2006 MX-5 2.0 Option Pack
Discussion
Yellow things.
The cheap polybushes for the RX8 ARBs turned up surprisingly quickly from Russia.
They seem very good for the little that they cost.
I've also purchased some new shocks...
They're Koni Sports with adjustable rebound damping. I bought them on a bit of a whim as they were going cheap (not much over £200 delivered) and almost new (apparently 4k miles old, manufactured 23rd week of 2017). It's essentially this set, but without springs:
http://www.bbrgti.com/product/bbr-suspension-packa...
I currently have 30mm lowering springs fitted to the original black/standard Mazda springs. What I didn't realise before purchasing the Konis is that they will lower the car a further 10mm due to holding a lower gas pressure. I'm a little dubious about this as I'm quite happy with the current ride height. We shall see.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
The cheap polybushes for the RX8 ARBs turned up surprisingly quickly from Russia.
They seem very good for the little that they cost.
I've also purchased some new shocks...
They're Koni Sports with adjustable rebound damping. I bought them on a bit of a whim as they were going cheap (not much over £200 delivered) and almost new (apparently 4k miles old, manufactured 23rd week of 2017). It's essentially this set, but without springs:
http://www.bbrgti.com/product/bbr-suspension-packa...
I currently have 30mm lowering springs fitted to the original black/standard Mazda springs. What I didn't realise before purchasing the Konis is that they will lower the car a further 10mm due to holding a lower gas pressure. I'm a little dubious about this as I'm quite happy with the current ride height. We shall see.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 11:56
Accelebrate said:
I currently have 30mm lowering springs fitted to the original black/standard Mazda springs. What I didn't realise before purchasing the Konis is that they will lower the car a further 10mm due to holding a lower gas pressure. I'm a little dubious about this as I'm quite happy with the current ride height. We shall see.
Interesting, looking forward to seeing how you get on with those upgrades. I don't think I could tolerate lower than -30mm - I've seen lower, but at that point the car looks like it's been lowered, rather than simply sitting at a sensible height. I do wonder what it will end up like - depends how much the strut contributes to the total static stiffness I guess.RenesisEvo said:
Interesting, looking forward to seeing how you get on with those upgrades. I don't think I could tolerate lower than -30mm - I've seen lower, but at that point the car looks like it's been lowered, rather than simply sitting at a sensible height. I do wonder what it will end up like - depends how much the strut contributes to the total static stiffness I guess.
I'm dubious, and if I'd done more research I might not have purchased the Konis. I put in a bid as I was boarding a flight not really expecting to win them for that price. I think I'll end up with a 40mm drop, so similar to the H&R springs:https://www.mx5parts.co.uk/sports-spring-mk3-p-945...
Which doesn't immediately look terrible.
My first track day of the year was at Anglesey on Saturday. It was also my first time there. The trip didn't go entirely smoothly:
The journey over on Friday evening took over six hours due to roadworks and some accidents around Birmingham.
At some point between setting off and arriving in Wales someone caused quite a lot of damage to Charlie's previously immaculate DC2. Looks like they scraped down most of the nearside whilst parking alongside it. No notes left, of course.
The forecast was for light rain, it was heavy. I foolishly fitted the R888Rs for the weekend.
The whole day was nearly called off just before lunch when a corpse washed up on the beach next to the track.
It put a rather grim tone on proceedings, but amazingly the track reopened in the time it took us to head to Holyhead and back for fuel.
Our motley collection of conveyances...
Excuse the photo overload. Circuit Days are very generous with their 'photos of your day included in the price' policy. The photos were in my inbox before I'd even got back to the house we were staying in on the island. Very impressive service and a well organised day once again (we used them for a ring trip last year).
Anglesey is a great circuit. I didn't really appreciate the elevation changes from watching YouTube laps before we left. The scenery certainly adds to the experience as you're lapping.
I did wish I'd fitted road tyres, but it all added to the challenge. I'm no master of car control, so the opportunity to explore the limits at lower speeds was actually quite welcome. Sloppy tank-slapper at the end of this video aside!
https://youtu.be/hKn67Fmfs9M
The rest of our group seemed to get on quite well. It was the first track outing for Roshan's 350Z, he handled it well but I think the weight came as a bit of a shock after previously only hiring or borrowing lighter cars for track days.
Alex's lightly enhanced Fiesta was easily the quickest car from our group. I went out for a few passenger laps and it was amazingly composed and chuckable in the wet. His newly fitted PS4s were a good choice on a soggy day.
