@@Remaagen I don’t believe I did and did not notice any issues like hitting the bump stop. If I did it again, I think I would trim them for the peace of mind though
This was such a great video. Precise and to the point. Only additional thing I would have liked to see is you actaully actuating the sprint compressor and sliding the spring on...but you can't have it all, especially when it's free! Thanks for posting this.
Great video - would you consider making a video showing how to jack-up an ND and put them on jack stands? Most videos show NDs already on the stands and a video pointing out the front/rear jack points or jack points by the pinch welds would be incredibly helpful!
That’s a really great idea, I can definitely make one. In the meantime, there’s a couple ways of jacking up the ND. You can use the subframe in the front (if your jack can fit under the front of the car) just behind the oil pan, IIRC. You can also use the brace that hangs right below the diff to jack up the rear. Alternatively, go from the sides and place the jack anywhere along the pinch weld (I’ve done it many times, doesn’t hurt a thing) and place the jack stands between the two dimples on the pinch welds near the front and rear. This method may be much easier and necessary, especially if your car is lowered. I’ll try to make a video showing those locations!
I did find this vid fun helpful and informative. Liked. I might use it to do my first diy of my life in a car. Haven’t even changed the oil by myself but with such a clear vid I’m super confident I’m not gonna messed up my car … completely
DriveMX-5 It went well. One small hiccup when I misplaced one of the nuts that goes on the top hat but other than that it went smooth. I’m fine with the ride height for now but eventually I’ll want to get some coilovers.
there really is no need to loosen the alignment bolts on the LCA. There's really not much tension on it. You can easily just push it down to unhook the strut saves you time.
@@DriveMX5 20lbs stiffer rear springs 135 vs 115, fronts are the same 185lbs. This would help sagging in the rear when fully loaded, and I am expecting slightly less drop which I am perfectly fine with since I have never liked slammed cars. I have been reading a lot but so far i have not come across anyone using the Progress RF on the soft top, my next step is to email good win racing to see what is their input.
Nice way to give the car a better stance. For me, all the trouble wasn’t worth the price of just springs alone. For less than $1k I just went with MeisterR coil overs instead.
I don’t remember noticing any issues. The suspension never bottomed out. Looking bad, I might’ve skipped that part unintentionally and I would cut them, but leaving them uncut shouldn’t affect anything. I feel the increased spring rate will make up for the difference in ride height to prevent hitting bump stops, unless you’re driving the car hard over very rough roads.
Just installed my front progress springs and will tackle the rear tomorrow. I was a lot lower than you are for some reason at least so far in the front. I couldn't torque the top of the strut rod for the life of me even with a crows foot...... so just made it really tight. Looking at the rear, how did you torque that back shock mount against the wall? Crows foot?
I didn’t. I don’t have a crows foot and I couldn’t get a torque wrench back there either. Just used a normal combination wrench to get it as tight as I could by hand and it seems to be fine
Ohlins coilovers with 10k front and 4k rear springs. Eibach sways, and 20mm front/25mm back Garageline spacers. Next up will either be chassis bracing or full exhaust (header and midpipe :)
@@DriveMX5 what you think about drifting with the nd2? Well not literally drift but do some controlled oversteer in a street mountain, is it possible or is it too short and nervous?
@@DriveMX5 I understand what you mean, I hope in few weeks to tell you I bought it and I'm going to do your same mods because I think they are the base to enjoy the car. Keep up with the video, I really love your car, best regards from Italy!
I tackled this project tonight. I got both front springs installed. I know I asked earlier how much you need to tighten the top nut on the shock. Honestly, I kept tightening it it just kept going, so I just tried to tighten it with as much thread showing as before. I hope that makes sense. I also did not have to use an Allen wrench the nut came off without spinning the other parts. I do have a question how do I know that I put the shock back in properly meaning is it possible to put it in 180° off everything went back together fine I just didn’t know if it matters if it’s put in facing one way or another again I hope this makes sense. Thank you for any information you have.
Awesome! It sounds like the middle shaft was spinning while you were tightening the top hat nut. Did you turn the nut on with a wrench while the spring was still compressed and not pushing on the top hat? Might be a good idea to go back with an Allen wrench to hold the middle shaft secure and make sure that nut on each shock is tight. You can do that with the suspension on the car. It’s best to put it back in the same orientation that it came off (look at the stickers/labels on the front ones and the welded on bottom nuts on the rear). But if you put them in 180 degrees out then I don’t think it will really make a difference.
@@DriveMX5 i’ll go back this morning with an Allen wrench and see if I can tighten it more. Honestly, the middle was not spinning though, so I think I was tightening it down properly. I did not compress the new spring when I was doing this as I had enough room to tighten the nut, I also don’t think it’s possible to put the shock in any other way but properly I was looking and with the holes aligned at the top it only goes in one way so I think I’m good there. I am going to jack up each corner at the front to tighten everything down. My only other concern is the lower control arm on one side when I was loosening it the whole thing started spinning meaning the bolt and nut both spun in the whole control arm kind of came out which was very odd. I was simply trying to loosen it. I am going to hold it now with one side when I go to tighten it, and then I’m hoping when I do the alignment, they can take care of whatever that needs to be done. I appreciate all of your replies. Thank you so much.
