Hi y'all, just got my first Miata (first stick shift car, too) off eBay a few weeks ago. I am having a lot of fun with it as you might imagine, but there is one issue - over rough pavement, the ride can get pretty damn harsh. I mean, there are some bad stretches of interstate around here that will loosen my fillings pretty soon if I don't get shaken baby syndrome first. Now I wasn't expecting the car to be luxo-smooth, and I don't even know what's normal for a Miata, but this is not what I had in mind. It's making me think twice about taking it for long road trips if I can't do something to improve the situation.
What we are dealing with is a 2003 Shinsen version, 30K miles on the odo, not sure if the suspension is the same as on the base model or if it is a sport suspension.
It came with Fuzion ZRi tires (205/45-16) and since the fronts are close to worn out anyway, I will probably replace them with all-season ones, maybe Yokohama or Pirelli. The user reviews on tirerack for the Fuzions are a bit on the low side for ride comfort, so maybe a tire swap will help some.
Could the shocks be done after 30K? How comfortable would Koni sports be on the soft setting?
Any thoughts would be appreciated.