Father & son's drop tops-MX5 & Elise
Discussion
Big congratulations to my Dad for seeing the light and buying a car that handles 
he decided that retirement would be a good time for a plaything, so a week and a half after first starting looking, we found the PH answer to every problem in this cracking little MX5 (on Pistonheads funnily enough). Says everything that the previous owner Simon looked heartbroken as it drove off...I really can't believe in how good an order the car is.
Plans are merely to keep it as it has become accustomed (it's currently at a pro-rustproofer being treated), get a decent geo done and enjoy.
It really is a delightful little thing to drive, even needing a geometry setup-the damping is good, the steering pin sharp and well weighted and the engine revvy (if a little quiet-I reckon a decent exhaust & induction would see it sounding a lot fruitier). Oh and the gearbox is superb! Only some scuttle shake and the occasional wobble when hitting a mid corner bump blot the copybook, but to be fair I'm used to a rose jointed, solid mounted Elise, so perhaps an unfair comparison. The MX5 is certainly a great thing to stroke along a bumpy B road at seven tenths.
Gratuitous pictures with my Elise below.
he decided that retirement would be a good time for a plaything, so a week and a half after first starting looking, we found the PH answer to every problem in this cracking little MX5 (on Pistonheads funnily enough). Says everything that the previous owner Simon looked heartbroken as it drove off...I really can't believe in how good an order the car is.Plans are merely to keep it as it has become accustomed (it's currently at a pro-rustproofer being treated), get a decent geo done and enjoy.
It really is a delightful little thing to drive, even needing a geometry setup-the damping is good, the steering pin sharp and well weighted and the engine revvy (if a little quiet-I reckon a decent exhaust & induction would see it sounding a lot fruitier). Oh and the gearbox is superb! Only some scuttle shake and the occasional wobble when hitting a mid corner bump blot the copybook, but to be fair I'm used to a rose jointed, solid mounted Elise, so perhaps an unfair comparison. The MX5 is certainly a great thing to stroke along a bumpy B road at seven tenths.
Gratuitous pictures with my Elise below.
I toyed with the plate for a while but went with it in the end as my car hasn't got a plinth, so the massive normal plate looks a bit...odd.
They're brilliant to drive-however even a bad one with knackered ball joints & dampers will still feel bright so it's always good to find a really well loved one. Went through a few ropey ones before ending up with mine.
They're brilliant to drive-however even a bad one with knackered ball joints & dampers will still feel bright so it's always good to find a really well loved one. Went through a few ropey ones before ending up with mine.
itcaptainslow said:
I toyed with the plate for a while but went with it in the end as my car hasn't got a plinth, so the massive normal plate looks a bit...odd.
They're brilliant to drive-however even a bad one with knackered ball joints & dampers will still feel bright so it's always good to find a really well loved one. Went through a few ropey ones before ending up with mine.
He was talking about the spacing They're brilliant to drive-however even a bad one with knackered ball joints & dampers will still feel bright so it's always good to find a really well loved one. Went through a few ropey ones before ending up with mine.
Looks nice otherwise 
AyBee said:
itcaptainslow said:
I toyed with the plate for a while but went with it in the end as my car hasn't got a plinth, so the massive normal plate looks a bit...odd.
They're brilliant to drive-however even a bad one with knackered ball joints & dampers will still feel bright so it's always good to find a really well loved one. Went through a few ropey ones before ending up with mine.
He was talking about the spacing They're brilliant to drive-however even a bad one with knackered ball joints & dampers will still feel bright so it's always good to find a really well loved one. Went through a few ropey ones before ending up with mine.
Looks nice otherwise What wheels are on the Elise? They look nice.
Topbox said:
AyBee said:
itcaptainslow said:
I toyed with the plate for a while but went with it in the end as my car hasn't got a plinth, so the massive normal plate looks a bit...odd.
They're brilliant to drive-however even a bad one with knackered ball joints & dampers will still feel bright so it's always good to find a really well loved one. Went through a few ropey ones before ending up with mine.
He was talking about the spacing They're brilliant to drive-however even a bad one with knackered ball joints & dampers will still feel bright so it's always good to find a really well loved one. Went through a few ropey ones before ending up with mine.
Looks nice otherwise What wheels are on the Elise? They look nice.
Wheels are magnesium Speedline Corse, IMO not the best looking wheel for the Elise but my gosh they are lightweight!
Spent the past couple of weekend mornings fettling the MX5 on behalf of my Dad, the following have transformed the car;
-New rear discs & pads (the existing pads had loads of material left on them, but the inner face of one of the rear discs was corroded terribly)
-New N/S/F caliper (it was sticking on) & cleaning up and freeing off the other side
-4x new Michelin Pilot Sport tyres
-Rear differential and gearbox oil replacements, the diff oil looked like it had never been done and the gearbox oil wasn't far behind in the filth stakes; the gearchange is now even better!
-Full geometry setup
It's also been professionally undersealed, a job that I had neither the time, patience or inclination to get covered in black sticky crap.
The car is now such a sweet steer, the new tyres in particular have made a massive improvement to the steering feel and balance. It could do with more power, but I totally get why MX5's are revered.
In other news-the Elise has had a stiffer gearbox mount & lower engine brace; can't say I've noticed THAT much difference apart from a tad more vibration through the chassis and maybe a slightly more "controlled" feel to the rear when it moves around under provocation in corners. That said-the gearbox mount was very worn, so perhaps to be expected.
-New rear discs & pads (the existing pads had loads of material left on them, but the inner face of one of the rear discs was corroded terribly)
-New N/S/F caliper (it was sticking on) & cleaning up and freeing off the other side
-4x new Michelin Pilot Sport tyres
-Rear differential and gearbox oil replacements, the diff oil looked like it had never been done and the gearbox oil wasn't far behind in the filth stakes; the gearchange is now even better!
-Full geometry setup
It's also been professionally undersealed, a job that I had neither the time, patience or inclination to get covered in black sticky crap.
The car is now such a sweet steer, the new tyres in particular have made a massive improvement to the steering feel and balance. It could do with more power, but I totally get why MX5's are revered.
In other news-the Elise has had a stiffer gearbox mount & lower engine brace; can't say I've noticed THAT much difference apart from a tad more vibration through the chassis and maybe a slightly more "controlled" feel to the rear when it moves around under provocation in corners. That said-the gearbox mount was very worn, so perhaps to be expected.
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