  Should I focus on springs/shocks, or extend it to include bushes and other items?  As I’ll be paying someone else to do the work, seems to make sense to deal with items like bushes whilst it’s in pieces.

  3. I have zero intention of taking mine on track.  The goal being to maintain what is currently a fairly comfortable ride, hopefully reduce the ride height a little and improve my confidence in the feedback from the car.  As such, is it best to look at coilovers, or stock shocks on sat Eibach lowering springs?

As mentioned above, I’ll be paying to have the work done and assume that by default it will need alignment. 

3

Really a lottery “wear & tear” yes? It could all be adequate & quite competent still.

Had ours over 15 years. MOT showed 2 hairline front coil cracks. It’s a keeper that has had new chassis rails, wings sills etc.

Long short, I had OEM front springs & shocks done, then as budget allowed the rears…again OEM.

I’d have thought the rears would have been still OK at 96k.

Judging by the final result, the whole lot must have been past their sell by. You acclimatise as it creeps. Just all tired really.

Bar the bushes, all still nails.

Now the thing handles flatter than Twiggie’s jugs. Roll is gone, and basic “flickability” is back in spades.  Renewing the calipers & rotors finished it off later.

Now it’s back to original epic.   

** Forgot…yes lasered. Mild “fast road” settings. ** with new Rota Gt3s & Kumhos.  

4

A number of people who have had all the suspension bushes redone have not considered it worthwhile and even just the cost of the bushes is very high.

The suspension wishbones can rust through and in those cases, it is a case of new or better wishbones and probably new bushes for those wishbones that are replaced. In certain cases, the wishbones were semi seized on the car and in those cases, it will improve the car to have that sorted.

The removal and rebushing is a time consuming job.

A few people that have replaced the dampers and springs consider that the refresh was worthwhile.

The issue that you have is the cost of taking up the time of the garage on their lift if they strip down, examine then order parts and wait for what may be long delivery of certain items.

No one can forecast what will be required. In a few cases after wishbones have been acid dipped, they can come back as scrap.

Therefore, you have a few options.

Do not fix what is not broken or appears to be not broken but have the car checked out by a trusted garage say £200 for then to inspect and trial dismantle and maybe do the drop links and other joints.

Bite the bullet and replace the dampers, springs and other internal bump stops etc either buy a kit of “upgraded” parts or buy Mazda original parts say in the region of £800 to £1,000 fitted for good quality parts and a laser alignment.

When that is being done it may well be that certain wishbones need sorted one way or another and that can cost and it is a big guess say £400 to over £1,500 if you replace some or all the wishbones and bushes.

No real inexpensive option after option 1.

Just adding more questions I’m afraid but it could get expensive.