new to MX5 ownership...

[jonboy21t]

Evening all......

I've bought myself a cheap '98 mark 2 1.8 to have "fun" in the sun over the summer......
It's been fitted with Gaz coilovers & the ride is stiff.....handles really well & she (notice how it's a female already..)just lacks ooomph.....don't get me wrong, for a 1.8 it goes well...but is there anything cheap & simple i can do to make it feel/go quicker (other than sticking to narrow back roads....)

I'm taking the MX5 on a 2000 mile "tour de france" road trip first week of june & some of the other cars going have far more power than i'll have (944 turbo - GTA turbo etc...)

I could of course just leave as it is & enjoy the downhill twisties/passes/gorges & leave them all behind in a cloud of hair clippings & rollers.....:-)

Not looking at adding turbos or superchargers...just looking for some bangs for my bucks....

Any ideas/pointers would be much appreciated....

Thanks

[MX-5 Lazza]

Without spending decent money on FI there isn't really a lot you can do.
Having said that though, you'll find that if you keep the revs up you will keep up with everything else easily enough. Keep the revs up above 5k and don't change up until 7k and it's plenty quick enough on real roads. And that's coming from someone who has spent a lot of money making mine very quick!
I've done a couple of PH hoons in mine (without the supercharger) and never had any trouble keeping up with some much more exotic machinery including having to overtake a DB9 that was holding me up

[Buff Mchugelarge]

I've found my Mx5 to be a deceptive little bugger.

I give it some welly and it doesn't feel fast but a quick look at the speedo tells me I going very fast, very quickly!.

When taking passengers in the car they are constantly surprised at the performance.

[kazman]

Really? It always seems the other way around to me, gunning it through the gears, pedal to the metal etc, look down... 55mph. Great fun though.

[MX-5 Lazza]

55mph? That's around redline in 2nd. You aren't gunning it enough

[HaylingJag]

route planning JonBoy,

take the scenic route and stay off the autoroutes. Get into the Alpes and leave them behind on the hairpins and switchbacks

[lilwashu]

Make sure you up the ride height a bit, the speedbumps in French villages can be absolutely brutal.

[kazman]

MX-5 Lazza said:

55mph? That's around redline in 2nd. You aren't gunning it enough

Thats almost certainly true, but i still maintain that the mx5 is great for giving you an assault on the senses (rorty exhaust note, sharp handling that needs focus, super snappy gear change, low driving position) without pushing in to illegal speed territory.

[killingjoker]

I love 'educating' drivers of far more expensive, bigger, and newer cars just how quick an MX5 can be on my daily commute between Bedford and Milton Keynes. Never fails to amuse me and bloody good fun.

[killingjoker]

And on my post above, another myth constantly busted...

They're no good on big roads/motorways. Who ever said that? Regular trips from the midlands down south make that well and truly busted! Perfect for nipping around container lorries (hell i'd even nip under one if i had too), and sitting in the show off lane at 90 mph (even with the roof down).

Maybe a myth busting thread should be started.

[jonboy21t]

HaylingJag said:

route planning JonBoy,

take the scenic route and stay off the autoroutes. Get into the Alpes and leave them behind on the hairpins and switchbacks

Indeed that's the plan.....nationals all the way to the Alps, then down to the south coast, across to Millau, then onto the Pyrenees.....i'm fairly sure once it's in the "grove" it'll have no problems keeping up with more powerful machines......infact i can't wait.....!!

I think i'll keep it standard, keep the revs up & keep smilin'....!

Cheers chaps....

[jonboy21t]

lilwashu said:

Make sure you up the ride height a bit, the speedbumps in French villages can be absolutely brutal.

It's chuffing low at the mo.....30mm ride height......