Setting Miata Ride Height

[jcox07]

Mine are progressive. JY

[TedV]

Ya lost me too, unless you have a preload on the springs. And to lower the car you have to remove the preload. But, if you have the preload so high to compress the spring, that also implies you have the shock topped out. ?? The weight supported by the spring is always going to be there, We need a car lift, and some beverage to discuss this over.

I'm missing something....

[jcox07]

It is a progressive spring, at the bottom of the spring it is flat and the higher it goes it starts to round till it gets completely round the rest of the way up. With the car lowered it has to travel so far till it encounters a higher spring rate due to the shape of the spring and firmness of the spring. I will show u on sat at the trailer work day or our first event. JY

[steverife]

Progressive springs might as well be black magic to me.

[thrdeye]

So JY, when you lower your car, it adds preload to the spring?

How are you lowering the car?

[jcox07]

No it unloads it and u lower it by turning the coupling ring on the shock which lets the spring stretch out more causing less rate on the spring.

[flier129]

Well I'm following you JY

That is cray though.

[GaryM]

Sounds like JY's (progressive) springs have some very soft coils on one end that basically only keep the tension between the top hat and the spring perch. It's technically pre-loaded all the time, but more-so when the lower spring perch is higher and thus maxing out the shock arm and adding pre-load in the meatier coils of the progressive springs. Atleast... that's how I'm understanding it.

[jcox07]

We have a winner, Gary is correct I think, but he was using big words!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[disneyd]

Update: I set the ride height to 4.25"F/4.5"R and got the car aligned. The car still looks a little high in the back, but not bad. It feels good but I haven't had a chance to really push it. I'm planning on putting the old Hoosiers on this weekend and playing around a bit.

[flier129]

So I've changed my entire setup It's corner balanced and my ride-heights don't make any damn sense, but it'll transfer weight correctly now.

I also found this quote from Emilio:

"On a Miata at 4" with the 225/45 on our 9" combo, almost all the stroke is used
up with sag, very little bump travel left. At rest, there is usually only 10mm or so left before the stop is engaged up front. On paper that sounds shaky. On track, it drowns in win soup."

I think that's more relative to a track car and a light one at that.

[John Brown]

that sounds messed up to me.. 10mm before the bump is contacted?? lol okay.

I have gobs of travel front and rear with custom hats... and short body shocks. Id say your right about that setup being geared towards RR