Standard Mk1 - How will feel on track?

[EventHorizon]

Taking my new toy for it's first track blast & am wondering what the standard geo setup is going to do when pushed?

I would quite like to tweak it for better. i.e. maybe add a bit of negative camber, but dont want to mess with it if its pretty good straight outa the box.

Any advice would be great.

Thanks

[HaylingJag]

What track are you doing as this will make a difference? if its a nice open one like Castle Combe or Goodwood then you will be fine. The more twisty circuits, Cadwell for example, may require work. Im no expert, and have posted for advise on Cadwell for my own set up, but i have the benefit of adjustables on mine. If its an airfield you should have plenty of run off to experiment with varying speed to find the limits.Take a pump and pressure gauge as a couple of PSI either way will make a difference in handling too. Good thing about the Eunos is the LSD, at Bedford i was able to approach the hairpins at speed, throwing it into 2nd locked the diff up scrubbing speed and swinging the arse out nicely, not the quickest way to do it but huge grin factor!!
Most of all be safe and have fun.

[J-Tuner]

I took mine to bedford completely standard, and although lost out on the straights was good fun on the bends.

However - there was a fair amount of body roll, and was moving around in the seat too much, and i could feel the inside rear lifting and slipping, and soon after i was wishing it was a bit lower and stiffer - and had a LSD

Standard handling is pretty safe, if you push into a corner hard it should be fairly understeery, and lifting off the throttle should tuck the nose in and start to tighten the line up. You will have to try hard to get the arse out in the dry, in the wet it will be a lot more common

Just my experience anyway.

[roverspeed]

a good free mod for track work would be a foamectomey,

look it up on mx5 forums, works on 1 piece seats, you remove some of the foam and makes the seat a lot more supportive.

I found myself gripping on to the steering wheel to keep myself in the seat, afterwards I am much better planted in the seat.

I'd say go for it as standard first, then you can make informed modifications afterwards.

[sideways man]

It will be very slow on the straights

Done a few airfield days in my std mk1 eunos. You power out of a corner and are accelerating flat chat,going up the gears,red line,thinking you might be the next Lewis Hamilton. When some impreza/evo/caterfield catches you,having indicated to let them pass,they really do leave you for dead in acceleration.

But then the next corner looms. Brake at the limit,turn in,apex,power and that Lewis Hamilton feeling is so addictive

[MX-5 Lazza]

I have done a trackday at Silverstone Stowe with lotus on track in our old Mk1 1.6 track dog (GAZ GGP suspension and R888 tyres but not a lot else) and due to the really tight nature of the track, a couple of Elises and even an Exige had to let me pass on the straights. Although their cars were of course a lot faster on the straights, I was so much faster through the twisties they had to let me past, otherwise I was all over them at every corner!

There aren't many tracks where you can do that to proper sportscars like that though and on most tracks in a standard MX5 you are as likely to wear out your indicators as your tyres

[kazman]

Its true, i tracked mine "out of the box". They feel great, though there is a fair bit of roll. Turn in is excellent, balance great. But very slow.

[Sad Weevil]

^^ That's why I like Llandow in a standard car, it's mx5 sized and enormous fun. Affordable too. My only mods are a lightweight flywheel, cold air intake, and P5 frame rails, and on this track there's noticeably less wear on the indicator stalk than at bigger circuits. Sadly the same cannot be said of the nsf tyre.....

Edited by Sad Weevil on Tuesday 1st October 21:51

[MG CHRIS]

Sad Weevil said:

^^ That's why I like Llandow in a standard car, it's mx5 sized and enormous fun. Affordable too. My only mods are a lightweight flywheel, cold air intake, and P5 frame rails, and on this track there's noticeably less wear on the indicator stalk than at bigger circuits. Sadly the same cannot be said of the nsf tyre.....

Edited by Sad Weevil on Tuesday 1st October 21:51

Llandow is a cracking track for an mx5 took my eunos 1.6 with lowered suspension and twin exit exhaust last month apart from that totally standard and was huge fun brilliant through the corners and still quickish down the straights even kept up with a Ferrari 360 at one point. And for only 80 quid cheap way of having fun. Allthough if I was going to do it again better seats are a must.

[kazman]

The foamectomy and a CG lock is a good cheap & insurance friendly solution to this. Really minimises the amount you roll around.

[witko999]

What's a CG lock?

[skinny]

Sad Weevil said:

^^ That's why I like Llandow in a standard car, it's mx5 sized and enormous fun. Affordable too. My only mods are a lightweight flywheel, cold air intake, and P5 frame rails, and on this track there's noticeably less wear on the indicator stalk than at bigger circuits. Sadly the same cannot be said of the nsf tyre.....

My nsf tyre ended up like a 50p piece after Llandow. Not fun to drive home with...

[kazman]

witko999 said:

What's a CG lock?

Its clips on to a standard seat belt and ensures that the horizobtal part of the belt is always torqued up. Sounds painfull and unwieldy but isnt. I have had one on my last 4 cars as it helps me with back ache on cars that lack lumbar support. Google it.