Hey there I am hoping you can help me again I finished the project today. I have run into a problem though. I don't know if I did something wrong but my rear is lower than my front also the rear tires seem to be tilted inward. I did everything similarly to what you did however I also loosened the bushing nuts on the wheel hub and then lifted each corner and tightened it all up any idea why this would be I wish I could include pictures but I don't think RUclips will allow that. Will an alignment fix this or did I mess something up when I loosened the rear bushing nuts that are connected to the wheel hub?
@@spartikus1975 send me some pictures on instagram. I’ll have a look and see if it’s something I can help with. Loosening the bushing nuts on the hubs shouldn’t have affected anything negatively, I believe I did the same thing when I installed these.
I love the 30th anniversary Miata and the orange details and racing orange paint. 😔 I wish I could find / get one but of course they're impossible to find and they were so limited.
Drew Lehman I got very lucky with the opportunity to purchase mine. I love it so much as well! If I wouldn’t have gotten this one, I don’t think I would have upgraded to an ND
Hi! I really enjoy watching all of your videos. What I‘d love to know is are you still happy with the springs ? To me öhlins coilovers are a litte bit too expensive for a Mazda. So I‘m thinking about just using the springs. Do you think the Bilstein suspensions lifetime is reduced because of the springs?
Thank you so much! I actually switched to Ohlins a while ago and now am installing MeisterR GT1 in search of better ride quality. I did like the springs, I just didn’t think the suspension was stiff enough after doing a track day on them. Theoretically yes the Bilsteins probably would have reduced life with the springs but they are not that much stiffer than stock so I don’t think it will make a real difference in wear and tear
@@maatrexxp8600 haha thank you! Yes, I did have the Road and Track version. Great on fast roads and track, but a bit stiff on the normal broken roads around Knoxville
The one in the bumper is the factory backup camera, the one above the license plate ties into my dashcam so it has a front and rear view. Everybody asks about that lol
i undid the 2 upper suspension links in the rear and now can't get them to line up properly 🫠 I didnt have enoguh play in my suspension to not remove them (i probably did i just dont know how to work on cars), but live and learn i guess.
I’m dropping the nd this weekend with the same springs, the instructions call to cut the bump stops, did you do that ?? I didn’t see that step on the video
I did not because I was worried about issues similar to if you cut stock springs. I feared that the softer, stock bumpstop being too short might cause the strut to compress too much, although that is probably never going to happen. I haven't had issues so far and I've put a few thousand miles on the car since installing the springs
I never figured out what it was. I’m thinking it’s possible the springs weren’t fully seated on the perches of the shocks. I switched to Ohlins coilovers a couple months ago and have not noticed any sounds.
Check the caliper slide bolts They are a common cause of rear MX5 clunk Mazda will want to sell complete caliper. Service kits are available just not Mazda, there are only a small number of caliper manufacturers so the slide bolts from another car brand will fit Just got to research the slide size
About an inch lower than stock on factory struts. Noticeable, but not quite as low as you would probably go on coilovers, unless you are upgrading to Koni Yellows with the adjustable spring perches.
I use the same setup on my ND2 (progress + stock Bilstein), but have you ever noticed a “clunk” noise from the rear end after driving through speed bumps with some speed like 15 mph? Mine has that noise, I don’t know if that’s normal.
Dingming Zou I do hear a slight clunk when entering my driveway. I checked all the bolts again and they were tight, so I’ve disregarded it. I’ve done quite a bit of spirited driving since installing, so I’m sure it is fine
Depending on your intended use for the car, yes. They’re super cheap compared to coilovers and still ride well. If one is on a budget and/or just looking for a mild drop in ride height or mild, not maximum, performance, they’re a great option. If you want serious handling upgrade and more customization with ride height, save for coilovers.
@@DriveMX5 I use my car for spirited driving only. Nothing competitive or serious. I'm just looking for mild drop. I may see no benefit from coilovers for the price tag
@@Rizzy4magic I think you would be happy with the springs then. My girlfriend likes them on her car, but also wants some sway bars to further reduce body roll.
Did you need to get it aligned? I don't trust other mechanics to do it, because I have seen some shady tricks they pull off (like moving the mirrors to change readings or using impacts to tighten everything)
@@DriveMX5 crap I did. My alignment is soooooo bad. I watched your video and was like what?? Go on a drive just like that 😂 how?? And I got the same springs you got lol
Not at all. Just compress it enough to put the top hat on all the way without resistance. You can’t really compress the spring too much. If you don’t compress it enough, then you won’t be able to get the top hat all the way on by hand. This makes reinstalling it more difficult and leads to possible binding of the bushing and misalignment of the parts.
Did you get a wheel alignment straight away or did you let it settle for a bit? How long could you get away without getting a wheel alignment? and what kind of wheel alignment spec would you reccommend for street?
