XYZ Racing Tarmac Rally Coilovers — Mazda MX-5 MIATA / ROADSTER 1998-2005

The NB-generation MX-5 rewards a suspension that respects the chassis rather than fighting it. This is a 1,065kg roadster with near-50/50 weight distribution, a short wheelbase, and a tail that pivots on lift-throttle – none of which survives a clumsy spring rate or an overdamped strut. The XYZ Racing Tarmac Rally coilover is built for that reality: a stage-rally-derived damper package adapted for sealed-surface work, where compliance over broken tarmac matters as much as body control.

This is the coilover to pick if your NB sees rally school weekends, sprint events on patched B-roads, or a Targa-style road event where the surface punishes anything stiffer. It is not the right call for slick-tyre circuit duty – that is the Circuit Master’s job.

What this coilover does for your 1998-2005 Mazda MX-5 MIATA / ROADSTER

Long-travel damping is the headline change you’ll feel. The NB’s stock dampers run out of stroke quickly when the road goes rough, and the back end gets unsettled mid-corner over compressions. The Tarmac Rally valving keeps the contact patch loaded through crests and dips that would have the OEM setup skipping. Independent 30-step compression and 30-step rebound adjustment means you can soften the front to kill understeer on entry without giving up rear control on exit. Ride-height adjustment via the lower mount preserves shock stroke when you drop the car, so the nose doesn’t bottom out the first time you hit a level crossing.

About the Tarmac Rally coilover

Tarmac Rally is XYZ’s road-stage spec – a monotube damper running larger pistons and higher gas pressure than the Super Sport, with valving biased toward absorption over outright stiffness. Spring rates are softer than circuit-focused kits in the same range, which is the right answer for the MX-5’s light kerb weight and short suspension travel. Pillowball top mounts replace the rubber upper bushes on the front struts, sharpening turn-in response and removing the deflection that blurs steering feel on the NB. Construction is T6061 aluminium for the lower body with a hardened chrome shaft. Each damper is dyno-matched before it leaves the factory, so left-right consistency is held to a tight tolerance.

Fitment for the Mazda MX-5 MIATA / ROADSTER (1998-2005)

Confirmed fitment for the NB-chassis MX-5 Miata and Roadster (chassis code MA24) from 1998 through 2005, covering both the original NB and the 2001 facelift NB2. This is a full four-corner kit. Confirm your build year before ordering if your car is a 2005 model, as late-2005 production overlapped with NC introduction in some markets.

What buyers also search for

• Mazda MX-5 NB rally suspension for stage and road events
• NB Miata coilovers that absorb broken tarmac without going crashy
• Mazda Roadster 1.6 and 1.8 adjustable suspension upgrade
• MX-5 NB ride-height adjustment without losing shock travel
• Mazda MX-5 1998-2005 coilover with compression and rebound separation

Pick your spring rates and top-mount spec in the configurator below and we’ll build the kit to order.