While money is not really the issue here I just want to make sure that I spend my money wisely.
I use my car DAILY (to and fro from work) and encounter all kinds of crap that Britains roads have to offer lol
I sometimes go for ‘spirited runs’ but not really going to go on a track with it.
I like the price of the TA Technix and while theyre no Meister coilover quality I was wondering if theyre good enough for everyday use? I have Bilsteins on my car and its very hard and crashy the ride. If the Meisters are better for everyday use I would buy them over the TA Technix but the main factors are ride comfort, quality and best value for money.
TA Technix are well over £300 cheaper which can be used for Garage Vary/Racing Beat parts
For a car driven everyday, normal annual mileages, I would also consider more mainstream options such as the KYB AGX or Koni; I think these will ultimately prove to be more reliable over the higher mileages.
I’ve been considering a shock swap (blimey poetry !) and have looked at (on paper only I hasten to add) those offerings from our German chums at Raceland.
I’m not going to be burning up the track or crashing through our rush hour traffic with all those lovely ladies in their huge 4 x 4’s (that have NEVER seen any mud form a grass verge let alon an off-road course - don’t get me started - oooh I have !) and one small child strapped in the back on the “school run” getting in the way - phew - so I’d think they nmay be o.k. for the job.
I do want to lower the car a tad too so it all sounds good… but ??
Not tried a a car with Technix but I am very have with the MeisterR’s. I originally had Bilsteins. Adjustable damping really works well, keep it on soft for around town and tighened them up for more spirited runs. Car feels alot more planted and sure footed now.
Raceland shocks (and all the name variations) are not German- and Belgian- made, no matter where the sellers’ offices are located; the kits are made in China, generally to specs the sellers are unwilling (or more likely, don’t know) to divulge. There appears to be no evidence at all that the shocks are specifically tuned for the MX5, and instead are generic inserts for a Micra or something, put in shiney tubes. Reports indicate that these shocks are underdamped for the MX5; the cars feel too bouncy, and this will get worse with a drop in ride height (MX5s with standard shocks will feel a bit bouncy with lowering springs). Standard shocks will make 60k miles with no problems; I doubt these cheap shocks will get anywhere near that before expiring.
I’ll reserve judgement on the Meisters; they are too new, but reports are generally positive. In general, the experience of low volume shock manufacturers is not good; they can’t hope to achieve the same longetivity testing as the OE applications, so hopefully the after sales support will be good. It is usual, in the racing world, for shocks to be quite frequently replaced or rebuilt, despite covering far less miles than road shocks. If you can change suspension yourself, and want improved handling, they, and their ilk, are worth a shot. Otherwise, most people are unlikely to realise the benefits they offer.
If you are after lowering the suspension a “tad”, Autolink etc trimsprings are worth considering. If you want to spend a bit more, the Koni kits are worth considering; they are OE quality, with 10s of millions of miles behind them. Don’t dismiss other OE replacements. Currently I’m on P5 (Protec) Puredrives; fairly typical experience for a low volume specialist.
meister r’s are comparable with hsd’s in that they are very very firm. A local guy has them and i tried them out…a huge thumbs down from me, way too hard.
I had hsds and sold them very quickly as they were awful for my daily driver.
rokkors/ racelands…way too soft and the bodies rust in double quick time.
If i was doing suspension on a a budget again , i would use kyb agx and either eibach lowering springs or tein s-tech springs.
Meister Rs firm??.. Ive just put them on my mk2 and they are more compliant than the OE stuff! (with the dampers set at 6-8) - make sure the pre-load is set right (ie zero)
On the flip side ive had the TA-Technix on my mk1 and they were terrible. and this is how they looked after less than 8 months (with the car under cover and dry 99% of the time)
As the saying goes… buy cheap buy twice - the TA/Rokkor/Raceland have been shown to have just a generic damper inside, so wont be tuned for a MX - plus each vendor choose their own spring rates… the TA technix had the same spring rates front and back which wasnt good.
I just fitted a set of Meisters to a Mk 1 Eunos yesterday and am very impressed.
Our car was bought 'slammed' using some Ohlins coilovers. It cornered on rails on a smooth road, but had a very hard crashy ride regularly hitting the bump stops on country roads, and was too low to get over speed bumps.
After loads of research and soul serching on how much to spend I plumbed for Meisters.
I was a little nervous that I may have been disappointed having spent so much money on them, but I'm pleased to say they are superb.
Fitting went easy, once I'd worked out how to get a big enough lever to lower the front wishbones. it certainly makes life easier having them roughly preset for height.
The as supplied heights worked out at 310 - 320 mm front and rear, which is perfect and actually 20 mm higher at the rear than my previous slammed setup, so I can get over speed bumps now.
I changed the drop links whilst I was in there, and gave the car an oil change wash and wax.
My goal was to achieve a compliant road set up, without compromising the sports car feel too much
I have the shocks set at 12 clicks front and 8 rear, and am so impressed with the ride. The car still has sharp responsive handling, with way more performance than we need for regular road use, and the ride is simply awesome, soaking up bumps comfortably, no more crashing and banging over potholes and ridges. On a fast bumpy B road they even cope well when pushed to hit the bump stops. They have transformed a 19yr old car into driving like a very capable 2 yr old one
“As it has not yet been TUV approved, this setup is sold for off-road and competition use only.”
Now I don’t want to pour cold water on this, as these are undoubtably good components, but if they are sold with this caveat, then how does it affect insurance?
unless they’re marked as ‘not for road use’ they’ll pass mot in good condition, and as such wouldn’t affect your cover as long as they’re declared as a modification.
- so I’d think they nmay be o.k. for the job.
