2005 MX5 'Launch Edition' BBR Super 200
Discussion
snotrag said:
Shappers24 said:
I had a 2008 NC...
... I’ve been spoilt by turbo cars and would miss the low down torque… I guess that’s where the BBR turbo kits come in…
On the assumption that your NC was standard - dont automatically think the turbo is needed. When you do the manifold change and get the ECU unlocked the 2.0 litre NC is a much, much more tractable engine, from low down, and you also get full power in the lower gears (Full throttle in a standard car is not actually full throttle in 1st, 2nd and 3rd). ... I’ve been spoilt by turbo cars and would miss the low down torque… I guess that’s where the BBR turbo kits come in…
This is dangerous, the classifieds are calling me…
Lovely looking MX5, the BBR SS kit really does make a huge difference to them. My brother bought an NC 3.5 Venture (based on the 2.0 Sport, with the folding hard top) last year and has had the BBR SS kit put on it, transformed the engine, plenty of power now and much more pleasant to drive, he has also had a full stainless exhaust with a 200 cell sports cat put on (no idea which one but it has removable baffles in the back box if you want more noise, he’s left them in as it sounds just right now, like an old school Italian sports car but not too loud and doesn’t drone at motorway speeds), he had Meister coil overs and RX8 anti roll bars fitted and a full geometry setup done, handles perfectly, lowered just enough and actually rides much nicer than stock (much better dampening). He done some other bits and bobs (sound dreading in the boot and under the roof compartment and in the doors, much quieter on the motorway, the seat lowering brackets, a decent Pioneer double din head unit with CarPlay and AndroidAuto, some nice JBL speakers in the doors, had the orig wheels refurbed a darker colour and some spacers so it sits right, he does want different wheels at some point though, full rust proofing done at Penryn Garage, car only has 20k on it and looks like it’s never seen salted roads). Bang for buck it’s one of the most fun and rewarding cars I’ve ever driven.
Here’s a pic of him and my niece out for a blast in it the other week in North Wales taken by one of those car spotter people who post pics of cars on the Evo triangle roads in NW
Here’s a pic of him and my niece out for a blast in it the other week in North Wales taken by one of those car spotter people who post pics of cars on the Evo triangle roads in NW
Griff74 said:
Lovely looking MX5, the BBR SS kit really does make a huge difference to them. My brother bought an NC 3.5 Venture (based on the 2.0 Sport, with the folding hard top) last year and has had the BBR SS kit put on it, transformed the engine, plenty of power now and much more pleasant to drive, he has also had a full stainless exhaust with a 200 cell sports cat put on (no idea which one but it has removable baffles in the back box if you want more noise, he’s left them in as it sounds just right now, like an old school Italian sports car but not too loud and doesn’t drone at motorway speeds), he had Meister coil overs and RX8 anti roll bars fitted and a full geometry setup done, handles perfectly, lowered just enough and actually rides much nicer than stock (much better dampening). He done some other bits and bobs (sound dreading in the boot and under the roof compartment and in the doors, much quieter on the motorway, the seat lowering brackets, a decent Pioneer double din head unit with CarPlay and AndroidAuto, some nice JBL speakers in the doors, had the orig wheels refurbed a darker colour and some spacers so it sits right, he does want different wheels at some point though, full rust proofing done at Penryn Garage, car only has 20k on it and looks like it’s never seen salted roads). Bang for buck it’s one of the most fun and rewarding cars I’ve ever driven.
Here’s a pic of him and my niece out for a blast in it the other week in North Wales taken by one of those car spotter people who post pics of cars on the Evo triangle roads in NW
Interesting thoughts and a lovely MX5 your brother has there Here’s a pic of him and my niece out for a blast in it the other week in North Wales taken by one of those car spotter people who post pics of cars on the Evo triangle roads in NW
Edited by TameRacingDriver on Saturday 28th May 16:11
TameRacingDriver said:
Interesting thoughts and a lovely MX5 your brother has there
It really is such a fun car to drive, and can be used properly on the road without breaking the law or driving dangerously, though we do intend to track it this year which should be fun!Edited by TameRacingDriver on Saturday 28th May 16:11
He’s considered changing it for a Cayman or Boxster but just doesn’t see how he would get 3-4 times more enjoyment out of one compared to the MX5 for the 3-4 times cost to buy one (let alone the running and upgrade costs for one!).
