2006 MX-5 2.0 Option Pack
Discussion
A wanted post on a forum led to an evening cross-country blast to Gloucestershire and the collection of this...
Never fitted, but a rather odd weld on one of the pipes. Looks like it might have warped during the original welding process and then been 'fixed in post'. Oh well, it was cheap
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Never fitted, but a rather odd weld on one of the pipes. Looks like it might have warped during the original welding process and then been 'fixed in post'. Oh well, it was cheap
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 15:41
I fitted the MX-5 Parts exhaust just before Christmas:
The nuts on the old exhaust were very rusty as internet wisdom suggested they would be. So badly that they didn't resemble anything vaguely nut shaped anymore. I ended up cutting them off with a Dremel and then drilling and grinding the studs off the old back-box so that it could be reused with stainless bolts in the future.
The MX-5 Parts exhaust gets mixed reviews. I'm a fan so far, it's not noisy but you can now hear a little exhaust noise, which suits the nature of the car. Admittedly I haven't yet experienced it without the roof down whilst the hard top is fitted.
I swapped the dipped beam bulbs tonight, quite a few drivers have flashed me recently thinking I hadn't dipped my high beams. I presumed a previous owner might have fitted some illegal bulbs, I was a little disappointed to find a regular set of Osrams (exactly the same as I was fitting). I've lowered the aim a little, so hopefully that'll sort things.
I've also booked the MX-5 into a track day at Bedford at the end of the month... Can't wait
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
The nuts on the old exhaust were very rusty as internet wisdom suggested they would be. So badly that they didn't resemble anything vaguely nut shaped anymore. I ended up cutting them off with a Dremel and then drilling and grinding the studs off the old back-box so that it could be reused with stainless bolts in the future.
The MX-5 Parts exhaust gets mixed reviews. I'm a fan so far, it's not noisy but you can now hear a little exhaust noise, which suits the nature of the car. Admittedly I haven't yet experienced it without the roof down whilst the hard top is fitted.
I swapped the dipped beam bulbs tonight, quite a few drivers have flashed me recently thinking I hadn't dipped my high beams. I presumed a previous owner might have fitted some illegal bulbs, I was a little disappointed to find a regular set of Osrams (exactly the same as I was fitting). I've lowered the aim a little, so hopefully that'll sort things.
I've also booked the MX-5 into a track day at Bedford at the end of the month... Can't wait
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 15:42
The bargain MX-5 has been on a bargain track day - an MSVT day at Bedford for £100. A small group of us attended and shared cars, something you don't have to think too hard about when you're taking a car you can afford to replace.
I've done relatively little track driving, so I booked some instruction and took along a friend who knows what he's doing. Charlie has a supercharged and well sorted MK1 MX-5 that's covered many miles on track. It's due a cambelt change and he hadn't had chance to get it sorted so he mostly drove my MK3 and bought along a Saab estate full of snacks, tools and jerry cans. My own pit crew - nice!
The day started off a little damp, but thankfully dried up towards the afternoon. I was particularly thankful as this meant the roof could come down. At 6'1" I discovered I don't really fit in the MX-5 whilst wearing a helmet, it made for some interesting driving positions.
The day highlighted how I really need to sort out the tall springs and pedestrian friendly ride height, it was a bit wallowy.
Despite trying not abuse them I had a few brake issues in the morning. I thought the relatively new discs and pads had bedded in, but they got quite hot and stinky quite quickly. The fronts appeared to warp whilst hot and for a while were quite juddery under braking. They never faded though and judder aside they always felt quite good. After cooling down over lunch the judder disappeared and didn't reappear for the rest of the day, it's almost like they needed heat conditioning.
One of my friends turned up in his Accord Type R and kindly let me take it out on track. A great car but a very different experience from the little MX-5. He's got some sort of aftermarket intake fitted that seemed to make the VTEC noise particularly pronounced, it was quite a giggle.
It's amusing how varied the selection of cars and abilities on track is. I think I was a little down on power over this...
Charlie was impressed by quite how well a standard MK3 did on track, and just how much fun it was. Everyone that drove it commented on how nice the gearbox is. Mazda really did get the shift just right. It was also the first time I've driven the car with the new MX5 Parts exhaust on and the roof down, it's noisier than I expected, I think it measured at around 87dB at 4.5k at the start of the day. However watching the car driveby from the side of the track it's far from a noisy car, so hopefully I won't be ousted from our village just yet.
