Taller Driver into an NC?
Discussion
Hi All,
Looking at potentially picking up a 2.0 Sport 'NC' model in the coming weeks, primarily for my wife to use but I'd also like to use it on occasion. (3rd car, so just the occasional blast for me really).
However, I am 6'3" with a 33" inseam.....just wondering if this is a viable option, without needing to have the roof open for all drives and/or staring at the top of the windscreen frame? If so, does it matter much between the pre and post 2009 cars in terms of seat adjustment? Again, any differences between Soft or folding Hard top for headroom?
Lastly - if anyone with an NC lives vaguely near Berkshire and has one I could try for size, that would be magic!
Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this...
Looking at potentially picking up a 2.0 Sport 'NC' model in the coming weeks, primarily for my wife to use but I'd also like to use it on occasion. (3rd car, so just the occasional blast for me really).
However, I am 6'3" with a 33" inseam.....just wondering if this is a viable option, without needing to have the roof open for all drives and/or staring at the top of the windscreen frame? If so, does it matter much between the pre and post 2009 cars in terms of seat adjustment? Again, any differences between Soft or folding Hard top for headroom?
Lastly - if anyone with an NC lives vaguely near Berkshire and has one I could try for size, that would be magic!
Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this...
It’s best to try one for size. And I think there’s a bit of difference between the hard and soft tops.
This modification will give you an extra inch and a half of headroom:
https://www.jassperformance.com/shop/Mazda-mx5/By-...
This modification will give you an extra inch and a half of headroom:
https://www.jassperformance.com/shop/Mazda-mx5/By-...
Note fabric non height adjustable seats sit considerably lower than the leather height adjustable seats.
I'm 6ft5 and couldn't really drive with the leather seats but was fine with fabric. The Jass height lowering kit is meant to be good but I haven't tried it.
Overall I think you will be fine.
Ultimately in my NC I ended up fitting a fibreglass seat as low as it could go and it was amazing! A little extreme but brilliant!
I'm 6ft5 and couldn't really drive with the leather seats but was fine with fabric. The Jass height lowering kit is meant to be good but I haven't tried it.
Overall I think you will be fine.
Ultimately in my NC I ended up fitting a fibreglass seat as low as it could go and it was amazing! A little extreme but brilliant!
I’m 6’7” and a month into NC ownership. Mine’s a 2010 NC2 with the leather height adjustable seats.
I could drive it fairly comfortably as standard, but a few simple mods have transformed it.
Things I’ve learned…
1) The Jass brackets are utterly crap - just don’t even bother.
2) There’s a simple seat mod which gives all the benefits of the Jass brackets with none of the (many) disadvantages.
3) It’s also very simple to modify the handbrake so it sits at a slightly different angle so no longer sticks into my leg.
4) I get slight lumbar support issues on long journeys - there’s another easy mod which should sort that - bits are in the post.
I’ll elaborate when I get time.
It’s worth it though - it’s an utterly brilliant little car.
I could drive it fairly comfortably as standard, but a few simple mods have transformed it.
Things I’ve learned…
1) The Jass brackets are utterly crap - just don’t even bother.
2) There’s a simple seat mod which gives all the benefits of the Jass brackets with none of the (many) disadvantages.
3) It’s also very simple to modify the handbrake so it sits at a slightly different angle so no longer sticks into my leg.
4) I get slight lumbar support issues on long journeys - there’s another easy mod which should sort that - bits are in the post.
I’ll elaborate when I get time.
It’s worth it though - it’s an utterly brilliant little car.
Galveston said:
I’m 6’7” and a month into NC ownership. Mine’s a 2010 NC2 with the leather height adjustable seats.
I could drive it fairly comfortably as standard, but a few simple mods have transformed it.
Things I’ve learned…
1) The Jass brackets are utterly crap - just don’t even bother.
2) There’s a simple seat mod which gives all the benefits of the Jass brackets with none of the (many) disadvantages.
3) It’s also very simple to modify the handbrake so it sits at a slightly different angle so no longer sticks into my leg.
4) I get slight lumbar support issues on long journeys - there’s another easy mod which should sort that - bits are in the post.
I’ll elaborate when I get time.
It’s worth it though - it’s an utterly brilliant little car.
6’7” in an NC - wow! I could drive it fairly comfortably as standard, but a few simple mods have transformed it.
Things I’ve learned…
1) The Jass brackets are utterly crap - just don’t even bother.
2) There’s a simple seat mod which gives all the benefits of the Jass brackets with none of the (many) disadvantages.
3) It’s also very simple to modify the handbrake so it sits at a slightly different angle so no longer sticks into my leg.
4) I get slight lumbar support issues on long journeys - there’s another easy mod which should sort that - bits are in the post.
I’ll elaborate when I get time.
It’s worth it though - it’s an utterly brilliant little car.
S600BSB said:
6’7” in an NC - wow!
It’s surprisingly fine. I’m long in the leg more than I’m long in the body. I can drive it with the (soft) top up, even with unmodified seats. It’s a bit weird because years ago I tried a colleague’s NC1 which seemed way too small. Ditto NAs, NBs and NDs, but the NC2 is fine. I think the NC2/NC3 has a less intrusive doorcard which must help me tuck my legs around the wheel.
