My 'New' MX5 :)
Discussion
I admit it. I am a sucker for Mk1 MX5's.
After loving my MX5 RS Ltd and then being disappointed by a standard UK 1.6 model through a lack of excitement with soft springs, no structural stiffening and no LSD;
the love is well and truly back with this little (albeit a little battered) beauty that I purchased yesterday;
Serious Roll cage, making a significant improvement to body control of which is the '5's biggest issue IMO;
I am quite taken with the fact that this has been involved in a few road rallys over the years and wears some battle scars to prove it;
All in, not too bad for £850. Runs incredibly sweetly despite a dead battery meaning that my wife needed to bump start the car away from the services on the M1. Other than that, I realise why I keep on coming back to the '5 as for the money nothing can touch it for simple, honest fun.
On cold tyres in torrential rain made for some serious laugh out loud moments at very safe speeds, something that could not be done in my Elise.
Granted, for cross country pace and the feeling of endless grip, it's not a patch on the Elise, but for cheap motoring and for turning a simple journey to work into a continual smile - nothing beats it.
I have a feeling that this may be a keeper;
So, this is a Short Nose Crank model and in comparison, this one certainly feels the quickest one that I have owned. Plans are to add harnesses and buckets and enjoy some track days.
After loving my MX5 RS Ltd and then being disappointed by a standard UK 1.6 model through a lack of excitement with soft springs, no structural stiffening and no LSD;
the love is well and truly back with this little (albeit a little battered) beauty that I purchased yesterday;
Serious Roll cage, making a significant improvement to body control of which is the '5's biggest issue IMO;
I am quite taken with the fact that this has been involved in a few road rallys over the years and wears some battle scars to prove it;
All in, not too bad for £850. Runs incredibly sweetly despite a dead battery meaning that my wife needed to bump start the car away from the services on the M1. Other than that, I realise why I keep on coming back to the '5 as for the money nothing can touch it for simple, honest fun.
On cold tyres in torrential rain made for some serious laugh out loud moments at very safe speeds, something that could not be done in my Elise.
Granted, for cross country pace and the feeling of endless grip, it's not a patch on the Elise, but for cheap motoring and for turning a simple journey to work into a continual smile - nothing beats it.
I have a feeling that this may be a keeper;
So, this is a Short Nose Crank model and in comparison, this one certainly feels the quickest one that I have owned. Plans are to add harnesses and buckets and enjoy some track days.
Edited by RatLad on Sunday 25th November 17:35
RatLad said:
Cheers guys. The difference it makes is marked, however the brakes on the 1.6 are not particularly confidence inspiring. I think a 1.8 upgrade may be on the cards.
Does anyone know if this is a DIY job?
Yes it is. You just need a set of 1.8 brake carriers, discs and pads. You keep your original calipers. Does anyone know if this is a DIY job?
Out of interest is this up for sale again or has the original seller not taken the ad down?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Is the 1.8 upgrade a worthwhile upgrade?
It's one thing I had planned for mine but I found I can lock the brakes easy enough. So I just put new discs and mintex pads up front and it already had yellow stuff pads at the rear and they've been fine. I've yet to have them fade out on me yet, even after some rather spirited driving.
I find the clutch goes on me first, is there a "go to" clutch upgrade for the 1.6? (Eunos)
It's one thing I had planned for mine but I found I can lock the brakes easy enough. So I just put new discs and mintex pads up front and it already had yellow stuff pads at the rear and they've been fine. I've yet to have them fade out on me yet, even after some rather spirited driving.
I find the clutch goes on me first, is there a "go to" clutch upgrade for the 1.6? (Eunos)
LukeSi said:
Out of interest is this up for sale again or has the original seller not taken the ad down?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Sadly not. It won't be leaving my possession for a while yet. I'm surprised the ad is still up. The guy must be http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
getting quite a few calls!
LukeSi said:
Out of interest is this up for sale again or has the original seller not taken the ad down?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Sadly not. It won't be leaving my possession for a while yet. I'm surprised the ad is still up. The guy must be http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
getting quite a few calls!
.Eighteeteewhy said:
Is the 1.8 upgrade a worthwhile upgrade?