The day made an impression on the front tyres. Rainsports are notoriously soft so it wasn't too much of a surprise. The 'Roadstone's that came fitted to the rear are a lot harder and still look barely run in.
I've wanted to get a matching set of decent tyres on the car for a while so now seems like a good time. I was going to get a set of Avon ZV7s fitted locally for around £240, but I've ended up winning a set of 16" wheels from a facelift MK3 fitted with a matching set of '200 miles only' Yokohamas on eBay for £200. I'm off to collect them tomorrow. Hopefully, they're as described and the tyres aren't too old. This seemed to make sense as I should get another track day or twos abuse out of the existing tyres.
Suspension will be next. As ever I don't want to spend too much (as that would rather negate the cheap purchase price/ethos of the car), the accepted options seem to be:
Take it to Wheels in Motion for a set of their 30mm springs and alignment - £300
WIM is a bit of a trek from here, and I quite fancy doing the work myself (well everything but the alignment). Also, £300 looks like quite a big chunk of the £5-600 cost for a cheap but reasonably well-reviewed coilover set http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/vmaxx-adjustable-height-... However, I don't want to spend £5-600 on suspension for this car, as it's too big a percentage of the purchase price.
So the second option would be a set of Eibach 30mm springs for £150, fit them myself and then get the alignment done locally for £50.
I also found these 35mm Direnza springs for £100 https://www.direnza.co.uk/direnza-tuv-lowering-spr... I can't find any comments from MX5 owners about them, but reviews from other marques seem to nearly all suggest they're good for the price. However 35mm might be a bit too low? Eibach might be the safer option for the sake of £50. On the other hand 5mm seems neither here nor there, and the £50 saving would cover the cost of the alignment
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
I've done relatively little track driving, so I booked some instruction and took along a friend who knows what he's doing. Charlie has a supercharged and well sorted MK1 MX-5 that's covered many miles on track. It's due a cambelt change and he hadn't had chance to get it sorted so he mostly drove my MK3 and bought along a Saab estate full of snacks, tools and jerry cans. My own pit crew - nice!
The day started off a little damp, but thankfully dried up towards the afternoon. I was particularly thankful as this meant the roof could come down. At 6'1" I discovered I don't really fit in the MX-5 whilst wearing a helmet, it made for some interesting driving positions.
The day highlighted how I really need to sort out the tall springs and pedestrian friendly ride height, it was a bit wallowy.
Despite trying not abuse them I had a few brake issues in the morning. I thought the relatively new discs and pads had bedded in, but they got quite hot and stinky quite quickly. The fronts appeared to warp whilst hot and for a while were quite juddery under braking. They never faded though and judder aside they always felt quite good. After cooling down over lunch the judder disappeared and didn't reappear for the rest of the day, it's almost like they needed heat conditioning.
One of my friends turned up in his Accord Type R and kindly let me take it out on track. A great car but a very different experience from the little MX-5. He's got some sort of aftermarket intake fitted that seemed to make the VTEC noise particularly pronounced, it was quite a giggle.
It's amusing how varied the selection of cars and abilities on track is. I think I was a little down on power over this...
Charlie was impressed by quite how well a standard MK3 did on track, and just how much fun it was. Everyone that drove it commented on how nice the gearbox is. Mazda really did get the shift just right. It was also the first time I've driven the car with the new MX5 Parts exhaust on and the roof down, it's noisier than I expected, I think it measured at around 87dB at 4.5k at the start of the day. However watching the car driveby from the side of the track it's far from a noisy car, so hopefully I won't be ousted from our village just yet.
The day made an impression on the front tyres. Rainsports are notoriously soft so it wasn't too much of a surprise. The 'Roadstone's that came fitted to the rear are a lot harder and still look barely run in.
I've wanted to get a matching set of decent tyres on the car for a while so now seems like a good time. I was going to get a set of Avon ZV7s fitted locally for around £240, but I've ended up winning a set of 16" wheels from a facelift MK3 fitted with a matching set of '200 miles only' Yokohamas on eBay for £200. I'm off to collect them tomorrow. Hopefully, they're as described and the tyres aren't too old. This seemed to make sense as I should get another track day or twos abuse out of the existing tyres.
Suspension will be next. As ever I don't want to spend too much (as that would rather negate the cheap purchase price/ethos of the car), the accepted options seem to be:
Take it to Wheels in Motion for a set of their 30mm springs and alignment - £300
WIM is a bit of a trek from here, and I quite fancy doing the work myself (well everything but the alignment). Also, £300 looks like quite a big chunk of the £5-600 cost for a cheap but reasonably well-reviewed coilover set http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/vmaxx-adjustable-height-... However, I don't want to spend £5-600 on suspension for this car, as it's too big a percentage of the purchase price.
