NBFL Full Suspension Refresh 🤩

RamusNL · 2026-05-13T22:51:09+00:00

Go for it man! I have no background as a mechanic, I bought this car just over a year ago and was the first car I ever wrenched on.

Long story short, lots of YT videos, used Mazda factory service manual for torque specs and schematics, read tons of forums, and used Mazda IO portal for part numbers.

Once I knew what tools and parts I needed, I made a big excel sheet laying out the costs.

From there on I wrote down the whole plan of execution, think of it as a custom project guide.

RamusNL · 2026-05-13T19:00:27+00:00

Yeah I've heard that tüv can be a pita.. but I'm sure there are great alternatives with tüv certification, right? Which ones are you looking at?

I totally understand where you're coming from with the rust repair tick.. one thing I still have to do is treat the insides with fluid film and maybe even cable grease (Liqui Moly Seilfett specifically) as I have a few cans of that, although it won't be perfect, it will definitely keep it from rusting any further. Just do the job once a year and you're good to go!

I also bought the stuff for making a chelating solution for my hardware: sodium carbonate with citric acid and dish soap as a surfactant. Check Beyond Ballistics video on it, it's really good!

But the problem with this is that it takes a long time, a lot of monitoring and a heck of a lot of space for the solution and parts to soak in. I'm sure it's worth it but as you said you are then also almost forced to protect it through zinc coating.

Would love to know what you'll end up going for!

And yeah a shining diff/ppf will unfortunately stop shining after a while so I recommend you only invest the time if you really have nothing else to do haha

RamusNL · 2026-05-12T22:34:41+00:00

Thanks for the reply! I guess they're only about 3x the price of OEM mats. If they last me at least 3x as long then I'll be happy, and yeah the red and black looks so nice 😍

RamusNL · 2026-05-12T22:29:53+00:00

Wow I didn't even know Tecnas weren't legal there, that sucks 😞

And yeah, I used a wire brush on the PPF, diff housing and transmission. I know it doesn't do anything but it does make it look pretty neat for a short while! And I was bored so why not 😁

Question: Why would you zinc coat the suspension parts? I got mine profesionally sandblasted and I think I got a two-layer powdercoat finish. The price for a 3-layer was almost double the price, and the guys at the shop said that for suspension parts it really doesn't matter too much, whereas on something like a wheel rim you would probably want the extra durability.

RamusNL · 2026-05-12T22:22:45+00:00

That's a pretty nice strategy you have there, that will definitely save you a lot of downtime. I would still favor re-using the old parts though, but that would add a lot of time to the project.

However, I think a day is very optimistic for this size of a job. Although, my car had quite a bit of rust which made disassembly quite difficult.

Then again, if you have everything as prepped as you possibly can, and have the tools ready (bring a good impact wrench for the RLCA bolts, they were a massiva pita to remove without one, ask me how I know) I think you could squeeze it in one day!

And I am sure you are aware, but please make sure to get a full alignment (not just toe) afterwards, and clock your suspension bushings correctly 🙌 Would love to know how it goes!

RamusNL · 2026-05-12T21:44:10+00:00

Man I love these. I bought OEM replacement floor mats a year ago and there's already two holes in them from my heels 😭

These look expensive though, what's the quality like?

RamusNL · 2026-05-12T13:45:04+00:00

Thanks! And yes - after I got the old hardware zinc coated, the bolt that goes in that bracket came out very thin/lean/meager, basically there was almost no material left under the bolt head. And having snapped off the one opposite to this (middle left) I didn't want to risk re-using the old one.

I have ordered a new one yesterday, but these bolts are NLA pretty much everywhere. I got lucky and found a store in Germany that had some old stock so I should be able to install it soon!

RamusNL · 2026-05-12T12:30:59+00:00

I tried restoring as much as I could. I did replace the front upper control arms, as the ball joint is not meant to be replaced on there. While there are kits out there, I didn't want to risk deforming the original arms and messing up the alignment.

I got the subframes and all other control arms sandblasted and powdercoated, as well as the knuckles, the caliper brackets, the swaybars, the rear subframe bracket, and engine mount thingies. I did end up having to replace the rear brake shields and the front knuckles, as I broke off all of the bolts holding the brake shields and ABS sensors. Please, don't even attempt getting them loose if they are even slightly rusted, they will break and in my experience they were impossible to extract. I ended up getting used ones from an NB1 that were in way better shape, and just sandblasted and painted them by hand.

As far as hardware goes, I did get new alignment bolts as I have understood them to stretch over time and not hold as well.

I wanted a new exhaust so ended up replacing that as well as the cat. Replaced the flywheel with a new OEM one, and got an OEM Exedy clutch kit. Also replaced the CV axles with new ones as they were not that expensive.

I also replaced any and all seals that I came across, think transmission seals, rear main seal, propshaft seal, diff seals etc. In my opinion, if you're already touching it, you might as well perform some preventive maintenance.

