First of all, I wanted to thank Bernie and especially John Mueller for making this come together for me.
Second of all, I do not feel like posting my shock dyno plots (I want to see how I do at autocross and track days) and if you want to see dyno plots, get your own custom valved dampers.
So here we go:
After 3 long hours I installed them today using the long-bolt method. The 3 hours included set-up time, labor and 45 minute test drive.
Installation:
No problems, hardware came off easy due to anti-seize I used when installing the FCM top Hat kit. Everything went smooth. I removed the front splash shield and the RB Anti-Sway blocks so I could slide the bolts forward. I have AC and PS so I needed room to slide the bolts forward. I think I only used 12, 14, 17, 19 and 21mm sockets and wrenches, all 6 point. A snap-on 3/4 inch flex head ratchet combined with an open end 21 dispatched the nuts and long bolts. Everything else was easy but time consuming. Torque speq checks from the Mazda manual are included in this total task time. Cleaning and other steps are also included. 9:30-12:30 with only a 15 minute break for cigarette and coffee after finishing the rears.
Setup:
Spec Miata suspension: 700# front springs and 325# rear springs. Spec Miata front and rear bars. For Autocross I have tried the rear bar off, disconnected or replaced with stock and it works in tuning out oversteer on certain courses.
Test Drive-Typical Crappy Roads:
The handling is unreal! Yes, unreal! Awesome! Not daily driver awesome, but handling awesome! Any ripples on the road less than 1" are dispatched with ease. The rebound damping is unreal. The car just comes back down and there is no drama. Certain high speed turns (50-70 mph) with broken pavement mid-turn are now very confidence inspiring. The car refuses to jack down. The car refuses to skitter. During a concrete section of overpass some 3 miles long where I get strong wash-boarding on my moto, this car is just composed. When the pavement is rough and I put my foot in it she just goes forward with confidence and no drama and no loss of grip. If I jump on the brakes on rough pavement, the tires just stick and the dampers handle the imperfections with ease. During large high speed transitions, the car is balanced left to right and quick to turn in and quick to roll out. Much quicker than before. This is with 205-50 Bridgestone RE-11s on 15x7 Team Dynamics with 30 offset.
2nd Test Drive-Mountain Roads:
Same conclusions as before: when stepping on it, the car just goes no matter how rough the pavement is even in a turn. Mountain roads, with smooth pavement and the car just rolls a bit and grips like crazy. The transitions from left to right are smooth, well controlled and very fast. Mountain roads with snakes and ripples do not unsettle the dampers even at speeds 10-15 mph faster than before.
Broken up roads:
Do not get this suspension set-up if you are looking for comfort on crap roads as this is not a Rally set-up. I was not. My DGF found the SM package comfy while I thought it was somewhat punishing at times. This is much better because these re-valved dampers do a better job of eliminating the small stuff. I found myself taking the outer lane in high-speed turns and purposely driving through the drain covers yet the dampers handled it without any issues unlike before where I would avoid the dips. Manhole covers whether raised or dipped could not unsettle the car either at similar speeds.
What's Next?
I want to test these in the wet and at an autocross as well as a track day or two. I will post the results. I just wish I had the money to get 3-5 set-ups from Bernie for various conditions. I also wish I had a garage where I could do suspension swaps whenever I felt like it.
Summary:
For a non-adjustable suspension (except for ride-height) this is awesome. Bang for the buck, it is impossible to beat. I keep futzing around with my Moto settings (high and low speed compression and rebound adjustments) to no avail. They never match my driving. I bet that for track work, backed up by a data-logger one could optimize settings on multi-adjustable dampers but in my experience, those feature just do not work well on the street unless you find a compromise and then set and forget. That being said, I was looking for a re-valve that matched most of my needs and I think I found it.
Thank you Bernie for a great job, and thank you John for cleaning up the backlog and the comm issues. You guys are tops. My money went to the right place. Cheers!
Second of all, I do not feel like posting my shock dyno plots (I want to see how I do at autocross and track days) and if you want to see dyno plots, get your own custom valved dampers.
So here we go:
After 3 long hours I installed them today using the long-bolt method. The 3 hours included set-up time, labor and 45 minute test drive.
Installation:
No problems, hardware came off easy due to anti-seize I used when installing the FCM top Hat kit. Everything went smooth. I removed the front splash shield and the RB Anti-Sway blocks so I could slide the bolts forward. I have AC and PS so I needed room to slide the bolts forward. I think I only used 12, 14, 17, 19 and 21mm sockets and wrenches, all 6 point. A snap-on 3/4 inch flex head ratchet combined with an open end 21 dispatched the nuts and long bolts. Everything else was easy but time consuming. Torque speq checks from the Mazda manual are included in this total task time. Cleaning and other steps are also included. 9:30-12:30 with only a 15 minute break for cigarette and coffee after finishing the rears.
Setup:
Spec Miata suspension: 700# front springs and 325# rear springs. Spec Miata front and rear bars. For Autocross I have tried the rear bar off, disconnected or replaced with stock and it works in tuning out oversteer on certain courses.
Test Drive-Typical Crappy Roads:
The handling is unreal! Yes, unreal! Awesome! Not daily driver awesome, but handling awesome! Any ripples on the road less than 1" are dispatched with ease. The rebound damping is unreal. The car just comes back down and there is no drama. Certain high speed turns (50-70 mph) with broken pavement mid-turn are now very confidence inspiring. The car refuses to jack down. The car refuses to skitter. During a concrete section of overpass some 3 miles long where I get strong wash-boarding on my moto, this car is just composed. When the pavement is rough and I put my foot in it she just goes forward with confidence and no drama and no loss of grip. If I jump on the brakes on rough pavement, the tires just stick and the dampers handle the imperfections with ease. During large high speed transitions, the car is balanced left to right and quick to turn in and quick to roll out. Much quicker than before. This is with 205-50 Bridgestone RE-11s on 15x7 Team Dynamics with 30 offset.
2nd Test Drive-Mountain Roads:
Same conclusions as before: when stepping on it, the car just goes no matter how rough the pavement is even in a turn. Mountain roads, with smooth pavement and the car just rolls a bit and grips like crazy. The transitions from left to right are smooth, well controlled and very fast. Mountain roads with snakes and ripples do not unsettle the dampers even at speeds 10-15 mph faster than before.
Broken up roads:
Do not get this suspension set-up if you are looking for comfort on crap roads as this is not a Rally set-up. I was not. My DGF found the SM package comfy while I thought it was somewhat punishing at times. This is much better because these re-valved dampers do a better job of eliminating the small stuff. I found myself taking the outer lane in high-speed turns and purposely driving through the drain covers yet the dampers handled it without any issues unlike before where I would avoid the dips. Manhole covers whether raised or dipped could not unsettle the car either at similar speeds.
What's Next?
I want to test these in the wet and at an autocross as well as a track day or two. I will post the results. I just wish I had the money to get 3-5 set-ups from Bernie for various conditions. I also wish I had a garage where I could do suspension swaps whenever I felt like it.
Summary:
For a non-adjustable suspension (except for ride-height) this is awesome. Bang for the buck, it is impossible to beat. I keep futzing around with my Moto settings (high and low speed compression and rebound adjustments) to no avail. They never match my driving. I bet that for track work, backed up by a data-logger one could optimize settings on multi-adjustable dampers but in my experience, those feature just do not work well on the street unless you find a compromise and then set and forget. That being said, I was looking for a re-valve that matched most of my needs and I think I found it.
Thank you Bernie for a great job, and thank you John for cleaning up the backlog and the comm issues. You guys are tops. My money went to the right place. Cheers!