Flying Miata Vmaxx Extremes

[gsyk59]

Anybody using these coil overs. They are very reasonably priced - but you know what they say " you get what you pay for". I've got a 2001 Miata with the sport package and its in need of some new suspension. Mostly DD but trying to get some track time. Thoughts on a good suspension?

[MoonieGT]

I'd go with Koni Yellows over the VMaxx.

[CosmosMpower]

Darn was hoping hte VMaxx setup was good, very reasonable price.

[MoonieGT]

A lot of people on miata.net are happy with the VMaxx. I have more faith in Koni for quality and longevity. Read through the VMaxx thread over there and you'll feel comfortable buying them. People say good things. I think suspension is not something to skimp on though. A bad suspension will ruin your daily enjoyment. Maybe someone on here has VMaxx and can comment? I just can't shake my belief that the Konis are better engineered.

[motorollow]

You might want to contact Track Dog Racing and ask them about their new Yellow coilovers.

[gsyk59]

I've seen the coil over sets for Koni and KYB shocks and they do look good. Might have to check them out further.

[motorollow]

Track Dog Racing is not selling a Koni coilover. They have Yellow Racing monotube coilovers from Australia at a reasonable price. I dont believe they are on their website yet. Some of the cool kids here on the board already have them.

[MoonieGT]

Tried looking these up. 33 adjustments? That's just silly.

[CosmosMpower]

Anyone have an opinion on the non Extreme/adjustable Vmaxx coilovers for a dd/occasional track car? What if these were at a say $500 price point brand new? Good deal?

[MoonieGT]

??? You've got $150k+ in the other cars... Why not treat the miata to a nice set of AST etc?

[CosmosMpower]

??? You've got $150k+ in the other cars... Why not treat the miata to a nice set of AST etc?

Because I'm not going to track my Miata. I just want to replace the tired old suspension and slightly lower the car a bit to make it a bit more enjoyable for my work commute. And also I bought a Miata because it was cheap as hell, I'm not going to spend more on the suspension than I did on the car. If I wanted to do that I would've just bought another soul less S2000. ken o makes like 750K a year but he doesn't wipe his ass with $100 bills (maybe $50's)

[cwisenheimer]

I have the non-adjustable VMaxx on my car as a DD. I don't track it. They are about as cheap as you can get for a height-adjustable coil-over and they provide an acceptable ride. I wanted to lower my car (properly) without spending a bunch of money. For that, they're great.

To get a valid comparison of their ride/handling to anything else (besides stock), you really have to ask somebody that has lived with both. Otherwise, it's just a personal opinion. That goes for most suspension options. The trouble is, most people don't swap suspsensions in and out willy nilly (*most* people) because it's expensive and a lot of trouble. That leaves you with trusting the suppliers and their development and testing process. If you trust the supplier to tell you the actual truth and not a "sales pitch" version of the truth, that works. I trust FM. Other suppliers are probably also worthy of such trust, but I don't have personal experience with them.

[CosmosMpower]

I have the non-adjustable VMaxx on my car as a DD. I don't track it. They are about as cheap as you can get for a height-adjustable coil-over and they provide an acceptable ride. I wanted to lower my car (properly) without spending a bunch of money. For that, they're great.

To get a valid comparison of their ride/handling to anything else (besides stock), you really have to ask somebody that has lived with both. Otherwise, it's just a personal opinion. That goes for most suspension options. The trouble is, most people don't swap suspsensions in and out willy nilly (*most* people) because it's expensive and a lot of trouble. That leaves you with trusting the suppliers and their development and testing process. If you trust the supplier to tell you the actual truth and not a "sales pitch" version of the truth, that works. I trust FM. Other suppliers are probably also worthy of such trust, but I don't have personal experience with them.

Thanks for the feedback. I understand they are a very budget oriented setup and aren't going to be up there in performance. I have no aspirations to compete in my Miata.

My only goals are to get rid of tired stock dead suspension, lower the car a bit and maybe get slightly better performance than OEM replacement type shocks at a very reasonable price. Looking around even AGX's and Koni Yellows are 500+ a set new so a full coilover doesn't seem like a bad deal to me. Just making sure they are not horrible quality or have an atrocious ride.

[jrj512]

ken o makes like 750K a year but he doesn't wipe his ass with $100 bills (maybe $50's)

I'm pretty sure he wipes his ass with GT-Rs.

[slowchildmiata]

The trouble is, most people don't swap suspsensions in and out willy nilly (*most* people) because it's expensive and a lot of trouble.

Most people aren't crazy like me.

[slowchildmiata]

I'm pretty sure he wipes his ass with GT-Rs.

I thought he did that with Ho-Hos. He eats GT-Rs whole.

[MoonieGT]

My comment was not meant as an attack Cosmos. Just trying to understand your thought process. That said, I was VERY close to buying VMaxx myself due to all the positive comments I heard from other users on miata.net. I ended up buying the Xidas (yes they're pricey) because I had ridden in cars with tein flex, tein monoflex, FatCats, etc. and the AST are just that little bit better IMHO. I do realize that not everyone wants to spend the money on them, but I enjoy the hell out of them every time I drive the car. So planted, so much grip, so comfortable, so confidence inspiring. I swallowed the big price tag because I knew I would end up replacing the VMaxx with a "better" set later on. For the first time ever, I decided to follow the advice of others who say "do it right the first time and save yourself some money and some headaches." AST sales pitch over.

If you're truly just going to drive on the street with occasional track work, why not also consider FM's Illumina setup? They're time tested setup that performs and rides nicely. From my research, the Illumina ride better at the expense of some track performance. On streets, the Illuminas will give up nothing to the VMaxx and will be more comfortable.

[cwisenheimer]

Thanks for the feedback. I understand they are a very budget oriented setup and aren't going to be up there in performance. I have no aspirations to compete in my Miata.

My only goals are to get rid of tired stock dead suspension, lower the car a bit and maybe get slightly better performance than OEM replacement type shocks at a very reasonable price. Looking around even AGX's and Koni Yellows are 500+ a set new so a full coilover doesn't seem like a bad deal to me. Just making sure they are not horrible quality or have an atrocious ride.

If those are your goals, you're the exact target customer for VMaxx. ANY replacement will feel great compared to a worn-out stock set, at least at first. I don't have a whole lot to compare to (Stock Bilsteins at 4x4 height on this '02, tired stock and RB lowering springs/Tokicos on a '92), but I'm happy with mine after 6 months.

[CosmosMpower]

If those are your goals, you're the exact target customer for VMaxx. ANY replacement will feel great compared to a worn-out stock set, at least at first. I don't have a whole lot to compare to (Stock Bilsteins at 4x4 height on this '02, tired stock and RB lowering springs/Tokicos on a '92), but I'm happy with mine after 6 months.

Is your set from flyin miata? I found a set on eBay from vmaxx USA for cheaper not sure if there's a difference.

[MoonieGT]

Think that they are actually different. Plus, having FM to support you and the product is a big plus.