Griff74 said:
It really is such a fun car to drive, and can be used properly on the road without breaking the law or driving dangerously, though we do intend to track it this year which should be fun!
He’s considered changing it for a Cayman or Boxster but just doesn’t see how he would get 3-4 times more enjoyment out of one compared to the MX5 for the 3-4 times cost to buy one (let alone the running and upgrade costs for one!).
Exactly, that is one thing that impresses me most about it, is the fact it's always fun even when not breaking the limit, though it is more than capable of doing so.He’s considered changing it for a Cayman or Boxster but just doesn’t see how he would get 3-4 times more enjoyment out of one compared to the MX5 for the 3-4 times cost to buy one (let alone the running and upgrade costs for one!).
As for the Boxster, that's what I came from, and I'm getting more fun and enjoyment out of the mx5, make of that what you will
the Boxster does have a certain feel good factor given it's a porsche, it's certainly a lovely engine, and it does have a better ride and more refinement, but otherwise the mx5 is hands down better to drive for me.Great thread, not sure how I missed it previously.
I remember messaging you years ago when I had an RS Limited.
Funny we are both in super 200's now.
I often contemplate going the opposite way to a Boxster, (entirely for the flat 6) but very interesting to read your views. Gerraint Thomas who has a similar thread also said stay with the BBR.
Otherwise ITB’s are often on my mind but I’m worried it could be a step too far.
Off for a spin, will upload a pic later
I remember messaging you years ago when I had an RS Limited.
Funny we are both in super 200's now.
I often contemplate going the opposite way to a Boxster, (entirely for the flat 6) but very interesting to read your views. Gerraint Thomas who has a similar thread also said stay with the BBR.
Otherwise ITB’s are often on my mind but I’m worried it could be a step too far.
Off for a spin, will upload a pic later
Edited by buccal on Saturday 11th June 15:04
buccal said:
Great thread, not sure how I missed it previously.
I remember messaging you years ago when I had an RS Limited.
Funny we are both in super 200's now.
I often contemplate going the opposite way to a Boxster, (entirely for the flat 6) but very interesting to read your views. Gerraint Thomas who has a similar thread also said stay with the BBR.
Otherwise ITB’s are often on my mind but I’m worried it could be a step too far.
Off for a spin, will upload a pic later
We must both have impeccable taste I remember messaging you years ago when I had an RS Limited.
Funny we are both in super 200's now.
I often contemplate going the opposite way to a Boxster, (entirely for the flat 6) but very interesting to read your views. Gerraint Thomas who has a similar thread also said stay with the BBR.
Otherwise ITB’s are often on my mind but I’m worried it could be a step too far.
Off for a spin, will upload a pic later
I must confess I do wish in a way I'd had a little more time with the Boxster, as I felt it was cut short prematurely, but it's definitely a more sensible, laid back type of car. As standard they are quite muted as well, I had mine booked in for bypass valves 3 days after the accident happened, so I never got to find out what that would have been like, but I think it would have made all the difference.
I'm always thinking about ITBs as well, but like you, wonder if it would be too much, and also, I have better things to spend that sort of money on at this stage - the most important thing will be to make sure the bodywork is sorted before winter, so that if I do decide to go that route, the car is fundamentally sound.
I've just been out just now, great fun as always. Enjoy!
TameRacingDriver said:
buccal said:
Great thread, not sure how I missed it previously.
I remember messaging you years ago when I had an RS Limited.
Funny we are both in super 200's now.
