MX5 Owners in here....bring your curling tongs

[kinger8938]

Bit of an issue with my MX5 NB on the way home today.

I haven't used it since breaking up from work and popping it in our garage on the 21st December.

Went back to work today so got it out, started and drove as expected to work.

Then on the way home it was kind of idling poorly. When I was driving along it was as if it would lose power for a second here and there causing it to pull back a bit, and then at a roundabout near home it stalled. Luckily came back on right away and now it's back in the garage.

Not sure if it's a factor (or how it could affect things) but it's been out in the rain allll day at work (unfortunately)

I'm hoping it's just due to not being used for week and a bit, but just odd that the drive in was fine.

It's on the lower end of the fuel gauge as I intended to fill it up on the way in tomorrow

Forgot to come back about this

Fine since, I think it just didn't like not being used for 2 weeks sat in the garage over Xmas break.

Driving lovely again now I'm back in it daily

 

[lordrobs]

Forgot to come back about this

Fine since, I think it just didn't like not being used for 2 weeks sat in the garage over Xmas break.

Driving lovely again now I'm back in it daily

My one is lucky if it gets its tyres pumped up after a 6 month lay up before being driven on a 300 mile round trip to a show One day this will bite me and I'll have to see how signing up to the AA / RAC at the side of the road pans out

 

[kinger8938]

My one is lucky if it gets its tyres pumped up after a 6 month lay up before being driven on a 300 mile round trip to a show One day this will bite me and I'll have to see how signing up to the AA / RAC at the side of the road pans out

Sometimes it just feels great to drive. Not sure what it is about it.

I do wonder if I'll chase some subtle performance/handling mods. I did like the idea of keeping it standard (except the stainless exhaust that's been on from new/previous owner). But the more I drive it, I do feel there's room for a little more umph.

Going to get it up on dad's ramp somewhen to see how good/bad the underside is. It's been treated several times in its life but not in recent years as far as I'm aware.

Bought mid 2023 with 50,000 miles on, I'm now coming up on 54,000 and it's been great so far.

 

[lordrobs]

Sometimes it just feels great to drive. Not sure what it is about it.

I do wonder if I'll chase some subtle performance/handling mods. I did like the idea of keeping it standard (except the stainless exhaust that's been on from new/previous owner). But the more I drive it, I do feel there's room for a little more umph.

Going to get it up on dad's ramp somewhen to see how good/bad the underside is. It's been treated several times in its life but not in recent years as far as I'm aware.

Bought mid 2023 with 50,000 miles on, I'm now coming up on 54,000 and it's been great so far.

I dabble with the idea of upgrading my one but two things stop me. Power wise, I like the fact that I can wring it's neck a bit without blasting through the speed limit within seconds. As for handling... I quite like it in stock form. Yes the arch gaps are too big but if I drop it for cosmetics I then have clearance issues and I've given its belly a little rub on the deck a couple of occasions as it is. Plus I don't mind a bit of body roll

I remember a trip back from one of the owners club rallies with two other guys from the local area. We took a slight detour via Matlock Bath from Donnington Park on the way home taking in the best of the local roads following a guy with encyclopaedic road knowledge and a lead foot. It was awesome! What I did notice though was that although my car was seriously outgunned both in pace and outright grip when the road got a bit bumpy they were bouncing around like pogo sticks whereas I was able to keep my foot in with the stock suspension keeping me in reasonable contact with the black stuff.

 

[bainbridge]

I dabble with the idea of upgrading my one but two things stop me. Power wise, I like the fact that I can wring it's neck a bit without blasting through the speed limit within seconds. As for handling... I quite like it in stock form. Yes the arch gaps are too big but if I drop it for cosmetics I then have clearance issues and I've given its belly a little rub on the deck a couple of occasions as it is. Plus I don't mind a bit of body roll

I remember a trip back from one of the owners club rallies with two other guys from the local area. We took a slight detour via Matlock Bath from Donnington Park on the way home taking in the best of the local roads following a guy with encyclopaedic road knowledge and a lead foot. It was awesome! What I did notice though was that although my car was seriously outgunned both in pace and outright grip when the road got a bit bumpy they were bouncing around like pogo sticks whereas I was able to keep my foot in with the stock suspension keeping me in reasonable contact with the black stuff.

I raised a few eyebrows when I decided to buy stock Bilstein shocks and springs to replace my ageing stock suspension, rather than going for more track oriented options. 95% of my driving is on the road.

