2006 MX-5 2.0 Option Pack
Discussion
Just read the whole thread, really useful and interesting as I pick up my first MX5 next week. It’s a 2007 Sport with a genuine 33k and from what I can see no rust! We will see though......
Regarding the suspension, all I’m reading is they need lowering, so weighing up whether springs on the Bilsteins and an alignment is the way to go or just bite the bullet and go coilovers. Any thoughts if you were doing it again?
Regarding the suspension, all I’m reading is they need lowering, so weighing up whether springs on the Bilsteins and an alignment is the way to go or just bite the bullet and go coilovers. Any thoughts if you were doing it again?
Rsdop said:
Just read the whole thread, really useful and interesting as I pick up my first MX5 next week. It’s a 2007 Sport with a genuine 33k and from what I can see no rust! We will see though......
Regarding the suspension, all I’m reading is they need lowering, so weighing up whether springs on the Bilsteins and an alignment is the way to go or just bite the bullet and go coilovers. Any thoughts if you were doing it again?
Having had an NC with Ohlins coilovers, I'd say the investment is worthwhile, however it depends on what you want to do with it?Regarding the suspension, all I’m reading is they need lowering, so weighing up whether springs on the Bilsteins and an alignment is the way to go or just bite the bullet and go coilovers. Any thoughts if you were doing it again?
MagicalTrevor said:
Having had an NC with Ohlins coilovers, I'd say the investment is worthwhile, however it depends on what you want to do with it?
Well it’s going to be my daily, although I don’t do many miles and have other vehicles. Hopefully a track day or two in the future too. I’ve always really rated Bilsteins, had them on old Escorts/Capri and also my E46 330 but they don’t seem very well thought of on the MX5? Also reading the OP makes me think my very bumpy lane may be a struggle on the lowering springs where as coilovers could be raised a bit if necessary. But like the OP not sure if it’s worth dropping that much money on a 3.5k car!
Blink Motorsport are on my doorstep, Ohlins definitely a bit pricey for me so would be the Gaz or MeisterR.
Geordietom said:
Have you found any noticeable improvement with the G19 air filter? I’m tempted but dubious so keen to hear your thoughts!
I fitted it after only putting a couple of hundred miles on the car since the remap so I can’t really draw any conclusions. I’m a little dubious of the bhp increase that G19 claim... cars with aftermarket intake solutions that I’ve seen at dyno events haven’t appeared to produce any more power over stock.It’s a nicely made filter though, and being washable/reusable the price didn’t seem too silly.
Rsdop said:
Regarding the suspension, all I’m reading is they need lowering, so weighing up whether springs on the Bilsteins and an alignment is the way to go or just bite the bullet and go coilovers. Any thoughts if you were doing it again?
In my opinion, a 30mm drop was perfect, and that’s what most lowering springs offer.I couldn’t turn down the Koni Sport shocks for the price that I paid, I like the way they ride and they offer some adjustability for track days (rebound), they seemed like a better option over cheaper coilovers... But they dropped the car another 10mm and I do now have to be a bit careful over speed bumps and heavily rutted roads. So yes, if I was starting over I would probably opt for a decent set of coilovers to replace my well used and corroded standard shocks. My car didn’t have Bilsteins, if I had a set with not too many miles on and wanted to save some money I’d maybe just opt for springs and RX8 anti-roll bars.
Blink replaced the original shocks on my NA with a set of Meister R coil overs and a fast road alignment. It transformed the handling without killing the ride quality which was important to me.
The NCs I’ve driven with bilsteins could be harsh at times so I’d think aftermarket springs would probably make it worse.
At least with decent coil overs you can get a set up which suits your driving
The NCs I’ve driven with bilsteins could be harsh at times so I’d think aftermarket springs would probably make it worse.
At least with decent coil overs you can get a set up which suits your driving
Accelebrate said:
Rsdop said:
Regarding the suspension, all I’m reading is they need lowering, so weighing up whether springs on the Bilsteins and an alignment is the way to go or just bite the bullet and go coilovers. Any thoughts if you were doing it again?
