My new car, advice needed...
Discussion
First off I’d like to say hi to everyone as this is my first post on PistonHeads!
I have just become the owner of a mk1 1992 1.6 mx5, I have been after getting one for a while and my work situation has finally changed for the better and I can now afford to run a weekend toy, and I’m lovin it!
Anyway, I digress slightly; I would like to turn it into a project, with the end goal of going to meets, shows and races.
As I have only just got it and although it has a very healthy 10 month MOT with it I would like to take it to an mx5 specialist for a full on service and wheel alignment.
I feel that it would be wise, just so I know that the important stuff is all present and correct and as it should be!
Do any of you fine people know of any trusted garages/service centres that I can take it to?
My second piece of advice that I seek is this,
Once the above has been achieved I would like to take a look at improving the speed and response of the car, give it a little more oomph off the mark and once that is done I will then move onto the handling aspects of the car.
I will be doing all of this bit by bit but as it’s the first time I’ve done this to a car I need some advice, (where to start on the engine, what parts to get, what to look out for etc..)
So any friendly advice (or unfriendly, I won’t bite) will be much appreciated!
Thank you all in advance!
I have just become the owner of a mk1 1992 1.6 mx5, I have been after getting one for a while and my work situation has finally changed for the better and I can now afford to run a weekend toy, and I’m lovin it!
Anyway, I digress slightly; I would like to turn it into a project, with the end goal of going to meets, shows and races.
As I have only just got it and although it has a very healthy 10 month MOT with it I would like to take it to an mx5 specialist for a full on service and wheel alignment.
I feel that it would be wise, just so I know that the important stuff is all present and correct and as it should be!
Do any of you fine people know of any trusted garages/service centres that I can take it to?
My second piece of advice that I seek is this,
Once the above has been achieved I would like to take a look at improving the speed and response of the car, give it a little more oomph off the mark and once that is done I will then move onto the handling aspects of the car.
I will be doing all of this bit by bit but as it’s the first time I’ve done this to a car I need some advice, (where to start on the engine, what parts to get, what to look out for etc..)
So any friendly advice (or unfriendly, I won’t bite) will be much appreciated!
Thank you all in advance!
Mrmagicdan said:
My second piece of advice that I seek is this,
Once the above has been achieved I would like to take a look at improving the speed and response of the car, give it a little more oomph off the mark and once that is done I will then move onto the handling aspects of the car.
I will be doing all of this bit by bit but as it’s the first time I’ve done this to a car I need some advice, (where to start on the engine, what parts to get, what to look out for etc..)
So any friendly advice (or unfriendly, I won’t bite) will be much appreciated!
Thank you all in advance!
WelcomeOnce the above has been achieved I would like to take a look at improving the speed and response of the car, give it a little more oomph off the mark and once that is done I will then move onto the handling aspects of the car.
I will be doing all of this bit by bit but as it’s the first time I’ve done this to a car I need some advice, (where to start on the engine, what parts to get, what to look out for etc..)
So any friendly advice (or unfriendly, I won’t bite) will be much appreciated!
Thank you all in advance!
Your second point: what do you want to achieve? Fast road?
Research suspensions, tyres, brakes...
Mrmagicdan said:
My second piece of advice that I seek is this,
Once the above has been achieved I would like to take a look at improving the speed and response of the car, give it a little more oomph off the mark and once that is done I will then move onto the handling aspects of the car.
I will be doing all of this bit by bit but as it’s the first time I’ve done this to a car I need some advice, (where to start on the engine, what parts to get, what to look out for etc..)
So any friendly advice (or unfriendly, I won’t bite) will be much appreciated!
Sell it and buy something that does what you want without bolting on aftermarket bits.Once the above has been achieved I would like to take a look at improving the speed and response of the car, give it a little more oomph off the mark and once that is done I will then move onto the handling aspects of the car.
I will be doing all of this bit by bit but as it’s the first time I’ve done this to a car I need some advice, (where to start on the engine, what parts to get, what to look out for etc..)
So any friendly advice (or unfriendly, I won’t bite) will be much appreciated!
I'll get a slating for saying that here, but it's more often than not the best answer to your question.
Edited by HeatonNorris on Monday 7th May 16:40
Tyrewrecker said:
Mrmagicdan said:
My second piece of advice that I seek is this,
Once the above has been achieved I would like to take a look at improving the speed and response of the car, give it a little more oomph off the mark and once that is done I will then move onto the handling aspects of the car.
I will be doing all of this bit by bit but as it’s the first time I’ve done this to a car I need some advice, (where to start on the engine, what parts to get, what to look out for etc..)