I let it settle in for a couple days and then got an alignment. I don’t think it was too far off from factory spec, so realistically you should be able to get away with not doing an alignment for a while. I would recommend Flyin’ Miata’s alignment specs: www.flyinmiata.com/ND/tech/suspension/alignment I got this alignment on my car more recently and I haven’t noticed uneven wear of the tires, but it feels grippier, more stable, and the steering response is better.
Does the orientation of the front shop assembly matter, or is it symmetrical? I followed this video to the t and my sway bars are hitting my shocks. Only thing I can think of is spinning the whole assembly 180 because it might not be symmetrical?
@@arod997 I believe they are symmetrical. I remember the sway bar end link almost touching my shock but don’t think it made contact. Is it only happening on one side or both? If one side, you should be able to slide the sway bar a bit and maybe that will give the clearance you need. If not, I’d look into getting aftermarket end links that are adjustable to get the necessary clearance.
I'm currently installing Eibach springs and I have to say its a tough enough job with basic hand tools but achievable none the less. What does annoy me though is the fact that you only see how inadequate the suspension setup is from the factory once you get accustomed to taking things apart. As standard, these cars are horrible to drive, the body roll is laughable and the Bridgestone tyres are very dangerous in the wet. I've fitted Eagle F1's after 20k, and so far so good, but sway bars are next on the list.
Sway bars work wonders for these cars! And I agree, the stock Bridgestones are mediocre. I understand why Mazda makes the Miata so soft as they want to keep it playful and comfortable to drive, but it would be nice if they offered a stiffened up suspension as an option.
@@DriveMX5 Yep, there's so much money mazda could make if they offered uprated parts for the mx5. I live in Ireland and basically you can't modify your car. Well, you can, but if the insurance company find out they'll disown you. That's why I'm doing upgrades that are stealthy. I'll be removing the eibach logo from the springs so they'll look stock etc, and I'll find a company to fabricate custom sways. Would be so much easier if mazda offered these parts tho 😕
Hey, I know this is old and you eventually got coilovers on your AE but I'm getting ready to install Flyin Miata's Koni/Spring package. You mentioned the Koni's having spring perches. FM says their springs are designed for that middle perch. Would it noticeably degrade the spring performance if I used the lowest perch with 15mm spacers, is it really worth it to get a little extra drop in height? What would you have done for regular street driving if you went Koni/FM spings? Is it like 1 inch vs 1.5 inches drop? It would be a pain to take them out again if 1inch doesn't seem like enough of a drop but I also don't want it so low that I have to worry about it while driving like rubbing and such.
I’m sorry for the late reply! There should be no noticeable change in performance from using any of the 3 spring perch options. It’ll simply change your static ride height and also the ratio of available compression vs rebound travel in the shock. But that might only be noticeable if you’re at the limit of suspension travel often, i.e. tracking the car very hard. I would say a 1.5” drop from stock height is about perfect. Might have to be careful over speed bumps and stuff. You might get some rubbing towards full steering lock with the spacers on. I did when I had stock wheel/tire size and 20mm front spacers, 25 rear. The rubbing only occurred in the front when turning or cornering hard.
@DriveMX5 Thanks for the info :) So if I'm running stock 17" wheels with 15mm spacers and driving fast mountain roads in Tennessee with lots of corners and some tight ones, would you still suggest going with the lower perch? I guess I would just have to try it and see.
@@DaveSimkus I’d go with the middle perch. That’s how we had my wife’s car setup and it was perfect ride height and never really scraped or rubbed the fenders
I had a shop do mine over 6 months ago and just noticed the passenger side front and rear is much higher than the driver's side?? Has it settled differently since I drive alone most the time?
I believe it is possible to do this, but that wouldn't make sense that both front and rear passenger side are higher than driver. I'm wondering if the shop that did the work didn't have the springs on the passenger side lined up properly with the spring perch, and/or maybe they didn't reset the bushings either. I had even ride height after installing mine
Honestly no, I haven’t thought of it but I’m sure it would help level out the suspension geometry and optimize the setup. Maybe after I upgrade the sway bars, I’ll get adjustable end links and see what sort of difference they make
How well do you think the value of the 30th ae will hold up compared to the regular mx5? The car is almost 40k. What do you think people will pay for it in say 5 years from now? Looking at getting a 30th ae. Thanks
In 5 years, it’s hard to say, but I am certain the 30AE will hold its value better than any other ND. It’s more special because of its unique color and features combo (everything from the GT plus Brembos and Recaros and then the Rays wheels)
Hey whats up man? Im glad you make the videos you are like a fucking miata dictionary hahaha….i wanted to get your input so Im going eibach lowering springs and anti roll bars…I believe you have eibach bars but different springs so my question is did the bars make more of a difference or the springs? I think progress lowers more than eibach but i dont want to go that low…
Haha thank you so much! That’s correct, I’m a bit confused by your question. Are you asking about the progress vs Eibach springs or wondering about the difference between anti rolls bars and springs?
@@DriveMX5 yeah Im not the best at typing lol….sooo if you had stock springs and just changed the anti roll bars vs stock anti roll bars and swapping springs what would offer more of an upgrade?
