Abit of fettleing

[swiftsport07]

Hi guys iv just brought my 1st mx5 about 2 weeks ago and iv loved every second of owning it. It's a 98 s reg 1.6 and I had been told buy I few friends that they are quite slow and to be fair it is kind off slow but the handling makes up for that In bucket loads. But iv started thinking that there is abit of room for improvement in handling and power departments so i was wondering if you could help me decide the best products and places source from and to give some of your opinions on what i am doing So heres my ideas.

Handling:
Grooved discs and orange stuff pads
Braided brake lines
Full strut brace kit
Coilovers
Poly bushes
Good tyres
Geo set up

Power:
Full Stainless system
Induction kit
ECU flashed

Any ideas welcome thanks

[Oldandslow]

Given a limited budget I'd start with;

Good Geo set up - probably the best handling mod you'll ever make, but save it for after if you are doing any suspension changes.
Bracing, front under brace and tower brace.
Tyres, Toyo T1R's for preference, wheel size not more than 15"
Suspension, not coilovers unless spending proper money, non adjustable Koni, AGX Gaz and Eibach or similar springs
Induction kit - I went K&N for the noise but don't expect big gains from any of them
Exhaust - I've not changed mine but toying with Larini

Wouldn't bother with ECU flash, can't back that up with facts and I'm really only speaking about the early Mk1 1.6 but from what I've read there isn't much left to be gained. A piggy back or full replacement ECU does liberate more horses with the right map but they're pricey.

Braided hoses, grooved dics, X stuff pads. Good mods but I've managed well with ordinary discs and pads without fade and still feel good with ordinary hoses.

Polybush- I might go that way if I need bushes but my ride is already pretty harsh and polybushes are only going to make it harsher.

These views are my opinions and experiences, others will have different ones and I'm probably wrong anyway.

[MX-5 Lazza]

My thoughts in order of priority.

Tyres if yours aren't a good performance tyre. T1R, Rainsport...
Geo yes. As above.
Mazda pads on plain discs. Grooved give you nothing and EBC pads are worse than Mazda on the road.
Induction for the noise. Don't expect any performance improvement.
Exhaust for the noise too.
Suspension. Gaz, Performance 5, Meister R.
Bracing yes. As above.

Don't bother with poly-bushes unless your bushes are shot.
Braided lines also only if current ones are shot.
I'm not sure the ecu can be flashed. Even if it can there will be little improvement. It would only be a timing tweak.

That will all add a chunk to your insurance.
My opinion? Sell up and buy a 1.8. An instant 30bhp upgrade and little difference in insurance.

Edited by MX-5 Lazza on Tuesday 18th September 09:13

[swiftsport07]

Thanks for your feed back you've probly saved me a big chunk of money lol iv looked up some suspension and curently looking for some strut braces and already ordered some T1Rs thanks again guys.


Anymore ideas welcome.

[vrsmxtb]

You do realise a 1998 1.6 is the downtuned 90bhp one? Just wanted to state the obvious before you throw loads of money at it

[MX-5 Lazza]

vrsmxtb said:

You do realise a 1998 1.6 is the downtuned 90bhp one? Just wanted to state the obvious before you throw loads of money at it

Obvious but wrong
The Mk2 1.6 is 110bhp.

[skinny]

As above, firstly on the go faster stuff no-one really bothers with an ECU reflash over here, it's unproven. Induction and exhaust will make it sound better but probably hardly any more 'go'.

• Decent suspension (Gaz / Meister R / Sport Drive / HSD etc) yes definitely
• Full alignment (after letting suspension settle, and at somewhere who know what they're doing) yes definitely
• Extra bracing - can do. Go for undercar rather than strut braces. A half cage helps rigidity and also makes it look a bit less gay.
• Bucket seats also help - you can steer much better when you're not hanging onto teh steering wheel to stop yourself falling out the car.
• As for brakes, don't bother with EBC or grooved / drilled. Stock (genuine) mazda discs, and something like Mintex M1144, Axxiss Ultimate, or even genuine Mazda. If you want to spend a bit more but get something that will stand up to flat out track abuse, then carbon lorraine or carbotech. Rodders (PH / MX5Nutz member, workshop dude, and MAX5 championship racer) also does pads that get good reviews. Braided lines are easy enough to do, the stock hoses are a bit stretchy.
• polybushes are expensive to buy (if you get decent ones, and you want decent ones) and either expensive or a complete arse to fit.

Edited by skinny on Tuesday 18th September 17:25

Edited by skinny on Tuesday 18th September 17:26

[vrsmxtb]

MX-5 Lazza said:

vrsmxtb said:

You do realise a 1998 1.6 is the downtuned 90bhp one? Just wanted to state the obvious before you throw loads of money at it

Obvious but wrong
The Mk2 1.6 is 110bhp.

Could still be a very late Mk1 on an S though?

OP - do you have pop-up lights. They're worth a 20bhp loss anyway.

