I am considering fitting eibach 35mm lowering springs to my 2011 2L 3.5 roadster on the assumption that doing so will reduce the body roll on cornering. I would rather like to keep the compliant ride, if possible. Can I have both after the lowering?
A number of people who have made the change have said that it is a very successful conversion, reducing the body roll. My local motor engineer tells me, however, that he knows of owners who were disappointed with the change and the poorer ride, some sufficiently so that they actually returned the car to original springs.
Now, I am uncertain. I would be grateful for the comments of those owners who, after fitting shorter springs, found it was a successful modification, and also those for whom it was a disappointment. Is the good ride retained with lowering, and if not, how bad is it?
Hiya, I have Eibach -30mm springs on my car. I bought it that way so cannot give a comparison against standard springs. However, having come from a heavily modified mk1 with Meisterr’s, I really like the way the car behaves. I had an early into ownership problem which was found to be high tyre pressures? Sorted that and car is a nice drive. Don’t have issues with speed bumps etc (on my own), two up, the car can scrape if bumps are not approached carefully. Ride is good though and I really enjoy it. So would recommend, the look of the car on the road, I find very pleasing at the lower height too! I have considered stiffer ARB’s but at the moment, I don’t consider it necessary.
Hi, Barrie
Thanks very much for your quick and helpful reply. Re your early problem, are you saying that one has to be careful to ensure tyre pressures are accurate when the car is lowered? Presumably, with a 30mm drop, the wheel arches don’t rub on the tyres when cornering, (or any other circumstances), under normal use.
Morning Bill, our cars are sensitive to tyre pressures regardless of lowered or standard ride height? Also matched set of tyres I believe is important, or do the forums say? When I purchased my car, one of the first things I did was swap the OEM wheels for the 10 spokes. All tyres matched and were as new condition so had them swapped onto the new rims. despite giving clear instructions to the tyre guyes regarding pressures, they inflated to in excess of 36psi all round. Not having driven the car hardly on the old rims, I was devestated by poor handling and bouncy, hoppy ride in the new car. Schoolboy error I know but should have checked pressures myself straightaway. Lowered them to 28psi all round after researching ARB replacements etc, and the car was transformed! Cheapest and easiest mod I’ve ever done no issues with rubbing on wheel arches either.
Had my Mk3 lowered and set up for ‘Fast Road’ by WIM at Chesham. Amazing handling and no body roll. Incredibly hard ride though - so much so that my wife refuses to get in it and I have to be very careful over speed bumbs.
Barrie, thanks for that. I have always been careful about tyre pressures for, as you say, they can make such a difference to handling if they are wrong.
Thanks, Trevor, but I don’t think I drive fast enough to need ‘fast road’ settings! Do you think that it is the geometry of your suspension, rather than the ride height, that is causing the hard ride?
Saz, thanks for your comment. I have considered stiffer anti-roll bars as a further mod if lowering wasn’t sufficient. With the anti-roll bars, of course, there is also the advantage of no disruption of the ride quality, which is worthwhile. I have had to have the drop-links replaced on the rear bar anyway, but this produced no discernible improvement to the amount of roll the car suffered, unfortunately.
Thank you, Valve, for your suggestion. I think that a complete replacement of all the suspension, springs and dampers, would be a noticeable improvement to the car, but I am trying to keep my costs down at the moment, so I am going for the springs only and hoping they will provide the improvement I want, without a substantial loss of the existing good ride quality.
Hi good luck with the lowering springs. May I share with you a little of my experience with lowering springs. As with the mx5 mk3, 3.5, 3.75 the suspension is much the same apart from a few modifications/ tweaks here and there.
The car is designed to have body roll during cornering and that kind of makes us feel that we are traveling faster that we actuality are. The bump stops come into play during cornering when the wheels come into contact with pot holes or very poor road surfaces. At standard height and on cornering and hitting a bad patch of road, the car will stay controllable as well as comfortable.