I did buy poly bushes rather than rubber, but hopefully it'll be a good balance of maintaining the geometry with only a slight increase in NVH (noise, vibration and harshness).

Just need to fit it all now.

 

[kinger8938]

Talking of bushes, I keep seeing claims that replacing the door bushes with plastic ones makes a positive impact on noise and even feel

Cheap mod but can't see why it would make any impact at all? May try and make some and see

 

[bainbridge]

Talking of bushes, I keep seeing claims that replacing the door bushes with plastic ones makes a positive impact on noise and even feel

Cheap mod but can't see why it would make any impact at all? May try and make some and see

Yes I've seen this a few times. Maybe it reduces chassis flex with it being a convertible?

 

[lordrobs]

Talking of bushes, I keep seeing claims that replacing the door bushes with plastic ones makes a positive impact on noise and even feel

Cheap mod but can't see why it would make any impact at all? May try and make some and see

I've done them. Can't say that I noticed any difference apart from a £40 sized hole in my wallet and the doors being slightly more difficult to close.

 

[kinger8938]

I've done them. Can't say that I noticed any difference apart from a £40 sized hole in my wallet and the doors being slightly more difficult to close.

ha. This is what I was expecting.

I do wonder if there's a placebo effect in play for many.

Maybe depends how knackered the originals were in the first place

 

[lordrobs]

The doors are held under tension by the rubber bush so I guess if they are worn they could rattle in the latch a bit. Cheapest solution to that though is to flip the originals round!

The comments about stiffening the chassis that I've read about them do make me chuckle though!

 

[visibleman]

I've done them. Can't say that I noticed any difference apart from a £40 sized hole in my wallet and the doors being slightly more difficult to close.

Likewise, stuck delrin bushes on and other than losing time sanding them to make it all fit, i'm not sure it made a massive difference other than the door sounding a bit more solid on closing. But it's complete and utter nonsense that it stiffens the car in any way, you're better off just forking out for proper bracing like @Janesy B did.

I feel it's in the same vein as the bronze shifter bushes, which i also stupidly did. Better than an old, worn out plastic bush, sure but replacing it with a new OEM plastic bush feels the same (mate did it in theirs) albeit cheaper. Replacing the plastic selector also makes a huge difference.

 

[Janesy B]

Talking of bushes, I keep seeing claims that replacing the door bushes with plastic ones makes a positive impact on noise and even feel

Cheap mod but can't see why it would make any impact at all? May try and make some and see

They feel better in the same way your car feels nicer to drive if you've just washed it

 

[Janesy B]

Not bad for an old banger

 

[01001101]

Not bad for an old banger

That's interesting. Thanks for sharing.
I always thought that at around 3500rpm the car seemed to get a boost and looking at this data it seems like it does?

 

[bainbridge]

Not bad for an old banger

Have the cams been upgraded?

 

[adam cool dude]

Not bad for an old banger

What mods to achieve that figure? That is a very healthy figure and all the power you would need in a MX5.

 

[bainbridge]

What mods to achieve that figure? That is a very healthy figure and all the power you would need in a MX5.

I'm guessing decat exhaust manifold, remap and upgraded cams.

My NC is 190bhp with decat manifold and remap.. And a K&N panel filter

 

[Janesy B]

That's interesting. Thanks for sharing.
I always thought that at around 3500rpm the car seemed to get a boost and looking at this data it seems like it does?

They do have variable inlet timing so yeah, there's a little kick.

I'm guessing decat exhaust manifold, remap and upgraded cams.

My NC is 190bhp with decat manifold and remap.. And a K&N panel filter

Bingo, BBR super 200 kit with centre section as well. It's way too loud with my cobra back box, I will swap it for a cobalt or stock back box to shut it up a bit.

 

[adolf hamster]

'evening gents

Find myself browsing afternarket door cards, wondering if anyone on here suffered the cupholder to the knee annoyance of the nc and had any experience/reccommendations?

 

[visibleman]

'evening gents

Find myself browsing afternarket door cards, wondering if anyone on here suffered the cupholder to the knee annoyance of the nc and had any experience/reccommendations?

Have read NC2/NC3 door cards (integrated cup holder), as well as other parts of the interior, are interchangeable with the NC1. Only issue is cost of them, even secondhand.
Worth checking on MX5OC/MX5Nutz etc as i'm sure someone has probably done the swap.