Last weekend I discovered that both springs on the drivers side of my 1995 1.8 Roadster are broken and need replacing. So it needs to be a complete new set of springs. I’m assuming the shock absorbers are the originals that were supplied with the car, so I’m thinking of getting these changed while the springs are being done.
However, I’m having trouble deciding what to replace them with. I mainly drive the car on A/B roads and a bit of Motorway. I appreciate the handling of the car, but I don’t want to make it so firm that it shakes my fillings out, or to lower it much more than it already is on the standard set-up.
One option is to go for standard Mazda springs and either Mazda shocks or possibly KYB shocks.
The other option that Tony @ WIM has suggested to me is to go for the Gaz Gold Pro coilver kit. However, at nearly £600 it’s over £150 more expensive than the standard Mazda set-up. As it’s quite a new kit I’ve yet to find any customer reviews of how people find it.
So I’d really appreciate some advice on what to do…
The car’s done 80k miles now, so I’m thinking it would be wise to replace the shocks at the same time. It’s not a job I’m confident of being able to do myself, so don’t want to have to pay two lots of labour if the shocks give up on me shortly after fitting new springs.
What would KYB AGX adjustable shocks be like on standard springs?
Before fitting Puredrive suspension I had KYB AGX Adjustables on the rear and they had a suggested setting for standard suspension which from memory was about 3 out of 7 settings so I guess they would be OK with standard springs. That setting was a bit soft on mine as it had uprated springs.
I only upgraded to Puredrive as the ride height on mine meant grounding on every speed bump between Camberley and Wimbledon and I wanted the adjustability it afforded - a lot of money but IMHO worth it, speedbumps are almost insignificant now[6]
There are quite a few options out there in terms of suspension setups
Gaz and puredrive stuff both have their fair share of problems , however the customer service from what I can see from both these companies are good.
If they develop a problem the only issue and its a real pain is having to get your hands dirty, remove the offending shock and send it away rendering your car off road for a while.
I went for the hsd setup and they are awesome.-ve had them since they came out and I have had no issues at all.
Plus they have pillowball topmounts which is a nice bonus and come pre assembled. All you need to do is set the ride height.
There is so much choice out there, and I’ve read lots of review on the various suspension setups including the P5 and Gaz setup’s. However, I’ve now decided to get the Gaz Gold Pro set-up from Tony @ WIM. He’ll supply and fit the kit, and I’ve got complete confidence in Tony that if I’m not happy with it, he’ll put it right for me.
I’ll let you know how I get on when it gets installed on the car.
Sorry I wasn’t clear enough - I meant what is the HSD setup? Did I miss an option when I was looking for suspension? Or is it even more expensive than the GAZ or P5?[:D]
That’s good value considering the top mounts are included. They do look very nice too.
P5 came without top mounts (Mk2 are recommended) which were about 100 extra so I just used my mk1 mounts but they can be a bit noisy over very pitted roads as the bushing is a bit worn after 13 years! I dont do track but have them set on 8 out of 13 and the ride is better than our SLK for example and far more predictable.
While the post above may be a little harsh in tone and typing (caps is shouting), I was thinking along the same lines.
(the previous post has been removed, Bobm )
Im about to change my suspension to aftermarket coilovers from P5. But ive been around a long time in these circles and know exactly what I want and what is important to me.
For most people, Mazda did a great job of giving you alround performance at a ride quality which is very easy to live with. It will be cheaper and wont hike up your insurance like aftermarket coilovers will.
If you are intending to push the limits of your 's performance then by all means explore and reaserch the aftermarket.
Just my opinion.
One other thing, if you have a late model mk1 i wouldnt agree with my previous statement as Mazda seemed to muck about with ride heights and set up by the end of the run. Late mk1’s have a noticable ride hight increase which is thought to be due to later springs destined for mk2’s but without the same set up. This gives the noticable difference and the well known 4x4 sarcasam directed at the late mk1 owners at meets etc.
My understanding of the spring differences my not be entirely accurate but the spring differences and the slightly reduced handling qualities are deffinately there.
The increased ride height on some late Mk1s (not on Roadsters it seems) has nothing to do with the Mk2… Mk2 springs will not fit on a mk1 shock, since the spring diameter is different.
Mazda did fit Mk2 suspension to a limited number of Mk1s for the home market, but these do not have a particularly tall stance.
You can fit Puredrive-Protech shocks to Mk1 tops, and you can,. if you wish, use Mk1 springs, but you need to request special order spring perches. I don’t think there is any extra charge for these. But the Mk1 springs do need to be quite stiff.
While Mazda might have increased ride height, there is no evidence thesse cars handled worse than earlier cars. After all, earlier cars are missing the mass of subframe bracing, and different ARBs.
What I found interesting, after having a M2, was that mazda specc’d 3 different Showa shocks for the Mk1; the “standard” item that is used on mosty cars, a stiffer version used on the M2-1001 and a softer type used on the M2-1002, which gave an incredibly smooth ride (and Mazda bundled that with narrow 185/50 15 Bridgestones (yes, 185…) on the 1002).
If fitting original Mazda parts, there is very little difference in price, if at all, from fitting aftermarket parts. In fact, owners of Bilstein-equipped cars might find it more expensive. Obviously, cheaper if you settle for pattern parts, but experience has shown that pattern springs don’t last.
Missed this post, username says it all[;)] ( and I’m not talking about niggle[H])
Nothing is wrong with standard shocks but there are better out there that will suit different driving styles and purposes. Also for those that want to lower their car the options are there.
Will BFOCM.D1ck be able to clarify his comment in a polite manner???