lowered car hits hard in the front

RE: lowered car hits hard in the front

Hi,

I see that you are fairly new to owning your Mx5, number one would be that at 18" the wheels are too big with very low profile tyres providing very little cushioning.  16" are probably the biggest most people go on Mk1s and 2s.  Number two, it does depend on what the previous owner has replaced on the suspension in order to lower it.  There are several options/kits available for the Mx5 to correct this to either raise the ride height or soften the suspension.

RE: lowered car hits hard in the front

I have toyed with the idea of lowering but thank goodness I didn't. I spent both days at RIAT Fairford, working in the Vulcan Village for XH558, and when I got there at 0700 on the Saturday I found the 'Village' was on the far side of the air movements area that housed the Hunters, Saudi Hawks, Finnish kites, and the Vulcan XH558 of Course.

It meant I had to drive over the fairly rough ground and grass so you couldn't really see any dips. I took it very slow with the sound of grass very loudly brushing the underside. If I'd hit any dips I'm sure I would have lost something but I made it, and the other three times Saturday evening and Sunday morning and evening!!!

RE: lowered car hits hard in the front

Hi Allan and others,

Does 'hits hard in the front' mean the front is hitting the ground over bumps?

Without wishing to be critical, nor taking away your right to be 'individualist' in customising your car, why do you want it lower than standard?

I ask the question for 2 reasons.

1.  Are you going to use it for a particular purpose on a good, level road surface, eg circuit racing?  If so, lowering may give a SLIGHT improvement in handling with no major disadvantages, other than cost, time, and placing things on the car where Mazda did not intend them to be.

2. Mazda (along with most car manufacturers) take a lot of time and spend mega bucks in getting their product just about as well balanced as a sports / road car can be.  We have all wanted to do the odd demon tweek to our various cars and bikes over the years, and I rememeber well the horrible craze of 'jacking up' the rear of a car in the 1970s.  Results were often catastrophic as springs, dampers, drive shafts etc were subjected to forces that the car designer did not intend.  I would say the same for a 'lowered' MX-5... you've discovered why Mazda made it the height they did... in standard trim and normal roads, it can ride safely over bumps etc without grounding.  Similarly, it is possible to fit spacers between hub and wheel in order to increase the track of the vehicle..... downside is that the wheel nuts / bolts do not bite into the designed depth of hub thread, and occasionally something breaks and a wheel drops off!

Call me old fashioned, but I can't do better for my car than leave it as the designers wanted it. (Unless point 1 applies).

Not very helpful for you, sorry, but if you want it lower, you have to pay the price of grounding out.

Best wishes, Johnnie

RE: lowered car hits hard in the front

Thanks for your reply's fellas my car is not super low just 30mm .It dont belly out and i love the look of it .I have a mazda sp23  2006 model as well that is stock standard but dont like the height of it  .  Getting back to my mx5 I dont thing the dampers in the front struts are working properly maybe new struts would take the jar out of it.

RE: lowered car hits hard in the front

31/07/2011 02:58:07, allan said:
"

Thanks for your reply's fellas my car is not super low just 30mm .It dont belly out and i love the look of it .I have a mazda sp23  2006 model as well that is stock standard but dont like the height of it  .  Getting back to my mx5 I dont thing the dampers in the front struts are working properly maybe new struts would take the jar out of it.

 Allan,

There are no struts eg "McPhersons" They are all round wishbone supension, and as standard very finely tuned at the factory. Franky, I find our 02 Sport's standard Bilstein set up edgy, with standard 16" alloys. There is a variety of reasons why you are experiencing your issue, but as said, 18" with a huge offset will knock the stuffing out of a finely tuned standard chassis. Nor do you mention which tyres you run. These are critical on a 5. Sorry to sound as harsh as your ride, but if you want "the stance" there is a price to be paid. Have you checked all the bushes? ARB links? Have you had a proper laser alignment done to compensate for the alloys? Are the alloys too heavy thereby inflicting to the worst thing a 5 needs..."unsprung weight" + excessive rims?  

RE: lowered car hits hard in the front

Thanks for your advice. I have only just bought this 5 its the first one I have owned. It came as you see in picture  so all the problems the previous owner as inflicked opon it .But saying that I love the look the 18'' wheels with 35 tires. so I might have to suck it up and live with the ride it has.  I 'm puting a new soft top on at the moment I will post more pictures of i when it's finished .