4000 Mile MX5 Roadtrip : What Prep?
Discussion
Did 3,000 miles, camping last year round France and Spain. Nothing other than a normal service/check of fluids beforehand (and if you've got rubbish tyres, fit decent ones).
An MX5parts boot rack and one of Geri's Bazaar bags (the one that slots into that nice space when the hood is down and the hood cover on is really useful http://shop.geris-bazaar.com/product.sc;jsessionid... and it fits onto the shelf if the hood needs to go up, so avoiding having to pack/unpack the bag.
Those, along with packing as much stuff into the boot (small soft bags and loose articles are best) as we could, and velcroing a few odd bits like the spare bulb/fuse kit to handy spaces in the engine bay, gave us enough carriage to take everything we needed to camp for 23 days. Worked a treat.
MG Mark
An MX5parts boot rack and one of Geri's Bazaar bags (the one that slots into that nice space when the hood is down and the hood cover on is really useful http://shop.geris-bazaar.com/product.sc;jsessionid... and it fits onto the shelf if the hood needs to go up, so avoiding having to pack/unpack the bag.
Those, along with packing as much stuff into the boot (small soft bags and loose articles are best) as we could, and velcroing a few odd bits like the spare bulb/fuse kit to handy spaces in the engine bay, gave us enough carriage to take everything we needed to camp for 23 days. Worked a treat.
MG Mark
The additional fan switch is a good idea.
If you have an A/C radiator you can also link this one in series to the regular fan for extra cooling, or you could buy and fit one. I have done this 'just in case'.
But in general I agree with the masses - it will be fine. If its running ok at the moment, dont mess with it!
RE packing - I've done a few trips in mine. As said - take lightweight, squashable bags to really pack stuff in. Theres space down the side of the tank on the drivers side.
You can also use the space down the right side of the tank (behind the removable panel) to pack stuff you probably wont need (tools etc), just as long as you make sure its tied down properly and you have a 10mm spanner to get the stuff back out again! I'd take more than one tin of tyre-weld too.
Those deck bags look great, as do these www.boot-bag.com/new_page_6.htm
I actually thought the bootbag was a good idea as next time I can give it to my OH and she can fill it - what doesn't fit, tough!
Looks like a proper adventure though, will be brilliant.
And finally - if you think your Mazdas slow now, wait till its got a 250kg payload aswell!
If you have an A/C radiator you can also link this one in series to the regular fan for extra cooling, or you could buy and fit one. I have done this 'just in case'.
But in general I agree with the masses - it will be fine. If its running ok at the moment, dont mess with it!
RE packing - I've done a few trips in mine. As said - take lightweight, squashable bags to really pack stuff in. Theres space down the side of the tank on the drivers side.
You can also use the space down the right side of the tank (behind the removable panel) to pack stuff you probably wont need (tools etc), just as long as you make sure its tied down properly and you have a 10mm spanner to get the stuff back out again! I'd take more than one tin of tyre-weld too.
Those deck bags look great, as do these www.boot-bag.com/new_page_6.htm
I actually thought the bootbag was a good idea as next time I can give it to my OH and she can fill it - what doesn't fit, tough!
Looks like a proper adventure though, will be brilliant.
And finally - if you think your Mazdas slow now, wait till its got a 250kg payload aswell!
Good stuff chaps,
Anyone know where i can get a carbon fibre hair dryer?
T5SOR said:
I wired up a switch in the cabin to allow me to manually turn the fans on (just incase!). I was driving to the south of France in the height of summer and didn't fancy it overheating. Might be worth a thought.
Good idea!snotrag said:
And finally - if you think your Mazdas slow now, wait till its got a 250kg payload aswell!
TBH, I don't think I'll tell the misses about the deck bag for this exact reason! Anyone know where i can get a carbon fibre hair dryer?
Looks like a great trip - are you heading to Romania for the road featured in last year's Top Gear?
I did a 2600 mile trip over 7 days in 2008 with my Son, did the brakes and full service before leaving and the car performed fantastically. I am quite short and can fit the spare behind my seat, that frees up a lot of boot space, and helps with weight distribution. If you are quite tall, but not your partner, the wheel can fit behind the passanger as well.
Only problem my car had was 3/4 of the way up Stelvio from the Italian side, my clutch was beginning to smell and I could hear bubbling water - so pulled over into the car park and let the car cool down for 30 mins. The car was fine after that. If you are doing the Nurburgring, leave all your stuff bar the valuables, in the Hotel room. Also make sure you do it on the way back, as my few laps really cooked my Goodyear Eagle F1s and killed the grip for several weeks afterwards.
Think about the racetracks you can take in on that trip, it looks like you will be passing close to Reims, Monza, Nurburgring and Spa at least - I regret not realising how close I was to the three I did not stop at - some pictures with the car would be great.
If you are nearby, spend one evening driving the Monaco GP route and walking around the Casino and Marina areas.
Finally, if you are going in the summer be aware it can sometimes be too hot to drive with the roof down by the Med - Take Sun Block and Hats!
Have fun!
I did a 2600 mile trip over 7 days in 2008 with my Son, did the brakes and full service before leaving and the car performed fantastically. I am quite short and can fit the spare behind my seat, that frees up a lot of boot space, and helps with weight distribution. If you are quite tall, but not your partner, the wheel can fit behind the passanger as well.
Only problem my car had was 3/4 of the way up Stelvio from the Italian side, my clutch was beginning to smell and I could hear bubbling water - so pulled over into the car park and let the car cool down for 30 mins. The car was fine after that. If you are doing the Nurburgring, leave all your stuff bar the valuables, in the Hotel room. Also make sure you do it on the way back, as my few laps really cooked my Goodyear Eagle F1s and killed the grip for several weeks afterwards.
Think about the racetracks you can take in on that trip, it looks like you will be passing close to Reims, Monza, Nurburgring and Spa at least - I regret not realising how close I was to the three I did not stop at - some pictures with the car would be great.
If you are nearby, spend one evening driving the Monaco GP route and walking around the Casino and Marina areas.
Finally, if you are going in the summer be aware it can sometimes be too hot to drive with the roof down by the Med - Take Sun Block and Hats!
Have fun!
Scho said:
Dan_1981 said:
How long are you going for? (Presumably longer than 3 days and 6 hours)
27 days 
When I went, my TomTom failed at the end of Day 1. I had maps of Europe as a back up, but given the short time I had, I ended up buying a new TomTom in Nice - purely because it meant I could spend more time driving and enjoying the views rather than planning and concentrating on where I was going. I would plan my route on the PC and build my route on the TomTom the night before, I would just deviate off the route if I saw something interesting and delete waypoints as appropriate. I would also pick up some sweet and savory pastries at the bakeries early in the morning - then if we did not see any restaurants we did not like for lunch, we would not starve. I also took a box of Diet Cokes with me - kept a few in the Hotel Fridge each night. Also kept a small cool box in the car to keep them in. I also took a multiple lighter plug extender to keep the Nav and phone charged as well as the laptop if needed (although that would overheat after an hour or so).
Again, if you are going in the summer, you might want to change your upper and lower gear gaitors before leaving if your transmission tunnel gets hot. Also, if you are going for that length of time, I would be inclined to keep a clutch slave cylinder - cheap small part - common point of failure and my be difficult to source while travelling.
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