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I think to get a comfort ride setup requires a pairing of damper & spring rate correctly. MeisterR 12/6 setup is not the same as Cusco 12/6. I don't know about the rest, but we all know now that the owner of MeisterR has a SC430 riding on the same coilovers setup that they sell to the rest of us.
I've been looking at my car and measuring, the most I can drop is .5 to .75in, so not sure if it's worth spending $1000 to get coilovers, especially I have all new KYBs around.
As for Joemg, I think your strut is bad, that's why you keep bottom out and hit the fender/screw. Replace the whole thing with OEM is expensive so you might as well, go for a set of coilovers.
quick video from KYB for monotube & Twintube https://youtu.be/xbQpxP87Sys
That's a good point, the more I research this, the more I realize spring rate is not all that important. I think the the actual shock (damper) is more important, or as you said, the pairing of the two is the key.
The MeisterR's are very compelling, and in my head right now, they're the coilovers to beat. They have a great track record and I'm sure they're not harsh, everyone seems to like them. Though I am curious if I could shift the bias more towards comfort with a twin tube or dual spring design. I have so much bracing on this car, I'm not really worried at all about handling, it already handles fine for what it is (a luxury GT car) with my worn out original shocks.
(I have bigger front/rear sways, TRD door brace, front and rear STBs, & lower front chassis brace. I keep looking to see if an affordable lower rear brace shows up)
For your needs, since you already have brand new KYBs, maybe all you would need is some 15mm RCAs. Fronts are cheap and easy to find on ebay in custom sizes (search for the GS400/430). But I'm pretty sure for the rear you're going to have to go the sage route which is pricey.
Another thing to pay attention to, once we dropped the car using coilovers, we need to start dial in camber and toe settings or they eat the tires for breakfast. You have the rear SAGE to help with camber but you might need adjustable toe links like this one from figs for the rear. https://www.shopfigs.com/v3/IS3-2GS-SC430_TOEV1
For the front, we need adjustable upper control arm from SPC (or Mevotech)
damn, so many things.
For your needs, since you already have brand new KYBs, maybe all you would need is some 15mm RCAs. Fronts are cheap and easy to find on ebay in custom sizes (search for the GS400/430). But I'm pretty sure for the rear you're going to have to go the sage route which is pricey.
I would not go with SAGE or the like, too expensive for my taste I wish Megan did the rear as well. Their pricing for the front set is really good.
I would not go with SAGE or the like, too expensive for my taste I wish Megan did the rear as well. Their pricing for the front set is really good.
Tell me about it... I bought the megan fronts for $75 but the rear SAGE for like $300 or whatever it was. I scoured the internet looking for another rear option, but I couldn't find anything any cheaper (or second hand).
The nice thing about the RCAs is they allow for big brake calipers, which I took full advantage of.
I don't know if I'll need to worry too much about the camber in the front... I think the RCAs are designed to correct the geometry, but this is all over my head at this point, so I may be totally off base. I'll just keep reading and watching videos until it starts to make sense, lol.
I came across a post from Jerrick (MeisterR) on the Miata forums:
Originally Posted by MeisterR
...springs rate isn't always a true indicator of ride quality, at least it isn't always correlated.
Softer springs rate does not always mean a harsher ride, a lot of other factors get involved.
Twin-Tube damper isn't always softer than mono-tube dampers either.
Mono-tube damper are more high performance design, but high performance does not mean it has to be stiffer.
Just want to make sure we are comparing apple to apple.
I haven't had any complains of the ZetaCRD ride being too harsh, but I am always on the lookout if there are critical feedback on where I can make improvement.
What he's saying makes sense, I just wish there was a source that isn't trying to sell a product that could compare them. If you ask Ceika, their helper spring setup delivers better ride quality on rough roads, if you ask a company that makes twin tube coilovers, they'll tell you that the twin tube design is far more comfortable for the street... etc... etc..
maybe send an email to the guy @projectfarm so he can test them out.
I love that channel too!
I keep coming across more releveant posts on more forums by Jerrick:
Originally Posted by MeisterR
Yep, that is correct, you can have more damper stroke travel with a Twin-Tube damper.
But if you have a proper dual-perch coilovers, you can lower the car without the need of losing damper stroke travel.
Therefore, you can design the coilovers with enough damper stroke travel to begin with (even though it is less than a twin-tube damper), and know that it will never run out of stroke travel because the coilovers will never run at any less travel than what is designed.
This is why you can put lowering springs on standard dampers... Taking out 35mm of travel on a twin-tube will be alright... Not great but alright.
Take out 35mm of travel on a mono-tube damper like a MeisterR coilovers by adjusting them incorrectly (such as lowering the car using the spring perch), and that damper won't last long at all.
On the other hand... Mono-Tube have much better damping characteristic than Twin-Tube, larger range of adjustability, and dissipate heat better under hard usage.
If you ever touch a damper that have been on the dyno for only a few circle, the oil and casing get VERY HOT!
For a sport performance damper, a Mono-Tube will always be better than a Twin-Tube... The only real downside is the cost as Mono-Tube cost more to make than a Twin-Tube Damper.