So the second option would be a set of Eibach 30mm springs for £150, fit them myself and then get the alignment done locally for £50.
I also found these 35mm Direnza springs for £100 https://www.direnza.co.uk/direnza-tuv-lowering-spr... I can't find any comments from MX5 owners about them, but reviews from other marques seem to nearly all suggest they're good for the price. However 35mm might be a bit too low? Eibach might be the safer option for the sake of £50. On the other hand 5mm seems neither here nor there, and the £50 saving would cover the cost of the alignment
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 15:44
Accelebrate said:
I also found these 35mm Direnza springs for £100 https://www.direnza.co.uk/direnza-tuv-lowering-spr... I can't find any comments from MX5 owners about them, but reviews from other marques seem to nearly all suggest they're good for the price. However 35mm might be a bit too low? Eibach might be the safer option for the sake of £50. On the other hand 5mm seems neither here nor there, and the £50 saving would cover the cost of the alignment
I have -30mm WIM springs on mine, plus laser-aligned recently (not by WIM) after new-ish OEM Bilsteins fitted. I'd definitely not want to go lower, if anything I'd like -20 or -25 but they don't exist. It's on the border of being too low for some kerbs/speed bumps with the splitter hidden under the front bumper (if I drive two wheels up on a kerb, it scrapes). You'd be welcome to try mine if you aren't too far away, if it helps give you some direction before committing to expenditure.RenesisEvo said:
I have -30mm WIM springs on mine, plus laser-aligned recently (not by WIM) after new-ish OEM Bilsteins fitted. I'd definitely not want to go lower, if anything I'd like -20 or -25 but they don't exist. It's on the border of being too low for some kerbs/speed bumps with the splitter hidden under the front bumper (if I drive two wheels up on a kerb, it scrapes). You'd be welcome to try mine if you aren't too far away, if it helps give you some direction before committing to expenditure.
Interesting, thank you. I think I'll go no lower than 30mm. Thank you for the offer, I might take you up on that.There's a good range of springs here:
https://www.dcperformance.co.uk/list/lowering-spri...
It looks like AP do an inexpensive set that's 30mm at the front and 25mm at the rear. Odd that most manufacturers seem to go for the same drop front and rear, but some don't. I presume yours sits level?
Collected these this morning:
The tyres are spot on. The wheels look better in a photo than they do in the flesh, there's no kerbing but quite a lot of corrosion bubbling inside and around the centre caps. I'll either spray them, or get these tyres switched to the original wheels and vice-versa ready for the next track day.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
The tyres are spot on. The wheels look better in a photo than they do in the flesh, there's no kerbing but quite a lot of corrosion bubbling inside and around the centre caps. I'll either spray them, or get these tyres switched to the original wheels and vice-versa ready for the next track day.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 15:45
Accelebrate said:
I presume yours sits level?
It did sit level when I got it , after the geometry/new dampers, for various reasons it visually looks lower at the front than the rear, it probably is a little nose-down but not dramatically. I can't say it bothers me, whilst I'm happy that it's lost the 'off-road' look, ultimately I'm more interested in how it drives. One of these days I'll get round to doing my own reader's car thread on it.I had those alloys on my mk3.5, I got 2 of them swapped under warranty at 18 months old as they were corroding. The dealership indicated that it was a common problem with them.
With regards to alignment, MX-5s are really sensitive to it, so I would advise taking it to somewhere that knows MX-5s well.
With regards to alignment, MX-5s are really sensitive to it, so I would advise taking it to somewhere that knows MX-5s well.
They're pretty shocking on the insides:
There's a little corrosion around the centre caps too, not too bad on three of the wheels:
But one looks worse:
They might get treated to a DIY refurb at some point. I think I prefer the original wheels though (and they were refurbished not long before I bought the car), so I might just get the tyres switched around and save the new wheels for future track days.
The Yokohamas felt good during a brief test drive. They're Advan A11A, dated from mid-2015.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
There's a little corrosion around the centre caps too, not too bad on three of the wheels:
But one looks worse:
They might get treated to a DIY refurb at some point. I think I prefer the original wheels though (and they were refurbished not long before I bought the car), so I might just get the tyres switched around and save the new wheels for future track days.