@@lafamilia3014 lol all good. I think I would start with the anti roll bars, if I were to do this over again. They’ll make more of a noticeable handling difference than just lowering springs while maintaining your ride quality. If having a lower ride height is the goal, then just do springs
What if I'm replacing the springs with non-lowering springs (going from sport to club OEM-Bilstein setup), do I need to loosen the lower control arm? Theoretically, I don't need to align the car again, right?
@@DriveMX5 Figured, thanks a lot. BTW, do you happen to have the torque specs for the bolts? Since I won't be taking it for an alignment, I wanna make sure I torque everything right.
DO NOT loosen any of the bolts for the end links! You only need to take off the bolt holding the strut assembly in place, in addition to the nut holding the sway assembly. Everything else should stay intact!
Thanks for the video(s)! They’re always a huge help ruclips.net/video/6NlDFw4YBR8/видео.htmlsi=L0uEZxispit4UInY Any reason not to install like this? He just did the upper and lower control arm bolts to get the coilover free
Thank you so much! No, I unbolted the sway bar end links and wire and hose connected to the upper control arm to make it easier and safer to push the control arms down and remove the coilover assemblies. I can’t recall if I showed in this video or not, but cracking loose all the control arm bolts relieves tension on the bushings so they’re not pinched and twisted from the car being lowered. Whatever is easiest and most comfortable to you is what I’d recommend, whether that’s all the steps I took or just the ones shown in the video you posted. It may just take more time for the suspension to ‘settle’ in if all of the control arm bolts front and back are not cracked loose. If you don’t, I’d recommend putting a couple hundred miles on the car to let the suspension settle before getting an alignment.
@@NDEEZMiata you’re welcome! I hope it helps and makes sense. Yes, I ended up getting an E92 M3. I just felt ready to change it up and the E92 checked all the boxes of what I was looking for
@@NDEEZMiata You're welcome, and thank you for watching! Yes, I ended up getting an E92 M3. It pretty much checked all the boxes for what I wanted and needed. Still loving it!
![Installing MORE LEDs in my ND MX-5 Miata! [Trunk, Interior, Reverse, and License Plate lights]](/img/1.gif)
Torque specs for the ND suspension: www.mazdatalkforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4052
Thx again
You are using the OEM bump stops. Curious if you trimmed them for the "lowered springs"? If not, any problems?
@@Remaagen I don’t believe I did and did not notice any issues like hitting the bump stop. If I did it again, I think I would trim them for the peace of mind though
This was such a great video. Precise and to the point. Only additional thing I would have liked to see is you actaully actuating the sprint compressor and sliding the spring on...but you can't have it all, especially when it's free! Thanks for posting this.
Haha sorry about that! Still trying to get better at filming and including all the fine details. I really appreciate the feedback and you watching it!
This is a crazy good video. AND an update at the end after they settled in. Wow.
Thank you so much!
Great video - would you consider making a video showing how to jack-up an ND and put them on jack stands? Most videos show NDs already on the stands and a video pointing out the front/rear jack points or jack points by the pinch welds would be incredibly helpful!
That’s a really great idea, I can definitely make one. In the meantime, there’s a couple ways of jacking up the ND. You can use the subframe in the front (if your jack can fit under the front of the car) just behind the oil pan, IIRC. You can also use the brace that hangs right below the diff to jack up the rear.
Alternatively, go from the sides and place the jack anywhere along the pinch weld (I’ve done it many times, doesn’t hurt a thing) and place the jack stands between the two dimples on the pinch welds near the front and rear. This method may be much easier and necessary, especially if your car is lowered. I’ll try to make a video showing those locations!
@@DriveMX5 Thanks - I will give that a try!
I did find this vid fun helpful and informative. Liked. I might use it to do my first diy of my life in a car. Haven’t even changed the oil by myself but with such a clear vid I’m super confident I’m not gonna messed up my car … completely
Awesome! As long as you have oil in it when you’re done and the filter and drain plug are tight you’re good! I’m glad my video is helpful :)
Great video. I'm going to follow it this weekend when I install the same springs on my own 2019 ND.
How did the installation go?
DriveMX-5 It went well. One small hiccup when I misplaced one of the nuts that goes on the top hat but other than that it went smooth. I’m fine with the ride height for now but eventually I’ll want to get some coilovers.
@@bennyvale8997 Awesome, glad you got it done! And I agree, I'll probably go with coilovers once the Bilsteins go bust
Great vid, appreciate you putting this together for first time installers.
Thank you for watching! I hope it was helpful.
Very thorough video Ian! Really helpful. Thanks for the vid!
Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad it helped!
there really is no need to loosen the alignment bolts on the LCA. There's really not much tension on it. You can easily just push it down to unhook the strut saves you time.
Super video! thank you I’m doin this to my sons car in morning
Thank you! Best of luck with the install!
