sport suspension or no

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

mowgli wrote:
> does the 2006 Miata, MX5 whatever ride better, worse or the same with
> the sport suspension?
>
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.

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

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.

--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com

In article >,
John McGaw > wrote:

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

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.

--
Lanny Chambers
'94C, St. Louis
http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html

Lanny Chambers wrote:
> In article >,
> John McGaw > wrote:
>
>>> does the 2006 Miata, MX5 whatever ride better, worse or the same with
>>> the sport suspension?
>>>
>> 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.
>
> 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.
>

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.

--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com

In article >,
John McGaw > wrote:

> 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

But the extra weight is.

--
Lanny Chambers
'94C, St. Louis
http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html

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

"Lanny Chambers" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> John McGaw > wrote:
>
>> 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
>
> But the extra weight is.
>
> --
> Lanny Chambers
> '94C, St. Louis
> http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html

In article >,
Red > wrote:

> >>> 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
> >>
> >> But the extra weight is.
>
> Unless they're made from unobtainium, they're probably
> heavier than any 14 or 15 inch wheel or wheel tire combination.

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.

--
Lanny Chambers
'94C, St. Louis
http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html

Lanny Chambers wrote:

> 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.


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

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

"pws" > wrote in message
...
> Lanny Chambers wrote:
>
>> 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.
>
>
> 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