Whist installing lowering springs on the mk3 mx5 does make the car look and feel more sporty there are some drawbacks. Speed humps and cornering.
During cornering the springs will be compressed against the bump stops and this will stop the body roll which you are seeking. However, (now this part is dependent on the part of the country you live in, here in the south east we have some really poor roads full of creators and pot holes) during cornering and upon the tyres making contact with pot holes ect, the car will impact with an almighty crash bang wallop, because the car has no more suspension to absorb it. That will frighten passenger and also, for a briefer moment spoil the handling. That is why I have resorted to installing Meisterr coilovers as there is still plenty of absorbsion left upon cornering.
On the other hand, if you live in an area where there are no speed humps and the roads are well maintained, then adding lowering springs is win win win.
Hi, Sparks, thanks for your comments. Something else to consider there, of which I was unaware. Mmm…food for thought. I would like to reduce the roll, but not at the cost of an unacceptable cornering experience or ride. Further consideration required, I think.
Interesting comments. My 1.8i NB is on standard suspension although I have fitted a S rear anti roll bar. I find the compliance of this suspension well suited to the bumpy Northamptonshire minor roads.
My son’s Eunos has Eibach springs, stiffer anti roll bars and GAZ shocks. The ride is crashy on minor roads with it sometimes hitting the rear bumpstops. I am tempted to fit standard springs to give more travel, the ride height can be adjusted by altering the spring platforms and damping adjusted to suit. Is this a suitable way to go?
Thanks for your information, it is interesting reading. From what has been written so far, it seems to me that the best way of dealing with a lowered body with minimum adverse affects is a complete replacement of springs and dampers, the latter tuned to the shorter springs.
Whether your suggestion would work the same (or better), I don’t know. But if you give in to temptation and fit the new suspension, I would like to know the results.
Here are my thoughts and come from no technical perspective.
I popped to WIM about a month ago to get the eibach springs on my mk3.5 1.8 Kendo. Also got them to fit new stiffer anti roll bars. Firstly the car looks amazing its mad what a stance drop does to the car, anyway thoughts on the ride etc.
I personally don’t feel like there has been any detriment to the ride and speed bumps are no problem although I do creep over them but I always did that any way. I’m running standard dampers and it all feels fine. The only time it feels unsettled is over a really bad rutted road. There is a road close to where I live and it is full of pot holes and camber changes where it has been repaired over the years that the car just hunts around the road like a dog in undergrowth. But it did that before the change over as the road is so bad I just don’t drive down it any more in the 5. To be fair my wifes mazzy3 feels rubbish over it as well.
I’m still getting used to the fact that you can feel so much more of the road now so much so that I can feel road markings.
Personally I should have got the change years ago as I now feel it looks and feels like a sports car. But its personal opinion. One mans decent ride is anothers crashy harshness.
Well your post is a definite recommendation, it sounds like a really satisfactory change with no drawbacks. What I really need is to find a garage who fit lowering springs on a sale or return basis!! Anyway, I will think on the change a bit longer, thanks.
I went the anti roll bar route because I didn’t want to compromise ride quality or take limbo lessons to get in and out. The rear ARB is the worst offender as it’s less than little finger tip width thick. I used a front and rear alloy set from IL Motorsport (from MX5Parts) which dramatically reduce roll with the added benefit of being half the weight of the originals, and a doddle to fit.
Another upgrade improved handling even more…a 4 piece IL Motorsport chassis bracing set consisting of a front cross brace, centre x, rear butterfly and diff braces. These give the car a solid planted feel most noticeable on bumpy bends and over railway crossings due to vastly reduced scuttle shake.
Note - I didn’t buy the IL strut brace as part of the IL set because they’re a 2 point fit. 4 point do a better job. I forget the make but they’re alloy, powder coated white, also available from MX5Parts.
Mines booked in on Monday to have the springs swapped, so hopefully I’ll be able to give a good verdict. I have standard suspension and will be fitting These Springs which I’m hoping won’t be too much with the 45mm drop.