Back to an MX5 after 2 Elises a BEC and a S2000
Discussion
Hi everyone, well i thought i would tell the tale of my car buying journey that has led me back to the old faithful a MK1 MX5 1.8 Eunos with Torsen LSD
What i will say may suprise some people and maybe not everyone will agree but this is my findings.......I had a Mk1 1.6 with tein suspension in gulf colours about 7 years ago that was just absolutely perfect, i loved that car i had it fully reprayed in gulf colours with bucket seats roll cage etc and I had the suspension aligned to my taste with a quite aggressive setup with 0 toe in and more neg-camber i think it was -2.0 front and -1.5 rear and can honestly say i have never driven a car with less understeer! but some clown ran into me as i was ambling along minding my own business and that was that! written off!!! so i bought my mates mk1 1.8 S special that was mint, it had eibach springs and rebuilt bilsteins but was too soft at the rear and ran out of ideas on a country road and after the accident i kinda fell out with the idea of mx5`s and wanted more performance so i bought my budget dream car a Lotus Elise MK1, i spent a lot of money sorting out the suspension putting Gaz coilovers on it and toyo R888 and getting aligned properly etc etc and great car as it was it was slightly too clinical and had too much grip and not enough power. so i was tempted by a bike engined kit car an MNR R1 which i bought, well after never using it as weather was always iffy on my day off i decided that it was an expensive toy sat in the garage which being honest for the road was a little bit too full on and to chuck it around and make it lose traction have fun etc the speeds were not the sort you can do on public roads without looking like a total fool so out it went....i then bought another Elise this time an S2 111s in bright Red, stunning car quite quick and fantastic handling but again was almost too good in the sense that when you pressed on it would understeer and if you wanted it to slide you had to use the weight transfer and then it would be a snatched slide and not a progressive one. now dont think im some sort of drifter i like the art of car control and i just like a car that interacts and has a good front end and you can feel the back of the car edging out so you can have fun at low speeds without putting anyone at risk just so YOU are actually doing the driving and not the car! so i sold that as for the outlay it wasnt giving me THAT feeling! I then Bought an offroader for different fun and figured a MK2 MX5 1.8 RS would be a great addition, nope!!! great car spoiled by a notchy 6speed gearbox and being a mk2 not as raw as that incredible mk1 that i had! so i sold it to buy an S2000 a car i had always thought would be the perfect recipe, Rev happy engine snappy 6speed box and LSD, how wrong was i yet again!!! kept it 6 months and tried to love it but NO steering feel at all, no feel through the chassis and gave you no warning of any break away and had an annoying kangaroo effect in traffic something to do with fueling when off throttle apparently they all do it! well what a dissapointment!!!! soooo..........3 weeks ago i hate to say it but im back in a Mk1 MX5 1.8 iS with torsen LSD and im going to try my best and replicate what i had with my original because i really do not care who disagrees with me but the mk1 MX5 is NOT a hairdressers car, it is a pure drivers car, more pointy and predictable than an Elise, more surefooted and feelsome than an S2000 more usable and enjoyable than a BEC and in my opinion the best roadster at any price you can find...Anyone who hasnt taken the plunge believe me when i say i have had loads of nice handling fast cars and if there is a better car for handling and sheer grin factor for under £15k then please i am yet to find it! I work with cars and get to drive all sorts of nice stuff all the time and all the heavy, modern artificial steering stuff just makes me yawn i would rather go for a blast in my little MX5 and let the people who dont know take the mick and wonder why i have "downgraded!!!"...there i had to get it off my chest!!!