The Yokohamas felt good during a brief test drive. They're Advan A11A, dated from mid-2015.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 15:46
I'm enjoying reading this as i'm looking to do a similar thing and on the search for a Mk3 now.
Regarding your suspension conundrum; a set of coilovers would be best then you can set the height to whatever you want of course, as i'm an outlet for BC Racing i'll be looking there first. A bit of man maths to overcome the extra expense would include the fact that the existing dampers will be worn or past their best so might as well replace those too...
Regarding your suspension conundrum; a set of coilovers would be best then you can set the height to whatever you want of course, as i'm an outlet for BC Racing i'll be looking there first. A bit of man maths to overcome the extra expense would include the fact that the existing dampers will be worn or past their best so might as well replace those too...
Evoluzione said:
A bit of man maths to overcome the extra expense would include the fact that the existing dampers will be worn or past their best so might as well replace those too...
Yes, that's the loop I'm caught in. My car has the standard black dampers, presumably original so they've probably done getting on for 100k. Coilovers start to look attractive, potentially the cheap Vmaxx set - http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/vmaxx-adjustable-height-...However spending £500 on suspension for a 3k car seems a little silly. Spending £300 on springs seems more sensible, but fitting new springs to old dampers seems daft.
Analysis paralysis.
That said, if you can get a decent price on a set of BC coilovers, let me know!
Accelebrate said:
Evoluzione said:
A bit of man maths to overcome the extra expense would include the fact that the existing dampers will be worn or past their best so might as well replace those too...
Yes, that's the loop I'm caught in. My car has the standard black dampers, presumably original so they've probably done getting on for 100k. Coilovers start to look attractive, potentially the cheap Vmaxx set - http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/vmaxx-adjustable-height-...However spending £500 on suspension for a 3k car seems a little silly. Spending £300 on springs seems more sensible, but fitting new springs to old dampers seems daft.
Analysis paralysis.
That said, if you can get a decent price on a set of BC coilovers, let me know!
I get what you are saying about a £3k motor, but looking back at what you're asking from the car I think it and you are due an upgrade if you're thinking of keeping it and doing more of the same.
Oh and some better brake pads too
I checked the pressures on the new wheels I'd purchased when I fitted them, one was 10psi lower than the others. I checked again the next day and it had once again dropped. I popped the wheel off and traced the small leak to some corrosion on the inside of the rim:
Which wasn't a terrible result, as at least the nearly new tyre wasn't punctured.
I was hoping to ideally get the decent tyres moved to the recently refurbished wheels that came with the car, and vice-versa so I had a scabby set of wheels and some tyres to finish off over the next track day or two. The leaking bead encouraged me to do this sooner rather than later.
The price of tyre fitting seems to have shot up since the rise in supply-only websites. It soon adds up when you have 8 wheels to unfit, refit and balance. I contacted all the local independent garages, most wanted £10-15 per tyre. One garage wanted £25 a wheel (+VAT
)! One very friendly place offered to do them all for £40.
With the help of a wire brush and some magic sealant they got the old tyres to seal onto the corroded wheels just fine, so they're all set for the next time I fancy abusing them.
I'm also chuffed to have found a decent local tyre fitter. I need a set of expensive large runflats on another car so he'll get some more business out of me at the weekend.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Which wasn't a terrible result, as at least the nearly new tyre wasn't punctured.
I was hoping to ideally get the decent tyres moved to the recently refurbished wheels that came with the car, and vice-versa so I had a scabby set of wheels and some tyres to finish off over the next track day or two. The leaking bead encouraged me to do this sooner rather than later.
The price of tyre fitting seems to have shot up since the rise in supply-only websites. It soon adds up when you have 8 wheels to unfit, refit and balance. I contacted all the local independent garages, most wanted £10-15 per tyre. One garage wanted £25 a wheel (+VAT
)! One very friendly place offered to do them all for £40.With the help of a wire brush and some magic sealant they got the old tyres to seal onto the corroded wheels just fine, so they're all set for the next time I fancy abusing them.
I'm also chuffed to have found a decent local tyre fitter. I need a set of expensive large runflats on another car so he'll get some more business out of me at the weekend.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 15:47
I've done a few jobs recently that I'd been meaning to do since I purchased the car but had never quite found the time for.
The previous owner had sprayed the 'style bar covers', but they were crazed and peeling.
They come off really easily, just two screws. There is thankfully some steel underneath the plastic!
I'm not the best painter around but they came up ok, certainly an improvement.