Charlie's Integra - you can just about make out the battle scars down the side the rubber on the side skirt isn't so bad, but I would imagine the crease above the Type-R sticker and the dent and paint removal just behind the door will be a pricey repair. It was sublime on track, as always.
I'm not sure it was a great test of my recent changes with the weather being so wet, but:
For the first time ever on a track day I had no brake judder and the brakes felt great. So the combination of better fluid, braided lines and Stoptech pads seems good. Although I would imagine that the spray and less aggressive wet braking will have helped to keep brake temps down.
The RX8 ARBs definitely helped with the roll through corners. I did have some understeer when the track was completely soaking but I think that was mostly down to the Toyos struggling to disperse water.
The lower seat is good, my helmet is below the roofline for the first time in track photos.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
The journey over on Friday evening took over six hours due to roadworks and some accidents around Birmingham.
At some point between setting off and arriving in Wales someone caused quite a lot of damage to Charlie's previously immaculate DC2. Looks like they scraped down most of the nearside whilst parking alongside it. No notes left, of course.
The forecast was for light rain, it was heavy. I foolishly fitted the R888Rs for the weekend.
The whole day was nearly called off just before lunch when a corpse washed up on the beach next to the track.
It put a rather grim tone on proceedings, but amazingly the track reopened in the time it took us to head to Holyhead and back for fuel.Our motley collection of conveyances...
Excuse the photo overload. Circuit Days are very generous with their 'photos of your day included in the price' policy. The photos were in my inbox before I'd even got back to the house we were staying in on the island. Very impressive service and a well organised day once again (we used them for a ring trip last year).
Anglesey is a great circuit. I didn't really appreciate the elevation changes from watching YouTube laps before we left. The scenery certainly adds to the experience as you're lapping.
I did wish I'd fitted road tyres, but it all added to the challenge. I'm no master of car control, so the opportunity to explore the limits at lower speeds was actually quite welcome. Sloppy tank-slapper at the end of this video aside!
https://youtu.be/hKn67Fmfs9M
The rest of our group seemed to get on quite well. It was the first track outing for Roshan's 350Z, he handled it well but I think the weight came as a bit of a shock after previously only hiring or borrowing lighter cars for track days.
Alex's lightly enhanced Fiesta was easily the quickest car from our group. I went out for a few passenger laps and it was amazingly composed and chuckable in the wet. His newly fitted PS4s were a good choice on a soggy day.
Charlie's Integra - you can just about make out the battle scars down the side
the rubber on the side skirt isn't so bad, but I would imagine the crease above the Type-R sticker and the dent and paint removal just behind the door will be a pricey repair. It was sublime on track, as always.I'm not sure it was a great test of my recent changes with the weather being so wet, but:
For the first time ever on a track day I had no brake judder and the brakes felt great. So the combination of better fluid, braided lines and Stoptech pads seems good. Although I would imagine that the spray and less aggressive wet braking will have helped to keep brake temps down.
The RX8 ARBs definitely helped with the roll through corners. I did have some understeer when the track was completely soaking but I think that was mostly down to the Toyos struggling to disperse water.
The lower seat is good, my helmet is below the roofline for the first time in track photos.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 11:57
I've spent some time in a Mazda dealership recently acquiring parts that I couldn't source online. Mrs. Accelebrate has got a week in the US with work soon so I'm planning to get the following done:
. We shall see.
Mazda dealerships are a bit thin on the ground near where I live and work. I actively avoid the Oxford dealership as there never seems to be a convenient time to get in and out of the Botley Road. I've recently discovered Lodge Garage in Aylesbury, their parts department have been very helpful and although further in mileage it's a lot quicker for me to get to. They have some good stock too...
I've picked up an updated version of the seatbelt retainer whilst I was there. Since I lowered the seat I've found that the belt gets stuck within the clip section of the retainer if I lean forwards at junctions. The temporary solution was to unhook it. I think the update part is mainly to encourage the belt to retract on its own, NC belts have a habit of not retracting. I think the new design will also help with the height issue.
New vs. old, quite a difference in height!
I also tried another trick to help the belt retract smoothly that I'd seen online. With some trim removed I cut the small lip of plastic off the buckle that the belt passes through to increase the area that it passes through slightly.