In my opinion, a 30mm drop was perfect, and that’s what most lowering springs offer.I couldn’t turn down the Koni Sport shocks for the price that I paid, I like the way they ride and they offer some adjustability for track days (rebound), they seemed like a better option over cheaper coilovers... But they dropped the car another 10mm and I do now have to be a bit careful over speed bumps and heavily rutted roads. So yes, if I was starting over I would probably opt for a decent set of coilovers to replace my well used and corroded standard shocks. My car didn’t have Bilsteins, if I had a set with not too many miles on and wanted to save some money I’d maybe just opt for springs and RX8 anti-roll bars.
If you've got Bilsteins already then you really need the lowering springs on this car. A set of Eibachs are £130 ish and will give you a performance upgrade plus you can then evaluate what you want to get out of the car.
I'm sure Blink can supply, fit and geo them.
Rsdop said:
Thanks all, I think since the Bilsteins haven’t done many miles I’ll go with the springs and alignment as a start and see how it goes.
The bilsteins on the NC don't have a great reputation for comfort. Quite a few have complained of them being too harsh, but obviously a cheap option to try lowering springs first particularly if you can do the work yourself. It's not a particularly difficult job to do on an NC.When we last left the rollbar saga I'd grown frustrated enough with the supplier that I'd requested a refund. The tipping point for that came about when I was promised that an employee had dropped the rollbar off out of hours at a local Tuffnells depot for delivery, when I contacted the depot the following day there appeared to be no record of it being scanned in and no tracking number so I assumed this was a tactic to buy the supplier some more time. Tuffnells suggested that the company involved hadn't sent anything out for a number of weeks, something didn't feel right. The fabricator agreed to a refund and said he would 'return to sender' the (I presumed non-existent) parcel.
I was wrong, or at least poorly informed by Tuffnells. The day after I posted on here whinging about my lack of a rollbar the fabricator called to say he hadn't been able to divert the parcel and it was out for delivery, he offered me a discount by way of apology for the issues throughout June if I was willing to accept it. On the basis that it was the product I ultimately wanted and swayed by having a track day booked three days later this seemed like the best option. I don't think he wanted to deceive me, I think he's just been exceptionally busy through lockdown and doesn't like giving bad news when chased.
So, I unexpectedly found myself in possession of a rollbar, and had a deadline to fit it. I also wanted to refit as much of the interior trim as possible and figured if I didn't do it now I probably never would.
For reference this is what the car looked like before I butchered it, the factory roll hoops are clad with large plastic covers.
With the plastics removed the original weedy looking hoops can be seen.
Out of curiosity I weighed both, the original structure is 8kg, the new bar came in at 15kg, although for reasons unknown I didn't include the rear strut mounts so it'll be a little higher than that.
There are (currently) no fitting instructions available. I hadn't quite anticipated how much of the plastic would need to be trimmed to get the rear supports that run back to the strut towers in place, I think it was five pieces of trim just to get the rear supports in, but before I could do that I had to bend and trim the rear bulkhead slightly to make a bit more room.
The plastic trimming involved two big cutouts on the large tray that supports the rear window glass when the roof is down, a smaller amount off the two bits of trim that falls either side of the tray and guides water into the drain holes and then a large chunk out of two pieces that sit in front of those two pieces. Nearly all of these areas can't really be seen once everything is reassembled, so I opted for a medium-neat approach.
The nuts that came off the strut towers couldn't be reused as there's a deep flange that means that the thread no longer engages once the thickness of the rollbar plate is added.
No replacements were included with the rollbar and they're a fine thread pitch - M10x1.25 rather than the usual 1.5. I had to order some along with some thin (form B) washers. I also had to scrape quite a bit of thickly applied seam sealer off from around the strut towers.
With the rear mounts in place the bar could then be lifted into place, it took a while to get everything lined up, I found leaving the rear mounts unbolted helped.
