AM's '96 Ford Aspire mod thread

[Frank Lee]

It's all fun and games until someone does endos through the air. :/

[Sven7]

I'm more worried about understeering into a curb/ditch, but to each his own.

[IVTenvy]

It is too bad that the aft end is the only place weight can easily be reduced. It makes CG tough to balance and it also makes the ride really loud. Did the miata struts come with new hardware? My bolts and holes are so worn that It's giving me castor imbalance.

[AeroModder]

I put in a set of 1" lowering springs from ST Suspensions for the Miata on the stock Aspire struts. The springs actually swap over perfectly. The new Aspire rear struts didn't come with new mounting bolts, so you'll most likely need to go to a junkyard to pick up some replacement hardware. The only hardware it comes with is a locknut for the strut rod.

NOTE: Springs must be for first generation Miata, '90-98.

[IVTenvy]

Bummer. I could find some NAS bolts and ream a clean hole. First I need to find some of that time stuff.

[Christ]

IVTenvy - "Time": The rear suspension swap literally takes about 20 minutes. I own 4 Festivae lol.

[Christopher Jordan]

Stock looks and corners like an egg but my Aspire outlasted my expectations. Economically a keeper - a gutless keeper! Glad I left it alone.

[AeroModder]

Most definitely a keeper. A lot of people actually laugh when I tell them what I drive, but it's proven to be a very good platform to work with. It'll end up looking a lot better when I finally get a garage to work in and can start working with fiberglass, and I'm working with its strengths and addressing its weaknesses in all areas. I hope to find a clean relatively low-mileage Aspire sometime in the future to transfer the mods to.

[IVTenvy]

I got new tires at Discount Tire. With skirts off, my first tank gave me only 33. I think I should take them back. Not easy to mod when I am working 5pm to 1:30am and driving 1,100 miles a week. On a 62 mile commute on the 15, aero mods count and weight is a big deal.

[Old Mechanic]

Originally Posted by AeroModder

They're 1" lowering springs from ST Suspensions. It doesn't seem like there's any significant gains, but they do seem to help a little bit on the freeway. The handling boost was desperately needed with how soft the stock springs were. I'm also doing a battery relocation for better weight distribution so I can better help "conserve momentum" around corners.

Yep when I exit the Interstate and "conserve my momentum" around the cloverleaf, the Subdivision that was all over my arse, coasting down to the exit ramp, without ever touching the brake, is about halfway through the cloverleaf when I finish the exit ramp and enter the road. One of the more enjoyable parts of hypermiling, the conservation of momentum .

regards
Mech