The mods I mentioned above mean I’m looking through the middle of the screen and my legs are well out of the way of the wheel.
It’s such a fun little car - utterly joyous to point down a B road - so the squeeze is worthwhile.
I'm 6ft 6 and long in the body and when I went to sit in a new (at the time) 2009 MX5 it was so comical (I had to fold myself up like a deckchair) that even the salesman said my wife couldn't buy the car. With the roof down I looked like Noddy.
I would absolutely love one as well, but I would need more than 1.5 inches of headroom I think (unless the new cars have much improved seat height adjustment).
I would absolutely love one as well, but I would need more than 1.5 inches of headroom I think (unless the new cars have much improved seat height adjustment).
BigMon said:
I'm 6ft 6 and long in the body and when I went to sit in a new (at the time) 2009 MX5 it was so comical (I had to fold myself up like a deckchair) that even the salesman said my wife couldn't buy the car. With the roof down I looked like Noddy.
I would absolutely love one as well, but I would need more than 1.5 inches of headroom I think (unless the new cars have much improved seat height adjustment).
As I understand from the bits of reading and research I have been doing, the later (ND) cars have even less room for taller drivers...the later NC models (2009 on) seem to be the sweet spot. I would absolutely love one as well, but I would need more than 1.5 inches of headroom I think (unless the new cars have much improved seat height adjustment).
MattyD803 said:
Thanks for the input - I've seen a 2007 2.0 non-leather soft top, which looks excellent condition with the BBR (Koni) suspension kit already fitted....sounds like this could well be the way forward for me.
Interesting about the Jass lowering brackets though - could you tell me more?
Bear in mind that the Jass brackets are different for the various types of seat. My experience only relates to the 1.5” drop for the height adjustable seats. However…Interesting about the Jass lowering brackets though - could you tell me more?
1) What you gain in headroom, you lose in legroom. The brackets drop the seat rail in front of the floor mounts which the seat previously slid over. To get anything near the original legroom you have to chop the inner seat rails, which causes its own problems. Even with the maximum possible chopped off the inner rails, I lost about an inch of legroom.
2) Because the runners are cut short they no longer have end stops and thr sliders spit out their ball bearings.
3) The side airbags are in a non-standard position, tucked further behind the B-pillar. Probably not very clever.
4) The seat belt guides on the seats no longer align with their slots on the bulkhead. The belts don’t retract properly and the misalignment probably isn’t great in an accident.
I’ve replaced my subframe with a standard one and dropped the seat base using what the forums call the GordyM mod…
https://forum.miata.net/vb/showpost.php?p=5597022&...
After a bit of fiddling I’ve got the seat base 5-10mm lower than the Jass brackets gave, with all the standard legroom, and none of the disadvantages.
Edited by Galveston on Monday 22 April 20:48
Galveston said:
Bear in mind that the Jass brackets are different for the various types of seat. My experience only relates to the 1.5” drop for the height adjustable seats. However…
1) What you gain in headroom, you lose in legroom. The brackets drop the seat rail in front of the floor mounts which the seat previously slid over. To get anything near the original legroom you have to chop the inner seat rails, which causes its own problems. Even with the maximum possible chopped off the inner rails, I lost about an inch of legroom.
2) Because the runners are cut short they no longer have end stops and thr sliders spit out their ball bearings.
3) The side airbags are in a non-standard position, tucked further behind the B-pillar. Probably not very clever.
4) The seat belt guides on the seats no longer align with their slots on the bulkhead. The belts don’t retract properly and the misalignment probably isn’t great in an accident.
I’ve replaced my subframe with a standard one and dropped the seat base using what the forums call the GordyM mod…
https://forum.miata.net/vb/showpost.php?p=5597022&...
After a bit of fiddling I’ve got the seat base 5-10mm lower than the Jass brackets gave, with all the standard legroom, and none of the disadvantages.
Many thanks for the info, good to know there might be a work around. It's legroom I need, not so much the headroom.1) What you gain in headroom, you lose in legroom. The brackets drop the seat rail in front of the floor mounts which the seat previously slid over. To get anything near the original legroom you have to chop the inner seat rails, which causes its own problems. Even with the maximum possible chopped off the inner rails, I lost about an inch of legroom.
2) Because the runners are cut short they no longer have end stops and thr sliders spit out their ball bearings.
3) The side airbags are in a non-standard position, tucked further behind the B-pillar. Probably not very clever.
4) The seat belt guides on the seats no longer align with their slots on the bulkhead. The belts don’t retract properly and the misalignment probably isn’t great in an accident.
I’ve replaced my subframe with a standard one and dropped the seat base using what the forums call the GordyM mod…
https://forum.miata.net/vb/showpost.php?p=5597022&...
After a bit of fiddling I’ve got the seat base 5-10mm lower than the Jass brackets gave, with all the standard legroom, and none of the disadvantages.
Edited by Galveston on Monday 22 April 20:48
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