I am actually thinking on using the RF version on my soft top sport trim
What made you think to use the RF version? I’m curious to hear what you think
@@DriveMX5 20lbs stiffer rear springs 135 vs 115, fronts are the same 185lbs. This would help sagging in the rear when fully loaded, and I am expecting slightly less drop which I am perfectly fine with since I have never liked slammed cars. I have been reading a lot but so far i have not come across anyone using the Progress RF on the soft top, my next step is to email good win racing to see what is their input.
@@dareeltoro6681 let me know as well! I’d love to hear it
Nice way to give the car a better stance. For me, all the trouble wasn’t worth the price of just springs alone. For less than $1k I just went with MeisterR coil overs instead.
How do you like the MeisterR? I was highly considering them on my old NA
I bought the same springs and konin shocks from Goodwin racing last year , but I still haven't install them , they are still in the box
Get to it! It transforms the car
Love the ND 😍 so nice 👍
thank you!
I have the Progress Springs with the stock Club shocks and mine appears somewhat lower. I do have 215/45 tires, that might make a slight difference.
Yeah the sidewall is a bit taller on your tires. Thanks for watching! I hope my video was helpful and you are enjoying your springs so far!
The instructions said to cut the bump stops but you didn't, its been a while now, how did that work out for you?
I don’t remember noticing any issues. The suspension never bottomed out. Looking bad, I might’ve skipped that part unintentionally and I would cut them, but leaving them uncut shouldn’t affect anything. I feel the increased spring rate will make up for the difference in ride height to prevent hitting bump stops, unless you’re driving the car hard over very rough roads.
Just installed my front progress springs and will tackle the rear tomorrow. I was a lot lower than you are for some reason at least so far in the front. I couldn't torque the top of the strut rod for the life of me even with a crows foot...... so just made it really tight. Looking at the rear, how did you torque that back shock mount against the wall? Crows foot?
I didn’t. I don’t have a crows foot and I couldn’t get a torque wrench back there either. Just used a normal combination wrench to get it as tight as I could by hand and it seems to be fine
@@DriveMX5 ok perfect I will do the same
What's your setup now? Did you add spacers to the oem rims? What are your next upgrades? Thank you :)
Ohlins coilovers with 10k front and 4k rear springs. Eibach sways, and 20mm front/25mm back Garageline spacers. Next up will either be chassis bracing or full exhaust (header and midpipe :)
@@DriveMX5 what you think about drifting with the nd2? Well not literally drift but do some controlled oversteer in a street mountain, is it possible or is it too short and nervous?
@@Moriggia definitely possible! I’m too nervous to do that on my own car though lol
@@DriveMX5 I understand what you mean, I hope in few weeks to tell you I bought it and I'm going to do your same mods because I think they are the base to enjoy the car. Keep up with the video, I really love your car, best regards from Italy!
I tackled this project tonight. I got both front springs installed. I know I asked earlier how much you need to tighten the top nut on the shock. Honestly, I kept tightening it it just kept going, so I just tried to tighten it with as much thread showing as before. I hope that makes sense. I also did not have to use an Allen wrench the nut came off without spinning the other parts. I do have a question how do I know that I put the shock back in properly meaning is it possible to put it in 180° off everything went back together fine I just didn’t know if it matters if it’s put in facing one way or another again I hope this makes sense. Thank you for any information you have.
Awesome! It sounds like the middle shaft was spinning while you were tightening the top hat nut. Did you turn the nut on with a wrench while the spring was still compressed and not pushing on the top hat? Might be a good idea to go back with an Allen wrench to hold the middle shaft secure and make sure that nut on each shock is tight. You can do that with the suspension on the car.
It’s best to put it back in the same orientation that it came off (look at the stickers/labels on the front ones and the welded on bottom nuts on the rear). But if you put them in 180 degrees out then I don’t think it will really make a difference.
@@DriveMX5 i’ll go back this morning with an Allen wrench and see if I can tighten it more. Honestly, the middle was not spinning though, so I think I was tightening it down properly. I did not compress the new spring when I was doing this as I had enough room to tighten the nut, I also don’t think it’s possible to put the shock in any other way but properly I was looking and with the holes aligned at the top it only goes in one way so I think I’m good there. I am going to jack up each corner at the front to tighten everything down. My only other concern is the lower control arm on one side when I was loosening it the whole thing started spinning meaning the bolt and nut both spun in the whole control arm kind of came out which was very odd. I was simply trying to loosen it. I am going to hold it now with one side when I go to tighten it, and then I’m hoping when I do the alignment, they can take care of whatever that needs to be done. I appreciate all of your replies. Thank you so much.
Hey there I am hoping you can help me again I finished the project today. I have run into a problem though. I don't know if I did something wrong but my rear is lower than my front also the rear tires seem to be tilted inward. I did everything similarly to what you did however I also loosened the bushing nuts on the wheel hub and then lifted each corner and tightened it all up any idea why this would be I wish I could include pictures but I don't think RUclips will allow that. Will an alignment fix this or did I mess something up when I loosened the rear bushing nuts that are connected to the wheel hub?
@@spartikus1975 send me some pictures on instagram. I’ll have a look and see if it’s something I can help with. Loosening the bushing nuts on the hubs shouldn’t have affected anything negatively, I believe I did the same thing when I installed these.
