MX5 for a tall bloke?

[drgoatboy]

So I have a yearning for a weekend only convertible, it needs to be fun RWD and not cost very much. It doesn't need to be massively fast but would be good if it would handle the odd track day.
MX-5 is exactly the kind of thing I am thinking about and ticks almost all the boxes apart from one major sticking point. I can't get in the bloody things!
Well at least I don't think I can, I've tried the latest model and the model before that at my firendly Mazda dealer and they were undriveable for me (not just uncomfortable, completely undriveable).

So I was wondering if anyone on here could share their wisdom? do the earlier cars have more room? has anyone on here done any mods to give themselves more leg/headroom e.g. carbon seats, new seat mounting, different steering wheel etc?

[Tampon]

I am 6ft 6in and 18 stone and had one for a coupke of years, in the mk1 you can un screw the door handle on the inside gives you more room for you right leg, I had a small "sports" steering wheel added to again give more space.

I found it ok for me, top of my head was ever so slightly above the top of the front when the roof was down but I had a inch spare with the roof up

[drgoatboy]

Tampon said:

I am 6ft 6in and 18 stone and had one for a coupke of years, in the mk1 you can un screw the door handle on the inside gives you more room for you right leg, I had a small "sports" steering wheel added to again give more space.

I found it ok for me, top of my head was ever so slightly above the top of the front when the roof was down but I had a inch spare with the roof up

So there is hope! I'm 6ft 5 and a couple of stone lighter than your good self so it sounds like it is possible...

[Tampon]

drgoatboy said:

Tampon said:

I am 6ft 6in and 18 stone and had one for a coupke of years, in the mk1 you can un screw the door handle on the inside gives you more room for you right leg, I had a small "sports" steering wheel added to again give more space.

I found it ok for me, top of my head was ever so slightly above the top of the front when the roof was down but I had a inch spare with the roof up

So there is hope! I'm 6ft 5 and a couple of stone lighter than your good self so it sounds like it is possible...

Oh yeah definately, the steering wheel was the biggest thing, could hardly get into to one with a orginal. Don't get me wrong it isn;t a mile muncher ( I have Omega now and that is a joy to drive size wise ) but I would happily do 200 miles in a go in it.

They are lovely cars and so much fun, I really recommend you make the effort to test drive a couple that you can see have had the steering wheel changed.

[drgoatboy]

I've got a Skoda Octavia for mile munching, this is strictly a weekend car.
I've had a VX220 before which is tight to say the least but once in comfortable for several hundred miles.

Any thoughts on imports vs UK cars?

[Tampon]

You get air con in the imports, and the history can be suspect but then again so could a english car.

I wouldn;t worry about it too much, just get a sound car, definately get the 1.8, do not even consider the auto and that is pretty much that, they take a awful lot of abuse in their stride, the engine can sound a bit tappety, but a oil change ( sometime just a top up if your lazy ) sorts that right out, if the gear box doesn;t feel like the smoothest thing you have ever driven and does feel like a extension of you left hand ( I used to change gears with just the full range of movement of my finger, arm never moved ) then walk away, that is the best and most enjoyable thing about these.

I drove mine hard alot, the rose joint broke and the handling was all over the place, I would definately recommend investing in good tyres, and if you are thinkning of taking it on a track, the brakes get hot, on the road i never found this to be a problem.

[deviant]

I'm just under 6 foot and of a relaxed body type. Its a bit of a drop down in to the car but once I am in I can get the perfect driving position. I would like a slightly smaller steering wheel though.

You can do whats known as a foamectomy on the stock seats of early cars. Mazda was quite generous with the foam so you end up sitting on the seats rather than in them...its a case of pulling the covers off and removing a few panels of foam.

[drgoatboy]

Hmmm interesting about the foam, I was wondering if some sort of light weight fibre glass seat would give tonnes more room. I here Lotus Elise seats work quite well in a 5 too... Just taking Foam out though is a much cheaper option

[GravelBen]

Funnily enough the Mk1 apparently has more cabin space and lower seats than the newer models, so that might help you a bit.

All good options stated above for seating - the most extreme you can go is a racing bucket bolted directly to the floor of the car, I've heard of tall drivers doing that to get clearance between helmet and rollbars in track-focussed examples. Mine has the foamectomy treatment (see thread in MX5 section of PH for photos) which does make a noticeable difference but I'd still prefer a proper bucket at some stage. Momo T-frame is probably the most popular as it bolts straight onto the factory rails.

1.6 vs 1.8 is no big deal either way provided you avoid the post-94 UK 1.6 which was detuned to 90bhp - earlier (and other markets) 1.6 is 115bhp, 1.8 is 130bhp but slightly heavier, so there isn't much difference apart from the 1.6 feeling a bit revvier and the 1.8 a bit torquier low down. Both engines lend themselves nicely to forced induction if you find yourself wanting more power.

Standard brakes are well up to trackday abuse provided they're healthy and you have good fluid, pads with best reputation seem to be OEM Mazda for all-round use or Mintex 1144 if you're getting a bit more serious and don;t mind the extra cost/dust.

Edited by GravelBen on Wednesday 12th May 13:48

[drgoatboy]

Thanks Ben, all good info there. I had 1144 on my vx so I know they stand up to abuse fairly well even on track. Good tip on the Momo seats too, they don't seem to be too expensive either which is a bonus alhtough. Not sure how good they would look in an MX5 though (not that its important really).

now I really need to find a couple of cars to look round. Looks like a tough decision between going as cheap as possible or spend more to get something tidier. The rust on earlier cars sounds like it could get costly quite quickly....

ETA: I didn't realise there was a whole MX-5 section I obviously posted in the wrong place!

Edited by drgoatboy on Wednesday 12th May 14:49

[GravelBen]

There is a pretty comprehensive list on miata.net of aftermarket seats which fit - a lot of wider seats don't so best to check before buying! I don't know if Elise seats are on that list as its largely US-based but I get the impression they're popular in the UK.