Thoughts on suspension set-up

Discussions relating to MX5 Tyre choice, Wheels, Brakes Suspension components and other items to keep you going around corners, stuck to the ground or stopping on a dime.

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SkilletKid
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Post by SkilletKid » Tue Aug 27, 2013 5:28 pm

marcellarius wrote:I'd be keen-as-beans for an actually difficult gymkhana day. I find the unstructured skid/drift days terribly boring... a minute of aimlessly skidding around and the next 20 minutes sitting in a queue being serenaded by tortured tyres and the drone of SR20s. ;)
Hibiscus Coast Motorsports Club run a structured autocross occasionally. I went to their one they ran at Hampton recently and it sounds nothing like what you just mentioned. Does need overalls along with the helmet though.
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Furai
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Post by Furai » Tue Aug 27, 2013 5:38 pm

BRM wrote:
chris wrote:
BRM wrote:Chris - when ever we organize one
Gymkhana day or skid day though?
Gymkhana's gay. Skid day, so we can try drift and niki can show us how to drift an Ace
This.

marcellarius
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Post by marcellarius » Tue Aug 27, 2013 5:48 pm

Furai wrote:Sounds like you need more travel in the rear. Tried raising it slightly or maybe go shorter bumpstops or extended tophats?

[...]

The key to the rear though is travel and thats why I went extended tophats not keepers.
The rear damper just has a really short stroke... I don't think I'd use shorter stops or different tophats without first consulting Racelign as I wouldn't want to wreck them. I'm sure Tein used the bumpstop they did for a reason...

marcellarius
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Post by marcellarius » Tue Aug 27, 2013 5:58 pm

SkilletKid wrote: Hibiscus Coast Motorsports Club run a structured autocross occasionally. I went to their one they ran at Hampton recently and it sounds nothing like what you just mentioned. Does need overalls along with the helmet though.
That's probably the one I heard about a week after the event... it's so hard to find out what events are being run if you're out of the loop. I should join a club, but down here, the Fiat club is the only interesting candidate.

(I was referring to the more free-form drift/manji days -- just not really my thing)

Furai
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Post by Furai » Tue Aug 27, 2013 6:06 pm

marcellarius wrote:
Furai wrote:Sounds like you need more travel in the rear. Tried raising it slightly or maybe go shorter bumpstops or extended tophats?

[...]

The key to the rear though is travel and thats why I went extended tophats not keepers.
The rear damper just has a really short stroke... I don't think I'd use shorter stops or different tophats without first consulting Racelign as I wouldn't want to wreck them. I'm sure Tein used the bumpstop they did for a reason...
If its not going to do harm try it, suspension is personal not something you get out of a book or from someone 100km away in my opinion. But I have been through evolutions with mine and have found I tend to adapt a little to make it work everytime.

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Post by Furai » Tue Aug 27, 2013 6:09 pm

Forgot to add drift days get entertaining with tandems, its like a constantly moving gymkhana course to follow :wink:

marcellarius
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Post by marcellarius » Tue Aug 27, 2013 6:22 pm

Yeah, that's heaps of fun, although seriously dangerous if things were to go wrong. I'm surprised that some event organisers are so lax about that... (MSNZ require a full cage and harness for 'team drift' events)

SkilletKid
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Post by SkilletKid » Tue Aug 27, 2013 6:36 pm

Yea I hear you on the difficulty of finding the clubsport oriented events run by clubs. Pity there's no club solely focused on entry level autocross and gymkhana around auckland/hamilton.

Lack of parking lots big enough and able to be hired out regularly also doesn't help I guess =\
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SLYDIT
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Post by SLYDIT » Wed Aug 28, 2013 9:10 pm

have a read of this before you start any mods....

http://www.fatcatmotorsports.com/FAQ1.htm
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Mad Kiwi
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Post by Mad Kiwi » Wed Sep 04, 2013 5:22 pm

HSD'S are the best handling shock I have ever driven in an MX5.

They are spectacular on the road with a firm but not too firm ride and no crashing through/over holes, judders etc.

I couldn't believe how awesome they were when I did the track days I did, a few clicks to stiffen them up and done.

A friend of mine drove the car and literally couldn't stop talking about how amazing the ride was compared to his standard one, ESPECIALLY given the spring rate......

As a daily driver it was truly enjoyable.

I think the HSD's are standard 8Kg front, 6 KG rear.

I mention this to counter some comments previousley re spring rates being too high etc. With the right valving 8/6 can be amazing.

For road use I wouldn't go to crazy on sway bar thickness. The thicker sway bars paid huge dividends on the track but I found standard sways with the HSD's was more than suitable for just "fun" use and for gymkhana/autocross may actually be beneficial in providing better feedback....

Just a personal opinion..YMMV... :D

marcellarius
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Post by marcellarius » Wed Sep 04, 2013 6:41 pm

Do the HSDs have rear tophats that allow for extra compression stroke?


Valving is probably the other main comfort-issue... the Monoflexblahblahs have quite aggressive compression damping, and the low speed rebound damping looks a bit strong too.

They get muuuuch better as you go faster, but, of course, never past the speed limit except on the track ;)
Mad Kiwi wrote:For road use I wouldn't go to crazy on sway bar thickness. The thicker sway bars paid huge dividends on the track but I found standard sways with the HSD's was more than suitable for just "fun" use and for gymkhana/autocross may actually be beneficial in providing better feedback....
A modest, matched pair of swaybars could help bring the front roll couple up if I found the oversteer a bit much (although seems okay to me), and with the softer springs the increased roll-stiffness probably wouldn't be an issue, but finding the right bars would be key. That's all fine tuning though.

I'm itching to get it back in the garage and make some adjustments to try and get it balanced better.
Attachments
tein_settings.jpg

authentic
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Post by authentic » Wed Sep 04, 2013 8:10 pm

marcellarius wrote:Do the HSDs have rear tophats that allow for extra compression stroke?
Yep! But the spare tire wont fit with them :roll:.

Image

BRM
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Post by BRM » Wed Sep 04, 2013 8:58 pm

HSDs come with those top hats?

cool.

BRM
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Post by BRM » Wed Sep 04, 2013 8:58 pm

HSDs come with those top hats?

cool.

Angreal
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Post by Angreal » Thu Sep 05, 2013 7:47 am

What you really need is to stumble across these bad boys :D

Image

Completely transformed how the car drove.

CordedBowl
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Post by CordedBowl » Thu Sep 05, 2013 10:01 am

Compared to stock bilsteins and bumpstops, the difference was night and day.

Edit: for relevance

Although the HSD's are great, I'm not sure they're so great as to ditch your current Teins and buy them, they could only be a slight improvement for the investment?

You're very welcome to come for a ride in my car though to feel if they're suitable or not :)
Last edited by CordedBowl on Fri Sep 06, 2013 11:10 am, edited 1 time in total.

marcellarius
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Post by marcellarius » Thu Sep 05, 2013 2:13 pm

Angreal wrote:What you really need is to stumble across these bad boys :D

[ohlins porn]

Completely transformed how the car drove.
Nom. What spring rates are on those?

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Post by Growler » Thu Sep 05, 2013 2:29 pm

SkilletKid wrote:Yea I hear you on the difficulty of finding the clubsport oriented events run by clubs. Pity there's no club solely focused on entry level autocross and gymkhana around auckland/hamilton.
Ummm...Auckland Car Club, Northen Sports Car Club, South Auckland Car Club just to name a few.

I previously organised a seperate class just for MX5's to run alongside the ACC grass gymkhana summer series...but people conplained that their cars got dirty...

Angreal
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Post by Angreal » Thu Sep 05, 2013 6:00 pm

marcellarius wrote:
Angreal wrote:What you really need is to stumble across these bad boys :D

[ohlins porn]

Completely transformed how the car drove.
Nom. What spring rates are on those?
8 and 6 from memory although the ride feels really nice and isn't harsh and just well... Transformed the car I guess

Skilfil
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Post by Skilfil » Fri Sep 06, 2013 6:09 pm

Growler wrote:I previously organised a seperate class just for MX5's to run alongside the ACC grass gymkhana summer series...but people conplained that their cars got dirty...
I'd be keen to do a grass gymkhana. I like my car dirty, it looks purposeful.

I managed to get my red MX5 dirty enough one day of adventuring to get some dirty looks from a local 4wd club that was parked up.

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