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- Miata Spring Rate Guide
Miata Spring Rate Guide
A rundown and explanation of our spring rate selections from our popular DIY Bilstein Coilver kits, and a guide on how to create your own DIY Bilstein kits if you already have the Bilstein shocks (OEM Bilsteins included). This is meant to help you decided what spring rate pairings would best suit your driving needs and style based on the expertise of Fat Cat Motorsports who we partnered with the create these kits.
Street touring:
Designed for street driven cars with occasional track use. This setup is a nearly doubling the spring rates of the OEM springs the Miata comes with, but we all know the OEM Miata springs are too soft and are a “compromise” part due to Mazda having to make a car that is soft enough for some of the worlds worst roads. If they built the car based on lap times, they’d have certainly used a stiffer spring rate!
Pair this with our soft yellow 36mm bump stops and you’ll have a good blend of performance when you need it, and mellowness when you don’t. The 8” length springs will provide ample adjustment to keep the ride height of the car reasonable and not too low. This spring rates in this kit are similar to what you would see from the Flyin’ Miata lowering springs, but with the ability to adjust ride height using the adjustable coilover sleeves)
• What to buy?
o qty 2 of 8" length 350in/lb Front Eibach race springs
o qty 2 of 8" length 275in/lb Rear Eibach race springs
o qty 1 of 5X Racing coilover sleeve and perch kit
o qty 4 red 85A urethane 2.5” race spring isolators
Sport Touring:
Designed for street driven cars with a tendency to push the limits, whether it’s blitzing the interstate cloverleaf, auto-x, or track day. This kit will put you beyond any of the commercially available lowering spring rates and provide a considerably firmer ride and better balanced car overall. This is most likely how Mazda would’ve built the Miata if they knew the car was going to be driven on good roads with drivers looking for superb handling. While it’s not overly stiff, the Sport Touring is meant for those seeking a “sporty” feel, but not quite to the “racecar” level. The “sport” in sport touring means it can be driven hard and provide excellent confidence in road holding, and the “touring” means it can be driven easy and not beat you up with overly stiff springs. 8” length springs will ensure you have the ability to raise the car high enough for those imperfect road conditions, such as inclined driveways and speed bumps.
Pair this with our soft yellow bump stops all around for a street-driven bias or a blend of our yellow soft bump stops in the front and medium blue bump stops in the rear to bias it more towards that “sport” of the sport touring part.
• What to buy?
o qty 2 of 8" length 400in/lb Front Eibach race springs
o qty 2 of 8" length 325in/lb Rear Eibach race springs
o qty 1 of 5X Racing coilover sleeve and perch kit
o qty 4 red 85A urethane 2.5” race spring isolators
Dual Purpose:
Our dual purpose kit is meant for those who want their Miata to be an all-around “weapon”. This is a no compromise street setup that will be on the edge of “too stiff” for the street, but nearing the “just right” for the track, if that makes sense. Do you know how there are dual-sport motorcycles that are basically street legal dirt bikes? These bikes are not competitive in a motocross race – but can handle the track – and can go 70mph on the street – but not be comfortable enough for commuting to work every day. They can “do it all, but at the same time, not be the best at all of them”. Essentially, if you want to set up your street car for the track, but still need to daily drive it, this setup will be more than suitable for the track and handle your daily driving well enough too. This is a great setup for those who like to drive their track toys to the track and are not yet at the “trailer queen” stage yet. The 8” springs will allow you to keep it high for the daily drive, and drop it down for the track.
Our blue medium bump stops are made for this kit! They will provide a firmer bump stop action, but not to the point of racecar stiff. When you’re on the track, you’ll be using the bump stops often if you hop curbs. The blue is the better choice for this occasional instance, while at the same time not beating you up when you hit a decent road dip or expansion joint on your daily drive.
• What to buy?
o qty 2 of 8" length 450in/lb Front Eibach race springs
o qty 2 of 8" length 375in/lb Rear Eibach race springs
o qty 1 of 5X Racing coilover sleeve and perch kit
o qty 4 red 85A urethane 2.5” race spring isolators
Track Day:
The track day kit is designed for those who bias towards track driving. This kit uses higher rate springs and will be considerably stiffer during street driving, so it’s not meant for those who daily drive unless you are very tolerant to a stiff ride (or if you love that “race car” feel to your daily driver). This is a perfect kit for those who want to set up their Miata for track use, but still need to drive it to the track and can deal with the increased stiffness of the suspension in trade for commuter type comfort. The 7” spring length allows you to get it low, but have just enough to keep it off the fender liners and not be on the bump stops all the time.
