2016 MX5 Sport Recaro

[chrisrj]

I picked up a 2016 MX5 ND at the end of last year. The idea for it was to be a fun car for weekend drives and kind of a goodbye to ICE before things go more electric.

I have been driving it standard so far but have started ordering some upgrades to go on before taking it for a turbo conversion, so thought it would be a good time to start a thread on here

Here are some pics from the day I got it:











I'll update in here as parts arrive/get fitted. I'm planning to upgrade suspension, brakes and exhaust and then take it to bbr for the turbo

[jhonn]

Lovely colour! As a fellow (standard) ND owner I'll be following your thread with interest.

[MattsCar]

Very nice. Getting the recaros removes the need for decent supportive seats, which are a must mod in my opinion.

I have an nb and the standard seats were useless, the handling is just so good the seats could not keep up, if that makes sense.

What mods are you planning on the suspension side of things?

[chrisrj]

Thanks mate. Yeah get what you mean about some seats gripping less than the tyres haha

Suspension wise I've got some MeisterR ZetaCRD coilovers on the way and Eibach anti roll bars for front and rear

[MattsCar]

Have heard nothing but good reviews about the Crd's on the NB so assume that translates to the ND application.

Sway bars are also a must have. Seems like you are going in the right direction.

Just be warned...this is a slippery slope....

[renmure]

That looks great. I was looking for a Recaro model back in 2018 when I was ND shopping purely because the seats were so comfortable. I also really liked the body styling kit but wasn't so keen on the alloys. In the end I went for the standard car but added the body style kit on collection. The standard seats still make my bum a bit numb after a couple of hours so I've got seat envy!!. Love the colour.

[chrisrj]

It's been an exciting couple of weeks here!

After a quiet winter of not doing much driving, the parts I ordered started arriving in drips and drabs.
I had to wait a while for some bits as they were produced in batches and some were being shipped from US/JP. Just waiting for wheels and exhaust now then the car will be ready to go in for the turbo.

Ferodo DS2500 front pads, Mintex 1144 rear pads


MeisterR ZetaCRD coilovers


CF ducktail spoiler


Eibach ARBs (rear not pictured)



I took the car down to EverythingMX5 in Essex to have the work done. Definitely recommend these guys for anyone who lives nearby, they really know their stuff and have been working on mx5s for 30 years.

They fitted coilovers, brakes, ARBs, an Exedy clutch as my old one was slipping a bit. They also undersealed behind the rear bumper as there was some exposed bits there after a previous repair

Here are some pics the mechanic sent through while the car was up on the ramps





and a quick snap from when I went to pick it up last night

[SunsetZed]

Looks lovely, what wheels are they?

[chrisrj]

They're the OEM 17s from the Recaro edition. I don't hate them, and I like that they are kind of rare, but don't really like directional wheels in general and wanted to find something lighter.

Managed to find a set of OG Buddy Club P1s in 16" in the right fitment. So having those couriered over from Ireland and going to get them fitted either this weekend or next week.

Some new tyres just arrived today for them Yoko Advan AD08RS

[SunsetZed]

chrisrj said:

They're the OEM 17s from the Recaro edition. I don't hate them, and I like that they are kind of rare, but don't really like directional wheels in general and wanted to find something lighter.

Managed to find a set of OG Buddy Club P1s in 16" in the right fitment. So having those couriered over from Ireland and going to get them fitted either this weekend or next week.

Some new tyres just arrived today for them Yoko Advan AD08RS

Thanks, the P1s look nice.

I like the wheels you've got on though, haven't seen them before on any of the (many!) ND's I've looked at.

[df76]

Nice project, like the upgrades.

[chrisrj]

My new wheels arrived on Wednesday. Really pleased with them, they're in great condition and really light too.



I had them fitted on Friday and then popped out today for a couple pics

[jhonn]

Nice! - I prefer the look of it on the 16" wheels; I bet you noticed a difference in the ride quality. How much lighter are they - did you weigh the 16" wheel/tyre combo against the 17's?

(I did similar with my ND but used standard Mazda wheels - the 16's were about a kilo lighter).

[chrisrj]

Thanks mate! I prefer the looks on the 16s too, looks a bit more purposeful on the road

I haven't been able to give it a proper comparison as I'm still breaking in the clutch and brakes it but does feel a bit peppier.

I haven't weighed them with the tyres fitted but the new wheels are 5kg a corner so think they should be a fair bit lighter than the OEM ones were

[chrisrj]

I fitted the ducktail spoiler last night. It was pretty painless tbh! To remove the standard spoiler, there are two bolts under the boot lid then I just poured a kettle of hot water over it and used dental floss to remove. Then used Goo Gone to remove the residue which worked well

The new one just went on with 3M tape which I left clamped overnight

Before




After





And another one from yesterday

Edited by chrisrj on Sunday 13th February 20:18

[chazwozza]

Love the wheels. Good choice, they look much better proportioned as well.

[df76]

chazwozza said:

Love the wheels. Good choice, they look much better proportioned as well.

Agreed!

[dirtbiker]

Very smart looking machine, enjoy!

[Canon_Fodder]

Not sure you've quite nailed the wheels yet OP...

totally agree about losing the 'directional' originals - they always look odd.

But for me there's no enough metal on the spokes of the new ones and the smoked finish doesn't sit well with the vibrant paint.

All subjective of course.

Recaro edition is the best ever to own I think

[MattsCar]

Any news on how it handles after the suspension upgrades...reason I ask is that I am basically going down this same route with an NB.