If I had to pull the trigger right now, I think I'd go with the MeisterR ZetaCRDs. My takeaway from reading about this all morning is that they are the best all-round setup at this price point. You MIGHT be able to find a more comfortable coilover that performs worse in extreme conditions, you MIGHT find one that performs better in extremes but is harsh and stiff. You might even find one better at both, but the pricepoint is going to double (Tein Comfort Sport, perhaps?).
I literally can't find a single post of anyone saying "I don't like my MeisterR coilovers, I wish I had gotten X instead." Not on CL or Miata.net, which is interesting, because the goals of the bulk of the people in those communities are very different. Everything on the Miata forums is usually weighed against track use and I think comfort ranks higher on the CL priorities.
This is a good place to take a break from mainlining suspension info for a minute... My new, lower profile screws arrived today, I might install and go for a test drive and see if I got lucky and reduced/solved my problem. At the very least, not having the sharp point of a big hex head jab into my tires at high speed while I figure all this out is probably a big plus.
Not sure when but once I buy coilovers, I'll go with MeisterR. Unless something else can challenge their setup in the same price range.
I checked my car yesterday, I couldnt find that big screw anywhere. Maybe my 02 is different than your 06?
This is the only screw I saw, a tiny one.
Not sure when but once I buy coilovers, I'll go with MeisterR. Unless something else can challenge their setup in the same price range.
I checked my car yesterday, I couldnt find that big screw anywhere. Maybe my 02 is different than your 06?
This is the only screw I saw, a tiny one.
Interesting... maybe when they changed the bumpers in 06 they changed how they mount? There's basically a white plastic piece that expands when that screw goes into it holding the sides of the bumper in place. It would be a little higher up than your pic. It's the seam of where the rear bumper meets the rear quarter panel.
I just put the #14 x 3/4" Truss head wood screws in, #14 is the right fit. It shaved maybe 2 or 3mm and its not sharp and pointy, so that's a win. I haven't had a chance to drive it (I'm going to use masking tape again), but I'm not optimistic that it was enough shaving to stop the occasional rub.
I'm contemplating removing the screw and plastic piece and coming up with an alternative method of attachment. That could potentially free up enough space (probably 5-10mm) to stop the rub. I think I still want coilovers, but I wouldn't necessarily have to spend a grand right now while everything is in limbo because of the virus. Still undecided on how far I want to go since my shocks are probably worn out and coilovers would probably make the car better in every way, lol.
What's really funny is that the rub is way more pronounced on the passenger side, the driver side barely scuffed the masking tape, the passenger side tore it off. These screws might have stopped the rubbing on the driver side, we'll see. I have no idea why, I would think there is more weight on the driver side, especially with me in it.
What's really funny is that the rub is way more pronounced on the passenger side, the driver side barely scuffed the masking tape, the passenger side tore it off. These screws might have stopped the rubbing on the driver side, we'll see. I have no idea why, I would think there is more weight on the driver side, especially with me in it.
Symptom of bad shock. the passenger side is not doing its job anymore.
Symptom of bad shock. the passenger side is not doing its job anymore.
Hmm.... I suppose you're probably right, maybe I should just go for the coilovers and kill 2 birds. Maybe the wheels did me a favor in revealing a failing/out of spec part.
I'm going to sleep on all the new information I digested, but my gut is telling me you can't do better than the MeisterRs for $1000. Guess that stimulus check isn't going to last long, lol.
Okay, I might get blasted for posting here but I just took the car for a drive with the removed D2 coilovers, replaced with the OEM dampeners...this was my 2002...NOTE my 2007 is different.
anyway, it was a much smoother ride, but still stiffer than the the 2007, guess cause the dampeners are new.
i will add that if I was still in my 20s-30s, I probably would have been cool with the D2s. I selected them three years ago not knowing...
This is not a bash of coilovers, Mine might have been too stiff because of brand or setup...
Okay, I might get blasted for posting here but I just took the car for a drive with the removed D2 coilovers, replaced with the OEM dampeners...this was my 2002...NOTE my 2007 is different.
anyway, it was a much smoother ride, but still stiffer than the the 2007, guess cause the dampeners are new.
i will add that if I was still in my 20s-30s, I probably would have been cool with the D2s. I selected them three years ago not knowing...
This is not a bash of coilovers, Mine might have been too stiff because of brand or setup...
That's good information. Also interesting to see the suspension changes they made in 06 are noticeably different than the original 02-05 suspension.
I'm going to pull the trigger on the MeisterRs (ZetaCRD) this morning.
@Bgw70 if you bought the CS coilovers that could explain the hasher ride since it's primarily for Circuit/Track use. The RS series should have been better. It has softer spring rate options as well.
@joemg
Let us know how it goes.
The installation is prery much straight forward, so you can do it yourself and then use the rest of the stimulus money for an alignment. See the combined the instruction I made from WIL44 and add the torque spec. He made it clear and super easier.
04-24-20, 12:35 PM
I wish Megan did the rear as well. Their pricing for the front set is really good.
