sport suspension or no

does the 2006 Miata, MX5 whatever ride better, worse or the same with the sport suspension?

Reply to
mowgli
Loading thread data ...

Don't know, I've only driven the sport suspension. It is not a kidney-puncher. The car takes the turns like it's on rails. It does get a little upset on very bumpy surfaces, but handles it better than my '95 Mustang, which would rattle, shake and bump steer its way down the road.

Reply to
Fabiano

It probably rides worse but I suspect that the difference as the butt experiences it will not be noticeable most of the time. I've got the sport version with the handling package (Bilsteins and limited-slip differential) in mine and it feels substantially the same as the vehicle I test drove which didn't have it. A 500-mile trip on the interstate including some seriously faulty pavement and construction oddities showed me no bad habits that I would blamed on the suspension mods. The only real problem was that the wide Michelin w-rated tires seem to be noticeably noisier on certain pavement surfaces than any I've experienced before. But Mazda has switched over to Bridgestones for the newer vehicles which may or may not have changed the tire noise situation.

As another poster noted, the vehicle corners as if it were on tracks. And maybe more so since no vehicle on tracks is able to respond to throttle input so readily.

Reply to
John McGaw

Shock dyno results on the miata.net forum show that the "sport" Bilsteins are actually valved softer than the standard shocks.The best (only?) reason for getting the package is the Torsen. You can always sell the over-the-top 17" wheels and replace them with something smaller and lighter.

Reply to
Lanny Chambers

Well, in my case, the differential was the primary reason for considering the optional package. I've always had good luck with Bilsteins so they certainly weren't a negative factor but it does surprise me that Mazda would have gone with softer valving when selecting them. As for the tires and wheels, a little bit of excess(?) noise on a few pavement types certainly isn't a reason to consider dumping them -- I certainly can't argue with the performance they've shown so far.

Reply to
John McGaw

But the extra weight is.

Reply to
Lanny Chambers

but mazda has always been very attentive to that weight issue. Do we have wheel weights on the new 17's yet, I haven't seen them.

Chris

99BBB
Reply to
Chris D'Agnolo

On Fri, 21 Apr 2006 23:14:23 GMT, "Chris D'Agnolo" wrote in news:aa991$44496750$97d5b40e$ snipped-for-privacy@ALLTEL.NET:

Unless they're made from unobtainium, they're probably heavier than any 14 or 15 inch wheel or wheel tire combination.

Reply to
Red

The NC 17" wheel is 17 lb. The wheel-tire combo is 37 lb. The 16" wheel-tire combo is also 37 lb. Source: Goodwin Racing forum.

Reply to
Lanny Chambers

That's a little lighter than I expected. Mazda seems to have 18 pounds as their maximum wheel weight for the miata. This is the weight of the original steel wheels and the heaviest alloy wheel that they have used is the 16 inch wheel on the 2002SE that also weighs 18 pounds.

Pat

Reply to
pws

I give Mazda credit though for sticking to their guns while having to deal with the reality of the average buyer wanting huge wheels. If you just go looking for 'good looking' 16" wheels the chances are good that you'll purchase 24 or 25 lb wheels with very few options out there in the 14 to 16 lb category. I wouldn't hesitate to put any miata alloy on for street use as they are still relatively light.

Chris

99BBB
Reply to
Chris D'Agnolo

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.