There was no provision included on the new bar for the seatbelt guides, I guess most people move over to harnesses. I drilled and tapped an M6 hole with a slightly larger hole above it to take the tab that stops the bracket from spinning. This has left the brackets in more or less the OE position.
I used some 50mm aluminium equal angle to create a bracket to hold the 'rear' speakers, the rear plastic trim and provide a couple of holes to mount the front trim. This worked ok, but does obscure the harness bar and was slightly thicker than it should have been to get the plastics to sit correctly (although they pulled together ok with a couple of zip-ties added under the wind-deflector). I might revisit this if I ever move over to harnesses.
I was a little generous with trimming the front and rear plastic as I'm planning to make some covers that should hopefully result in something that looks nice and tidy. I'd designed and 3D-printed some little blanking pieces for the original wind deflector mount whilst I was waiting for the bar to arrive - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4501846
Here are the currently ugly holes. I spent longer on the areas where the bar intrudes into the trim that sits above the seatbelt as this will be visible long-term, the rest should be hidden.
I just about got all this done before the track day. I took it for a late-night spin to check that everything still worked. I think I can feel a slight improvement in chassis rigidity. The view out the rear is slightly obstructed by the horizontal bracing, but it makes for quite a cool view of the traffic behind.
I was wrong, or at least poorly informed by Tuffnells. The day after I posted on here whinging about my lack of a rollbar the fabricator called to say he hadn't been able to divert the parcel and it was out for delivery, he offered me a discount by way of apology for the issues throughout June if I was willing to accept it. On the basis that it was the product I ultimately wanted and swayed by having a track day booked three days later this seemed like the best option. I don't think he wanted to deceive me, I think he's just been exceptionally busy through lockdown and doesn't like giving bad news when chased.
So, I unexpectedly found myself in possession of a rollbar, and had a deadline to fit it. I also wanted to refit as much of the interior trim as possible and figured if I didn't do it now I probably never would.
For reference this is what the car looked like before I butchered it, the factory roll hoops are clad with large plastic covers.
With the plastics removed the original weedy looking hoops can be seen.
Out of curiosity I weighed both, the original structure is 8kg, the new bar came in at 15kg, although for reasons unknown I didn't include the rear strut mounts so it'll be a little higher than that.
There are (currently) no fitting instructions available. I hadn't quite anticipated how much of the plastic would need to be trimmed to get the rear supports that run back to the strut towers in place, I think it was five pieces of trim just to get the rear supports in, but before I could do that I had to bend and trim the rear bulkhead slightly to make a bit more room.
The plastic trimming involved two big cutouts on the large tray that supports the rear window glass when the roof is down, a smaller amount off the two bits of trim that falls either side of the tray and guides water into the drain holes and then a large chunk out of two pieces that sit in front of those two pieces. Nearly all of these areas can't really be seen once everything is reassembled, so I opted for a medium-neat approach.
The nuts that came off the strut towers couldn't be reused as there's a deep flange that means that the thread no longer engages once the thickness of the rollbar plate is added.
No replacements were included with the rollbar and they're a fine thread pitch - M10x1.25 rather than the usual 1.5. I had to order some along with some thin (form B) washers. I also had to scrape quite a bit of thickly applied seam sealer off from around the strut towers.
With the rear mounts in place the bar could then be lifted into place, it took a while to get everything lined up, I found leaving the rear mounts unbolted helped.
There was no provision included on the new bar for the seatbelt guides, I guess most people move over to harnesses. I drilled and tapped an M6 hole with a slightly larger hole above it to take the tab that stops the bracket from spinning. This has left the brackets in more or less the OE position.
I used some 50mm aluminium equal angle to create a bracket to hold the 'rear' speakers, the rear plastic trim and provide a couple of holes to mount the front trim. This worked ok, but does obscure the harness bar and was slightly thicker than it should have been to get the plastics to sit correctly (although they pulled together ok with a couple of zip-ties added under the wind-deflector). I might revisit this if I ever move over to harnesses.
