ND Miata Koni Sport (Yellow) Shock Install

Disclaimer: This is a high level overview, not an exhaustive set of instructions. Do your research before attempting this installation. By myself, this took 16 working hours without complications. Set aside a weekend if you want to do this.
How-To: Set Koni Spring Perch Height:
- • How-To: Circlip Adjust...
To keep this car within SCCA C-Street, the spring perch height from the bottom of the shock (mounting hole center) was maintained. For the fronts, this was the topmost perch position. For the rears, this was the 2nd from the top position. The lower gas pressure in the Konis may lower the car slightly, reset the bushings and settle the suspension (may take miles driven) to achieve the full benefit.
Ride Height (Starting - Ending) (values may change after settling/alignment):
- Driver Front: 14.25” - 14.125”
- Driver Rear: 14.25” - 14”
- Pass. Front: 14.5” - 14.5”
- Pass. Rear: 14.5” - 14”
- Measured from the center of the wheel to the inside lip of the fender.
Part Numbers:
- Mazda Bump Stop Cups: F151-28-777
- Good-Win Racing 36 White / 58 White Bump Stop Set: 61-0792ND
- Koni Front Shock Kit (ordered from Flyin' Miata with rears):
- 8241 1304SPORT - Damper
- 71 50 08 692 0 - Part Set
- 72 50 02 111 0 - Spring Seat & Ring
- Koni Rear Shock Kit (orderd from Flyin' Miata with fronts):
- 8241 1305SPORT - Damper
- 72 50 08 114 0 - Part Set
- 72 50 02 112 0 - Spring Seat & Ring
- 71 50 02 580 0 - Nyloc Nut
Tools Required:
- 15/32” Drill Bit OR 12mm Drill Bit
- Handheld Drill
- A torque wrench or combination of torque wrenches capable of 7.75 lbf-ft (smallest torque values) up to 100 lbf-ft (high torque value is for the wheel lugs)
- Spring Compressor (may require a socket to operate)
- 8.5” extension
- 3” extension
- 2.75” extension
- 19mm, 17mm, 14mm six point sockets
- 14mm, 12mm, and 10mm twelve point sockets
- 5mm hex key
- Trim removal tools
- 19mm, 17mm, 14mm, 9mm combination wrenches
- 14mm, 10mm ratcheting combination wrenches
- 19mm, 14mm crows foot
- Pliers or vice grip
- Ratchets (the drive of the ratchet and torque wrenches need to match, you may need multiple ratchets and torque wrenches if you have multiple drive types on sockets)
- Heavy duty, low profile floor jack (if you jack doesn’t fit under the front of the car, you also need wood or a method of raising the front wheels to gain access)
- Jack stands (4 recommended unless you have access to a 2-post lift)
- Wheel chocks
Nice to have tools:
- Electric Ratchet
- Painters Tape (for labeling)
- Sharpies (for labeling)
- Flat cardboard (for laying out parts and keeping things organized)
- Paint pen (for marking things after you torque them)
- Ziploc Bags (for storing/organizing parts)
- Tape Measure (for measuring ride height, shock perch height, etc.)
- Calipers (for verifying miscellaneous measurements)
- 5mm hex key socket
- Gloves
- Flashlight / portable lighting
- Bench Vice
Resources:
- Koni Install Guide:
- forum.miata.net/vb/showthread... (front)
- forum.miata.net/vb/showthread... (rear)
- • How to install coilove...
- • How to Install and Set...
- • MX-5 ND Sound Tube Delete
- • ND MX-5 Miata Jack Poi...
- www.tekton.com/blog/how-to-ac...
- forum.miata.net/vb/showthread...
- forum.miata.net/vb/showthread...
Shop Manual (Torque Specs):
- www.hexorcism.com/16ND/sm352871/
- www.hexorcism.com/16ND/sm352859/
- www.hexorcism.com/16ND/sm352872/
- www.hexorcism.com/16ND/sm352883/
- www.hexorcism.com/16ND/sm352883/
- www.hexorcism.com/16ND/sm352879/
- www.hexorcism.com/16ND/sm352880/
- www.hexorcism.com/16ND/sm352881/
- www.hexorcism.com/16ND/sm352882/
- www.hexorcism.com/16ND/sm352866/
- www.hexorcism.com/16ND/sm352875/

[@paulgaecke9055]

FYI - for anyone installing the Goodwin 36/58 White Bump Stops - I reversed the bump stops front to rear in this video, it has since been corrected on my car but don't make the same mistake that I did!

[@DaveSimkus]

Dude, I just completed this install myself in the driveway during this Illinois heatwave while making a video of the process but you beat me to it lol. I was having trouble torquing the upper shock nuts too, I figured as long as there are enough threads left to fully engage the second locking-nut on top then it should be about right. Definitely a great idea to mark everything with tape, I did the same exact thing. Did you happen to notice that the Koni perch ring and seat/cup needed sanding before fitting over the shock body? Mine were really rough and scratched the Koni's when trying to slide them on so I had to lightly sand out the inside edges. One thing I didn't do is roll the car around before torquing the bushings, hopefully that is ok. I did measure hub to fender before torquing. I'm just hoping that there is about a half-inch room for error when it comes to "clocking" the bushings. Do you know if they have to be clocked extremely precisely or should I not worry if I was off by a quarter inch on one corner vs the other?

[@paulgaecke9055]

One of the four shocks had a tight spring seat but I was able to shimmy it down with patience, twisting, and forceful coaxing. I was hesitant to sand anything off the ID because that is where all the force is being transferred through to the circlip, it did scratch up the paint on the shock body but it's all under a dust boot and exposed to road debris anyways so I wasn't concerned about the look. I got between 0" and 0.25" drop with the Konis and they may settle further over time and/or even out corner to corner, I have read that if you don't get any drop at all four corners that it is likely the bushings not being clocked (specifically, many people report no drop in the rear and this is probably why - there are 10 bushings acting against the shock). It's a relatively small geometry change on the suspension and I doubt it was that accurate from the factory to begin with (the factory alignment wasn't perfect). You only have to do this on the rear since you loosened the upper A-arm to do the install and would re-clock them anyways by torquing the bushings under suspension compression (the lower A-arm bushings get re-clocked when you get an alignment). If you torqued any of them with the suspension uncompressed I would correct that before getting any alignment, you will absolutely wear out the bushings faster if done that way. One of the reasons to re-clock the bushings with the suspension compressed is so they aren't twisted when the car is sitting static. If they aren't re-clocked, they are always twisted and this can fatigue them faster as the suspension operates.

[@mattlee0212]

I just got the same shocks with flyinmiata springs, the adjustable knob is unable to fit the rear, so we will have to buy a flat knob to fit

[@paulgaecke9055]

Koni provided a tall knob for the front and a short knob for rear (one for each shock, four total), I had no issues adjusting the rears with the short knob. Make sure you check your packaging. Small, loose parts can get stuck in the packaging. I bought my set from Flyin' Miata.