It doesn't appear to have helped oh well.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
- Fit the Koni shocks
- Replace the perished rear spring mounts
- Polybush the perishing front upper wishbones and replace the ball joint dust covers
- Replace any other ball joint covers that need replacing
- Oil and filter change
- Replace the clutch slave cylinder
. We shall see.Mazda dealerships are a bit thin on the ground near where I live and work. I actively avoid the Oxford dealership as there never seems to be a convenient time to get in and out of the Botley Road. I've recently discovered Lodge Garage in Aylesbury, their parts department have been very helpful and although further in mileage it's a lot quicker for me to get to. They have some good stock too...
I've picked up an updated version of the seatbelt retainer whilst I was there. Since I lowered the seat I've found that the belt gets stuck within the clip section of the retainer if I lean forwards at junctions. The temporary solution was to unhook it. I think the update part is mainly to encourage the belt to retract on its own, NC belts have a habit of not retracting. I think the new design will also help with the height issue.
New vs. old, quite a difference in height!
I also tried another trick to help the belt retract smoothly that I'd seen online. With some trim removed I cut the small lip of plastic off the buckle that the belt passes through to increase the area that it passes through slightly.
It doesn't appear to have helped
oh well.Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 11:57
A long day of cursing the Mazda whilst fitting the Konis today.
I removed the upper wishbones as the bushes don't look too clever.
Removing the wishbones took quite a while, and I made quite a mess of the ball joint dust covers with a pickle fork. Luckily I'd ordered replacements from Mazda.
Next up was pressing out the bushes. This worked reasonably well...
I applied heat and eventually, the old bushes popped out...
There's then a metal sleeve that needs to be removed. I hacksawed through the sleeves and then chiseled them out.
The replacement polybushes came from Strongflex in Poland. I went for their red 'OEM hardness' option, rather than the harder yellow sport bushes.
They pressed into the wishbones with the supplied horrible black grease easily enough.
Onto the dampers, you can probably see why I was keen to replace the originals. British salt has not been kind, I'm sure they're on borrowed time.
All assembled, I reused the Vogtland springs I fitted a year ago.
I took the opportunity to apply some rust converter and a coat of underseal whilst the shocks and wishbones were out.
It's looking rather colourful in the wheelarches now!
The rebound on the shocks can be adjusted using the supplied tools. Much easier at the front than the rear!
The rear shocks are thankfully a lot easier to fit than the fronts. I replaced some of the ball joint boots that were starting to perish on the suspension arms. I also replaced the rubber spring seats on both sides as they'd split.
I took measurements form the hub centres to the top of the wheel arches before and after. As predicted the Konis have dropped the ride height by a further 10mm giving a total of 40mm drop. A shame, as I was quite happy with the previous ride height but it doesn't look excessive to my eyes.
I've set the rebound to full stiffness initially. It's amusingly rigid and will probably become quite tiresome. I'll dial it back over the coming weeks. I should probably book another alignment as well.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
I removed the upper wishbones as the bushes don't look too clever.
Removing the wishbones took quite a while, and I made quite a mess of the ball joint dust covers with a pickle fork. Luckily I'd ordered replacements from Mazda.
Next up was pressing out the bushes. This worked reasonably well...
I applied heat and eventually, the old bushes popped out...
There's then a metal sleeve that needs to be removed. I hacksawed through the sleeves and then chiseled them out.
The replacement polybushes came from Strongflex in Poland. I went for their red 'OEM hardness' option, rather than the harder yellow sport bushes.
They pressed into the wishbones with the supplied horrible black grease easily enough.
Onto the dampers, you can probably see why I was keen to replace the originals. British salt has not been kind, I'm sure they're on borrowed time.
All assembled, I reused the Vogtland springs I fitted a year ago.
I took the opportunity to apply some rust converter and a coat of underseal whilst the shocks and wishbones were out.
It's looking rather colourful in the wheelarches now!
The rebound on the shocks can be adjusted using the supplied tools. Much easier at the front than the rear!
The rear shocks are thankfully a lot easier to fit than the fronts. I replaced some of the ball joint boots that were starting to perish on the suspension arms. I also replaced the rubber spring seats on both sides as they'd split.
I took measurements form the hub centres to the top of the wheel arches before and after. As predicted the Konis have dropped the ride height by a further 10mm giving a total of 40mm drop. A shame, as I was quite happy with the previous ride height but it doesn't look excessive to my eyes.
I've set the rebound to full stiffness initially. It's amusingly rigid and will probably become quite tiresome. I'll dial it back over the coming weeks. I should probably book another alignment as well.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 11:58
RenesisEvo said:
HorneyMX5 said:
A cracking update as always.