I often contemplate going the opposite way to a Boxster, (entirely for the flat 6) but very interesting to read your views. Gerraint Thomas who has a similar thread also said stay with the BBR.
Otherwise ITB’s are often on my mind but I’m worried it could be a step too far.
Off for a spin, will upload a pic later
We must both have impeccable taste I remember messaging you years ago when I had an RS Limited.
Funny we are both in super 200's now.
I often contemplate going the opposite way to a Boxster, (entirely for the flat 6) but very interesting to read your views. Gerraint Thomas who has a similar thread also said stay with the BBR.
Otherwise ITB’s are often on my mind but I’m worried it could be a step too far.
Off for a spin, will upload a pic later
I must confess I do wish in a way I'd had a little more time with the Boxster, as I felt it was cut short prematurely, but it's definitely a more sensible, laid back type of car. As standard they are quite muted as well, I had mine booked in for bypass valves 3 days after the accident happened, so I never got to find out what that would have been like, but I think it would have made all the difference.
I'm always thinking about ITBs as well, but like you, wonder if it would be too much, and also, I have better things to spend that sort of money on at this stage - the most important thing will be to make sure the bodywork is sorted before winter, so that if I do decide to go that route, the car is fundamentally sound.
I've just been out just now, great fun as always. Enjoy!
Your's looks a cracker and I bet the BBR kit makes a huge difference. Love a revvy 4 pot.
You mentioned on the other thread about getting it rust proofed. If you're looking for someone to do the work, I can highly recommend Stagshaw Land Rover on Team Valley. They're a Dinitrol agent and do a proper process that takes about a week. When I spoke to various other local companies about this work, the vast majority seemed to do nothing more than spray some gunk over the underside, with no prior clean up which sounds a recipe for disaster. Cheap for a reason I think. Stagshaw did our Porsche last year and I got a 10 page report at the end of it. I was quite impressed!
Hi mate. The boxster was written off about 3 months ago, I was driving down the A68 when I was hit by one of these 'objects' from this tractor going the other way, at a pretty high closing speed.
Very annoying but what can you do. I got the insurance details, they paid out and that was that.
Thanks for the tip about the undersealing. I understand it won't be cheap but what sort of price ball park should I expect if you know?
Very annoying but what can you do. I got the insurance details, they paid out and that was that.
Thanks for the tip about the undersealing. I understand it won't be cheap but what sort of price ball park should I expect if you know?
Jeez. Bet that was scary!
I paid about £700 I think. The idea is that it’s done properly once and then inspected annually with areas patched if necessary.
You can get it done much cheaper but I wanted it doing properly which will always take a few days because of drying times between stages. You can DIY it too but it’s a messy job and I think I’d only contemplate it if I had a full height ramp.
I paid about £700 I think. The idea is that it’s done properly once and then inspected annually with areas patched if necessary.
You can get it done much cheaper but I wanted it doing properly which will always take a few days because of drying times between stages. You can DIY it too but it’s a messy job and I think I’d only contemplate it if I had a full height ramp.
I was more annoyed at the time than anything else and once I'd regained my composure I turned around and caught them up. I didn't really expect it to be a write off at the time but clearly a combination of the cars age and Porsche tax for parts meant it was inevitable. At least I got only slightly less than I paid which was good.
£700 isn't as bad as I thought. I was expecting over £1k for a proper job. I'll give them a buzz before the summer is out and get it booked in. Thanks for the heads up.
£700 isn't as bad as I thought. I was expecting over £1k for a proper job. I'll give them a buzz before the summer is out and get it booked in. Thanks for the heads up.
I may have identified an issue. The oil usage seems very much on the high side, my early estimates are around the 1.5 - 2 litre / 1000 miles mark. If I were to pin a number on it, I'd say around 1.8 litres / 1000.