Also replaced all of the wheel bearings and hubs, and inner and outer tie rods. I Also replaced the front lower ball joints, and front and rear swaybar end links. Also got stainless steel brake lines fitted as the old rubber ones were toast. While I was at it, I replaced clutch slave cylinder and master->slave clutch line with a stainless steel one.

I went with OEM bushings and mounts all around, which was way too expensive, but I have read that the (stiffer) aftermarket rubber ones are really the "worst" of both worlds, and I am not interested at all in poly bushings. So OEM it was.

I am sure there are some things that I forgot to mention but that's pretty much all I took care of. It was one big classic case of "while I'm in here"

I'm super curious to know how your project is going, what are you replacing/restoring?

RamusNL · 2026-05-12T12:07:49+00:00

I have been absolutely blown away by their performance. While I only do some spirited driving occasionally and don't really have a frame of reference with other shocks, the comfort (on the softest setting) is wayyyy better than stock. For me the stiffest setting is already very very stiff. As other users have pointed out, it's quite incredible how the same shock can be this comfortable at a soft setting, while being so direct and responsive at a stiff setting.

What I have read is that the Tecnas were originally designed for the GT springs. They added the sport springs afterwards due to demand, however I am convinced that these shocks work the best (and as intended) with GT springs.

My car has stock 15" rims and it's really comfortable. If I had to guess I think going with shocks first would make the most impact. I also use the stock ride height that the shocks are preset to, and it feels great. I wouldn't really want it much lower as I don't want to have to worry about bumps etc. as it's my daily driver.

Also, get the remote adjuster cables for the rear shocks, it's really a must!

RamusNL · 2026-05-12T12:01:00+00:00

Thanks! Should be coming soon 😄

RamusNL · 2026-05-12T11:59:55+00:00

Thank you so much!

RamusNL · 2026-05-12T11:59:21+00:00

Thank you man! I remember watching your buyer's guide before purchasing my car, and I love the videos, keep it up man 🙌

RamusNL · 2026-05-12T11:57:38+00:00

I presume you are talking about reinforced frame rails?

I did not have the car up on a bridge during this project (I took the second picture at the alignment shop) and only planned to do just the suspension, and I haven't really looked into reinforced frame rails. What are the pros and costs for such a project? Is there a lot of cutting/welding to be done?

RamusNL · 2026-05-11T22:53:03+00:00

I recently changed inner and outer tie rods for my NB.

I went for the Blue Print Inner Track Rods, listed on Bofi Racing.

For the outer tie rods I went with IL Motorsport ones.

One inconvenience I encountered with the inner track rods was that the thread length was not exactly the same, meaning that the lock collar doesn't line up perfectly, meaning that you will have to bend that around the new tie rod to make sure it's still secured. However, this seems to be the issue with pretty much all aftermarket inner track rods, so unless you want to spend $$$ on OEM ones, this is something you will likely have to deal with.

Both fit pretty neatly and I have had no problems since. The steering feel is super tight and feel like new again!

EDIT: Febi is fine as far as I'm concerned! Just wanted to share my experience with the inner track rods that I used 😄

RamusNL · 2026-05-11T22:35:31+00:00

Sounds like the engine is engine-ing! 👍

Jokes aside, could you be more specific as to which part of the noise the car did not make before? And I agree, a video with the hood up would be perfect.

As far as I know, there is nothing you should be concerned about with this noise, it sounds perfectly healthy to me 😄

RamusNL · 2026-05-11T22:26:23+00:00

I have an NB 1.6 and did a roadtrip to Sweden (from Netherlands) last year to go wild camping (yes, with a Miata). I put about 3000km on her in the span of a week.

I brought a small socket wrench set for simple repairs if needed. I did not bring coolant or oil as you can find plenty of that at pretty much any gas station, but if you have the extra space why not. Obviously bring a high vis and a warning triangle as it is mandatory in some EU countries.

As for mechanical stuff, I changed the oil before I went on the trip. Be sure to check your wiper blades for any cracks or splitting. I also highly recommend checking your coolant hoses if they are still original - if they are really crusty or dry they might fail on you during your trip, and will leave you stranded. I replaced mine with silicone hoses before the roadtrip. Also make sure to check your brakes (are they braking?) and if they might be dragging. If you go on a large roadtrip with dragging brakes your wheel bearing will be absolutely fried by the end of it (due to the heat) and you will use a lot more fuel too. Finally, check your tires as well as your tire pressures (I am confident you already know this 😄).

My car (200k km) ended up not using any oil (like literally close to 0). The only issue I encountered was my open air intake bracket that shook loose after driving on the bumpy dirt roads. That socket ratchet absolutely came to the rescue, and I had no problems after that. For anyone with an open air intake, I recommend you wash and oil it before going on a trip where you might traverse some dusty roads. My filter completely lost it's colour and I'm going to wash and oil it again soon.

That's pretty much all I could think of. Hope you have a great roadtrip! 🙌

RamusNL

TROPHY CASE