I love the 30th anniversary Miata and the orange details and racing orange paint. 😔 I wish I could find / get one but of course they're impossible to find and they were so limited.
Drew Lehman I got very lucky with the opportunity to purchase mine. I love it so much as well! If I wouldn’t have gotten this one, I don’t think I would have upgraded to an ND
Hi! I really enjoy watching all of your videos. What I‘d love to know is are you still happy with the springs ?
To me öhlins coilovers are a litte bit too expensive for a Mazda. So I‘m thinking about just using the springs.
Do you think the Bilstein suspensions lifetime is reduced because of the springs?
Thank you so much! I actually switched to Ohlins a while ago and now am installing MeisterR GT1 in search of better ride quality. I did like the springs, I just didn’t think the suspension was stiff enough after doing a track day on them. Theoretically yes the Bilsteins probably would have reduced life with the springs but they are not that much stiffer than stock so I don’t think it will make a real difference in wear and tear
@@DriveMX5 awesome. I guess you took the ohlins ride & track?
Your car is awesome man. I‘d love to have your wheels 🥹
@@maatrexxp8600 haha thank you! Yes, I did have the Road and Track version. Great on fast roads and track, but a bit stiff on the normal broken roads around Knoxville
Did you loosen the bushing nuts in the rear at the body or at the hub?
I think I loosened them at both ends
My friend do u have two backup cameras?
The one in the bumper is the factory backup camera, the one above the license plate ties into my dashcam so it has a front and rear view. Everybody asks about that lol
Did you wait for the car to settle before you got it aligned or did you pretty much get it lined up immediately?
I think I gave it time to settle, maybe a week of normal driving
Great video. Well done.
Thank you very much!
i undid the 2 upper suspension links in the rear and now can't get them to line up properly 🫠 I didnt have enoguh play in my suspension to not remove them (i probably did i just dont know how to work on cars), but live and learn i guess.
I’m dropping the nd this weekend with the same springs, the instructions call to cut the bump stops, did you do that ?? I didn’t see that step on the video
I did not because I was worried about issues similar to if you cut stock springs. I feared that the softer, stock bumpstop being too short might cause the strut to compress too much, although that is probably never going to happen. I haven't had issues so far and I've put a few thousand miles on the car since installing the springs
DriveMX-5 thanks again !!
DriveMX-5 I used good win racing performance bump stop kit
Any updates on the clunking sound in the rear? Still have it?
I never figured out what it was. I’m thinking it’s possible the springs weren’t fully seated on the perches of the shocks. I switched to Ohlins coilovers a couple months ago and have not noticed any sounds.
Check the caliper slide bolts They are a common cause of rear MX5 clunk Mazda will want to sell complete caliper. Service kits are available just not Mazda, there are only a small number of caliper manufacturers so the slide bolts from another car brand will fit Just got to research the slide size
I’m thinking about getting progress springs for my nd2 rf. How’s the ride height now that it’s fully settled?
About an inch lower than stock on factory struts. Noticeable, but not quite as low as you would probably go on coilovers, unless you are upgrading to Koni Yellows with the adjustable spring perches.
I use the same setup on my ND2 (progress + stock Bilstein), but have you ever noticed a “clunk” noise from the rear end after driving through speed bumps with some speed like 15 mph? Mine has that noise, I don’t know if that’s normal.
Dingming Zou I do hear a slight clunk when entering my driveway. I checked all the bolts again and they were tight, so I’ve disregarded it. I’ve done quite a bit of spirited driving since installing, so I’m sure it is fine
DriveMX-5 Yeah except that little noise everything else is perfect, especially when driving at higher speed this setup feels really good.
@@dingmingzou9866 Agreed! I would check all the bolts again to make sure everything is tight. If so, I don't think you have anything to worry about
DriveMX-5 yeah I did check them after 500 miles, everything is torqued nice and tight. So I’m cool with it I guess
@James Smithbauer ND club & ND2 club are running different version of Bilstein shocks maybe that’s the reason.
Would you recommend these today?
Depending on your intended use for the car, yes. They’re super cheap compared to coilovers and still ride well. If one is on a budget and/or just looking for a mild drop in ride height or mild, not maximum, performance, they’re a great option. If you want serious handling upgrade and more customization with ride height, save for coilovers.
@@DriveMX5 I use my car for spirited driving only. Nothing competitive or serious. I'm just looking for mild drop. I may see no benefit from coilovers for the price tag
@@Rizzy4magic I think you would be happy with the springs then. My girlfriend likes them on her car, but also wants some sway bars to further reduce body roll.
@@DriveMX5 thanks. Your videos are always very helpful for me when deciding to buy parts 💪
@@Rizzy4magic you’re welcome, and thank you so much for watching and the feedback!
Did you need to get it aligned? I don't trust other mechanics to do it, because I have seen some shady tricks they pull off (like moving the mirrors to change readings or using impacts to tighten everything)
Yes, I did get it aligned. It was not far off from factory, but always better to get an alignment after doing this sort of suspension work
@@DriveMX5 True, just need to find a good alignment shop before I replace the springs.