Pair this with our blue medium bump stops if you drive the car on the street often, with our black hard bump stops if you primarily just drive it on the track, or a mix (blue front, black rear) if you want a more “flickable” car that can produce some oversteer when you want it.
• What to buy?
o qty 2 of 7" length 550in/lb Front Eibach race springs
o qty 2 of 7" length 400in/lb Rear Eibach race springs
o qty 1 of 5X Racing coilover sleeve and perch kit
o qty 4 red 85A urethane 2.5” race spring isolators
Race:
The race kit is meant for just that, racing! If you’re wondering what the “right” spring rates for the Miata are, these are it! Most people will gravitate towards the Spec Miata setup – which is a 700/325 balance – and think that must be the best because it’s on a Spec Miata. That’s not true! The Spec Miatas are notoriously oversprung in the front and are often jittery during turn in because of this. Spec Miatas also will understeer if they are corner-weighted to a 50/50 balance, so you must “rake” (make the rear a higher ride height than the front) to get the car to be balanced properly. By using a higher rate rear spring rate, the Miata can be set up with that 50/50 balance and still turn in properly. The car will stay flatter and more consistent with this balance, and a more equal ride height can be used front to rear. These spring rates are very stiff and you will most likely have a miserable ride quality on most all of our roads here in America, so we only recommend this kit for those who are setting up a Miata for track only. This could also be a great kit for those going Chump Car racing with a stock power level Miata. The 6” front springs are meant to allow extreme lowering of the car, which is what you want for the track. The 7” springs in the rear are what you need for the longer shock travel of the rear to avoid coil bind under full compression.
Pair this kit with our black hard bump stops all around to support curb pounding and extremely lowered ride heights, as you’ll be “on the stops” more often with a racecar than you would with a street-based car.
• What to buy?
o qty 2 of 6" length 600in/lb Front Eibach race springs
o qty 2 of 7" length 450in/lb Rear Eibach race springs
o qty 1 of 5X Racing coilover sleeve and perch kit
o qty 4 red 85A urethane 2.5” race spring isolators
Designed for street driven cars with occasional track use. This setup is a nearly doubling the spring rates of the OEM springs the Miata comes with, but we all know the OEM Miata springs are too soft and are a “compromise” part due to Mazda having to make a car that is soft enough for some of the worlds worst roads. If they built the car based on lap times, they’d have certainly used a stiffer spring rate!
Pair this with our soft yellow 36mm bump stops and you’ll have a good blend of performance when you need it, and mellowness when you don’t. The 8” length springs will provide ample adjustment to keep the ride height of the car reasonable and not too low. This spring rates in this kit are similar to what you would see from the Flyin’ Miata lowering springs, but with the ability to adjust ride height using the adjustable coilover sleeves)
• What to buy?
o qty 2 of 8" length 350in/lb Front Eibach race springs
o qty 2 of 8" length 275in/lb Rear Eibach race springs
o qty 1 of 5X Racing coilover sleeve and perch kit
o qty 4 red 85A urethane 2.5” race spring isolators
Sport Touring:
Designed for street driven cars with a tendency to push the limits, whether it’s blitzing the interstate cloverleaf, auto-x, or track day. This kit will put you beyond any of the commercially available lowering spring rates and provide a considerably firmer ride and better balanced car overall. This is most likely how Mazda would’ve built the Miata if they knew the car was going to be driven on good roads with drivers looking for superb handling. While it’s not overly stiff, the Sport Touring is meant for those seeking a “sporty” feel, but not quite to the “racecar” level. The “sport” in sport touring means it can be driven hard and provide excellent confidence in road holding, and the “touring” means it can be driven easy and not beat you up with overly stiff springs. 8” length springs will ensure you have the ability to raise the car high enough for those imperfect road conditions, such as inclined driveways and speed bumps.
Pair this with our soft yellow bump stops all around for a street-driven bias or a blend of our yellow soft bump stops in the front and medium blue bump stops in the rear to bias it more towards that “sport” of the sport touring part.
