Meisterr CRD - First impressions and Short Review
Jul 15, 2018 9:29:49 GMT
Horney and atlex like this
Post by sooty on Jul 15, 2018 9:29:49 GMT
Meisterr CRD - First impressions and Short Review
Recently fitted a set of Meisterr CRD’s, replacing the ta technix units that came on the car. Everything written here is based on a day or so of messing around with settings on public roads and private car parks (no track work). I have also never driven an MX5 on any other suspension than the tired eBay coilovers it came on.
Ta Technix: The old suspension was too low even on max height, height adjustment ruins the preload and consequently ride, fixed damping, and all-round terrible drivability. They were so stiff and had such poor quality damping that there was no feel or turn in or mechanical grip (especially on the rear, but more on that later).
On to the improvements!
Ride height: Moving the shock 5mm, changes the ride height 5mm, simple. You can go high as stock or stupidly low should you wish. I am currently running 600mm square from the floor to the top center of the arch (approx 1.5” wheel gap)
Ride Quality: WOW, simple as that. Granted the old suspension was rubbish the car feels brand new again, better in fact (similar to my dad much, much newer sporty mercedes). Compared to the ebay coils i have about 3x the rear damper travel, in car VHT is better, no bangs, rattle or squeaks like there used to be.
On the softer settings its compliant, smooth and tackles speed bumps with ease, stays composed on the rough stuff, and has the perfect amount of body roll for comfort and learning about weight transfer. When you stiffen it up its still usable on the road and suspect would be well suited to smooth b roads and track work.
I am honestly amazed how much of a difference the damping makes, full soft you can squash each corner down by giving it a good shove, on full hard its like a touring car
Handling: Soft settings have some body roll but it is controlled and only slight, helps to let you feel when the tyres are loading up for corners, on firmer settings it corners dead flat, if you get the right track and the right tyres i suspect it will give you a sore neck with how well it changes direction!
The car is much higher than before and has not been realigned so i can only compare the previous set up. However now the ride isn’t silly low, i don’t have excessive rear camber to the car is much more stable and grippier on the rear (its now more hesitant to chirp the tyres and do doughnuts, but launches much faster) so now it can corner much faster until it meets predictable understeer which can be dialed out with throttle, or a new alignment.
Ease of use: super easy to set, and the special collars and wrenches with these are brilliant and fast to use. Damping adjustment is quick and simple (especially with the rear extenders!). Preload is ready set, as is height, though the height was a little uneven out of the box (minimally)
Fitting was only hindered by rust and seized components on my car, NOT the Meisterrs.. It is a simple process and wont take more than 2 hours on a super clean car. Rears were fitted and adjusted in 45mins each, but one of the fronts took 4:30, with the last remaining one taking 1:30.
Unit Quality & Finish: very nice finish to every component, im sure they will last much longer than cheaper offerings. They have a nice weight to them but are lighter than the chinesium coils they replace, and i suspect lighter still than OEM shocks and struts.
Were they worth it?: for me personally YES! I will be transferring these to future mx5’s, or buying them for whatever else i own in the future. Now they may not be worth the outlay if you already have suspension in good condition or other mid range stuff fitted, but i have no experience with that so cannot comment. But if you currently have ebay coilovers and are sick of being vibrated and crushed to death every time you drive it, invest in some of these.
If anyone has any comments or questions please feel free to ask
600m square ride height (approx 1.5” wheel gap)
10 clicks from soft for commuting (22 from hard)
Recently fitted a set of Meisterr CRD’s, replacing the ta technix units that came on the car. Everything written here is based on a day or so of messing around with settings on public roads and private car parks (no track work). I have also never driven an MX5 on any other suspension than the tired eBay coilovers it came on.
Ta Technix: The old suspension was too low even on max height, height adjustment ruins the preload and consequently ride, fixed damping, and all-round terrible drivability. They were so stiff and had such poor quality damping that there was no feel or turn in or mechanical grip (especially on the rear, but more on that later).
On to the improvements!
Ride height: Moving the shock 5mm, changes the ride height 5mm, simple. You can go high as stock or stupidly low should you wish. I am currently running 600mm square from the floor to the top center of the arch (approx 1.5” wheel gap)
Ride Quality: WOW, simple as that. Granted the old suspension was rubbish the car feels brand new again, better in fact (similar to my dad much, much newer sporty mercedes). Compared to the ebay coils i have about 3x the rear damper travel, in car VHT is better, no bangs, rattle or squeaks like there used to be.
On the softer settings its compliant, smooth and tackles speed bumps with ease, stays composed on the rough stuff, and has the perfect amount of body roll for comfort and learning about weight transfer. When you stiffen it up its still usable on the road and suspect would be well suited to smooth b roads and track work.
I am honestly amazed how much of a difference the damping makes, full soft you can squash each corner down by giving it a good shove, on full hard its like a touring car
Handling: Soft settings have some body roll but it is controlled and only slight, helps to let you feel when the tyres are loading up for corners, on firmer settings it corners dead flat, if you get the right track and the right tyres i suspect it will give you a sore neck with how well it changes direction!
The car is much higher than before and has not been realigned so i can only compare the previous set up. However now the ride isn’t silly low, i don’t have excessive rear camber to the car is much more stable and grippier on the rear (its now more hesitant to chirp the tyres and do doughnuts, but launches much faster) so now it can corner much faster until it meets predictable understeer which can be dialed out with throttle, or a new alignment.
Ease of use: super easy to set, and the special collars and wrenches with these are brilliant and fast to use. Damping adjustment is quick and simple (especially with the rear extenders!). Preload is ready set, as is height, though the height was a little uneven out of the box (minimally)
Fitting was only hindered by rust and seized components on my car, NOT the Meisterrs.. It is a simple process and wont take more than 2 hours on a super clean car. Rears were fitted and adjusted in 45mins each, but one of the fronts took 4:30, with the last remaining one taking 1:30.
Unit Quality & Finish: very nice finish to every component, im sure they will last much longer than cheaper offerings. They have a nice weight to them but are lighter than the chinesium coils they replace, and i suspect lighter still than OEM shocks and struts.
Were they worth it?: for me personally YES! I will be transferring these to future mx5’s, or buying them for whatever else i own in the future. Now they may not be worth the outlay if you already have suspension in good condition or other mid range stuff fitted, but i have no experience with that so cannot comment. But if you currently have ebay coilovers and are sick of being vibrated and crushed to death every time you drive it, invest in some of these.
If anyone has any comments or questions please feel free to ask
600m square ride height (approx 1.5” wheel gap)
10 clicks from soft for commuting (22 from hard)
le sigh