What i will say may suprise some people and maybe not everyone will agree but this is my findings.......I had a Mk1 1.6 with tein suspension in gulf colours about 7 years ago that was just absolutely perfect, i loved that car i had it fully reprayed in gulf colours with bucket seats roll cage etc and I had the suspension aligned to my taste with a quite aggressive setup with 0 toe in and more neg-camber i think it was -2.0 front and -1.5 rear and can honestly say i have never driven a car with less understeer! but some clown ran into me as i was ambling along minding my own business and that was that! written off!!! so i bought my mates mk1 1.8 S special that was mint, it had eibach springs and rebuilt bilsteins but was too soft at the rear and ran out of ideas on a country road and after the accident i kinda fell out with the idea of mx5`s and wanted more performance so i bought my budget dream car a Lotus Elise MK1, i spent a lot of money sorting out the suspension putting Gaz coilovers on it and toyo R888 and getting aligned properly etc etc and great car as it was it was slightly too clinical and had too much grip and not enough power. so i was tempted by a bike engined kit car an MNR R1 which i bought, well after never using it as weather was always iffy on my day off i decided that it was an expensive toy sat in the garage which being honest for the road was a little bit too full on and to chuck it around and make it lose traction have fun etc the speeds were not the sort you can do on public roads without looking like a total fool so out it went....i then bought another Elise this time an S2 111s in bright Red, stunning car quite quick and fantastic handling but again was almost too good in the sense that when you pressed on it would understeer and if you wanted it to slide you had to use the weight transfer and then it would be a snatched slide and not a progressive one. now dont think im some sort of drifter i like the art of car control and i just like a car that interacts and has a good front end and you can feel the back of the car edging out so you can have fun at low speeds without putting anyone at risk just so YOU are actually doing the driving and not the car! so i sold that as for the outlay it wasnt giving me THAT feeling! I then Bought an offroader for different fun and figured a MK2 MX5 1.8 RS would be a great addition, nope!!! great car spoiled by a notchy 6speed gearbox and being a mk2 not as raw as that incredible mk1 that i had! so i sold it to buy an S2000 a car i had always thought would be the perfect recipe, Rev happy engine snappy 6speed box and LSD, how wrong was i yet again!!! kept it 6 months and tried to love it but NO steering feel at all, no feel through the chassis and gave you no warning of any break away and had an annoying kangaroo effect in traffic something to do with fueling when off throttle apparently they all do it! well what a dissapointment!!!! soooo..........3 weeks ago i hate to say it but im back in a Mk1 MX5 1.8 iS with torsen LSD and im going to try my best and replicate what i had with my original because i really do not care who disagrees with me but the mk1 MX5 is NOT a hairdressers car, it is a pure drivers car, more pointy and predictable than an Elise, more surefooted and feelsome than an S2000 more usable and enjoyable than a BEC and in my opinion the best roadster at any price you can find...Anyone who hasnt taken the plunge believe me when i say i have had loads of nice handling fast cars and if there is a better car for handling and sheer grin factor for under £15k then please i am yet to find it! I work with cars and get to drive all sorts of nice stuff all the time and all the heavy, modern artificial steering stuff just makes me yawn i would rather go for a blast in my little MX5 and let the people who dont know take the mick and wonder why i have "downgraded!!!"...there i had to get it off my chest!!!
. You could've posted it earlier and saved me years of lusting after an Elise! Agree with it on the whole, but you can't say an mx5 is more pointy than an Elise. Both can be setup out of the box completely differently, and you don't mention which Elise your on about. Out of the box the S1 and S2 are poles apart.
Apart from all that, I agree. The mx5 is so easy to drive quickly.
Apart from all that, I agree. The mx5 is so easy to drive quickly.
Hi everyone, well i thought i would tell the tale of my car buying journey that has led me back to the old faithful a MK1 MX5 1.8 Eunos with Torsen LSD
What i will say may suprise some people and maybe not everyone will agree but this is my findings.......
I had a Mk1 1.6 with tein suspension in gulf colours about 7 years ago that was just absolutely perfect, i loved that car i had it fully reprayed in gulf colours with bucket seats roll cage etc and I had the suspension aligned to my taste with a quite aggressive setup with 0 toe in and more neg-camber i think it was -2.0 front and -1.5 rear and can honestly say i have never driven a car with less understeer! but some clown ran into me as i was ambling along minding my own business and that was that! written off!!!
.....so i bought my mates mk1 1.8 S special that was mint, it had eibach springs and rebuilt bilsteins but was too soft at the rear and ran out of ideas on a country road and after the accident i kinda fell out with the idea of mx5`s and wanted more performance.
... so i bought my budget dream car a Lotus Elise MK1, i spent a lot of money sorting out the suspension putting Gaz coilovers on it and toyo R888 and getting aligned properly etc etc and great car as it was it was slightly too clinical and had too much grip and not enough power.
