949 racing: Any idea on a timeline for release? I would imagine it wouldn't be before spring 2020?

We will release the Xidas when they are ready. No specific time line.

How's that steering spacer coming along?

Nicely

I keep refreshing this page with credit card in hand in the hope of discovering a link to that steering spacer.

We will start a new thread when the first production arrives and the spacers are ready to ship. In the meantime send us an email to be put on the mailing list.

Nah, sorry, I got on too many mailing lists and swore them off. I'll just keep refreshing and hope the "or so" part of "We will be adding these to the 949Racing.com site in a month or so" from 3/19 doesn't turn into two months, then three months, then four months...

@949 Racing


Any updates on the Xidas coilovers or spacers worth sharing?

Nothing to update. We tend to stay quiet until we have news that actually matters (affects a buying decision).

Currently making some changes to the piston design to increase bleed. This allows the softest setting to to get closer to natural bounce frequency. Pro race teams want each setting to very close to the next. Dual duty and amateur racers want larger steps. We have encountered this before when developing Xidas for other platforms. That happens when your starting point is a pro level dual digressive race shock and not an OTS street shock with generic linear valving. New pistons en route from Tractive.

So same as before, no ETA. We're working hard to complete them but will not release anything until we reach all our performance targets. Right now, they are great on track with high grip tires but the street ride quality needs additional tuning before we go to production.

should be gracious that we have an esteemed company trying to accomplish what a great many automaker ignores, Im rooting for you hahah

I always assumed good on street manners come at the sake of being too soft for the track and a good track set up (tires and suspension) would be too knar to drive on the road.

That's more a function of spring rates than damping. Good shocks will absorb bumps better than bad shocks.

Here is a cut/paste of something I wrote for a Miata forum a few weeks ago.


Common misconception is that good body control means a harsh ride. It's actually the exact opposite. A lower quality shock will tend to have internal friction, linear valving, poor or no pressure balancing with results in hysteresis at low piston speeds, low quality oil that breaks down early in the shocks lifespan, small piston with limited peak oil flow so poor blowoff at high piston speeds..

All of which contribute to poor ride quality and poor body control. The best shocks on the market for any platform, be it your 3/4T pickup, your UTV, your mini-van, your motorcycle and yes, your Miata will generally have better ride quality and handle better than cheap shocks. Some vehicles come OEM with really high quality shocks. The NA/NB are not among that group. While the Bilstein are very high quality for an OEM shock of that era, modern shock tech allows far greater performance. (86 no different)

The message there is not to think that you need to sacrifice ride quality for good handling. The variable here is RM (Roll Moment) and to a lesser degree, PM (Pitching Moment). In rough terms, this is how much force is trying roll the car at the limit of traction. OEM 185/60/14 NA6 tires would allow around .84g. Modern "super" 200 tw tires in a 225/45/15 will easily generate 1.35g on the same NA6. This is a lot more force trying to roll the car, thus stiffer springs are required to resist that additional Roll Moment.

These stiffer springs raise the bounce frequency, which you all would say makes the ride "busy". I liken it to the difference between being able to have that latte full, and not have it bounce out of the lid, to maybe asking them to leave a fair amount of room for slosh. Those higher rates make the car follow the road. So if the road moves around, so will you. This does not mean crash-bang over every little bump though. Not if they are good shocks.

Primary factors we look at when deciding on spring rates for a customer are tire choice and intended usage. The luxury of having shocks with a wide damping adjustment range and double digressive valving is that you can choose one spring rate that will support the driving you do then simply adjust the damping settings for highway trips, canyons or donning a helmet and getting serious.

This versatility assumes the same tires for all uses. If you swap between a fairly low grip tire that never reaches the limit of traction to a very high grip tire that lives at the limit, you will have a huge spread of peak RM/PM. You'll have to pick one RM to optimize and be perfect for and merely be good at the other. Street or competition basically. If your aggressive driving is all done on your medium grip daily driver tires, then one spring rate can often be perfect for everything.

Two months...

Will the BRZ xidas be double digressive as they are for the Miatas?

86 Drive Challenge TT at Sonoma this weekend. Sonny and Ed will be there in Blub. Got the Xida protos on finally. Still refining valving spec but we're close I think. Evaluating the new Nankang AR-1 in 255/40R17 against the R888R if we can get some clean laps and steady temps/sunshine.

If you will be there, Sonny will start giving rides probably 3rd session. First two sessions are solo, go time for the TT and dialing in the setup.

Yes, as mentioned a few times above ;)