14:00 Yeah when u compare it then it looks racy as hell. Cool
Bro did you not need an alignment? Why when I replaced mine my steering wheel was so unbalanced.
Did you undo the tie rod ends or something? I had mine aligned after but it really only had more camber than from factory, everything else was fine.
@@DriveMX5 crap I did. My alignment is soooooo bad. I watched your video and was like what?? Go on a drive just like that 😂 how?? And I got the same springs you got lol
@@hintofreality9876 😂😂 it happens. Just try and take it to a shop for a proper alignment ASAP
Is the comfort of the car deteriorated a lot??
No, slightly more firm ride than before but still somewhat close to stock
This may be a silly question but when installing the new springs how do you know how much to compress the spring when reinstalling the parts?
Not at all. Just compress it enough to put the top hat on all the way without resistance. You can’t really compress the spring too much. If you don’t compress it enough, then you won’t be able to get the top hat all the way on by hand. This makes reinstalling it more difficult and leads to possible binding of the bushing and misalignment of the parts.
@@DriveMX5 thank you I appreciate the quick reply
Did you get a wheel alignment straight away or did you let it settle for a bit? How long could you get away without getting a wheel alignment? and what kind of wheel alignment spec would you reccommend for street?
I let it settle in for a couple days and then got an alignment. I don’t think it was too far off from factory spec, so realistically you should be able to get away with not doing an alignment for a while. I would recommend Flyin’ Miata’s alignment specs: www.flyinmiata.com/ND/tech/suspension/alignment
I got this alignment on my car more recently and I haven’t noticed uneven wear of the tires, but it feels grippier, more stable, and the steering response is better.
@@DriveMX5 thanks so much man appreciate it. I was going to use the Goodwin racing specs but I’ll use the FM specs instead.
@@MrDeeJayzee you’re welcome, enjoy!
Does the orientation of the front shop assembly matter, or is it symmetrical? I followed this video to the t and my sway bars are hitting my shocks. Only thing I can think of is spinning the whole assembly 180 because it might not be symmetrical?
@@arod997 I believe they are symmetrical. I remember the sway bar end link almost touching my shock but don’t think it made contact. Is it only happening on one side or both? If one side, you should be able to slide the sway bar a bit and maybe that will give the clearance you need. If not, I’d look into getting aftermarket end links that are adjustable to get the necessary clearance.
I'm currently installing Eibach springs and I have to say its a tough enough job with basic hand tools but achievable none the less.
What does annoy me though is the fact that you only see how inadequate the suspension setup is from the factory once you get accustomed to taking things apart.
As standard, these cars are horrible to drive, the body roll is laughable and the Bridgestone tyres are very dangerous in the wet.
I've fitted Eagle F1's after 20k, and so far so good, but sway bars are next on the list.
Sway bars work wonders for these cars! And I agree, the stock Bridgestones are mediocre. I understand why Mazda makes the Miata so soft as they want to keep it playful and comfortable to drive, but it would be nice if they offered a stiffened up suspension as an option.
@@DriveMX5
Yep, there's so much money mazda could make if they offered uprated parts for the mx5.
I live in Ireland and basically you can't modify your car. Well, you can, but if the insurance company find out they'll disown you.
That's why I'm doing upgrades that are stealthy. I'll be removing the eibach logo from the springs so they'll look stock etc, and I'll find a company to fabricate custom sways.
Would be so much easier if mazda offered these parts tho 😕
Hey, I know this is old and you eventually got coilovers on your AE but I'm getting ready to install Flyin Miata's Koni/Spring package. You mentioned the Koni's having spring perches. FM says their springs are designed for that middle perch. Would it noticeably degrade the spring performance if I used the lowest perch with 15mm spacers, is it really worth it to get a little extra drop in height? What would you have done for regular street driving if you went Koni/FM spings? Is it like 1 inch vs 1.5 inches drop? It would be a pain to take them out again if 1inch doesn't seem like enough of a drop but I also don't want it so low that I have to worry about it while driving like rubbing and such.
I’m sorry for the late reply! There should be no noticeable change in performance from using any of the 3 spring perch options. It’ll simply change your static ride height and also the ratio of available compression vs rebound travel in the shock. But that might only be noticeable if you’re at the limit of suspension travel often, i.e. tracking the car very hard.
I would say a 1.5” drop from stock height is about perfect. Might have to be careful over speed bumps and stuff. You might get some rubbing towards full steering lock with the spacers on. I did when I had stock wheel/tire size and 20mm front spacers, 25 rear. The rubbing only occurred in the front when turning or cornering hard.
@DriveMX5 Thanks for the info :) So if I'm running stock 17" wheels with 15mm spacers and driving fast mountain roads in Tennessee with lots of corners and some tight ones, would you still suggest going with the lower perch? I guess I would just have to try it and see.
@@DaveSimkus I’d go with the middle perch. That’s how we had my wife’s car setup and it was perfect ride height and never really scraped or rubbed the fenders
I just got done installing this lowering springs. I don’t know why front height is higher than my rear. Any recommendations?