....so i was tempted by a bike engined kit car an MNR R1 which i bought, well after never using it as weather was always iffy on my day off i decided that it was an expensive toy sat in the garage which being honest for the road was a little bit too full on and to chuck it around and make it lose traction have fun etc the speeds were not the sort you can do on public roads without looking like a total fool so out it went
....i then bought another Elise this time an S2 111s in bright Red, stunning car quite quick and fantastic handling but again was almost too good in the sense that when you pressed on it would understeer and if you wanted it to slide you had to use the weight transfer and then it would be a snatched slide and not a progressive one. now dont think im some sort of drifter i like the art of car control and i just like a car that interacts and has a good front end and you can feel the back of the car edging out so you can have fun at low speeds without putting anyone at risk just so YOU are actually doing the driving and not the car!
.... I sold that as for the outlay it wasnt giving me THAT feeling! I then Bought an offroader for different fun and figured a MK2 MX5 1.8 RS would be a great addition, nope!!! great car spoiled by a notchy 6speed gearbox and being a mk2 not as raw as that incredible mk1 that i had!
....So i sold it to buy an S2000 a car i had always thought would be the perfect recipe, Rev happy engine snappy 6speed box and LSD, how wrong was i yet again!!! kept it 6 months and tried to love it but NO steering feel at all, no feel through the chassis and gave you no warning of any break away and had an annoying kangaroo effect in traffic something to do with fueling when off throttle apparently they all do it! well what a dissapointment!!!!
.....Soooo..........3 weeks ago i hate to say it but im back in a Mk1 MX5 1.8 iS with torsen LSD and im going to try my best and replicate what i had with my original because i really do not care who disagrees with me but the mk1 MX5 is NOT a hairdressers car, it is a pure drivers car, more pointy and predictable than an Elise, more surefooted and feelsome than an S2000 more usable and enjoyable than a BEC and in my opinion the best roadster at any price you can find...Anyone who hasnt taken the plunge believe me when i say i have had loads of nice handling fast cars and if there is a better car for handling and sheer grin factor for under £15k then please i am yet to find it! I work with cars and get to drive all sorts of nice stuff all the time and all the heavy, modern artificial steering stuff just makes me yawn i would rather go for a blast in my little MX5 and let the people who dont know take the mick and wonder why i have "downgraded!!!"
...There i had to get it off my chest!!!
What i will say may suprise some people and maybe not everyone will agree but this is my findings.......
I had a Mk1 1.6 with tein suspension in gulf colours about 7 years ago that was just absolutely perfect, i loved that car i had it fully reprayed in gulf colours with bucket seats roll cage etc and I had the suspension aligned to my taste with a quite aggressive setup with 0 toe in and more neg-camber i think it was -2.0 front and -1.5 rear and can honestly say i have never driven a car with less understeer! but some clown ran into me as i was ambling along minding my own business and that was that! written off!!!
.....so i bought my mates mk1 1.8 S special that was mint, it had eibach springs and rebuilt bilsteins but was too soft at the rear and ran out of ideas on a country road and after the accident i kinda fell out with the idea of mx5`s and wanted more performance.
... so i bought my budget dream car a Lotus Elise MK1, i spent a lot of money sorting out the suspension putting Gaz coilovers on it and toyo R888 and getting aligned properly etc etc and great car as it was it was slightly too clinical and had too much grip and not enough power.
....so i was tempted by a bike engined kit car an MNR R1 which i bought, well after never using it as weather was always iffy on my day off i decided that it was an expensive toy sat in the garage which being honest for the road was a little bit too full on and to chuck it around and make it lose traction have fun etc the speeds were not the sort you can do on public roads without looking like a total fool so out it went
....i then bought another Elise this time an S2 111s in bright Red, stunning car quite quick and fantastic handling but again was almost too good in the sense that when you pressed on it would understeer and if you wanted it to slide you had to use the weight transfer and then it would be a snatched slide and not a progressive one. now dont think im some sort of drifter i like the art of car control and i just like a car that interacts and has a good front end and you can feel the back of the car edging out so you can have fun at low speeds without putting anyone at risk just so YOU are actually doing the driving and not the car!
.... I sold that as for the outlay it wasnt giving me THAT feeling! I then Bought an offroader for different fun and figured a MK2 MX5 1.8 RS would be a great addition, nope!!! great car spoiled by a notchy 6speed gearbox and being a mk2 not as raw as that incredible mk1 that i had!
....So i sold it to buy an S2000 a car i had always thought would be the perfect recipe, Rev happy engine snappy 6speed box and LSD, how wrong was i yet again!!! kept it 6 months and tried to love it but NO steering feel at all, no feel through the chassis and gave you no warning of any break away and had an annoying kangaroo effect in traffic something to do with fueling when off throttle apparently they all do it! well what a dissapointment!!!!
