Tuesday 30th June 2015

Mazda Eunos: PH Fleet

Skids temporarily off the agenda as the LSD bites the dust - what to do?

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You know those people who can't engage in conversation at a social gathering without first interrogating you about your chosen route to get there? The ones who simply can't wait to tell you why their route was better? The ones you always try and avoid?

Nearly as good as it looks here

Bear with me... To measure my (lack of) progress on the way to PH Towers I inevitably end up using 'split times' at various points on the journey. One of these is the time it takes me to reach junction 17 on the M25. I can sit in stop-start traffic on the M25 and it'll usually take me about 40 tedious minutes. Or I can go down the lanes, emerge onto the M40 and then duck straight onto the M25 at the same spot. Which takes about 40 minutes.

The lanes aren't as idyllic as they sound, being narrow and bumpy. I'm not the only one who uses them as a rat run either so you don't escape the pushy types in their X5s and/or white vans on an early morning mission. Frankly the M25 is the easy life, if boring.

Lights off when parked - good work Dan!

But if I'm in the Mazda I can't help the instinct to drop the roof and take the back roads, even if there are only a handful of sections where it's anything close to worthwhile. The Eunos might sound like the ideal tool for the job along roads like this but, frankly, it's not shown in its best light. More rally stage than back road in places, the thumps and judders through the body aren't very pleasant. Though the Performance 5 stiffening rails make a big difference you have to accept wherever you add bracing on an NA MX-5 you're inevitably just chasing wobbles around an inherently flexible body. My brother is getting ball joints and a few other suspension parts replaced on his car shortly so I'll be interested to have a drive in that and see if a similar refresh can at least make things quieter. I can't escape the feeling these roads aren't doing the car any favours though; maybe I should just stick to the M25 instead.

Well there haven't been any tweaks for a while...

Something else that's come to light recently is the inevitable loss of lock-up in the viscous limited-slip diff. Let's just say I enjoyed it while it lasted but the way the inside rear now spins up tells me the fun is over and I now have an open diff. Which is a shame because on my way to Luton airport where Ferrari were flying us from for the488 GTB launch I found some lovely, smoothly surfaced new roundabouts. And then, like an idiot, made the schoolboy error of leaving my sidelights on before boarding the plane. Returning to a flat battery was embarrassing, Chris Harris's cameraman Neil Carey generously attempted a bump start before we eventually got the jump leads out. Sadly Harris himself had zoomed off and missed the opportunity to point and laugh at the sight of an idiot in a Eunos getting pushed around the car park of a glitzy private airport terminal but he seemed to enjoy learning of it on Twitter.

And comparisons with the new MX-5 I recently drove at Goodwood, alongside my own? More to say on that, inevitably. I'll save that for next time...

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Fact sheet:
Car: 1993 Eunos Roadster (JDM import model)
Run by: Dan Trent
Bought: January 2011
Purchase price: £1,250
Last month at a glance: Battery conks out, got pushed around a car park by a Welshman; time to get a Torsen diff?

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Previous reports:
Stretching the Eunos' legs
Has Dan killed his Eunos?
The Eunos returns to Scotland for another road trip
Look, I was kidding about the downforce, right?
Why have one wedding car when four will do?
Dan's Eunos loses its horn
Just how many wheels for your wagon?
Wheel refurb goes a bit ... colourful
Dan gets back on track with his Eunos
The answer to everything?
More exhaust noise? Don't mind if I do...
Skidfoolery at Silverstone on the eco tyres
Er, more skidfoolery at Silverstone on the eco tyres!
Hibernation? Not for this Eunos!
Sell it? Nah, I'll just drive it, ta
Spring comes along and heating mechanism packs up

 

[Jam12321]

Get a Torsen in there mate! Should be about £250 on the bay just make sure you get the propshaft and driveshafts as well!

Or get one of these: http://www.ashcroft-transmissions.co.uk/limited-sl...

Is available on MX5parts but is more expensive: http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/helical-differential-mk1...

