NC MX5 - KW V3

[5er]

Hi all,

Anyone run KW V3 on their mk3? I'm currently on Meister CRD but looking to change.

If so, what do you think of them, how do they perform in general, etc?

Cheers

[drgoatboy]

I cant offer any advice but why change from the meisters? Not happy with them?
The only change i hve heard of people doing from the crd is going to ohlins but its a big jump cost wise

[5er]

drgoatboy said:

I cant offer any advice but why change from the meisters? Not happy with them?
The only change i hve heard of people doing from the crd is going to ohlins but its a big jump cost wise

Nope, not happy with them. I find them too crashy regardless of what setting they're on, and the damper travel too short.

I'd be happy to go with the Ohlins in all honesty. The only thing I'm bothered about is that, because they're the same style of unit (twin perch, so limited travel), I might end up in the same boat as I'm in now. I know the valving in the Ohlins is far superior to the Meisters but I'm still a bit bothered about wasting another chunk of money on yet more suspension which could be going towards other stuff on the car.

The KW are single perch and offer much more in the way of damper travel. Corten Miller's demo runs V3s, and I've driven it, but not at great length. It did ride far better than mine though, far better damped/sprung/better controlled.

There's a lot to be read on this subject on Miata.net, which I'm still working my way through.

[drgoatboy]

Interstingbyou are not keen on meisters. Is rare to see a bad review but i hve seen abfew more recently (which is worrying as i have a set waiting to be installed!)
I currently have the koni shocks (bbr spec) which seem to work very well but i just wanted a bit more adjustability hence going to meister.
The bilstein set up (not the standard mazda supplied ones obviously) seems to be gaining popularity across the pond so could be worth a look?

[Jonstar]

I'm looking for some coilovers BBR or Meister so let me know if you do sell!

[5er]

drgoatboy said:

Interstingbyou are not keen on meisters. Is rare to see a bad review but i hve seen abfew more recently (which is worrying as i have a set waiting to be installed!)
I currently have the koni shocks (bbr spec) which seem to work very well but i just wanted a bit more adjustability hence going to meister.
The bilstein set up (not the standard mazda supplied ones obviously) seems to be gaining popularity across the pond so could be worth a look?

Do you find you bottom out on the BBR setup? I've read that some people think it's a bit low, albeit that it drives nicely.

Which Bilstein set up are you referring to? I'm familiar with the Flyin' Miata springs, Koni dampers (including the FM tuned Konis), Progress springs and Tokico HTS dampers.

Jonstar said:

I'm looking for some coilovers BBR or Meister so let me know if you do sell!

Sent you an email mate.

[drgoatboy]

The previous owner of my car put the bbr set up on but cant live with how low it was once settled so he switched to standard springs on the koni shocks. The fear of it being too low was exactly why i amnot just putting different springs on. The perch height on the koni does mean the car sits a smidge lower than standard (5-10mm) so springs that lower 35mm potentially give you -40 to -45mm.

Its the bilstein b8 that seem to be the popular ones... but i guess its all about getting the right springs to go with

[MagicalTrevor]

I have Ohlins on mine, I use it for competition (sprinting) and track days/test days and I’m very happy with the setup. Tricky to say whether you should upgrade but if you’re going from the CRD/CRD+ model then I suspect you’d notice the difference.

[5er]

drgoatboy said:

The previous owner of my car put the bbr set up on but cant live with how low it was once settled so he switched to standard springs on the koni shocks. The fear of it being too low was exactly why i amnot just putting different springs on. The perch height on the koni does mean the car sits a smidge lower than standard (5-10mm) so springs that lower 35mm potentially give you -40 to -45mm.

Its the bilstein b8 that seem to be the popular ones... but i guess its all about getting the right springs to go with

Gotcha, cheers.

I'll have a look at the B8 set up, but I think I'm sold on the KWs.

MagicalTrevor said:

I have Ohlins on mine, I use it for competition (sprinting) and track days/test days and I’m very happy with the setup. Tricky to say whether you should upgrade but if you’re going from the CRD/CRD+ model then I suspect you’d notice the difference.

I hear mostly good things about the Ohlins set up, but I am a bit concerned that with it being effectively the same type of damper as the CRDs (twin perch, albeit with much better internals) that damper travel is still really short. There are photos on Miata.net of an Ohlins equipped NC jacked off the ground with the suspension at full droop and there's a surprisingly small amount of visible travel available. Mine is predominantly for road use, and I'd like something more forgiving on bad surfaces which can also be tightened up for the odd track day.

I think a contributing factor in my car is the Tillett B5 seats I'm running (I know you run these too MagicalTrev) - they're effectively a GRP shell, so they're un-sprung and only very thinly padded. Comfortable seats, but obviously they transfer more information through the seat of the pants.

[MagicalTrevor]

5er said:

I think a contributing factor in my car is the Tillett B5 seats I'm running (I know you run these too MagicalTrev) - they're effectively a GRP shell, so they're un-sprung and only very thinly padded. Comfortable seats, but obviously they transfer more information through the seat of the pants.

I've recently ordered a pair of these for my seats to keep my wife happy and also to stop the harness buckles scratching the seats
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Caterham-Tillet-Seat-Pa...f:0
I've done a custom order though which will take 10 weeks.

[5er]

MagicalTrevor said:

I've recently ordered a pair of these for my seats to keep my wife happy and also to stop the harness buckles scratching the seats
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Caterham-Tillet-Seat-Pa...f:0
I've done a custom order though which will take 10 weeks.

