MX5 mk1 first impressions - do these sound normal?

[heebeegeetee]

Whilst you'll think it a waste of money, without getting the alignment done first you'll never have a baseline to compare with. I'd still urge you to do it. I thought my shocks were gone too, it felt like I had no damping at all on the back. After alignment everything changed, the car was transformed and the shocks weren't gone. In fact thay're still on, some 30k+ miles later.

[lord summerisle]

Chris71 said:

There is a sort of tugging on the steering wheel than only becomes obvious under hard-ish cornering (within the limit of adhesion, but quick-ish) to start with it felt like the steering was weighting and unweighting, but I think it was actually pulling very slightly in alternate directions. It seemed to be more or less rythmic on a fixed radius corner (roundabout)

TADTS...

seems thats a trait of '5s... have read about it in reviews of the mk1... have heard it comentated on on the MX5oc forum... mine does it, and it did on several cars i test drove.

[the gazman]

lord summerisle said:

Chris71 said:

There is a sort of tugging on the steering wheel than only becomes obvious under hard-ish cornering (within the limit of adhesion, but quick-ish) to start with it felt like the steering was weighting and unweighting, but I think it was actually pulling very slightly in alternate directions. It seemed to be more or less rythmic on a fixed radius corner (roundabout)

TADTS...

seems thats a trait of '5s... have read about it in reviews of the mk1... have heard it comentated on on the MX5oc forum... mine does it, and it did on several cars i test drove.

I'm afraid I couldn't aggree less on this, I believe the Mk1 is the best mannered car around but you do need to set it up to suit driving styles.
The problem as I see it is that cars get set up based on personal geometry from American sites and the likes of Lanny, Icehawk and Flyin Miata have had a massive influance on what we do over here and I have tracked and road tested just about every setting out there and found that there is no way they would suit everybody.
The secret IMHO is to get a planted rear end and then play with front camber and toe to suit the drivers style, I have the sharpest turn-in imaginable on my favorite set-up but no way would a daily driver be able to tolerate this sort of turn in.
Talk to an expert is my advice but unfortunately they are very thin on the ground in MX-5 circles. Tony WIM knows geometry but is not really a suspension expert yet and Paul Sheard in Congleton knows just about everything there is to know but thats about it.

[chris71]

One of my shocks is leaking and the same spring is sagging, so had to go straight for a new set. Going to do a comprehensive service on the car whilst we've got it in the workshop too (just order £220 of various service bits, ouch!)

Also bought myself P5's set of flying miata springs and KYB AGX dampers.

Afterwards I will get a new set of tyres and then take it for a geo set up at WIM. Alternatively I might get the geometry done, then do a track day with the current tyres to finish them off, then fit a new set.