Harsh ride quality ? help needed.

[Mattos]

Hey guys,

First post. My wifes 06 MPS3 is an awesome little hatch. The previous owner has fitted H&R height adjustable coilovers. I have had the front set rebuilt today by Quadrant Suspension. I'm still not happy with the ride comfort. It has 225/40/18's Sumitomo's HTR Z 111's on it. They have done atleast 20,000kms now. Have they gone hard? Is it the quality of the tyre that is crap? Or the size of the tyre maybe, should I invest in some 225/45/18's maybe? Just want it comfy for her on her trips to and from work. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Matt

[Reedy]

Check your tyre pressures. set them to about 36PSI all round. One time I used a service station auto pump on my car and set it to 36, I wondered why my ride quality had gone to shit and when I got home I used my own pressure gauge and the damn service station pump was so far out of wack my tyres were over 50PSI!

Other than that, the MPS has fairly firm suspension to begin with and a set of aftermarket coilovers have probably firmed it up even more. Changing your tyres to a 45 profile wont make any real difference, if its been lowered then raise it back up to stock height.

[Mattos]

Thanks Reedy,

The guys checked the pressures again for me today. We lowered them to 32 Psi. The coilovers are at the highest setting. When we put the tyres on , it felt great, now its as if the compond of the tyres are going hard? I was thinking if we went up to the original profile of 45 it would make it more comfy.

[bd581]

You won't get the quality you are after on adjustable coilovers.
even stock people complain about harshness.
If you really want better ride quality I would sell the coilovers to some one, then get some stock springs and Koni FSD shocks.
Or if you want something in between, bilstein B8 or adjustable Koni Yellow shocks with eibach springs.
The FSD and stock springs will give best comfort, the bilstein/eibach will give a bit less ride quality but better handling, and a bit lower for that all important cool factor.

[Yeldarb]

Mmmps just posted he installed FSD's with Eibach springs. He says the ride is better than stock. Worth having a chat if that's what you're after.

My DGR's coilovers are a lot firmer than stock, a bit too much in my own opinion. But the handling and adjustability are a worthy trade off.

[Mattos]

Thanks heaps for the advise guys. Has anyone experienced the compond of their tyres going hard over time/kms. It must have something to do with the ride quality? When we put the Summitomos on new they felt great.

[Scaredycrow]

Thanks heaps for the advise guys. Has anyone experienced the compond of their tyres going hard over time/kms. It must have something to do with the ride quality? When we put the Summitomos on new they felt great.

In a word yes. Tyre wear can affect ride quality. More likely though your tyres are worn un-evenly from poor road surfaces etc causing them to feel "lumpy".

[Spudspec]

Ture wear on HTRZs will give you some discomfort but not so bad that you will notice it drastically. definately go with the coil overs as being crap. There is a reason as to why it takes months if not years to do ride tuning on a factory car. so if you go aftermarket, it is way less refined. The Bilstein/eibach combo is probably your best compromise if that is what you want to aim for. Most aftermarket stuff is not tuned for the Australian conditions.
Your call. I have spent time at Mazda doing ride tuninng in Japan and it is not as easy as people think. adjustable Coilovers and cheaper brand ones generally are good if you drive on dead smooth dry roads. OEM is best all round, and if you want a bit better handling Bilsteins are the go.
Personally I have kept OE on my MPS6 for the Luxurious Factor, but also knowing that there is quite alot of time in development that has gone into making them work. If I were to race it, that would open a whole new can of worms. end of 5 cents worth

[Mattos]

Thanks for everyone's advice and help, our H&R coilvers are built by Bilstein. I think I will save for some higher profile tyres to soak up the bumps. Thanks again, you guys have been great. Cheers Matt.

[Spudspec]

No Dramas, Just dont be fooled too much, they might be built by bilstein, but it is the actual tuning and valving components that really make the shock what it is. also matching springs etc. anyways good luck on your quest- if you have any questions regarding Ride and handling tuning let me know. I used to work for a leading suspension company and my main project was at Mazda in japan.
Always willing to help.
Cheers