Now, I do drive it hard, always using the revs (it's what MX5s are about after all). It is at the end of the day, a 17 year old engine, with 137K on the clock, and running 40 bhp more than stock, so maybe this is to be expected, but I'd probably suggest it should use less, what do you think? I am keeping a weekly eye on it so no danger of it going low, but still. I have read on the grapevine that these early NC engines do like a drink of the black stuff when being used hard.
Most likely I'll ring my local MX5 specialist this week for advice, but there we have it. While it's there, I'll get them to give the whole car a once over, make sure everything else is tip top, and enquire about their own rust treatment service.
On another note, I heard a classic Mini going up the road, and it was clearly running ITBs, and now it's made me want those even more
Now, I do drive it hard, always using the revs (it's what MX5s are about after all). It is at the end of the day, a 17 year old engine, with 137K on the clock, and running 40 bhp more than stock, so maybe this is to be expected, but I'd probably suggest it should use less, what do you think? I am keeping a weekly eye on it so no danger of it going low, but still. I have read on the grapevine that these early NC engines do like a drink of the black stuff when being used hard.
Most likely I'll ring my local MX5 specialist this week for advice, but there we have it. While it's there, I'll get them to give the whole car a once over, make sure everything else is tip top, and enquire about their own rust treatment service.
On another note, I heard a classic Mini going up the road, and it was clearly running ITBs, and now it's made me want those even more
Had many fun trips out in the MX5 now. Love the performance and handling. I'm getting used to it now, it's a quick car with 200 bhp, the handling is always hilarious fun and the brakes are more than up for the challenge of some hooligan driving on B roads. At the same time, some of my most fun drives are at, or close to the NSL. It's not a car that requires you to drive at warp speed, which is one thing I love about it, so it's a great car for enjoying on British B roads.
Networkgeek will be pleased to know I've decided to do some small cosmetic modifications to scale back on the non-OEM chrome, which were the tail light surrounds, wing mirror trims and the "cheesegrater" Lockwood Grille. Basically the car looks completely standard (LE) now other than being slightly lowered, and all the better for it IMO.
Grille before: -
Grille after: -
Grille after being washed (as well as I could before the football started): -
Lights before: -
Lights after: -
Unfortunately I've spotted some bodywork issues, such as what appears to be rust forming around the indicator on one side (BTW, I have the original orange flashers, I was tempted to swap back to those??): -
And there's some weird bubbling / paint flaking appearing on the tailgate. My plan was to take this to get rust treatment before the winter properly sets in, so I might have to get this seen to as well: -
After I washed it, I couldn't help myself but take some photos of it in it's current state. Still looks quite good for 17 years and 137K!
Next steps are for this car are get the rust treatment and health check done in October just to be sure the car is generally sound and worth investing time and money in. I really hope it is as I absolutely adore it, such a blast to drive.
Then I am thinking about a few mods. Exhaust is one, but I have to be careful here, it would be easy to make it too loud along with that manifold I reckon, as it already sounds pretty rorty even as completely standard. I could potentially gain 5 bhp though, and a better look than the current "pea shooter" exhausts. I am thinking of something like the below (debadged looks pretty cool also but likely to leave a ghost image after so long): -
I'd also like to investigate the possibility of a modded final drive ratio for shorter gears as I reckon that would be hilarious (I'm advised the FD from a 1.8 LSD model should do it), and potentially a lightweight flywheel.
Other mods will be quality of life upgrades, like a touch screen Android Auto stereo, refurb the seats, gas/service the AC, clean/replace the soft top (I will sell the hard top to fund this), get some bodywork done and enjoy.
I still keep thinking of ITBs though
All in all I am enjoying the journey with this car, and for the first time I am genuinely pondering whether I could ever sell it.
Networkgeek will be pleased to know I've decided to do some small cosmetic modifications to scale back on the non-OEM chrome, which were the tail light surrounds, wing mirror trims and the "cheesegrater" Lockwood Grille. Basically the car looks completely standard (LE) now other than being slightly lowered, and all the better for it IMO.