Edited by Jam12321 on Tuesday 30th June 16:57

[MajorMantra]

I find it incredibly easy to leave the sidelights on by mistake with my Eunos, although I've always realised in time (touch wood). There's nothing to remind you when you're in the car, and they aren't all that bright so it's easy to walk away without noticing.

[Itsallicanafford]

...that's interesting, so how would you go about fitting this to a uk Mk1 1800 which currently has an open diff?

[Jam12321]

Torsen you swap the whole diff housing and the shafts out. With the second two lsd's you'd be better off taking the diff off and take it to a gearbox specialist. It is possible to do it yourself but is not for the front hearted!

There is a guide on miata.net somewhere..

[Itsallicanafford]

Jam12321 said:

Torsen you swap the whole diff housing and the shafts out. With the second two lsd's you'd be better off taking the diff off and take it to a gearbox specialist. It is possible to do it yourself but is not for the front hearted!

There is a guide on miata.net somewhere..

Thanks for the reply, Ashcroft are just up the road so I'll pop in there.

Finding it increasingly frustrating on track with one of wheels spinning away on the corners

[Jam12321]

Good stuff! Have driven a few torsen equipped cars and the difference is substantial. Think a brand new Ashcroft would be great though and they are well respected in the land rover communities.

[WhiteBaron]

Dan,

can you get a Quaife put in? give us a track review

Please, please, please

I need to justify the man maths!!!

Steve

[DeuxCentCinq]

I got Autolink to fit me a buzzer to tell me about lights left on, and at the same time a bridge to pop the lights up when pulling the arm back to flash the lights. I let a lot of people out at junctions after that!

[drgoatboy]

I think I take the same shortcut round to the M40 (but only when in the Eunos).
Like you say only a couple of bits actually worth it but its better than being stuck in traffic when the 5 feels particularly small!
Quite a nice sweeping roundabout between Maple Cross and Denham...

[lewisglasgow]

The best thing by a mile that I did on my MK1 was to add a roll bar, it firmed up the chassis immeasurably. I'd put braces on in the past but they had nowhere near the effect of a (TR Lane) bar on handling.

[suffolk009]

I too have drained the battery (twice) with side lights.

Now I just go straight to headlights. You have a better chance of noticing them.

And I think they're about as bright as modern sidelights - so at least they won't offend anyone.

[Dan Trent]

drgoatboy said:

I think I take the same shortcut round to the M40 (but only when in the Eunos).
Like you say only a couple of bits actually worth it but its better than being stuck in traffic when the 5 feels particularly small!
Quite a nice sweeping roundabout between Maple Cross and Denham...

[s m]

Jam12321 said:

Get a Torsen in there mate! Should be about £250 on the bay just make sure you get the propshaft and driveshafts as well!

Or get one of these: http://www.ashcroft-transmissions.co.uk/limited-sl...

Is available on MX5parts but is more expensive: http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/helical-differential-mk1...

Edited by Jam12321 on Tuesday 30th June 16:57

Either that or get down to Bara and get him to rerate the VLSD - they're quite 'mild' as standard

[Happyjap]

Mr. Dan I find this car a wonderful one for obvious reason but the Orange headlites are very bad because Orange in japan is a feminine colour like pink is in the west and if you man and this is your choice it could mean a maner of things all which may not be good for you Mr. Dan!

[Itsallicanafford]

^^ an early contender for post of the year?

[Happyjap]

it can also mean anger and danger, which if you are man and adopt this color you may be in Danger because gangs in Japan may think you are man putting himself out and being available
1

[loudlashadjuster]

drgoatboy said:

I think I take the same shortcut round to the M40 (but only when in the Eunos).
Like you say only a couple of bits actually worth it but its better than being stuck in traffic when the 5 feels particularly small!
Quite a nice sweeping roundabout between Maple Cross and Denham...

That's my manor too. Surprised Dan's MX5 is poor on those roads, I'd have thought it was very handy round those roads. Dampers too stiff?