I was a little generous with trimming the front and rear plastic as I'm planning to make some covers that should hopefully result in something that looks nice and tidy. I'd designed and 3D-printed some little blanking pieces for the original wind deflector mount whilst I was waiting for the bar to arrive - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4501846
Here are the currently ugly holes. I spent longer on the areas where the bar intrudes into the trim that sits above the seatbelt as this will be visible long-term, the rest should be hidden.
I just about got all this done before the track day. I took it for a late-night spin to check that everything still worked. I think I can feel a slight improvement in chassis rigidity. The view out the rear is slightly obstructed by the horizontal bracing, but it makes for quite a cool view of the traffic behind.
Edited by Accelebrate on Friday 10th July 05:43
Thanks! I guess that leads me nicely onto my next update...
The track day was at Bedford, given that it doesn't involve an overnight stay for me and the weather looked dry I got creative and managed to carry a full set of wheels in/on the Mazda.
They're my now-quite-old set of R888Rs, the tread level is no longer road legal but the wear is a bit uneven from the days before I was running as much negative camber so I thought I'd maybe get another morning out of them before moving onto the AD08Rs that are currently fitted to the car. In reality they lasted the entire day and I'll probably do the same again with them if we do another local-ish day.
Briefings are now online for MSV trackdays, we arrived quite early to blag a garage and had a very relaxed morning swapping wheels and preparing. Much nicer than the usual rush to get into a briefing and get out for sighting.
Without a helmet on my head falls below the rollbar, I guess helmets are quite thick...
I think it was my fifth time at Bedford. I like it as a sort of budget-proving ground, it's been interesting to see how the car has changed in the way it behaves there over the years with suspension, tyre and brake changes. I've also gone from nervously doing my first track day there trying to keep out of the way of everyone to finding myself being frequently held up by much quicker and more exotic stuff.
This was the first track day I've done since fitting the manifold and getting a remap. It's made a really noticeable difference on a tight circuit like Bedford, the extra torque and eagerness with which power now seems to arrive when getting out of a tight bend made a really big difference. I'm pretty sure I can feel a difference in chassis rigidity from fitting the rollbar. Rightly or wrongly it's also given me a bit of a confidence boost. I spent the afternoon at Cadwell pottering around with my confidence knocked after having a bit of a moment in the rain, it's funny how age and dependents make you more risk adverse.
The track day was at Bedford, given that it doesn't involve an overnight stay for me and the weather looked dry I got creative and managed to carry a full set of wheels in/on the Mazda.
They're my now-quite-old set of R888Rs, the tread level is no longer road legal but the wear is a bit uneven from the days before I was running as much negative camber so I thought I'd maybe get another morning out of them before moving onto the AD08Rs that are currently fitted to the car. In reality they lasted the entire day and I'll probably do the same again with them if we do another local-ish day.
Briefings are now online for MSV trackdays, we arrived quite early to blag a garage and had a very relaxed morning swapping wheels and preparing. Much nicer than the usual rush to get into a briefing and get out for sighting.
Without a helmet on my head falls below the rollbar, I guess helmets are quite thick...
I think it was my fifth time at Bedford. I like it as a sort of budget-proving ground, it's been interesting to see how the car has changed in the way it behaves there over the years with suspension, tyre and brake changes. I've also gone from nervously doing my first track day there trying to keep out of the way of everyone to finding myself being frequently held up by much quicker and more exotic stuff.
This was the first track day I've done since fitting the manifold and getting a remap. It's made a really noticeable difference on a tight circuit like Bedford, the extra torque and eagerness with which power now seems to arrive when getting out of a tight bend made a really big difference. I'm pretty sure I can feel a difference in chassis rigidity from fitting the rollbar. Rightly or wrongly it's also given me a bit of a confidence boost. I spent the afternoon at Cadwell pottering around with my confidence knocked after having a bit of a moment in the rain, it's funny how age and dependents make you more risk adverse.
Looks a lot safer for track days than the original roll hoops.