It's one thing I had planned for mine but I found I can lock the brakes easy enough. So I just put new discs and mintex pads up front and it already had yellow stuff pads at the rear and they've been fine. I've yet to have them fade out on me yet, even after some rather spirited driving.
I find the clutch goes on me first, is there a "go to" clutch upgrade for the 1.6? (Eunos)
There is more to braking than being able to lock the wheels. You could do that 40 years ago with drum brakes! My Mrs old Megane had crap, over-servo'd, small disc brakes. It was very easy to lock the brakes on that, too easy in fact. What it didn't do is give any feedback or allow you to modulate the braking effort at all.It's one thing I had planned for mine but I found I can lock the brakes easy enough. So I just put new discs and mintex pads up front and it already had yellow stuff pads at the rear and they've been fine. I've yet to have them fade out on me yet, even after some rather spirited driving.
I find the clutch goes on me first, is there a "go to" clutch upgrade for the 1.6? (Eunos)
Upgrading to 1.8 brakes does of course add a (very) little extra braking power but more importantly it adds a degree of extra feel & allows for better modulation.
Having said that, on a road car I wouldn't bother upgrading the brakes and even on a track car I'd only do it once everything else has been done as there isn't a lot of difference.
MX-5 Lazza said:
There is more to braking than being able to lock the wheels. You could do that 40 years ago with drum brakes! My Mrs old Megane had crap, over-servo'd, small disc brakes. It was very easy to lock the brakes on that, too easy in fact. What it didn't do is give any feedback or allow you to modulate the braking effort at all.
Upgrading to 1.8 brakes does of course add a (very) little extra braking power but more importantly it adds a degree of extra feel & allows for better modulation.
Having said that, on a road car I wouldn't bother upgrading the brakes and even on a track car I'd only do it once everything else has been done as there isn't a lot of difference.
I upgraded the brakes on my 205 to 307hdi jobbys and it did make a huge difference but they were about twice the size of the originals. The 1.8 brakes don't look that much different to the 1.6 but as you said I'm sure they do offer a bit more feel.Upgrading to 1.8 brakes does of course add a (very) little extra braking power but more importantly it adds a degree of extra feel & allows for better modulation.
Having said that, on a road car I wouldn't bother upgrading the brakes and even on a track car I'd only do it once everything else has been done as there isn't a lot of difference.
What about the clutch Laz? As I said I loose "clutch feel" a long time before the brakes have gone. It's only for fast road use not much track work so I still want something user friendly. Any suggestions/ recommendations?
MX-5 Lazza said:
Having said that, on a road car I wouldn't bother upgrading the brakes and even on a track car I'd only do it once everything else has been done as there isn't a lot of difference.
I upgraded the brakes on my 1.8 by fitting new calipers, new disks and new pads all round. Entirely standard stuff, though I did add braided hoses because it was all apart and they were cheaper than new OE ones. New fluid too, fairly obviously.The improvement is astronomical. Slightly sticky old calipers banished, so it was inevitable that they'd be better. But I'd say to anyone thinking of upgrading their brakes to make sure the existing stuff is actually working properly first, particularly the calipers.
MX-5 Lazza said:
You don't need to replace the rear callipers to fit 1.8 discs, the 1.6 callipers with 1.8 carriers fit over 1.8 discs. IIRC, you just have to fit the carriers upside-down.
Of course, if your rear callipers are sticking then you might as well replace with 1.8 anyway.
Really great info, thanks all! Of course, if your rear callipers are sticking then you might as well replace with 1.8 anyway.
Happy New Year!
For the first time in quite a while, I had a quiet NYE resulting in me being wide awake at 7am and left wondering what to do with the first day of 2013.
Upon throwing back the curtains, what greeted me was a sight I had nearly forgotten after what seems like months of torrential rain - a clear blue sky.
As with many PH'ers, there is literately only one way to spend a day like today and that is driving.
Now, I am in the very fortunate position of being able to choose between two cars in moments like this; a Lotus Elise 111s or the recently acquired MX5. Don’t get me wrong the Elise is a ‘better’ car in all respects; pace, noise, grip and looks, but on a cold day like today with greasy surfaces – it’s the £800 MX5 all day long.
I had such an enjoyable drive today, so much so in fact, that I feel compelled to document it and bore you all to tears in the process;
This was the route:
This was my time to reacquaint myself with an MX5, having been a year without one and be reminded how much more fun a less technically capable car can be.