.....Soooo..........3 weeks ago i hate to say it but im back in a Mk1 MX5 1.8 iS with torsen LSD and im going to try my best and replicate what i had with my original because i really do not care who disagrees with me but the mk1 MX5 is NOT a hairdressers car, it is a pure drivers car, more pointy and predictable than an Elise, more surefooted and feelsome than an S2000 more usable and enjoyable than a BEC and in my opinion the best roadster at any price you can find...Anyone who hasnt taken the plunge believe me when i say i have had loads of nice handling fast cars and if there is a better car for handling and sheer grin factor for under £15k then please i am yet to find it! I work with cars and get to drive all sorts of nice stuff all the time and all the heavy, modern artificial steering stuff just makes me yawn i would rather go for a blast in my little MX5 and let the people who dont know take the mick and wonder why i have "downgraded!!!"
...There i had to get it off my chest!!!
Yes granted they can be set up differently but in my opinion my Mk1 Elise was the pointiest but was too good as in just did as was asked but for me too clinical, the Mk2 had understeer and was difficult to get a front tyre wide enough to combat that. granted the mx5 was not standard but i expected more from the Elise considering the reputation.....
Ive had TVRs, Elise, 350z, EVO 6, mr2 turbos, v8 Westfield, clio cup, skyline etc... The mx5 is one of the most fun and chuckable cars around. The on limit adjustability is insane. I agree the Elise is sharper, bit you are constantly aware of the rear end weight, with the five you can just fling it in and hold on!
Yes totally agree as i have had a skyline R32 GTR insanely fast but a bit artificial in the sense that the car was doing the work for me underneath! a Rally spec 205 mi16 fantastic lift off oversteer but at the end of the day still front drive! and driven never owned various Evo`s etc, I really loved the Elises for how they made me feel i was driving a race car but on the limit like you say it always felt as though it was just going to go into snap oversteer if i pushed too far and like you say the Mx5 just clings on and turns in at insane speeds,
Now it may just be a "feeling" you get and the Elise obviously would be quicker point to point but its that "feeling" that i am after and id rather have a car that feels like it is going quickly than one that actually is!!
The Elise steering is sensational but i do prefer the feel of the Mx5 once i am actually in the corner.
As somebody who used to slide his MR2 turbo at nearly full lock sideways when i was younger i reckon i can speak with a degree of experience and understanding of what makes a car truly handle and how to experiment with different driving styles etc.(in safe conditions of course!)
Now it may just be a "feeling" you get and the Elise obviously would be quicker point to point but its that "feeling" that i am after and id rather have a car that feels like it is going quickly than one that actually is!!
The Elise steering is sensational but i do prefer the feel of the Mx5 once i am actually in the corner.
As somebody who used to slide his MR2 turbo at nearly full lock sideways when i was younger i reckon i can speak with a degree of experience and understanding of what makes a car truly handle and how to experiment with different driving styles etc.(in safe conditions of course!)
it was an AP1 which i know has different settings etc and the AP2 is supposed to be much better butt............i cannot see how they can make that steering better when its electric and the feel through the chassis was one of a car that was set up to drive up to the limit but not beyond it, plus the engine gave nothing at all unless you kept it in vtec which made it a lot of hard work for ultimately not much reward!
If you had never driven anything else it would feel fantastic but i have and it was not for me!
If you had never driven anything else it would feel fantastic but i have and it was not for me!
Dift said:
Agree with it on the whole, but you can't say an mx5 is more pointy than an Elise. Both can be setup out of the box completely differently, and you don't mention which Elise your on about. Out of the box the S1 and S2 are poles apart.
Apart from all that, I agree. The mx5 is so easy to drive quickly.
Ding to that. A well-geo'd Elise (of either series) can be made as pointy as you like. As mentioned, weight transfer management on an S2 is key to understate management, but that's the same on any car. The MX5 is far more forgiving and allows a more aggressive style without severe punishment. To drive an Elise fast and safely takes work and careful judgement, but is hugely rewarding. I'd have one in a heartbeat if I could justify it, but living where I do, I can't.Apart from all that, I agree. The mx5 is so easy to drive quickly.
Certainly my MX5 doesnt hold a candle to my old Elise, but then the suspension alone on the Elise cost more than my MX5.