+1Had the car settled in the 'after' pictures?
Renesis - I forgot to reply to your speaker email, apologies, we should arrange something.
Jonstar said:
Good update, but more importantly how does it handle?!
I'm far from being the best-versed driver to critique a suspension setup but the Konis are definitely an improvement over the tired 'black' stock shocks, but I suspect they were well past their best. Dan Trent and Richard Meaden seem to rate them (although apparently re-valved and paired with the BBR springs) - http://www.bbrgti.com/product/bbr-suspension-packa...I've been putting some miles on them this week before alignment, although it's been soaking wet so not really the weather to push hard. I turned the rebound up to maximum stiffness yesterday, which was amusingly flat through the bends but a bit too hard on the road. I went for the opposite today, full soft, still harder than OE and less roll but a lot more compliant over bumps. I suspect that a turn or so from full soft will be a nice balance. I'll probably end up running the rear a little stiffer than the front to offset the yellow dot ARBs tendency to introduce understeer.
No noises from the polybushes at the moment either, which was my other concern. I've got another track day booked in a couple of weeks, so I'll be better placed to contrast and compare after a (hopefully) dry day with a properly aligned car.
Edited by Accelebrate on Tuesday 10th April 10:01
Accelebrate said:
I'm far from being the best-versed driver to critique a suspension setup but the Konis are definitely an improvement over the tired 'black' stock shocks, but I suspect they were well past their best. Dan Trent and Richard Meaden seem to rate them (although apparently re-valved and paired with the BBR springs) - http://www.bbrgti.com/product/bbr-suspension-packa...
I've been putting some miles on them this week before alignment, although it's been soaking wet so not really the weather to push hard. I turned the rebound up to maximum stiffness yesterday, which was amusingly flat through the bends but a bit too hard on the road. I went for the opposite today, full soft, still harder than OE and less roll but a lot more compliant over bumps. I suspect that a turn or so from full soft will be a nice balance. I'll probably end up running the rear a little stiffer than the front to offset the yellow dot ARBs tendency to introduce understeer.
No noises from the polybushes at the moment either, which was my other concern. I've got another track day booked in a couple of weeks, so I'll be better placed to contrast and compare after a (hopefully) dry day with a properly aligned car.
Looking forward to hearing your views post alignment, fed up with the handling on mine.I've been putting some miles on them this week before alignment, although it's been soaking wet so not really the weather to push hard. I turned the rebound up to maximum stiffness yesterday, which was amusingly flat through the bends but a bit too hard on the road. I went for the opposite today, full soft, still harder than OE and less roll but a lot more compliant over bumps. I suspect that a turn or so from full soft will be a nice balance. I'll probably end up running the rear a little stiffer than the front to offset the yellow dot ARBs tendency to introduce understeer.
No noises from the polybushes at the moment either, which was my other concern. I've got another track day booked in a couple of weeks, so I'll be better placed to contrast and compare after a (hopefully) dry day with a properly aligned car.
Edited by Accelebrate on Tuesday 10th April 10:01
I finished off the other couple of tasks I'd got planned last night - can you tell my wife is away at the moment?
First up was a new slave cylinder.
There was nothing immediately wrong with the old slave, but I had a couple of reasons for replacing it. It looked a bit crusty and a genuine replacement was only about £30 in the MX5Parts Easter sale. I'm keen to replace anything that's cheap and has the potential to ruin a track day and I'm conscious that other rubber bits on the car are starting to show their age.
It was also a task to prove a point. The point being how stupid a younger version of myself was. The slave cylinder on my first car gave up without warning. Being rather naive and possessing next to no mechanical knowledge or ability I called the AA who towed me to the nearest main dealer. The main dealer kept the car for a couple of weeks and charged me over £500 to replace the failed part. Big money today, even more 13 years ago, and as a student more money than I had to my name.
The slave cylinder on the NC is near the oil filter. Just two bolts and the connection to a hard line to remove and it slides right out.
It bled easily enough with the cheap compressor powered brake bleeder that I picked up recently.
Here's the old part in pieces, you can buy rebuild kits for even less from MX5Parts.
I also carried out an oil change whilst I was under the car. I did say I was going to move to 5W-40 to see if it reduces oil consumption on track, but I forgot and ordered more 5W-30 during a particularly decent ECP sale a while ago. Next time.
I did remember to try the trick of using a freezer bag whilst removing the old filter, resulting in an almost mess-free removal.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
First up was a new slave cylinder.