• What to buy?
o qty 2 of 8" length 400in/lb Front Eibach race springs
o qty 2 of 8" length 325in/lb Rear Eibach race springs
o qty 1 of 5X Racing coilover sleeve and perch kit
o qty 4 red 85A urethane 2.5” race spring isolators
Dual Purpose:
Our dual purpose kit is meant for those who want their Miata to be an all-around “weapon”. This is a no compromise street setup that will be on the edge of “too stiff” for the street, but nearing the “just right” for the track, if that makes sense. Do you know how there are dual-sport motorcycles that are basically street legal dirt bikes? These bikes are not competitive in a motocross race – but can handle the track – and can go 70mph on the street – but not be comfortable enough for commuting to work every day. They can “do it all, but at the same time, not be the best at all of them”. Essentially, if you want to set up your street car for the track, but still need to daily drive it, this setup will be more than suitable for the track and handle your daily driving well enough too. This is a great setup for those who like to drive their track toys to the track and are not yet at the “trailer queen” stage yet. The 8” springs will allow you to keep it high for the daily drive, and drop it down for the track.
Our blue medium bump stops are made for this kit! They will provide a firmer bump stop action, but not to the point of racecar stiff. When you’re on the track, you’ll be using the bump stops often if you hop curbs. The blue is the better choice for this occasional instance, while at the same time not beating you up when you hit a decent road dip or expansion joint on your daily drive.
• What to buy?
o qty 2 of 8" length 450in/lb Front Eibach race springs
o qty 2 of 8" length 375in/lb Rear Eibach race springs
o qty 1 of 5X Racing coilover sleeve and perch kit
o qty 4 red 85A urethane 2.5” race spring isolators
Track Day:
The track day kit is designed for those who bias towards track driving. This kit uses higher rate springs and will be considerably stiffer during street driving, so it’s not meant for those who daily drive unless you are very tolerant to a stiff ride (or if you love that “race car” feel to your daily driver). This is a perfect kit for those who want to set up their Miata for track use, but still need to drive it to the track and can deal with the increased stiffness of the suspension in trade for commuter type comfort. The 7” spring length allows you to get it low, but have just enough to keep it off the fender liners and not be on the bump stops all the time.
Pair this with our blue medium bump stops if you drive the car on the street often, with our black hard bump stops if you primarily just drive it on the track, or a mix (blue front, black rear) if you want a more “flickable” car that can produce some oversteer when you want it.
• What to buy?
o qty 2 of 7" length 550in/lb Front Eibach race springs
o qty 2 of 7" length 400in/lb Rear Eibach race springs
o qty 1 of 5X Racing coilover sleeve and perch kit
o qty 4 red 85A urethane 2.5” race spring isolators
Race:
The race kit is meant for just that, racing! If you’re wondering what the “right” spring rates for the Miata are, these are it! Most people will gravitate towards the Spec Miata setup – which is a 700/325 balance – and think that must be the best because it’s on a Spec Miata. That’s not true! The Spec Miatas are notoriously oversprung in the front and are often jittery during turn in because of this. Spec Miatas also will understeer if they are corner-weighted to a 50/50 balance, so you must “rake” (make the rear a higher ride height than the front) to get the car to be balanced properly. By using a higher rate rear spring rate, the Miata can be set up with that 50/50 balance and still turn in properly. The car will stay flatter and more consistent with this balance, and a more equal ride height can be used front to rear. These spring rates are very stiff and you will most likely have a miserable ride quality on most all of our roads here in America, so we only recommend this kit for those who are setting up a Miata for track only. This could also be a great kit for those going Chump Car racing with a stock power level Miata. The 6” front springs are meant to allow extreme lowering of the car, which is what you want for the track. The 7” springs in the rear are what you need for the longer shock travel of the rear to avoid coil bind under full compression.
Pair this kit with our black hard bump stops all around to support curb pounding and extremely lowered ride heights, as you’ll be “on the stops” more often with a racecar than you would with a street-based car.
• What to buy?
o qty 2 of 6" length 600in/lb Front Eibach race springs
o qty 2 of 7" length 450in/lb Rear Eibach race springs
o qty 1 of 5X Racing coilover sleeve and perch kit
o qty 4 red 85A urethane 2.5” race spring isolators