So any friendly advice (or unfriendly, I won’t bite) will be much appreciated!
Thank you all in advance!
WelcomeOnce the above has been achieved I would like to take a look at improving the speed and response of the car, give it a little more oomph off the mark and once that is done I will then move onto the handling aspects of the car.
I will be doing all of this bit by bit but as it’s the first time I’ve done this to a car I need some advice, (where to start on the engine, what parts to get, what to look out for etc..)
So any friendly advice (or unfriendly, I won’t bite) will be much appreciated!
Thank you all in advance!
Your second point: what do you want to achieve? Fast road?
Research suspensions, tyres, brakes...
te, id be better off using my phone!All I’m after with my potential engine mods is an increase in power and a quicker blast through the gears, I feel that as it is, it’s lacking a, little something!
One thing I don’t want to do though is mess around too much and destroy the original feel of the car, I just want to enhance the driving pleasure and give it the little extra power I think it deserves!
But as I’ve said I’m very new to this and although my knowledge of cars in general is fairly good, my firsthand experience at modding cars is zero!
HeatonNorris said:
Mrmagicdan said:
My second piece of advice that I seek is this,
Once the above has been achieved I would like to take a look at improving the speed and response of the car, give it a little more oomph off the mark and once that is done I will then move onto the handling aspects of the car.
I will be doing all of this bit by bit but as it’s the first time I’ve done this to a car I need some advice, (where to start on the engine, what parts to get, what to look out for etc..)
So any friendly advice (or unfriendly, I won’t bite) will be much appreciated!
Sell it and buy something that does what you want without bolting on aftermarket bits.Once the above has been achieved I would like to take a look at improving the speed and response of the car, give it a little more oomph off the mark and once that is done I will then move onto the handling aspects of the car.
I will be doing all of this bit by bit but as it’s the first time I’ve done this to a car I need some advice, (where to start on the engine, what parts to get, what to look out for etc..)
So any friendly advice (or unfriendly, I won’t bite) will be much appreciated!
I'll get a slating for saying that here, but it's more often than not the best answer to your question.
Edited by HeatonNorris on Monday 7th May 16:40
All I’m looking to do is slightly improve the speed and response but without ruining it,
In terms of increasing performance on mx5s you are fairly limited... the stock engines are pretty much maxed out as stock...and ECUs are locked down unless you fancy sending it to the states.
Ofc you can do exhaust, induction kit, 14 degree timing mod (on a mk1) and a few other little bits, but you are looking at 5-10bhp gain maximum really.
The tried and true method is turboing and supercharging, depending on your patience this can be done for as little as £2k (turbo) if you collect bits yourself and are willing to weild the spanners.
Others have, and will say this, but a decent geo setup, new tyres, and good brakes mean you can carry more speed in corners and push the car further
Ofc you can do exhaust, induction kit, 14 degree timing mod (on a mk1) and a few other little bits, but you are looking at 5-10bhp gain maximum really.
The tried and true method is turboing and supercharging, depending on your patience this can be done for as little as £2k (turbo) if you collect bits yourself and are willing to weild the spanners.
Others have, and will say this, but a decent geo setup, new tyres, and good brakes mean you can carry more speed in corners and push the car further
For wheel alignment, Wheels in Motion in Chesham are the MX5 gurus, so not a massive distance. Expect to pay at least £100 for a custom job to your driving style though. Alternatively just google fast road alignment settings and take them to any local tyre centre with laser alignment, a Hunter unit or similar. DO NOT get fobbed off on just getting tracking done, MX's need front caster, camber and toe, and rear camber and toe to be spot on to the settings.
As others have said 4 new tyres of same type will be a good investment and performance mod.
As others have said 4 new tyres of same type will be a good investment and performance mod.
When you say "races" I'm guessing you mean track days as there aren't many race MX5s that are suitable for much else other than racing, not with any degree of comfort anyway.
Assuming that, I'd alter the order you are doing things:
1) Rag it. The engines are bullet proof, love revs and the power is all in the top end so if you feel it is lacking something, are you really getting the most out of it? If you are changing gear before about 6500 you are missing out on a fair bit of power and a lot of fun. That said, if you are expecting it to keep up with a modern hot hatch (or even a warm diesel) then you will be disapointed. These cars are all about twisty roads though so forget about the traffic light grand prix and head for the back roads for some real fun.
2) Power is nothing without control. Get the suspension sorted before thinking about power.
3) Use it. i.e. head for a good track (Abingdon Airfield is a good safe starting place) and give it a thrashing. Only then will you have any idea what it really needs next.
