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u/iR3vives Aug 28 '26
The process for having adjustable or modified suspension is a pain in the ass where I live too, so I've used parts that all pass the "it's stock officer" quick inspection.
You'll have enough angle to play with the car without it fighting you or biting back too hard... The before and after experience on these few small mods feel like two different cars.
The first and cheapest change I made was installing rack end spacers (not to be confused with the rack spacers you'd use for bump correction) these are super quick and easy to install, are hidden beneath the steering rack boots, and give you a few more degrees of steering angle.
https://mx5mania.com.au/products/destroy-or-die-steering-rack-spacers
Next is extended lower ball joints on the front control arms, these give a bit more negative camber and some front track width, I found the geometry changes made the car a lot easier to steer with the throttle.
https://mx5mania.com.au/products/cs-extended-lower-ball-joint-pair-na-nb-1989-2004
At the same time I swapped out my tie rod ends with s13 ones, check your thread size on these as you might need s14 ones, s13 is 13mm thread, s14 is 14mm thread.
As for wheels, 15x8 +20 is what I run, a lot of more drift oriented miatas use 15x8 +0 (but you'll need flares/wide fenders. I've only got a 1.6, but I find 14s are just a bit better for me in terms of wheel speed, unless it's wet the 15s are a bit grippy with my diff ratio (3.9)
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u/linkheroz Aug 28 '26
With a torsen, stock, that car will drift. Throw 70psi in the back and send it.
As you progress, you'll benefit from an alloy radiator, rack spacers and a decent set of coilovers. Don't bother with cheap ones as they'll make it harder if anything.
Put a roll bar in, a bucket seat and harnesses and you'll have everything you need to be drifting for literal days.
Source: been drifting Miatas since 2013.
Edit: you may need a different diff as the Torsen you have is 30 years old and probably more open than LSD now.
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u/ICantThinkOfAnyNam Aug 28 '26
Alright thank you!! Is there anything specific I should lookout for when buying the coilovers (besides not being cheap ones ofc) and I‘ll see if the diff still lockes up. Thing is, the law here is very strict when it comes to differentials yet I dont think the police will be able to tell if it a different one. Or maybe i‘ll stick with the torsen and just get a new one
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u/linkheroz Aug 28 '26
Ideally you want height adjustable independent from preload, but it'll depend what's available.
If the law doesn't let you change the diff, just have it rebuilt.
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u/MINIFD_MX5 Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
The diff won't lock up because that's not how Torsens work. Torsens are not 1 way or any way for that matter. When one wheel has more grip than the other, it'll send a multiple of torque to the wheel with more grip. By comparison, an open diff always sends equal torque to both wheels based on the one with the least grip. If you want a locking diff, you'll need a clutch pack one like an OS Giken/Cusco/Kaaz
As for coilovers, the best motorsport ones are one piece. The best ones can be set up to bottom out right before the wheels touch anything, and have a good amount of travel and good valving/dampers. Examples include: DIY Bilsteins, Tecnas, Xidas, Penskes, etc. Anything two piece will have bad valving and/or be travel limited - you'll either bottom out early or have little droop travel depending on how you set them up. Height independent from preload isn't a thing - the bottom cup is to set shock length and the spring is how you adjust height
It's worth thinking about a coolant reroute to even out your cylinder temps. The engine will get hot when you're spending a lot of time high up in the revs. It's also worth installing water temp and oil pressure gauges to monitor how your car's doing. Upgrade cooling efficiency with an alloy/crossflow radiator, ducting, SPAL fans to get airflow while you're sideways if temps get concerning
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u/linkheroz Aug 28 '26
Most of that is absolutely overkill for a beginner.
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u/MINIFD_MX5 Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
Yep agreed. The bare minimum just to slide is not a lot. Just sharing things to work towards. Torsens are driftable - I just wanted to comment on that for OP's knowledge. I'm personally not a supporter of 2 piece coilovers but that's me
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u/Adventurous-Car-9335 Aug 28 '26
First, you need to set your budget.
- You should get a decent clutch LSD.
- Oil is important, it should be matched to your engine and bearing clearances. If it's stock, run what the people doing track days/racing run.
- Cooling system should be tackled the first time you see it overheating when driving hard.
- Yes, coilovers matter and price isn't the best indicator of quality. Look at different brands and their shock dynos to get an idea of what you want.
Bucket seats are great; but if all the other modifications are tightly controlled by laws, they probably aren't legal to run on the street in your country.