Cheap/Free Mods We All Love?

[Jonny671]

Right, sometimes our '5s are second cars.. For some of us, daily drives.. And some of us just prefer not spending too much at once, aka. Cheapskates!

What free/cheap modifications have you done?

I've just done the foamectamy on the base of my MK2 seat, love it.. Much better!

I also got rid of the footrest as I like to have somewhere to stretch my legs out now and then.

Drilled a few (12) little holes in the base of the airbox, sounds much better and cost nothing.

So what have you done, may get a few ideas from each other

[GravelBen]

14° timing bump is good and free

[Jonny671]

Is this only on MK1's?

[JFReturns]

Clean it.

The elbow grease is free...

[Jonny671]

JFReturns said:

Clean it.

The elbow grease is free...

I clean mine far too often!

The interior does seem to pick up leaves/debris alot easier than my C2 though.

[mrmr96]

Service it. (at least new oil and air filter)
Bleed brakes. (to get fresh fluid into the calipers)
Check tyre pressures. (to get the most out of your tyres)
Lighten it. (remove some unneeded weight to make it faster/nimbler)
Remove sound deadening. (makes it lighter and also noiser, if you like that kind of thing)

[MX-5 Lazza]

Jonny671 said:

The interior does seem to pick up leaves/debris alot easier than my C2 though.

To be fair, you probably have the top down on the MX5 more often than you do with the C2

[Jonny671]

MX-5 Lazza said:

Jonny671 said:

The interior does seem to pick up leaves/debris alot easier than my C2 though.

To be fair, you probably have the top down on the MX5 more often than you do with the C2

Oh yeah!

[Odie]

mrmr96 said:

Service it. (at least new oil and air filter)
Bleed brakes. (to get fresh fluid into the calipers)
Check tyre pressures. (to get the most out of your tyres)
Lighten it. (remove some unneeded weight to make it faster/nimbler)
Remove sound deadening. (makes it lighter and also noiser, if you like that kind of thing)

You could also clean your front brake calipers too and regrease everything up

[DavesBRG5]

Jonny671 said:

Is this only on MK1's?

Doubt it as the OP seems to have a MK2

If you have a UK car remove the useless sunvisors & fit a pair of split ones from a Eunos (£15 ish from Fleabay or a breaker). You can actually see where you`re going with them half down & they don`t get in the way of the hood catches.

Of course if you`re 6 ft + tall just remove them....you won`t need any at all.

Other cheap mods worth doing on a MK1 are the flash to pass & lights on warning buzzer.

[topless_mx5]

Jonny671 said:

I've just done the foamectamy on the base of my MK2 seat, love it.. Much better!

Is this easy to do? What are the benefits, do you sit lower in the car? If so I might give it a go.

Jonny671 said:

Drilled a few (12) little holes in the base of the airbox, sounds much better and cost nothing.

Isn't this just going to feed the engine with hot air?

[Jonny671]

topless_mx5 said:

Jonny671 said:

I've just done the foamectamy on the base of my MK2 seat, love it.. Much better!

Is this easy to do? What are the benefits, do you sit lower in the car? If so I might give it a go.

Jonny671 said:

Drilled a few (12) little holes in the base of the airbox, sounds much better and cost nothing.

Isn't this just going to feed the engine with hot air?

Yep! It's very good to do.. Not so much lower as your only taking an inch or two out of the base, you sit deeper in the seat rather than on it. I didn't do it aswell as I could, and in the end was just tearing chunks out rather than neatly cutting it. Where as on the MK1 they've got a handy base you just take out.

Umm.. It probably will do abit, but the standard snorkle isn't very good, and if you could route a feed to the holes you'd probably see better gains than an induction kit.

[topless_mx5]

Jonny671 said:

topless_mx5 said:

Jonny671 said:

I've just done the foamectamy on the base of my MK2 seat, love it.. Much better!

Is this easy to do? What are the benefits, do you sit lower in the car? If so I might give it a go.

Jonny671 said:

Drilled a few (12) little holes in the base of the airbox, sounds much better and cost nothing.

Isn't this just going to feed the engine with hot air?

Yep! It's very good to do.. Not so much lower as your only taking an inch or two out of the base, you sit deeper in the seat rather than on it. I didn't do it aswell as I could, and in the end was just tearing chunks out rather than neatly cutting it. Where as on the MK1 they've got a handy base you just take out.

Umm.. It probably will do abit, but the standard snorkle isn't very good, and if you could route a feed to the holes you'd probably see better gains than an induction kit.

Any idea how I would take the foam out of the base on the Mk1 seat? I've got the seat with independent headrest. Does the seat need to come out?
And does it decrease comfort much?

[Jonny671]

topless_mx5 said:

Jonny671 said:

topless_mx5 said:

Jonny671 said:

I've just done the foamectamy on the base of my MK2 seat, love it.. Much better!

Is this easy to do? What are the benefits, do you sit lower in the car? If so I might give it a go.

Jonny671 said:

Drilled a few (12) little holes in the base of the airbox, sounds much better and cost nothing.

Isn't this just going to feed the engine with hot air?

Yep! It's very good to do.. Not so much lower as your only taking an inch or two out of the base, you sit deeper in the seat rather than on it. I didn't do it aswell as I could, and in the end was just tearing chunks out rather than neatly cutting it. Where as on the MK1 they've got a handy base you just take out.

Umm.. It probably will do abit, but the standard snorkle isn't very good, and if you could route a feed to the holes you'd probably see better gains than an induction kit.

Any idea how I would take the foam out of the base on the Mk1 seat? I've got the seat with independent headrest. Does the seat need to come out?
And does it decrease comfort much?

Yeah, its easiest to take the seat out.. And is 4 bolts, they may just be quite stuck in.. If you haven't got an air gun, see if a garage will get them out for you as its not worth the swearing and much more swearing to turn the bolts that have been in there for 15+ years

Here is a proper guide;

http://www.miata.net/garage/headroom.html

But, simple terms.. Take the seat out, and open the little metal rings at the bottom of the seat with some pliers (Keep them intact if you can) and start taking foam out until you think you've taken enough out.. Then just put the rings back through the loops and stick the seat back in.

If your on Nutz here is a guide someone else done, its for a single piece seat but its basially the same, same process anyway.

http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5...

No, I much prefer it like this.. The Seats, MK2 I know for a fact.. Have a recess for where you would sit your bum in the seat, so all your doing is taking some of the foam from that recess so you sit deeper into the seat.