4) Power. Other than keeping it well serviced I'd forget about more power unless you go for forced induction otherwise it's very expensive for relatively little gain. An induction kit and exhaust back box will let it rev a bit better and will sound good. Just don't expect any real improvement.
Before all that though, I agree with you that getting a good service would be the best 1st step. If you have a toolset and know how to hold a spanner most of it is easy to DIY. Change the oil (Mobil1 0W-40 is my tip), coolant, oil, air & fuel filters, thermostat, rad cap (give the oil & coolant a good flush first) and spark plugs. I'd change the leads too. Check the brake pads and make sure the callipers aren't sticking (spin the wheels to make sure there is no excessive drag) and change the brake fluid.
A good garage should be able to check that the air temp sensor is working and Air Flow Meter is properly adjusted too which will ensure it has as many horses as it can have.
I'm in Wokingham so not far away if you need someone to take a look or give a second opinion on anything.
Assuming that, I'd alter the order you are doing things:
1) Rag it. The engines are bullet proof, love revs and the power is all in the top end so if you feel it is lacking something, are you really getting the most out of it? If you are changing gear before about 6500 you are missing out on a fair bit of power and a lot of fun. That said, if you are expecting it to keep up with a modern hot hatch (or even a warm diesel) then you will be disapointed. These cars are all about twisty roads though so forget about the traffic light grand prix and head for the back roads for some real fun.
2) Power is nothing without control. Get the suspension sorted before thinking about power.
3) Use it. i.e. head for a good track (Abingdon Airfield is a good safe starting place) and give it a thrashing. Only then will you have any idea what it really needs next.
4) Power. Other than keeping it well serviced I'd forget about more power unless you go for forced induction otherwise it's very expensive for relatively little gain. An induction kit and exhaust back box will let it rev a bit better and will sound good. Just don't expect any real improvement.
Before all that though, I agree with you that getting a good service would be the best 1st step. If you have a toolset and know how to hold a spanner most of it is easy to DIY. Change the oil (Mobil1 0W-40 is my tip), coolant, oil, air & fuel filters, thermostat, rad cap (give the oil & coolant a good flush first) and spark plugs. I'd change the leads too. Check the brake pads and make sure the callipers aren't sticking (spin the wheels to make sure there is no excessive drag) and change the brake fluid.
A good garage should be able to check that the air temp sensor is working and Air Flow Meter is properly adjusted too which will ensure it has as many horses as it can have.
I'm in Wokingham so not far away if you need someone to take a look or give a second opinion on anything.
Cheers for the advise lazza, one thing I forgot to mention in my original post was that my plan for slowly modding the mx5 will be some time yet, I was just kind of getting my feelers out there to see what other people think and what they do to there own cars.
The servicing and alignment will be done as soon as then I will just rag it about and enjoy, I'm thinking about an induction kit and exhaust though, not massively expensive and I know they won't get me a huge power increase but they sound good and in my opinion, if your car sounds good (with out sounding like a tricked out nova!) then that's half the battle!
As soon as I get the chance I will book myself in for a track day though, it's been on my to do list for a while (even when I had my E reg micra!)
The servicing and alignment will be done as soon as then I will just rag it about and enjoy, I'm thinking about an induction kit and exhaust though, not massively expensive and I know they won't get me a huge power increase but they sound good and in my opinion, if your car sounds good (with out sounding like a tricked out nova!) then that's half the battle!
As soon as I get the chance I will book myself in for a track day though, it's been on my to do list for a while (even when I had my E reg micra!)
Think it's all been covered since my last post.
First, a good service. Oils, plugs, leads, thermostat and ignition timing is a good start.
Then alignment, followed by matching tyres and then check the brakes are working strong.
Warm it up, get the roof down, enjoy.
I'd suggest getting hold of a good workshop book too to help familiarise yourself with the car.
First, a good service. Oils, plugs, leads, thermostat and ignition timing is a good start.
Then alignment, followed by matching tyres and then check the brakes are working strong.
Warm it up, get the roof down, enjoy.
I'd suggest getting hold of a good workshop book too to help familiarise yourself with the car.
snotrag said:
Think it's all been covered since my last post.
First, a good service. Oils, plugs, leads, thermostat and ignition timing is a good start.
Then alignment, followed by matching tyres and then check the brakes are working strong.
Warm it up, get the roof down, enjoy.
I'd suggest getting hold of a good workshop book too to help familiarise yourself with the car.
