Early life crisis

[cwspellowe]

But the lower it is, the less suspension travel it has, the worse it will handle. Ultimately, lower and wider = less adjustability and less predictable handling.

I think the measurement was 85mm, from floor to cill, for the ultimate handling setup on an MX5. This is the point where the wishbones are 100% level with the road surface. It's about 30mm lower than stock, with camber adjusted to suit (ie. not maxed out to f*ck)

VS

Thing is though the MX5 is very sensitive to suspension changes, which is why people spend £150 on getting the geometry properly sorted. Even lowering it slightly will put everything out and mess up the handling. There's an even bigger misunderstanding between making a car look good and systematically ruining the handling all in one move...

Not selective reading at all. I'm not arguing the facts, more that you don't seem to have a set point to argue. In one post you say even lowering slightly will mess up the handling, in another you concede that approximately 30mm lower than standard is ideal.

If that makes the car handle better, then why would Mazda not have done that themselves? Compromise. As I already stated, compromises by the manufacturer are there to be exploited.

People who really appreciate the way the 306 handles DO get their geometry aligned. Doesn't take a genius to see more and more suspension threads are cropping up where people are serious about the handling characteristics of the car, and more and more parts are becoming available to aid the development of the 306's handling such as ball joint spacers to keep the wishbones parallel, they only became readily available within the last 6 months or so, and machined arms and hubs within the last 24 months.

Anyone who throws a cheap set of springs on their 306 and doesn't get the geometry reset can be tarred with the same brush as those that fit lowering springs to an MX5 and do the same. Doesn't matter how well a car drives when new, it CAN be improved on without exception.

Also with regards to your comments on the MX5 being fun at the limit of grip, and that it's a defining characteristic, why would people choose to fit solid rear beam mounts to a 306? LOOS is a defining characteristic of a 306, surely eliminating that is also blasphemy? Hmm, there must be SOME reason why people do it?