There was nothing immediately wrong with the old slave, but I had a couple of reasons for replacing it. It looked a bit crusty and a genuine replacement was only about £30 in the MX5Parts Easter sale. I'm keen to replace anything that's cheap and has the potential to ruin a track day and I'm conscious that other rubber bits on the car are starting to show their age.
It was also a task to prove a point. The point being how stupid a younger version of myself was. The slave cylinder on my first car gave up without warning. Being rather naive and possessing next to no mechanical knowledge or ability I called the AA who towed me to the nearest main dealer. The main dealer kept the car for a couple of weeks and charged me over £500 to replace the failed part. Big money today, even more 13 years ago, and as a student more money than I had to my name.
The slave cylinder on the NC is near the oil filter. Just two bolts and the connection to a hard line to remove and it slides right out.
It bled easily enough with the cheap compressor powered brake bleeder that I picked up recently.
Here's the old part in pieces, you can buy rebuild kits for even less from MX5Parts.
I also carried out an oil change whilst I was under the car. I did say I was going to move to 5W-40 to see if it reduces oil consumption on track, but I forgot and ordered more 5W-30 during a particularly decent ECP sale a while ago. Next time.
I did remember to try the trick of using a freezer bag whilst removing the old filter, resulting in an almost mess-free removal.
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 11:59
On Sunday I went to Snetterton for the first time. Unlike Anglesey, the weather gods were on our side this time.
Snetterton is a funny mix, big long straights and some tighter stuff in the infield. This exaggerated the effect of larger quicker stuff disappearing in a straight line, only to reel them back in through the twistier bits of the course.
I did a few laps in Roshan's 350z. He'd picked up a non-staggered set of wheels and some R888s the day before. Nice(er) noise and a welcome amount of extra power, although on stock suspension it felt big and unwieldy in the bends.
The new shocks are an improvement. It's amusing to compare a cornering photo from the first day I did at Bedford to the latest photos:
Obviously, not the same track or corner but things have definitely changed:
I've held off getting the car aligned as I found an issue with the wishbone polybushes. Strongflex have revised the part and are shipping a new set out to me. Good that they've owned up and hopefully resolved the issue quickly, but annoying as I feel a bit like I'm doing their R+D for them and I'll have to remove the front struts again to fit. My fault for going with the cheapest option. I was testing the water with the wishbones as I'd like to move onto the lower arms next, so I guess I've learnt something.
Snetterton is hard on brakes:
The StopTech pads were great though, no fading, no juddering, not too much wear and hardly any dust. For £60 a set they're phenomenal. My Brembo rear pads weren't quite so good, down to the squealer pins by the end of the day. I should have replaced them beforehand, I think they went in before the ring.
I've done four days on the R888Rs now, they're holding up quite well. Not quite sure what I'll get next, maybe AD08Rs, my track day budget probably doesn't stretch to the regular Toyo price of £600ish a set (I paid £300 fitted).
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Snetterton is a funny mix, big long straights and some tighter stuff in the infield. This exaggerated the effect of larger quicker stuff disappearing in a straight line, only to reel them back in through the twistier bits of the course.
I did a few laps in Roshan's 350z. He'd picked up a non-staggered set of wheels and some R888s the day before. Nice(er) noise and a welcome amount of extra power, although on stock suspension it felt big and unwieldy in the bends.
The new shocks are an improvement. It's amusing to compare a cornering photo from the first day I did at Bedford to the latest photos:
Obviously, not the same track or corner but things have definitely changed:
I've held off getting the car aligned as I found an issue with the wishbone polybushes. Strongflex have revised the part and are shipping a new set out to me. Good that they've owned up and hopefully resolved the issue quickly, but annoying as I feel a bit like I'm doing their R+D for them and I'll have to remove the front struts again to fit. My fault for going with the cheapest option. I was testing the water with the wishbones as I'd like to move onto the lower arms next, so I guess I've learnt something.
Snetterton is hard on brakes:
The StopTech pads were great though, no fading, no juddering, not too much wear and hardly any dust. For £60 a set they're phenomenal. My Brembo rear pads weren't quite so good, down to the squealer pins by the end of the day. I should have replaced them beforehand, I think they went in before the ring.
I've done four days on the R888Rs now, they're holding up quite well. Not quite sure what I'll get next, maybe AD08Rs, my track day budget probably doesn't stretch to the regular Toyo price of £600ish a set (I paid £300 fitted).
Edit Jan 2020 - Fix image links
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 24th January 11:59
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