After enjoying the flowing A321 from Wargrave to Henley, I took the A4155 that follows the river to Marlow, stopping off at the picturesque village of Hambleden to take a quick snap:
The roads were entirely empty, a rare sight for those of us who generally don't want to have a spirited drive in darkness. Anyway, after enjoying the well-sighted fast corners of the A4155, I took a quick detour upon leaving Marlow to see what damage the weather had done;
This used to be a field 4ft beneath the roadside:
From Marlow, there are a couple of great roads leading into Cookham through very twisty uphill sections; and this is where the MX5 really could be shown a clean pair of heels by pretty much anything.
However, to me that is irrelevant in comparison to the feeling of physics at work as you apply the throttle mid-corner on a 3rd gear 40 mph bend and just feel the rear of the car shift gently, to which to can moderate the throttle and steering inputs into a progressive slide and exit the bend wondering why you don't get paid to do this for a living...
As tongue-in-cheek as that last comment may be, the MX5 flatters in a way that I have experienced in no other car.
To celebrate the drive so far, I took some shots over my favourite local spot on Winter Hill:
The roads started to get a little busier at this point, so a leisurely drive to Windsor Great Park was in order;
Following a relaxed drive out of Windsor Great Park, I found some fast, clear and well sighted roads to Bracknell, interspersed with some very nicely located and empty roundabouts. Yes, I know it's immature, but it's immensely hard to fight the urge to kick the tail out at any given opportunity and grin from ear to ear as you drive off down the road.
This MX5 was meant to allow me some cheap fun to keep the miles of the Elise, and I am pleased to report that 3 weeks into its duties, it's fulfilling its brief wonderfully.
For the first time in quite a while, I had a quiet NYE resulting in me being wide awake at 7am and left wondering what to do with the first day of 2013.
Upon throwing back the curtains, what greeted me was a sight I had nearly forgotten after what seems like months of torrential rain - a clear blue sky.
As with many PH'ers, there is literately only one way to spend a day like today and that is driving.
Now, I am in the very fortunate position of being able to choose between two cars in moments like this; a Lotus Elise 111s or the recently acquired MX5. Don’t get me wrong the Elise is a ‘better’ car in all respects; pace, noise, grip and looks, but on a cold day like today with greasy surfaces – it’s the £800 MX5 all day long.
I had such an enjoyable drive today, so much so in fact, that I feel compelled to document it and bore you all to tears in the process;
This was the route:
This was my time to reacquaint myself with an MX5, having been a year without one and be reminded how much more fun a less technically capable car can be.
After enjoying the flowing A321 from Wargrave to Henley, I took the A4155 that follows the river to Marlow, stopping off at the picturesque village of Hambleden to take a quick snap:
The roads were entirely empty, a rare sight for those of us who generally don't want to have a spirited drive in darkness. Anyway, after enjoying the well-sighted fast corners of the A4155, I took a quick detour upon leaving Marlow to see what damage the weather had done;
This used to be a field 4ft beneath the roadside:
From Marlow, there are a couple of great roads leading into Cookham through very twisty uphill sections; and this is where the MX5 really could be shown a clean pair of heels by pretty much anything.
However, to me that is irrelevant in comparison to the feeling of physics at work as you apply the throttle mid-corner on a 3rd gear 40 mph bend and just feel the rear of the car shift gently, to which to can moderate the throttle and steering inputs into a progressive slide and exit the bend wondering why you don't get paid to do this for a living...
As tongue-in-cheek as that last comment may be, the MX5 flatters in a way that I have experienced in no other car.
To celebrate the drive so far, I took some shots over my favourite local spot on Winter Hill:
The roads started to get a little busier at this point, so a leisurely drive to Windsor Great Park was in order;
Following a relaxed drive out of Windsor Great Park, I found some fast, clear and well sighted roads to Bracknell, interspersed with some very nicely located and empty roundabouts. Yes, I know it's immature, but it's immensely hard to fight the urge to kick the tail out at any given opportunity and grin from ear to ear as you drive off down the road.
This MX5 was meant to allow me some cheap fun to keep the miles of the Elise, and I am pleased to report that 3 weeks into its duties, it's fulfilling its brief wonderfully.
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