Those look really good. I have padded bases and back pieces already on mine, but they're possibly a bit thinner than 1/2" foam. Do they do those for B5s? My long term thoughts are to get someone like D-Class Automotive to cover my seats in leather and add some slightly thicker padding, as much to make them look nice as anything.

My missus won't even get in my MX5! She has a bad back to be fair though, and my passenger seat is mounted on Elise brackets and sits even lower than the driver's seat. The "bowl" of the seat is sat right down inside the cut-out square of the base plate I'll raise it longer-term if and when I get the seats re-trimmed.

[DanGPR]

Not had a problem with the ride comfort in my NC, even with a usually whingy girlfriend!
I have found that running the dampers on full soft doesn't actually give the best ride, as they end up under-damped and pogo like.

What damping settings are you using? And what tyres as that makes a fair difference too.

For a similar price to Ohlins, I contacted a local company Quantum Racing Shocks that supply high end suspension for Lotus' etc. that could build a damper to spec with custom springrates to match.

[5er]

I've tried them at all sorts of adjustment, but I'm currently about 6 from softest if I recall correctly.

I'm on Kumho PS71, 215/45-17. I am going for more tyre next time around, I definitely want more beef.

The Quantum thing sounds really interesting but I wouldn't know how/where to start when speccing a custom spring/damper combo. I'll have a look at their site though, cheers.

[MagicalTrevor]

5er said:

Those look really good. I have padded bases and back pieces already on mine, but they're possibly a bit thinner than 1/2" foam. Do they do those for B5s? My long term thoughts are to get someone like D-Class Automotive to cover my seats in leather and add some slightly thicker padding, as much to make them look nice as anything.

My missus won't even get in my MX5! She has a bad back to be fair though, and my passenger seat is mounted on Elise brackets and sits even lower than the driver's seat. The "bowl" of the seat is sat right down inside the cut-out square of the base plate I'll raise it longer-term if and when I get the seats re-trimmed.

They’re a generic shape but designed for the Caterham Tillett Seat, which is based on the B6. As the B5 is based on the B6 then I expect them to fit.
I have a B6F and a B5 so I think they’ll be fine

[5er]

MagicalTrevor said:

They’re a generic shape but designed for the Caterham Tillett Seat, which is based on the B6. As the B5 is based on the B6 then I expect them to fit.
I have a B6F and a B5 so I think they’ll be fine

You can be guinea pig then for the B5

[MagicalTrevor]

5er said:

You can be guinea pig then for the B5

That sums up my car completely! :lol:

[DanGPR]

5er said:

I've tried them at all sorts of adjustment, but I'm currently about 6 from softest if I recall correctly.

I'm on Kumho PS71, 215/45-17. I am going for more tyre next time around, I definitely want more beef.

The Quantum thing sounds really interesting but I wouldn't know how/where to start when speccing a custom spring/damper combo. I'll have a look at their site though, cheers.

Thats funny, I am running those exact tyres in those sizes too. Are you sure we aren't sharing a car?

I also have a set of Evo7 wheels running 225/45/17 AD08R's, the ride is noticeably worse with more road noise on those tyres. Grip levels on track are great though. Another thing I underestimated is the difference heavier wheels make to the feel of the car, aside from the extra grip on the wider wheels, the car feels significantly worse in all other ways...

[5er]

DanGPR said:

Thats funny, I am running those exact tyres in those sizes too. Are you sure we aren't sharing a car?

I also have a set of Evo7 wheels running 225/45/17 AD08R's, the ride is noticeably worse with more road noise on those tyres. Grip levels on track are great though. Another thing I underestimated is the difference heavier wheels make to the feel of the car, aside from the extra grip on the wider wheels, the car feels significantly worse in all other ways...

Haha, we quite possibly could be.

I'm running O.Z Leggera HLT wheels in 17x8 et45, so the width of the tyre is at the lower end of the ideal range really. I can't remember exact weights but the wheels are lighter than the standard ones. Interesting about the AD08s, they are something I've considered, although I'm not unhappy with the Kumhos. I might just stick to these tyres next time and just go up a width, or go up to 235 and drop to a 40 profile.

I'd like a bit sharper turn in and a little less understeer, but I'd have to do a bit of research about how to best achieve that (alignments, roll bars, etc)

[Evoluzione]

I think you may be on a hiding to nothing replacing the suspension when it sounds like it's the seat that's at fault. I drove two today, one after the other, so effectively a back to back test. The CRD+ equipped car was less crashy and more compliant than the standard spec Bilsteins with standard springs.
Out of interest I did read that Meister have made an even softer road version, but not sure if we can get it over here.

[5er]

Evoluzione said:

I think you may be on a hiding to nothing replacing the suspension when it sounds like it's the seat that's at fault. I drove two today, one after the other, so effectively a back to back test. The CRD+ equipped car was less crashy and more compliant than the standard spec Bilsteins with standard springs.
Out of interest I did read that Meister have made an even softer road version, but not sure if we can get it over here.

I have CRD, not CRD+, but I appreciate your point. I do know that when I drove home from having the Meisters fitted, back when I was still on standard seats, it was a hell of a lot firmer on the way home than on the way there. I remember being quite surprised, particularly after hearing everyone rave about how supple they are. There is simply no way that the CRDs are more compliant than the Bilsteins.

I'm certainly not going back to standard seats.