I’ve got some quite alarming rattle coming from the rear suspension. So I’m looking for some advice in regards to sorting it all out. I’ve had a poke around and there’s nothing “obviously” broken or snapped/hanging off etc. So that’s making me think it’s gonna be worn bushes or worn out shocks/springs/top mounts. (The coilovers look pretty aged anyway)
Now before i get any further, as much as id love to, I’m not prepared to go out and spend £1000+ on som gaz coil overs and top grade poly bushes etc etc. I bought the car cheap with a view to doing as much as I can myself and keeping costs to a minimum. So if your gonna just tell me I need to purchase all of the above, dont waste your time.
Anyway, my plan is to take everything off (wishbones, drop links, ARB etc) and clean them up and re bush them all (seen a set of polybushes for £120-£150 on eBay) then either go with some middle of the road coil overs or some second hand shocks with lowering springs. Then go have it all aligned at a specialist. I don’t mind a firm ride as the car is a toy rather than a daily so I’m not gonna be doing tens of thousands of motorway miles etc, and it may get tracked once or twice a year tops but that’s it. It’s more there for a bit of fun to throw around a bit.
so with all that in mind, has anyone had any experience doing this, what coilovers would you recommend for £200/£300 and do you have any other general tips or advice that I should perhaps take into account.
I did what you are talking about last year and it was a bit of a steep learning curve but rewarding.
If you are looking to keep costs down only replace the bushes that need replaced and don’t go the poly route as I have yet to hear good things about them. I used IL motorsport rubber bushes and did the lot but you are looking at £300.
As for suspension maybe look at good second hand set rather than a cheap eBay set, again you may regret it. GAZ can be rebuilt quite reasonably which would give you peace of mind buying secondhand. you can also fit MK2 to the Mk1 and this is a good alternative and provides a very comfortable ride so you don’t have to suffer a harsh ride unnecessarily… ask me how I know…
Yes, I agree. You get what you pay for. Cheap eBay bushes are unlikely to genuine and will last about 5 minutes. I bought some “poly bushes” for the drop links on my Shogun a couple of years ago. They lasted about 2 months.
Regarding shock rebuild costs; I had a pair of Protec (Performance5 Puredrive) shocks rebuilt a year or so back by a 3rd party specialist, who charged about £70 per shock; he kept in stock a full range of spares for both GAZ and Protec. GAZ’s would cost about the same (this was a motorsports business that set up stockcars, virtually all stockcars in the UK use Protecs). He was fairly confident he could also rebuild obscure Japanese shocks, modifying them where necessary to accept more standardised parts. The oldest shocks he had rebuilt were a set of 40 year shocks off a Lamborghini. He had some interesting comments about Protec/GAZ/AVO; basically good shock designs ruined by poor factory QC. Most failings were due to swarf left by the factory. For that reason, he always purchased Protecs and GAZs as dry shocks, and built them up. As for the Chinese shocks; he considered them to be non-rebuildable economically, because all the parts are an odd size. Doesn’t fill me with confidence about the long life of my Meisters on the S-Limited.
Bilsteins are rebuildable; Eibach UK are the standard, and I think about £100 per shock, but they’ll probably start complaining that the Bilsteins supplied to Mazda are specific to Mazda. The aftermarket might be the place to turn, if fitting used Bilsteins.
Well thank you everyone for your inputs. Nice to be on a forum where you aren’t ridiculed for being on a budget!
I’ll take everyone’s advice on board for definite. I would most definitely rather go down the Bilstein second hand route, however I’m not 100% that it’s even the shocks and springs that are the problem. I think the best thing for me to do is get the problem diagnosed first, and then make a final decision on the best route. I do want to avoid ebay coilovers if I can but I keep hearing mixed reviews. A couple of people I know who have them or have had them have said they really aren’t bad. I don’t know
I’m pretty sure it’s the suspension and not something else rattling. The car feels harsh and ‘juddery’ when I’m driving around a corner enthusiastically and generally just not that planted. I’m new to mx5 ownership but have had a couple of rwd sporty cars and it just doesn’t feel right. I always thought the point of these cars were that the felt right!
I dont know, keep that advice coming in. I’ll be getting it diagnosed early next week so will keep everyone posted.
Keep us posted on how it goes, like above a rattle could be many things but the handling may also be poor alignment but if you are doing any suspension work a full alignment would be required at the end.
Rattles can develop because the car is just getting old. Recently, there has been discussion about the role of the rubber bushings below the door lock strikers. Some companies are now manufacturing hard Delrin replacements which claim to eliminate many rattles. On my two Roadsters, the 93 is more rattly than the 96, despite having half the miles. The 96 has Protecs fitted in 2008, rebuilt 12 months back or so, the 93 has brand new Meisters (well, under 3000 miles on them; proof changing the shocks might not eliminate rattles). I noticed on the 93, the door bushings had noticeable wear on the top corners; over time, the door hanges have sagged. I swapped the bushes over from side to side, and mounted upside down (so unworn surface on the upper edge). Rattles reduced for zero cost.
Saggy door hinges can also have an effect on body rigidity as well as letting the door rattle. We had a 2 door Mk1 Cavalier for a couple of decades, and those were very long heavy doors, and the driver’s door hinge pins needed replacement every few years because they wore so quickly. New hinge pins and suddenly the car felt stiffer and the door closed properly and stopped rattling.