the lotus was great at autox because it was predictable. it rolls a lot more then people expect, but they left the dampers and sways soft because the chassis is so stiff. I know all about wasting money on different suspension setups too
I like the Lotus because its firm, but extremely forgiving. I did a bit of hard cornering yesterday around the gym, and noticed the car has a very fine line from grip and breaking loose, not typical for a Miata. I think a combination of the bouncy suspension, bumpy roads, and damn near bald tires are a good combination for it breaking loose so easy. I would definitely like to get at least something done for suspension before the next Calgary AutoX event.. I really want to giver a go!
I took a look under the car front and back and noticed this.
Front:
Part number for the rear shock (HU3687) matches up to the same model as the front, might just be that the fronts are newer, thus the blue color? Could explain the bouncy/soft rear.
Rear:
Taking a look under the car, not bad for a 26 year old vehicle. My 05 forester has more rusting and itshay built up.
Definitely want to replace the end links, sway bars, possible remove the components, sand blast and powerdercoat if feasible.
Updated the first post with better pictures of the car
Also pulled the trigger on this.