Mk1 MX5 - blank canvas
Discussion
It was a bit of an impulse buy, but I bought a 1996 1.8 Mk1 Eunos on Friday night. I'm sure I could have done better for the money if I had a lot more time, but I really didn't fancy a couple of weeks schlepping about the country to find the best one.
HPI check was cool and it had 92000km (unconfirmed) on the speedo and, to be fair, the interior condition suggests that this may be about right.
However, it has been somebody's toy and a couple of nasty upgrades suggest more bling than tlc was spent on it. No service history either.
The general condition is excellent, very tidy inside and out, but with nearly the whole of the underneath having been recently sealed, you've got to suspect a few nasties under there, but when I got under there I couldn't see anything too adverse. Also, I suspect a recent respray.
Firstly, the air filter was a K&N Apollo type, but was hanging on by a tie wrap. Then there was a few 12v wires tapped off from somewhere and went nowhere, just terminated in half a fuse casing. The style bar squeaked on the hood until I took it off.
The worst thing though was how it twisted up and right on acceleration and down and left as soon as I took my foot off the accelerator. Tyre pressures were all over the place (NSF 32, NSR 16, OSF 26, OSR 26) , so I brought them all to 26, but no real improvement.
Yesterday, I took all the wheels off and had a look - 2 x reasonable Dunlops (NSR, OSF) and 2 x shot-to-hell Michelins (OSR & NSF). No idea why they were put on in this diagonal fashion, but once I had the Dunlops on the back then the handling became a it more stable. I have never know a car to demonstrate such a high degree of mishandling from tyres. I would have sworn that there was something wrong in the drivetrain.
So, the shopping list now far exceeds what I paid for the car, but should set me up with a halfway reasonable road/track car:
- Tyres: 4 x Hankook K110 V12 Evos (195/50/15)
- Wheels: 4 x Team Dynamics Plro Race 3 15"
- Front brake pads, not much life left so Yellowstuff going on all around
- Gaz Gold shocks
- replacement polybushes
- Geo set up
- TR Lane TD roll bar
- replacement K&N air filter with fitting kit
- cambelt change & full service
- exhaust TBD
Phew.
FG
...some of the more sharp-eyed of you will recognise the tyre and wheel combo from the Ma5da Mk1 regulations, but may be perplexed on why the hell I am fitting them to a 1.8 that could never be raced. Simples!! It is my intention to have a 1.6 race car built for next season that will be lighter and better tuned. A 1.6 road car with 2 people in it will be well off the performance of the race car, so I'm guessing a 1.8 will be a tad closer and by replicating the wheel/tyre/shocks set-up at least I will get some similar handling characteristics.
HPI check was cool and it had 92000km (unconfirmed) on the speedo and, to be fair, the interior condition suggests that this may be about right.
However, it has been somebody's toy and a couple of nasty upgrades suggest more bling than tlc was spent on it. No service history either.
The general condition is excellent, very tidy inside and out, but with nearly the whole of the underneath having been recently sealed, you've got to suspect a few nasties under there, but when I got under there I couldn't see anything too adverse. Also, I suspect a recent respray.
Firstly, the air filter was a K&N Apollo type, but was hanging on by a tie wrap. Then there was a few 12v wires tapped off from somewhere and went nowhere, just terminated in half a fuse casing. The style bar squeaked on the hood until I took it off.
The worst thing though was how it twisted up and right on acceleration and down and left as soon as I took my foot off the accelerator. Tyre pressures were all over the place (NSF 32, NSR 16, OSF 26, OSR 26) , so I brought them all to 26, but no real improvement.
Yesterday, I took all the wheels off and had a look - 2 x reasonable Dunlops (NSR, OSF) and 2 x shot-to-hell Michelins (OSR & NSF). No idea why they were put on in this diagonal fashion, but once I had the Dunlops on the back then the handling became a it more stable. I have never know a car to demonstrate such a high degree of mishandling from tyres. I would have sworn that there was something wrong in the drivetrain.
So, the shopping list now far exceeds what I paid for the car, but should set me up with a halfway reasonable road/track car:
- Tyres: 4 x Hankook K110 V12 Evos (195/50/15)
- Wheels: 4 x Team Dynamics Plro Race 3 15"
- Front brake pads, not much life left so Yellowstuff going on all around
- Gaz Gold shocks
- replacement polybushes
- Geo set up
- TR Lane TD roll bar
- replacement K&N air filter with fitting kit
- cambelt change & full service
- exhaust TBD
Phew.
FG
...some of the more sharp-eyed of you will recognise the tyre and wheel combo from the Ma5da Mk1 regulations, but may be perplexed on why the hell I am fitting them to a 1.8 that could never be raced. Simples!! It is my intention to have a 1.6 race car built for next season that will be lighter and better tuned. A 1.6 road car with 2 people in it will be well off the performance of the race car, so I'm guessing a 1.8 will be a tad closer and by replicating the wheel/tyre/shocks set-up at least I will get some similar handling characteristics.
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