Advanced Suspension Mods

[Advancedynamix]

Thanks Nate! If Tweak was still mine I would have tossed you the keys for a solo run, it gets even better with only 1 person in the car. Lol.

[skeeters_keeper]

I was privileged to ride in Tweek and also drive Pedro at Madness. Let me tell you, these setups are insane!

I've had a few festivas rolling pretty quick at 100+mph with stock or slightly modified suspension. It's usually a little scary. Tweek was solid as a rock at speeds that were way, way higher than that. If I wouldn't have known we were nearly at redline in 5th we could have been cruising along at 90mph for how stable the car felt. Coming around an on ramp at 130 felt like doing 55 on stock suspension.

Driving Pedro was also excellent. The soft-ish spring rates with better damped shocks make the handling flat, but still absorb bumps in the road better than stock. Body roll, even with the stock festiva rear beam and front sway bar was minimal. Pedro still has the stock transmission, and is putting out somewhere around 120hp, and there was essentially NO torque steer. I've driven B6t and BP cars with the stock transmission before and I wouldn't have thought that was possible. Usually you punch it and have to struggle just to keep the thing in your lane. Not so with Pedro!

I think having a decent set of suspension on a festiva is probably the best thing you can do. Having more power is a lot of fun, but being able to whip it around corners is the kind of fun you can have even with a stock engine.

Just figured I'd put my first hand experience out there - Charlie knows his stuff

[Dragonhealer]

OK, These are too big in that case.

[Advancedynamix]

36mm aka "small body" bilstein is what they commonly use on the smaller roundy pounders. Midgets, dwarfs, minisprints, that sort of thing. Probably commonplace on old formula cars too.

[Dragonhealer]

I wouldn't know a 36mm Bilstein if it bit me in the ass, but I'll check against our Bilstein race shocks.....

[Advancedynamix]

I don't currently have a set to measure (off a car that is). The 36mm bilstein coilover sleeves fit snugly on the bodies though, if that helps.

[Dragonhealer]

The OE Miata spring perches will not come off, but the Monroe Sensa-trak ones will!
ID of the spring perch is 1.872"

Charlie, can you post that DIA from the KYB VW shock?

[jdobbs86]

as is usual, you remain the man

[Advancedynamix]

When I get a chance I'll see if I can press them off, and I'll see if they fit the vdub bumpsticks.

[jdobbs86]

Some of the cheaper festiva rear shocks have a press fit spring perch. I've seen them in salvage yards and I think I have a set from Pedro. Those may be usable on a kyb VW shock. The VW spring perch is removable.

intriguing... if I get into experimental mode would you want to make a few bucks and ship them to michigan (save me from buying a whole set of shocks)?

[Advancedynamix]

Some of the cheaper festiva rear shocks have a press fit spring perch. I've seen them in salvage yards and I think I have a set from Pedro. Those may be usable on a kyb VW shock. The VW spring perch is removable.

[jdobbs86]

oh man, if you have one handy that would certainly save me some time

[Dragonhealer]

My festiva spring seats are welded on but I don't think the Miata ones are. Want me to try to pull one and measure the ID ?

[jdobbs86]

or perhaps the VW strut (with removable seat) accepts the seat from a Fazda strut?

[Dragonhealer]

So the spring pan on the VW strut is too small to accept the Mazda/Festiva spring