Has Rod Grainger published a 1.6 workshop manual yet? Much better than Haynes. The Haynes Restoration book is good for a newbie though. Also highly recommend this:First, a good service. Oils, plugs, leads, thermostat and ignition timing is a good start.
Then alignment, followed by matching tyres and then check the brakes are working strong.
Warm it up, get the roof down, enjoy.
I'd suggest getting hold of a good workshop book too to help familiarise yourself with the car.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mazda-MX-5-Miata-Roadster-...
Really thorough insight into the design and development from the engineers themselves
snotrag said:
Think it's all been covered since my last post.
First, a good service. Oils, plugs, leads, thermostat and ignition timing is a good start.
Then alignment, followed by matching tyres and then check the brakes are working strong.
Warm it up, get the roof down, enjoy.
I'd suggest getting hold of a good workshop book too to help familiarise yourself with the car.
I've been doing that since buying it! I only have the roof up when it's raining! Im also now going the slightly longer way from work, my journey normally involves a duel carriage way but no more! First, a good service. Oils, plugs, leads, thermostat and ignition timing is a good start.
Then alignment, followed by matching tyres and then check the brakes are working strong.
Warm it up, get the roof down, enjoy.
I'd suggest getting hold of a good workshop book too to help familiarise yourself with the car.
If you want to see what mods people do to their cars you are welcome to take a look at mine 
MP62 Supercharger.
TDR Intercooler.
Adaptronic ecu.
GAZ Gold Pro 400/300 suspension.
17" OZ Superturismo wheels. 205/40/17 Toyo T1R tyres.
Also 15" Rota Circuit 10 wheels. 195/50/15 Yoko A048 track tyres.
Stick-on front number plate.
MX5 Mk3 heated leather seats.
Other stuff...
It's quite good fun
MP62 Supercharger.
TDR Intercooler.
Adaptronic ecu.
GAZ Gold Pro 400/300 suspension.
17" OZ Superturismo wheels. 205/40/17 Toyo T1R tyres.
Also 15" Rota Circuit 10 wheels. 195/50/15 Yoko A048 track tyres.
Stick-on front number plate.
MX5 Mk3 heated leather seats.
Other stuff...
It's quite good fun
That sounds like a pretty nice motor! I'm lovin the sound of the mk3 seats, nice touch!
Fancy puttin a couple of pics up?
I was havin a think earlier today about what to do with my number plate as it really gets in the way of the nice curves of the front end, I think I may take a couple of pics and play about with photoshop, see what looks best!
Fancy puttin a couple of pics up?
I was havin a think earlier today about what to do with my number plate as it really gets in the way of the nice curves of the front end, I think I may take a couple of pics and play about with photoshop, see what looks best!
My two pence...
Buy an induction kit for sheer kicks (I just did, its ace!), get the alignment done as it can transform the cars handling (I just did, its ace!), check/replace brakes and tyres (I just did, its ace!). Then just drive it.
Unless you are willing to spend thousands on FI all the mods are going to make zip all difference unless you find yourself in a drag race with the precise same car, and even then at this age, how its looked after will make more difference than anything you do to it.
Wait until the exhaust needs replacing before upgrading it, or stick the cash in the "next car fund" or even better spendit on track days and instruction.
Its not what you want to hear but you will spend far less making yourself faster than your car and that spend is never "lost", you apply it to whatever car you drive in the future too!
This is assuming you are not wanting to turn your car into an out and out racer though...in which case..... start saving.
Buy an induction kit for sheer kicks (I just did, its ace!), get the alignment done as it can transform the cars handling (I just did, its ace!), check/replace brakes and tyres (I just did, its ace!). Then just drive it.
Unless you are willing to spend thousands on FI all the mods are going to make zip all difference unless you find yourself in a drag race with the precise same car, and even then at this age, how its looked after will make more difference than anything you do to it.
Wait until the exhaust needs replacing before upgrading it, or stick the cash in the "next car fund" or even better spendit on track days and instruction.
Its not what you want to hear but you will spend far less making yourself faster than your car and that spend is never "lost", you apply it to whatever car you drive in the future too!
This is assuming you are not wanting to turn your car into an out and out racer though...in which case..... start saving.
Mrmagicdan said:
...I would like to take a look at improving the speed and response of the car, give it a little more oomph off the mark and once that is done I will then move onto the handling aspects of the car...
Good luck with the speed & oomph issue.I had an 06 plate 2.0l mk3 & was surprised at the lack of torque & throttle response. Rather dissapointing, tbh. It had a full Mazda s/h & only 60k on the clock.
All mx-5's handle amazingly well though & are great for posing in summer.
If you want a car with scorching performance get another car. I did.
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