I lacquered them lightly which seems to have produced a similar finish to the steering wheel and other silver bits in the cabin.
I also managed to remove the stick on chrome trim on the third brake light. It was really well stuck.
Finally, I removed the stereo and got rid of the iPod adapter that was filling up the glove box. There was an annoying short on the lead that ran from the headunit to the box that meant that sound generally only came out of the passenger speakers unless you left the glovebox open. I've replaced it with a simple aux cable that cost a whopping £2.99 delivered.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
The previous owner had sprayed the 'style bar covers', but they were crazed and peeling.
They come off really easily, just two screws. There is thankfully some steel underneath the plastic!
I'm not the best painter around but they came up ok, certainly an improvement.
I lacquered them lightly which seems to have produced a similar finish to the steering wheel and other silver bits in the cabin.
I also managed to remove the stick on chrome trim on the third brake light. It was really well stuck.
Finally, I removed the stereo and got rid of the iPod adapter that was filling up the glove box. There was an annoying short on the lead that ran from the headunit to the box that meant that sound generally only came out of the passenger speakers unless you left the glovebox open. I've replaced it with a simple aux cable that cost a whopping £2.99 delivered.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 15:48
Update!
New springs. Not the conventional Eibach option...
They're made by Vogtland and have a 30mm drop. I'd heard some reports of the Eibachs sagging over time, the Vogtlands were also about £50 cheaper from Demon Tweeks so I thought I'd give them a whirl. Vogtland were quite helpful over email, the springs were apparently developed on a 2006 NC1.
I followed this fitting guide - http://www.billswebspace.com/FMStage1DIY.htm
One of the lower shock bolts put up a good fight as it was firmly adhered to the bushing, I lost a good couple of hours on that one bolt.
I cheated and used a jack to release and install the rear shocks/springs. Saved loads of time compared to unbolting the front control arms and using spring compressors.
Lovely...
Here's a before and after...
I'm happy with the results, the car looks 'correct' rather than lowered, which was what I was after. Feels firmer without being uncomfortable too.
I've got another track day booked at the end of the month
I've ordered a replacement set of rear drop links as they're looking rather crusty, I'll then hopefully get an alignment done once the suspension work is finished and the springs have had chance to settle.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
New springs. Not the conventional Eibach option...
They're made by Vogtland and have a 30mm drop. I'd heard some reports of the Eibachs sagging over time, the Vogtlands were also about £50 cheaper from Demon Tweeks so I thought I'd give them a whirl. Vogtland were quite helpful over email, the springs were apparently developed on a 2006 NC1.
I followed this fitting guide - http://www.billswebspace.com/FMStage1DIY.htm
One of the lower shock bolts put up a good fight as it was firmly adhered to the bushing, I lost a good couple of hours on that one bolt.
I cheated and used a jack to release and install the rear shocks/springs. Saved loads of time compared to unbolting the front control arms and using spring compressors.
Lovely...
Here's a before and after...
I'm happy with the results, the car looks 'correct' rather than lowered, which was what I was after. Feels firmer without being uncomfortable too.
I've got another track day booked at the end of the month
I've ordered a replacement set of rear drop links as they're looking rather crusty, I'll then hopefully get an alignment done once the suspension work is finished and the springs have had chance to settle.Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 15:49
Thanks!
Realised I'd been an idiot and tightened the front control arm bolts whilst the car was off the ground and preloaded them (I knew not to do this, but for reason forgot and did it anyway
). Released them with the wheels on the ground this evening and all four pinged back into place. Luckily you can reach the bolts by locking the wheels one way and then the other.
The front has dropped a bit more as a result, happy to be rid of the 4x4 look!
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Realised I'd been an idiot and tightened the front control arm bolts whilst the car was off the ground and preloaded them (I knew not to do this, but for reason forgot and did it anyway
). Released them with the wheels on the ground this evening and all four pinged back into place. Luckily you can reach the bolts by locking the wheels one way and then the other.The front has dropped a bit more as a result, happy to be rid of the 4x4 look!
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 January 15:49
Excellent thread and very interesting.
I'm hoping to get a mk3/3.5 in the next month or so for a European adventure this summer, down through France, across the Alps to Turin then up through Switzerland. Not as hands-on with cars as you but this thread shows what can be done and what to look for when buying.
I'm hoping to get a mk3/3.5 in the next month or so for a European adventure this summer, down through France, across the Alps to Turin then up through Switzerland. Not as hands-on with cars as you but this thread shows what can be done and what to look for when buying.
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