MX5 shimmy!!

Author
Discussion

growlerkat

Original Poster:

50 posts

194 months

Wednesday 11th June 2008
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Hi all,
I've had my car for just over a week now and the first thing that springs to mind is why the hell didn't I get one of these cars years ago!!! What fun it is! Is there a Haynes manual for it-I can't seem to find one. I don't know if it's because i have got used to front wheel drive,but i have noticed that it does a shimmy when it goes over a pothole or a bump.Is this scuttle shake?? What can I do about it? The tyres seem ok-it had 2 new tyres on the back.Any advice?? I don't miss my 206GTi at all-this is so much more fun!!!! biggrin

Kinky

39,574 posts

270 months

Wednesday 11th June 2008
quotequote all
Assuming it's a MK1 .... and a 1.6 ....

http://www.veloce.co.uk/shop/products/productDetai...

Congrats on the buy thumbup

K

growlerkat

Original Poster:

50 posts

194 months

Wednesday 11th June 2008
quotequote all
Oh not again! I couldn't find one for my old XJ-S either! It's a 2004 1.8i.

mx5 Addict

39 posts

194 months

Wednesday 11th June 2008
quotequote all
Hi, theres a manual called Rod's enthusiasts work manual, much more detailed than a haynes. good luck and enjoy the car.

anonymous-user

55 months

Wednesday 11th June 2008
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Not sure if there's a manual for a Mk2. A lot of the car is common with the Mk1 so Rod's manual should help most tasks.

The "shimmy" is scuttle shake yes. One of the best ways to reduce this is to fit a Hard Dog roll bar. Another option is a Flyin Miata butterfly brace, but I'm not sure how much bracing is already in place on an 04. Lazza?

MX-5 Lazza

7,952 posts

220 months

Wednesday 11th June 2008
quotequote all
An 04 1.8 shouldn't suffer too much from scuttle shake. If you feel it too much then I'd suspect:
Alignment - Getting a full alignment done somewhere that knows what they are doing (I'm thinking Wheel-in-motion here) can make massive improvements.
Tyres - What tyres do you have? How new?
Tyre pressures - Should be 26-27psi.

If those things are addressed and are perfect and you still feel a shake then you should start looking at additional chassis braces.

growlerkat

Original Poster:

50 posts

194 months

Thursday 12th June 2008
quotequote all
Thanks! Where are wheels in motion? The tyres are Bridgestone Turanza 195/50R15 82V. The first thing I checked was the tyre pressure-30 all round.There are 2 new ones on the back and the fronts look ok. I would like to get it sorted if I can then I will have to contact my insurance to increase the limited mileage!! laugh

Munter

31,319 posts

242 months

Thursday 12th June 2008
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On my MK1 there is a significant difference between running pressures at 26 and 28-30. 26 gives a lot smoother ride. So if they are running 30 psi I'd suggest dropping them down. But only do it when the tyres are cold (as in you have not been driving the car not as in freezing)....;)

anonymous-user

55 months

Thursday 12th June 2008
quotequote all
Yup, 26psi all round on a Mk1, don't see why a Mk2 would be much different, the weight isn't *that* much higher. WIM is in Chesham and highly recommended. Worth travelling for.

pmanson

13,382 posts

254 months

Thursday 12th June 2008
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LexSport said:
Yup, 26psi all round on a Mk1, don't see why a Mk2 would be much different, the weight isn't *that* much higher. WIM is in Chesham and highly recommended. Worth travelling for.
I've booked amy's in with Tony on sat 21st. looking forward to it!

MX-5 Lazza

7,952 posts

220 months

Thursday 12th June 2008
quotequote all
I run my tyres at 27psi hot. However, if you have Toyo or Pirelli tyres then the soft side-walls might mean you will want 28-30psi to help the steering response. Bridgestones & Pirelli tend to have harder side-walls, like Goodyear F1, so 26-27psi should be fine. If you have Dunlops... well it really doesn't matter what pressure you use, they will be rubbish anyway eek

Munter

31,319 posts

242 months

Friday 13th June 2008
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If you're interested in what Dunlop tyres have to say about tyres a guy from dunlop came on this thread and offered to send out an article on tyre wear. I guess they might have others as well.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

skinny

5,269 posts

236 months

Friday 13th June 2008
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i'm still looking to try dunlops next...wink

MX-5 Lazza

7,952 posts

220 months

Friday 13th June 2008
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skinny said:
i'm still looking to try dunlops next...wink
But not Sport SP2000 - please say you don't want to try them!!! Anyway, I thought you were going to try PE2s!

skinny

5,269 posts

236 months

Friday 13th June 2008
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sport fast response or something like that - look very good according to mytyres. depends what i can get in 14's - the PE2's are too expensive in that size. then again i might get some more 15's for my road rims instead and then i'm back to square 1!! biggrin

MKH9130

4,121 posts

209 months

Saturday 14th June 2008
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mx5 Addict said:
Hi, theres a manual called Rod's enthusiasts work manual, much more detailed than a haynes. good luck and enjoy the car.
I've got Rods manual and indeed it is FAR better than any Haynes offering!

growlerkat

Original Poster:

50 posts

194 months

Saturday 14th June 2008
quotequote all
Thanks for the advice,I will try reducing the tyre pressures and see what happens if not I will take a trip over to chesham methinks! What a drag!!!! biggrin (not!)