Did you accidentally install the rear springs on the front? Or do you have an RF and used the soft top springs?
I had a shop do mine over 6 months ago and just noticed the passenger side front and rear is much higher than the driver's side?? Has it settled differently since I drive alone most the time?
I believe it is possible to do this, but that wouldn't make sense that both front and rear passenger side are higher than driver. I'm wondering if the shop that did the work didn't have the springs on the passenger side lined up properly with the spring perch, and/or maybe they didn't reset the bushings either. I had even ride height after installing mine
About to do the same to my ND, did you think of changing the end links for the sway bars??
Honestly no, I haven’t thought of it but I’m sure it would help level out the suspension geometry and optimize the setup. Maybe after I upgrade the sway bars, I’ll get adjustable end links and see what sort of difference they make
How well do you think the value of the 30th ae will hold up compared to the regular mx5? The car is almost 40k. What do you think people will pay for it in say 5 years from now? Looking at getting a 30th ae. Thanks
In 5 years, it’s hard to say, but I am certain the 30AE will hold its value better than any other ND. It’s more special because of its unique color and features combo (everything from the GT plus Brembos and Recaros and then the Rays wheels)
Hey whats up man? Im glad you make the videos you are like a fucking miata dictionary hahaha….i wanted to get your input so Im going eibach lowering springs and anti roll bars…I believe you have eibach bars but different springs so my question is did the bars make more of a difference or the springs? I think progress lowers more than eibach but i dont want to go that low…
Haha thank you so much! That’s correct, I’m a bit confused by your question. Are you asking about the progress vs Eibach springs or wondering about the difference between anti rolls bars and springs?
@@DriveMX5 yeah Im not the best at typing lol….sooo if you had stock springs and just changed the anti roll bars vs stock anti roll bars and swapping springs what would offer more of an upgrade?
@@lafamilia3014 lol all good. I think I would start with the anti roll bars, if I were to do this over again. They’ll make more of a noticeable handling difference than just lowering springs while maintaining your ride quality. If having a lower ride height is the goal, then just do springs
got a (nf chasis I'm guessing that the name for the spider's). is it best to sways or springs first? I'm totally stock. 2018 classica/base model.
What do you not like about the OEM setup and what are you hoping to achieve?
What if I'm replacing the springs with non-lowering springs (going from sport to club OEM-Bilstein setup), do I need to loosen the lower control arm? Theoretically, I don't need to align the car again, right?
Yeah I wouldn’t worry about it too much in that case. Ride height should be the same as before
@@DriveMX5 Figured, thanks a lot. BTW, do you happen to have the torque specs for the bolts? Since I won't be taking it for an alignment, I wanna make sure I torque everything right.
@@Fideon you’re welcome! Here’s what I found regarding the torque specs for the suspension bolts: www.mazdatalkforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4052
@@DriveMX5 thanks a lot bro. You got a beautiful ND btw keep up the great content!
@@Fideon thank you so much!
how long do you think it would take a mechanic shop to put these in? tks
I’d estimate 2-3 hrs. But I’m not totally sure, I haven’t asked around
My mechanic in Sacramento is charging for 3 hours labor and he's been an MX-5 specialist since the NAs.
Nice video, hopefully you like mine aswell
DO NOT loosen any of the bolts for the end links! You only need to take off the bolt holding the strut assembly in place, in addition to the nut holding the sway assembly. Everything else should stay intact!
Why?
Thanks for the video(s)! They’re always a huge help
ruclips.net/video/6NlDFw4YBR8/видео.htmlsi=L0uEZxispit4UInY
Any reason not to install like this? He just did the upper and lower control arm bolts to get the coilover free
Thank you so much! No, I unbolted the sway bar end links and wire and hose connected to the upper control arm to make it easier and safer to push the control arms down and remove the coilover assemblies. I can’t recall if I showed in this video or not, but cracking loose all the control arm bolts relieves tension on the bushings so they’re not pinched and twisted from the car being lowered.
Whatever is easiest and most comfortable to you is what I’d recommend, whether that’s all the steps I took or just the ones shown in the video you posted. It may just take more time for the suspension to ‘settle’ in if all of the control arm bolts front and back are not cracked loose. If you don’t, I’d recommend putting a couple hundred miles on the car to let the suspension settle before getting an alignment.
@@DriveMX5 appreciate the quick response and you chiming in on Facebook as well 🤙
Curious did you ever replace the MX5 with another toy?
@@NDEEZMiata you’re welcome! I hope it helps and makes sense. Yes, I ended up getting an E92 M3. I just felt ready to change it up and the E92 checked all the boxes of what I was looking for
@@NDEEZMiata You're welcome, and thank you for watching! Yes, I ended up getting an E92 M3. It pretty much checked all the boxes for what I wanted and needed. Still loving it!
Holy hell, you called it a strut a thousand times. It 100% is not a strut.
On the rear did you loosen the five links at the wheel hub or at the body or both?
Both