Grille before: -
Grille after: -
Grille after being washed (as well as I could before the football started
): -Lights before: -
Lights after: -
Unfortunately I've spotted some bodywork issues, such as what appears to be rust forming around the indicator on one side (BTW, I have the original orange flashers, I was tempted to swap back to those??): -
And there's some weird bubbling / paint flaking appearing on the tailgate. My plan was to take this to get rust treatment before the winter properly sets in, so I might have to get this seen to as well: -
After I washed it, I couldn't help myself but take some photos of it in it's current state. Still looks quite good for 17 years and 137K!
Next steps are for this car are get the rust treatment and health check done in October just to be sure the car is generally sound and worth investing time and money in. I really hope it is as I absolutely adore it, such a blast to drive.
Then I am thinking about a few mods. Exhaust is one, but I have to be careful here, it would be easy to make it too loud along with that manifold I reckon, as it already sounds pretty rorty even as completely standard. I could potentially gain 5 bhp though, and a better look than the current "pea shooter" exhausts. I am thinking of something like the below (debadged looks pretty cool also but likely to leave a ghost image after so long): -
I'd also like to investigate the possibility of a modded final drive ratio for shorter gears as I reckon that would be hilarious (I'm advised the FD from a 1.8 LSD model should do it), and potentially a lightweight flywheel.
Other mods will be quality of life upgrades, like a touch screen Android Auto stereo, refurb the seats, gas/service the AC, clean/replace the soft top (I will sell the hard top to fund this), get some bodywork done and enjoy.
I still keep thinking of ITBs though
All in all I am enjoying the journey with this car, and for the first time I am genuinely pondering whether I could ever sell it.
Nice one, I loved mine for the same reasons. Still thinking about replacing Elise with an S2000 or, a really nice late NC3, ~200hp, light wheels, ohlins maybe, would be amazing and shows how highly I think of them. Your number 1 priority needs to be to get underneath it and get any rot (there WILL be some) sorted and the car protected before Autumn.
After that, backbox - just be very wary of which you buy. Do not buy the Cobra, either option - as even the 'road' version with a manifold will be very loud.
The BBR GT or the Cobalt work well when a manifold is used. Mine was Racing Beat manifold>Standard mid section and Cat>Cobalt. Quite noisy, very burbly, occasional flames
With Cobra it was like open headers into your ears, I like loud but it was not cool. Pinged trackday limitds.
After that, backbox - just be very wary of which you buy. Do not buy the Cobra, either option - as even the 'road' version with a manifold will be very loud.
The BBR GT or the Cobalt work well when a manifold is used. Mine was Racing Beat manifold>Standard mid section and Cat>Cobalt. Quite noisy, very burbly, occasional flames
With Cobra it was like open headers into your ears, I like loud but it was not cool. Pinged trackday limitds.
TameRacingDriver said:
a modded final drive ratio for shorter gears as I reckon that would be hilarious (I'm advised the FD from a 1.8 LSD model should do it),
Not quite - 1.8 NCs are open diff. You want the LSD from a 5 speed, 2 litre manual. Buy the whole lot in its casing and its a straight swap and a usefully lower final drive. Bit buzzy on the motorway. Snotrag, thanks for the useful info, much appreciated. I'd figured that I may have to go for a quieter exhaust for this setup, although in all honesty I may not bother, the last owner also thought about doing it and decided against it... We'll see.
Indeed though the priority is to get it rust treated (I'm expecting a big bill for this) and just make sure everything is all ok and then maybe start modifying it to my tastes next year.
However it drives so well now that honestly I don't think it needs too much really. Your praise for them is high praise indeed given the cars you've owned.
Indeed though the priority is to get it rust treated (I'm expecting a big bill for this) and just make sure everything is all ok and then maybe start modifying it to my tastes next year.
However it drives so well now that honestly I don't think it needs too much really. Your praise for them is high praise indeed given the cars you've owned.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff