"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
12/21/2015 at 21:38 • Filed to: None | 0 | 20 |
So I found a guy that is parting out his miata and is selling the coilovers he has installed on the parts car for cheap. These are the megan racing full street coilovers linked below.
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Now I have found a ton of information about the megan racing ez streets but not these (these seem to be an upgraded version). Anyone have experience with these?
Also got the advertisement here. They are adjustable so I'd like to keep it higher than he has it setup. I like the look but I don't want my car to bottom out on every driveway lol.
Orange Exige
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/21/2015 at 22:01 | 0 |
Never used em but I figured that come spring I’ll be looking at Meghan’s for my Mini... I always get the impression that they’re a fine balance between quality and price.
Also - those BFGoodrich tires are the same summer tires I just got this summer!
d15b
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/21/2015 at 22:08 | 0 |
Koni yellows and H&R springs. Honestly, how often are you going to adjust the ride height? Unless you can get a pretty sweet deal.
JGrabowMSt
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/21/2015 at 22:14 | 0 |
I almost went with Megan Racing, but I was sold on the KWs when I heard “lifetime warranty.”
I would say go for it. Worst case you end up getting stiffer springs, but the struts should be in good shape.
Lots of people cross shop Megan and BC Racing, I haven’t heard particularly bad things about either one, but their brand new warranty is 1 year. If they start leaking or anything else past that, and it can get expensive. KWs are expensive once.
But that said, I would go for it. If I had the space, it would be a fun toy, but your Miata is probably in better shape than that. Maybe pick up the coilovers and the soft top as a spare if he’s willing to part the car out? Wouldn’t hurt, considering insurance wouldn’t pay for replacing that top if it got cut or damaged otherwise.
Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/21/2015 at 22:15 | 2 |
Cheap coilovers are cheap for a reason.
That being said, I’ve heard some impressive things about the Tien Flex Z. Apart from those ST is one of the only other “affordable” coilovers I’d buy, since they’re owned by KW.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Orange Exige
12/22/2015 at 06:14 | 0 |
And what do you think of the tires. I'm probably picking those up too. Sketched out a bit that they are 195/50 mounted on 15x8.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> d15b
12/22/2015 at 06:14 | 1 |
He's selling them for $350 so it's a pretty sweet deal. Gotta make sure they aren't blown or some shit though
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> JGrabowMSt
12/22/2015 at 07:24 | 0 |
“Probably better shape than that". Yeah in terms of mechanical functionality and maintenance I bet. But body panel condition not so much. I am definitely interested in gaining more trackable performance (better tires, better suspension) and not too worried about value retention. Still gotta find a roll bar on the cheap too.
Textured Soy Protein
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/22/2015 at 12:52 | 1 |
Cheap coilovers like BCs and Megans have fancy looking housings with cheap crap shocks inside.
Adjustable ride height and damping do not make for better performance in and of themselves. Especially when you’re dealing with cheap stuff, you have to spend a bunch of time dialing in the settings and maybe you’ll land on a good one.
It’s better to get good quality shocks, springs and sway bars than the cheapest available coilovers. Dial in a good alignment, which on Miatas is fully adjustable from the factory. You can save money on used springs and sway bars because they don’t really wear out. But used shocks can be very hit-or-miss.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Textured Soy Protein
12/22/2015 at 13:56 | 0 |
This reminds me sort of with mountain bikes. You never want to buy a cheap full suspension bike because its fancy looking but filled with crap parts. Better off with a more expensive hard tail and wait until you can afford a good full suspension. Not sure if that analogy makes much sense to you lol.
But yeah that is a good point, I want to look used to save some money but perhaps I should get a more quality, well respected set instead. The adjustable damping part seems like a good idea but honestly I wouldn’t mind a harsh ride just all the time so having the softer settings are kinda pointless. The height part is pointless too since I would rather just lower it only slightly (for the CG and to lower body roll) but I have no interest to ever slam the shit out of it. Seems like cheap coilovers are mainly for getting that slammed look rather than performance. My main goal is performance.
d15b
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/22/2015 at 14:09 | 0 |
Okay, $350 isn’t bad at all!
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> d15b
12/22/2015 at 14:13 | 0 |
Well yeah I know he was unsure of the condition. He was asking $250 if they are not still adjustable (but in working order) and $400 if everything checks out fine. I said $350 if they are good when I come to check out the wheels (those I am getting for $300). So I figure for that price, I can't go wrong. I will learn my lesson relatively easy if they are total junk lol.
d15b
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/22/2015 at 14:17 | 0 |
How much does rebuilding the shocks cost?
Textured Soy Protein
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/22/2015 at 18:47 | 0 |
The other problem with cheap coilovers is they often have overly stiff fixed-rate springs. Good lowering springs like Eibach or H&R will have progressive rates that aren’t as harsh of a ride but get stiffer in hard corners.
Usually Eibach Pro Kit springs are a smaller drop and softer spring rate than H&R Sport, but both are very streetable. They’ll give a tolerable ride with Bilstein Sport shocks, and with a good set of swaybars and proper alignment, you’ll be very happy with the handling. If you prefer adjustable shocks (but not ride height) there’s Koni Yellows. You can crank them to full soft on the street and firm them up as desired.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Textured Soy Protein
12/23/2015 at 08:03 | 0 |
After doing some research, I really like the Flyin Miata VMaxx line. They seem to hit the sweet spot for price and performance. I still have to see if the Megans the guy has for sale are not destroyed, it could be worth it if they are cheap enough. But otherwise, Flyin Miata seems to have good choices and are well known in the Miata community.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> d15b
12/23/2015 at 08:04 | 0 |
Hmm, good point. If I could somehow get them rebuilt for not too much money, that could still be a great deal if they are damaged. I will look into that.
Textured Soy Protein
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/23/2015 at 12:11 | 0 |
Yeah FM generally makes good stuff. It’s been a long time since I had a Miata so I didn’t know they now were making cheap coilovers.
If you really want the adjustable ride height, go ahead, but there’s no magic secret sauce that instantly makes coilovers handle better than good shocks and springs. They’re just shocks with adjustable ride height that come with springs included.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Textured Soy Protein
12/23/2015 at 12:16 | 0 |
But is there anything inherently bad about coilovers? I imagine I can get better shocks and springs for a lower price than coilovers, which is the thing for me to consider. But I am just curious if coilovers make some sort of compromise somewhere that makes it a design flaw.
Textured Soy Protein
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/23/2015 at 12:39 | 1 |
There’s nothing inherently wrong with coilovers. But think about it this way: making shock housings with adjustable ride height takes money, so if you’re designing and manufacturing to a price point, there’s less money to devote to quality shocks and springs.
To me, unless you really want/need adjustable ride height, might as well stick to shocks and springs that are well known to be good. Especially since the money saved can be put towards sway bars. I’d much rather have upgraded shocks, springs and sway bars than coilovers and stock sway bars.
Most aftermarket sway bars come with adjustable end links, and if you get Koni Yellow shocks they have adjustable damping. Combine those adjustments with the Miata having full alignment adjustability and you still have plenty of ways besides ride height to dial the handling in to your liking.
d15b
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
12/23/2015 at 13:29 | 0 |
THE BEST PART ABOUT REBUILDING THE SHOCKS?
You can get custom springs too! Also, have it matched to the shocks, which are getting rebuilt!
Orange Exige
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/06/2016 at 21:03 | 0 |
Sorry - I’m on Oppo a lot less now and completely missed this!
But I like em! Mine are 205/45/R17’s... don’t make for as comfy of a ride as my 195/65/R15 snow tires but they’re definitely all good in the warm weather.