However I probably have as much fun in the '5 as in the Elise (a different kind of fun too). It wasn't too difficult to win on trackdays with the Elise (which was what I enjoyed), but now in the '5 I just drive to have fun.
However I probably have as much fun in the '5 as in the Elise (a different kind of fun too). It wasn't too difficult to win on trackdays with the Elise (which was what I enjoyed), but now in the '5 I just drive to have fun.
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
petrolhead888 said:
....So i sold it to buy an S2000 a car i had always thought would be the perfect recipe, Rev happy engine snappy 6speed box and LSD, how wrong was i yet again!!! kept it 6 months and tried to love it but NO steering feel at all, no feel through the chassis and gave you no warning of any break away and had an annoying kangaroo effect in traffic something to do with fueling when off throttle apparently they all do it! well what a dissapointment!!!!
I looked at 'trading up' from my MX to a S2000 a few years back when a mate was selling his - I was hoping for it to be a MX5+. A grown up Roadster for me - similar, but more power, more refined, more comfortable, bigger boot etc and it was going to cost me about £11k to upgrade.tbh I was pretty underwhelmed by it. Like the V10 M5, once you have played 'Floor it and wheeeeeee' a few times on the engine I didn't fall for the car at all
I know that we often went for a team blat. My 1.8i, an RS-Spec Eunos, MR2 (3rd gen I think), and the S2000.
All of us giving it the beans over the moors and there wasn't a whole lot in it the Guy with the S2000 said to me.
I traded up to a turbo'd Mx5 and I've said before on here (maybe not a fair comparison) it monsters the S2k in every way. Except the electric roof.
Mr MXT said:
I ran an S2k for 2 years. I also suffered the kagarooing issue and the poor steering feel. Mine was a 2004 facelift.
I traded up to a turbo'd Mx5 and I've said before on here (maybe not a fair comparison) it monsters the S2k in every way. Except the electric roof.
I had a MX5 turbo and a modded S2k. The S2k was the better car, but the MX5 had much more soul. Performance wise; there wouldn't have been much in it.I traded up to a turbo'd Mx5 and I've said before on here (maybe not a fair comparison) it monsters the S2k in every way. Except the electric roof.
Funnily enough, I too am looking at buying another MX5 - a 1.8 RS-ltd would be my choice.
Edited by maz8062 on Tuesday 22 March 13:22
Dift said:
Certainly my MX5 doesnt hold a candle to my old Elise, but then the suspension alone on the Elise cost more than my MX5.
However I probably have as much fun in the '5 as in the Elise (a different kind of fun too). It wasn't too difficult to win on trackdays with the Elise (which was what I enjoyed), but now in the '5 I just drive to have fun.
Ah yes, the old "Honda'd Elise *wins* again" feeling. I'd love to have the space, time and money to have one of each. The MX5 would quickly become a race-car though I fear.However I probably have as much fun in the '5 as in the Elise (a different kind of fun too). It wasn't too difficult to win on trackdays with the Elise (which was what I enjoyed), but now in the '5 I just drive to have fun.
Yes I am looking into either supercharger or turbo but I favour the supercharger as it seems more reliable and easier to install.
I emailed performance 5 twice to order some suspension (puredrive) and have had nothing back so I am a bit suprised by that as i thought Phil was a good contact and worried if i did order them what would there after sales be like if they wont reply to a sale!!
so now am unsure what kit to get?? Gaz gold`s or maybe Tein which were amazing on my first five.
I already have my new wheels
Rota Grid V in 15x8 0 offset!! yum yum! these i am having powdercoated Bright orange along with my half cage. The car is white and im going to get some extended rivet on Wheel arches in satin black so im hoping this will look like one mean MX5!!!
I emailed performance 5 twice to order some suspension (puredrive) and have had nothing back so I am a bit suprised by that as i thought Phil was a good contact and worried if i did order them what would there after sales be like if they wont reply to a sale!!
so now am unsure what kit to get?? Gaz gold`s or maybe Tein which were amazing on my first five.
I already have my new wheels
Rota Grid V in 15x8 0 offset!! yum yum! these i am having powdercoated Bright orange along with my half cage. The car is white and im going to get some extended rivet on Wheel arches in satin black so im hoping this will look like one mean MX5!!!Gassing Station | Mazda MX5/Roadster/Miata | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff