I was just wondering if anybody could advise me please? I bought a 2011 Mazda 2 1.3 Tamura a couple of months ago. The car has done 59,000 miles and is pretty good. I've replaced a CV joint and all the tyres, there's nothing much really up with it and it drives pretty well for what it is. The alloy wheels are a mess too, the MX5 wasn't great for that either, must be painted really cheaply. But other cars do this I guess. Just need refurbed.

used to own a really good 2006 MX5 2.0 NC which was a fantastic car, but the suspension was a touch too soft. This car at the front is really soft, it just feels like it's bobbing up and down a lot on the crappy UK roads. When I push the corners of the car it is really easy to push the front end up and down, but the rear is much, much stiffer. When I've read reviews of this car it is supposed to handle well and have a hardh ride. I don't seem to see that with this example. I've been thinking about replacing the front shock adsorbers and it looks like a pretty easy job, I've replaced suspension before. I'm just wondering if these cars should be firmer, before I do this? Or is the front of these cars pretty soft and bouncy anyway? It's the only thing that lets it down. I know it's similar to the Ford Fiesta, but I can't see one of those being as soft as this car is. Just my experiences with the MX5 made me ask.

Thanks for any advice.

 

If possible try to test drive another MX5 so you can get a better idea if it is your car or a expectation of you thought it would drive and feel like.

You can also look up the body dimension's to measure all 4 corners to see if they are within specifications. Dampeners will wear out and you could lose the handling characteristics of the car. Doubtful there is anything wrong with the spring. I looked in to a few test results of your year on a skid pad..... I would say frankly if you are expertly to curve up some twisty roads to start looking into upgrading the suspension!

 

Apart from looking into worn dampers/shocks, do your tyres have a stiff enough sidewall to give you what you're after?

I have a 2008 model, same engine, with lower mileage ~40000, and while I'm still on the original shocks the car handles pretty well, no bounciness when cornering.

The tyres I use on the original (for our market) 14" steel wheels are Dunlop SP Sport FM 800, inflated to 220 kPa at the front and 200 kPa at the rear.