May I ask if you are keeping the original roll hoops covers? The silver parts which cover the rear of the roll hoop have been replaced with chromed on my car and I hate them. Been half heartedly watching eBay and not really seen any for sale but it's on my mind to replace with standard at some point.
May I ask if you are keeping the original roll hoops covers? The silver parts which cover the rear of the roll hoop have been replaced with chromed on my car and I hate them. Been half heartedly watching eBay and not really seen any for sale but it's on my mind to replace with standard at some point.
I think my silver covers were originally black plastic. They'd been sprayed by a previous owner but were peeling a bit so I redid them, despite sanding back fairly thoroughly they peeled again, so I sprayed a second time last year, but it still doesn't seem too well stuck. I don't have any plans for them as it's probably unlikely that I'll ever bother to source the trim that I'd need to return the car to stock, but if you're fussy they aren't the best examples.
Thanks 
I made a similar lowering bracket for the driver's seat, it's back on page 7 - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... It helped a lot with the seating position, although I still rub my head on the roof rails if I'm wearing a helmet with the soft-top roof up.
I might explore getting a different seat and a harness now that I've got somewhere to mount the harness.
I made a similar lowering bracket for the driver's seat, it's back on page 7 - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... It helped a lot with the seating position, although I still rub my head on the roof rails if I'm wearing a helmet with the soft-top roof up.I might explore getting a different seat and a harness now that I've got somewhere to mount the harness.
One of the nicest methods I've seen for hiding the holes left behind by the factory NC roll hoops are these little covers sold by Blackbird Fabworx in the US for their rollbar...
https://auroraautodesign.com/products/blackbird-fa...
They're basically just leatherette and Velcro, but to my eyes they look pretty good. I decided to have a go at making something similar.
The biggest challenge seemed to be getting the holes the right shape and in the right place. I mocked up the size and angle of the tubing in TinkerCAD and then 3D printed a little plastic template that I could use to transfer the hole cutouts onto material.
I picked up a large length of black leatherette and began experimenting. I found that I needed something with a bit of rigidity to mount the material on to hide the original holes, but nothing too stiff as it needed to bend around the original trim. In the end I settled on HDPE plastic in the form of some leftover damp-proof course membrane that I had in the garage.
I used my 3D printed template to mark out the hole cutouts on the DPM, then bonded it to the leatherette before wrapping each of the edges over. I don't own a sewing machine so I opted to just use glue.
The holes were the same process, but with lots of tiny cuts.
I used self adhesive Velcro to attach them to the car. This worked great as it allows you to reposition the covers as you manipulate them into the right place.
Given my lack of previous experience with anything upholstery based I'm quite pleased with the result. It's certainly an improvement over the holes, and the plastic sheet underneath the leatherette has done a good job of disguising the missing pieces underneath.
https://auroraautodesign.com/products/blackbird-fa...
They're basically just leatherette and Velcro, but to my eyes they look pretty good. I decided to have a go at making something similar.
The biggest challenge seemed to be getting the holes the right shape and in the right place. I mocked up the size and angle of the tubing in TinkerCAD and then 3D printed a little plastic template that I could use to transfer the hole cutouts onto material.
I picked up a large length of black leatherette and began experimenting. I found that I needed something with a bit of rigidity to mount the material on to hide the original holes, but nothing too stiff as it needed to bend around the original trim. In the end I settled on HDPE plastic in the form of some leftover damp-proof course membrane that I had in the garage.
I used my 3D printed template to mark out the hole cutouts on the DPM, then bonded it to the leatherette before wrapping each of the edges over. I don't own a sewing machine so I opted to just use glue.
The holes were the same process, but with lots of tiny cuts.
I used self adhesive Velcro to attach them to the car. This worked great as it allows you to reposition the covers as you manipulate them into the right place.
Given my lack of previous experience with anything upholstery based I'm quite pleased with the result. It's certainly an improvement over the holes, and the plastic sheet underneath the leatherette has done a good job of disguising the missing pieces underneath.
Edited by Accelebrate on Tuesday 14th July 15:23
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