I have a '93 Eunos Roadster which I think has the original suspension on it. The car has done 137,000 miles.
The ride is very firm and the car jars over even the smallest road imperfections, cats eyes and the like. I don’t intend to drive the car on a track but general quick road driving by enjoying our country roads as well as quite a bit of motorway work. The car has 18" wheels with low profile tyres.
I see that it is quite common for the shocks and springs to be upgraded and/or lowered but all I want is a more stable and “cushioned” ride. Do you think the straight replacement parts would do me or should I consider the more expensive specialist replacements?
Stock suspension is fine for everyday use, except that it doesn’t allow you to adjust the ride height. I guess your suspension is pretty tired after 137k miles. However, do you really mean 18" wheels, if so it must be like driving on a set of rubber bands rather than tyres!!!..I haven’t come across a '5 with that wheel size before, even some owners with 17" wheels complain of lousy ride qualities. On a '93 car 15" rims are the best all round option, with a very wide and inexpensive tyre choice…
Thanks for that, I’ve checked the wheels and they are 18". It drives alright, no wobbles or odd noises but I can see how such low profile tyres wouldn’t help with the comfort.
I have been warned to take it easy in the wet and icy conditions because it is a bit of a b*gger.
My Mk1 was slippery when wet but I changed the rear tyres. Old but not worn out, they stopped the rear going out. I also changed the dampers for a Koni sports kit and it was transformed. Dealer said one of the old dampers was shot.
First alarm bells would be the 18" wheels; the wheels themselves are likely to be excessively heavy. A 91 Roadster I had a while back came with 17" wheels. I found the car tramlined easily, dampening was poor, and I suffered back problems over motorways. Additionally, on Avon directionals, wet grip was appalling. Dumping those in favour of 14" (and eventually 15") wheels instantly improved things. The first set of wheels that went on were an old set of 14" Wats with cheapo Polish tyres on; even those were superior in the wet to the larger, more expensive ones. I had the advantage of owning MX5s before, and knew this one handled poorly; the previous owner thought it handled great, but then, it was the only MX5 he had ever owned. If you like large wheels, 16" would be a fair compromise.
S-Spec Bilsteins are pretty firm anyhow; though I have never had a real gripe with the ride quality on an utterly stock S-Spec. The Billies tend to cope less well with B-road bumps and ruts.
Stock KYB replacement shocks are a bit stiffer (higher rebound/compression) than stock MX5 shocks, but will be softer than the Bilsteins. The S-Spec springs are close enough in spec to standard springs, that, if they are in good condition, would not be worth changing. KYB AGX and Konis will give a useful range of adjustment without breaking the bank. Of those two, I would plump for the Koni as the better quality shock.
More expensive upgrade suspension kits, such as Performance5’s Puredrive setup (which is excellent for the money), offer the advantage, for most drivers, of being about to lower and maintain a reasonable ride quality.
I would still look to changing the wheels as your first option. Possibly the sale of the wheels will part finance the suspension changes, if needed.
I did have a suspicion that the wheels would be a large part of the problem. I have a Mazda specialist in my area taking a look at it sometime next week, he is going to check out the suspension bushes and general condition of the car. No doubt he will have a concern with the wheels.
The sale of these wheels and tyres will finance the new wheels and tyres I think! What size tyres and wheels should I be looking at because I don’t know what size the originals were as a guide.
I live just north of Bristol. If you are anywhere within reasonable driving distance you are welcome to come over and I can fit a set of 14" (standard on the mark 1) with almost new tyres. Absolutely no obligation to buy. In your position I would buy a set of 15" just like I’ve done!
Pete
195/50/15 would be the optimum tyre size on 15" rims and are generally used by a lot of owners. But make sure the offset on the new wheels is within tolerance of original specs, 35-40mm or therabouts. Bolt pattern is 4x100 I believe. Hope that helps in your choice.
re wheel/tyre size, I’m running a 1.8i Berkeley on 195/50VR15s as the car’s been for all its life. However, I’m going to get the wheels refinished, and have found a set of immaculate cross-spoke 15" wheels, shod with nearly-new 205/55VR15 Yokohamas. I don’t know about the offset, but I guess I could measure it (isn’t it the distance of the clamping face from the centre-line of the rim ?) In any case, if the offset is too great, I hear you can get corrector plates.
My real question, though, assuming the offset is ok, are these tyres too big for the car ?
I run 205s on 15" rims - they can rub arch liners in certain circumstances, but I’ve got Eibach springs (lower).
Also depends on wheel off-set and rim width.
Why not try before you buy if it’s a local seller?
Edit: slopes off to read up on how to insert links
Ahh its due to chrome not runnign the editor same as my paragraph issue which I dont get at home with the latest firefox. You will just have to copy and past the url above to another search bar.
Hi all this may not be the right thread but I have been looking all over the forum for a suitable thread… Anyway, I have a '96 VR ltd on std Bilstein shocks and 60K miles. Wheels are 15" Rota RB’s same size as standrad wheels were. I had the car lowered by fitting Eibahcs about 2 years ago but now wanting to “soften” the ride up as I live in an area where the council seem to spend no money on resurfacing but a packet on digging the roads up and patching them leaving potholes… I do not want to fit the original springs as the car looks like an offroader ( never understood Mazda on this one) so was thinking about trim springs. A less popular option with the boss would be change the socks and springs but I would have to get this done by a pro as I do not have a) the tools b) the skills… so ££££. I have just done the cam belt and had to have Gearbox bearings changed in the last month so cannot justify too much of aspend. So in summary does anyone know what my best option is to have a softer ride on bad roads but not screw up the handling. Any advice woud be appreciated
The Bilsteins are a good shock, but can feel harsh.
I have the Eibachs too, but with Koni Sports Adjustable shocks - less harsh than the Bilsteins, but adaptable to conditions / driving style / personal preference. Easily adjusted too - top adjustment, but the rears can be fiddly if you have fat hands!
Did you fit the “short” Konis as you already had lowering springs? What I am looking for is lower than stock but minimal bumbs and squeaks over the rough stuff. I had a V special years ago from new ( lived in Japan for a while and shipped it back) which was far more comfortable. I am guessing the V type are more touring and the VR more sporty. A little like the Elise and the 111S of which I had the former.