[tyrewrecker]

swiftsport07 said:

Hi guys iv just brought my 1st mx5 about 2 weeks ago and iv loved every second of owning it. It's a 98 s reg 1.6 and I had been told buy I few friends that they are quite slow and to be fair it is kind off slow but the handling makes up for that In bucket loads. But iv started thinking that there is abit of room for improvement in handling and power departments so i was wondering if you could help me decide the best products and places source from and to give some of your opinions on what i am doing So heres my ideas.

Handling:
Grooved discs and orange stuff pads
Braided brake lines
Full strut brace kit
Coilovers
Poly bushes
Good tyres
Geo set up

Power:
Full Stainless system
Induction kit
ECU flashed

Any ideas welcome thanks

LSD

[tyrewrecker]

skinny said:

As above, firstly on the go faster stuff no-one really bothers with an ECU reflash over here, it's unproven. Induction and exhaust will make it sound better but probably hardly any more 'go'.

• Decent suspension (Gaz / Meister R / Sport Drive / HSD etc) yes definitely
• Full alignment (after letting suspension settle, and at somewhere who know what they're doing) yes definitely
• Extra bracing - can do. Go for undercar rather than strut braces. A half cage helps rigidity and also makes it look a bit less gay.
• Bucket seats also help - you can steer much better when you're not hanging onto teh steering wheel to stop yourself falling out the car.
• As for brakes, don't bother with EBC or grooved / drilled. Stock (genuine) mazda discs, and something like Mintex M1144, Axxiss Ultimate, or even genuine Mazda. If you want to spend a bit more but get something that will stand up to flat out track abuse, then carbon lorraine or carbotech. Rodders (PH / MX5Nutz member, workshop dude, and MAX5 championship racer) also does pads that get good reviews. Braided lines are easy enough to do, the stock hoses are a bit stretchy.
• polybushes are expensive to buy (if you get decent ones, and you want decent ones) and either expensive or a complete arse to fit.

Edited by skinny on Tuesday 18th September 17:25

Edited by skinny on Tuesday 18th September 17:26

Got a link to a decent seat for MX5?

[MX-5 Lazza]

vrsmxtb said:

MX-5 Lazza said:

vrsmxtb said:

You do realise a 1998 1.6 is the downtuned 90bhp one? Just wanted to state the obvious before you throw loads of money at it

Obvious but wrong
The Mk2 1.6 is 110bhp.

Could still be a very late Mk1 on an S though?

OP - do you have pop-up lights. They're worth a 20bhp loss anyway.

Mk1 Classic & Berkeley were the run-out special editions and they were both R-reg. Mk2 started in '98 on R-reg.
There will of course be a few late-registered Mk1s with later registrations but these will be very few and far between.

[skinny]

tyrewrecker said:

Got a link to a decent seat for MX5?

a lot of people find that the sparco sprint 5 fits well and is not too high (unlike a lot of other aftermarket seats). personally i don't like the high contrast styling otherwise i'd consider swapping out my current seats for those.

sparco rev / corsa also fit (i have corsa in drivers and rev in passengers - rev is really comfy, corsa less so) but both put you a bit high on top of the stock rails - you need to bolt directly to the floor which loses you the ability to slide it forward and back.

[MX-5 Lazza]

Lotus Elise seats can be made to fit on the stock rails and hold you a lot better than the MX5 seats do with the added bonus that they are around 1/2 the weight. S2 seats are more comfortable than S1.

[tyrewrecker]

skinny said:

a lot of people find that the sparco sprint 5 fits well and is not too high (unlike a lot of other aftermarket seats). personally i don't like the high contrast styling otherwise i'd consider swapping out my current seats for those.

sparco rev / corsa also fit (i have corsa in drivers and rev in passengers - rev is really comfy, corsa less so) but both put you a bit high on top of the stock rails - you need to bolt directly to the floor which loses you the ability to slide it forward and back.

Thanks, will look into it. Although I am considering just buying an elise for track fun and keep mazda for more usable. There is one chap on here does the same and he says it's a good pair to have. Good enough man maths for me!

[Evangelion]

Don't forget the 14 degree timing mod.

Some say you can go to 18 if you run on Super Unleaded all the time.

[swiftsport07]

It's defiantly a early mk2 and thanks for the advice Im just thinking of the handling Iv got a set of strut braces and just fitted some Toyo proxes just need some suspension just not sure what to go for I don't think il be going for coilovers but not sure weather to just go springs or shocks and springs and what brands ?


Where could I find an LSD ?

[smokeey]

MX-5 Lazza said:

That will all add a chunk to your insurance.
My opinion? Sell up and buy a 1.8. An instant 30bhp upgrade and little difference in insurance.

Really. I get quoted £500 for the 1.6 yet for the 1.8 it's near enough £1800. Admittedly I've only tried comparison sites at the moment. For a mkII it's around 1800 for either 1.6 or 1.8!!

ETA- Ooops, thought the OP had bought a MKI for some reason..

Edited by smokeey on Wednesday 19th September 21:19