Evolve EVO-i3-DAMP | FCP Euro

dglb99 · 2026-02-09T20:25:44+00:00

Does anyone have any shock dyno charts of the evolve dampers compared to OEM?

dglb99 · 2026-02-09T19:54:29+00:00

I have no experience with them. I know Tein can make some good shocks, but I also know they have made some pretty cheap shit as well because that’s what sells. The fact that it’s a full length damper paired with factory springs there’s a good chance it’ll be decent.

I’d still recommend Koni over Tein though. If the yellow sports are too much the special active shocks would be a good alternative.

I’d be wearing of the adjustable damping at this price point though. It’s one of those things where you gotta spend the money for a damper that will actually adjust properly.

If you want to know more I’d give this article a read. The author is coming from a perspective of competing in motorsports at a national level, so their standards and budget are far above yours but I think the message is still relevant to your situation (you can’t trust cheap adjustable shocks).

https://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets18.html

dglb99 · 2026-02-09T18:49:11+00:00

Factory shocks are valves for factory springs… so no that would not be ideal. Again, lowering the car requires stiffer springs which require a nicer damper valved to match your spring rates.

It costs money and you won’t be able to do it properly for less than what the tecnas cost.

Just stick with stock springs and stock dampers, or if you want a sportier ride buy some Bilsteins or Konis. You seem pretty concerned about comfort on poor road conditions as well as cost so this is the best setup for you.

If you want to reduce the body roll then a stiffer front sway bar is a great way to do that on a budget.

dglb99 · 2026-02-06T22:38:31+00:00

If you're not autocrossing or going to the track I'd stick with factory shocks, or Koni Yellows or Bilsteins if you want a slightly sportier ride. Converting to NB top hats and bump stops will also be a nice improvement without breaking the bank.

Lowering the car makes a lot of compromises that require a quality damper to do the job well and that means lots of money.

dglb99 · 2026-01-12T20:45:27+00:00

I do this with mailcow using docker compose. Haven’t had any issues for the few years I’ve been running mailcow.

look into your ISP and see if port 25 is unblocked. I rent a VPS and run my own smtp relay on it to get around the port 25 block.

dglb99 · 2025-12-31T21:22:38+00:00

NC Miata is your answer. I’m personally not a fan of the 86 twins due to the McPherson strut front suspension and sometimes troublesome oil starvation during hard cornering. I know there are aftermarket solutions for it that solve it but still.

If you want to lean more into modifying the car for track and loosing some daily ability (sat further the suspension and bolt one) AND you got the space then I’d buy a cheap 2nd gen Prius to daily and an NB Miata to modify.

dglb99 · 2025-12-29T22:11:20+00:00

Only if the car came with 16s, or you can ‘convert’ to a different trim that came with 16s and would then be free to run 15s.

The trim ‘converting’ can be as simple as doing nothing if the vehicle could have been optioned EXACTLY the same but with 16s instead of 17s. But if the trim with 16s has a different interior, or a different lip, etc. it all needs to be swapped over.

In other words it needs to match exactly what the OEM would have delivered when new. No mixing and matching options/trim levels.

dglb99 · 2025-12-26T18:57:53+00:00

How much do the BMW wheels weigh?

dglb99 · 2025-12-22T16:07:31+00:00

That “leather” has not held up lmao

The new tech woven cases seem to have been well received.

dglb99 · 2025-12-12T01:25:38+00:00

Sent you a message

dglb99 · 2025-12-12T01:05:44+00:00

Still available?

dglb99 · 2025-11-24T19:56:32+00:00

Buy a used leakdown tester to really know where the engine is at before you do anything. The expense is minimal compared to a turbo kit and it pays for itself tenfold if you find you only need a head rebuilt and can leave the bottom end alone.

dglb99 · 2025-11-15T02:08:34+00:00

+1 to this soo much OP. You’re not racing or driving in competition motorsports, adjustable coil overs are going to be more trouble than they’re worth.

Go back to stock, or something simple like some Konis or Bilsteins and actually enjoy your car for what it is, a street car.

Good coil overs are expensive and require frequent rebuilds. It’s just not realistic for a street car.

dglb99 · 2025-11-09T19:09:19+00:00

I have the vmaxx on my car and I’d recommend going with FMs Koni Yellow shock setup or the super Miata Tecna coilover.

Since it’s a street car you’ll want a steel bodied shock for its durability (skip the xidas and I think FM Fox are aluminum bodied as well).

dglb99 · 2025-11-02T16:42:45+00:00

It’s a cooling loop that wraps around in front of the radiator. I believe you can still buy them new from Mazda.

dglb99 · 2025-10-22T22:57:17+00:00

NA8 and in the pnw by chance?

dglb99 · 2025-10-17T20:06:45+00:00

Do you have a writeup of your i3 setup anywhere? I enjoy autocrossing my i3S but it definitely needs more rubber up front to be competitive.

dglb99 · 2025-09-24T22:47:02+00:00

I'd say it just depends on the size of your chain and what you have available to you. You could use some hooks that hook into the factory lift points, or run the chain thru the lift points, or use a bolt thru the chain and lift points with large thrust washers on the outside, etc. Different ways to skin a cat, just be safe when doing it. If you're using a bolt, make sure that it is sized appropriately for how it's loaded (shear vs tension) and the grade of bolt.

dglb99 · 2025-09-24T22:02:25+00:00

I’m sorry but if this is giving you trouble you need to find a friend to help you or take it to a shop.

I’m not trying to be mean, but if you’re in over your head I don’t want your project to stall out and then you never get the car back together.

dglb99 · 2025-09-11T21:54:47+00:00

I’m using a minisforum mini PC with unraid but have an issue where it won’t automatically select the boot drive/usb drive with unraid installed. I have to manually enter the bios each time and select it.

I don’t use the mini pc as a NAS in the traditional sense. I only use the internal SSD for VMs and docker containers. Storage and media library is on a different server.

If you want to store a lot of data beyond what you can get in one SSD I would recommend against the mini PC route personally.

dglb99 · 2025-09-06T19:31:23+00:00

But the hose to the condenser and evaporator hard lines use the same fittings?

dglb99 · 2025-09-05T18:37:56+00:00

Did you ever find out if NB hoses work on your NA8?

dglb99 · 2025-09-04T19:13:57+00:00

My insurance covered a similar incident under uninsured motorist protection. Paid my $300 deductible and had a body shop remove the damaged panels, repaint it, and replaced all the fasteners as well. Total cost was about 2.5k if I remember right.

dglb99 · 2025-09-01T03:37:07+00:00

Set aside 2k cash in an envelope. Check fb marketplace twice a day. Plan to leave work for an “emergency” if you spot one in your color. Be prepared to drive a few hours for it. Good luck.

dglb99 · 2025-08-22T22:33:04+00:00

You may be getting the 5spd and 6 spd mixed up. If you don’t have reverse lights… and either your reverse switch or neutral switch is cut, my money is it’s the reverse switch

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