mx5cartalk.com

So here goes...

Bought my first MX5 to have a play on the track and possibly try some entry level racing. Have done heaps of trackdays on bikes, but never in a car, and almost all research pointed me towards the Mazda as the best choice. So the Ranger has a little brother:







I was originally looking for a soft top to suit a rollbar, but in the end, I couldn't pass this car up. If that decision eventually becomes a showstopper, then a car trailer and another cheap NC might appear.

Anyway, did an oil/filter change, new air filter, unplugged the annoying key chime, trimmed up the front number plate bracket and ordered a stubby antenna.

Knowing what I wanted to use the car for, I decided to skip playing with lowered coils and shocks and ordered the Ohlins coilovers. These things are like jewellery:

Rear damper and front spring

Spent a day playing in the garage...awesome fun and stoked with the result.

Before:


After:



Did my local loop to settle the suspension. Jamberoo Rd, Macquarie Pass, Robertson, Fitzroy Dam, Kangeroo Valley, Cambewarra Mtn, Nth Nowra, Jamberoo Rd, Swamp Rd, home. Stoked with the change.

Got a wheel alignment and modified the factory strut tower brace to give access to the adjusters:

After much research and a desire to get something different than Enkei RPF1's, I ordered some 17x8 Enkei RPF1's. But mine will be black... They are on the ship as I type, hopefully arriving at the end of the month.



Tyres... my head is full. I don't want to think about it anymore until the wheels arrive... but I'm thinking Hankook RS3 Z222's if there are any left in the country. Maybe the new RS4's will arrive in time.

In the meantime, I've engaged Deckspeed to sort the exhaust and tuning. Once the bits arrive, I'll be booking in to get the car transformed.

Also been playing with a bluetooth OBD2 device called a Kiwi 3. Awesome bit of gear that plugs into the OBD port and talks to your phone.... new to me but you guys have probably used them for years. Plenty of learning and playing and trying out different apps... unless anyone can just point me towards the best app for trackdays and extra dashboard gauges. Currently playing with Dash Command, but also keen on Harry's Laptimer.

Welcome! The car is looking great and you've made some excellent mods so far. With a bit of exhaust and tuning I think you'll be very happy, and you'll have a great car for the street and track.

I know what you mean with the RPF1s, they're hard to go past for the value and quality they deliver. Wheels have been on my mind a lot lately, it's looking like these or 6ULs for me (in 15x8, or maybe 15x9).

Very nice

Nice Tony. If you are not busy this Sunday come for a drive to Wakefield Park for a look. MX5 Club NSW is holding their track day and the MX5 Cup has four races on the day also. About 80 MX5's going around.

forcedfive wrote:Nice Tony. If you are not busy this Sunday come for a drive to Wakefield Park for a look. MX5 Club NSW is holding their track day and the MX5 Cup has four races on the day also. About 80 MX5's going around.

Yep, definitely heading down for a look. Was too late to get a spot, but looking forward to checking out the racing and picking up some driving and setup tips.

online and RPF1's are the best I may be a bit biased though.

you should have gone for 9" wide

Regie wrote:online and RPF1's are the best I may be a bit biased though.

you should have gone for 9" wide

G'day Regie, yours and Dan's build threads are what got me so keen on the NC. I didn't want to push my luck with clearance with 9's... hopefully I won't regret that decision.

Are you heading to Wakefield on Sunday?

Looks like you got a great plan in place, And you wont go wrong working off Regie's- (one of the best NC's I've had the pleasure of seeing up close and personal ). If you are ordering the rims from overseas, dont do my mistake and have all 4 delivered in the same shipment- get each as an individual delivery so you dont get stung with the import tax (that was $500 better spent elsewhere )

Daffy wrote:Looks like you got a great plan in place, And you wont go wrong working off Regie's- (one of the best NC's I've had the pleasure of seeing up close and personal ). If you are ordering the rims from overseas, dont do my mistake and have all 4 delivered in the same shipment- get each as an individual delivery so you dont get stung with the import tax (that was $500 better spent elsewhere )

Thanks Daffy. The rims are coming via the Aussie importer at $1400 for the set (17x8) which I thought was reasonable considering I'd have a local business to contend with and my local tyre shop quoted me $1840 for the exact same set of rims (same importer). Probably could have saved a bit more.... was just too easy.

Wheels arrived. Picked up some 225/45 Hankook RS3 Z222's. Very happy with the result, but it looks like the rears are going to scrub the inner lip of the guard once I get into it. I could raise the rear a tad, but instead, I'm going to have a go at rolling the lip up. Looking forward to getting on the track.

I would keep the standard alloy wheels with an eye to the future. NCs are popular with older guys and not everyone wants black wheels- albeit its fashionable now.

Mr Morlock wrote:I would keep the standard alloy wheels with an eye to the future. NCs are popular with older guys and not everyone wants black wheels- albeit its fashionable now.

Definitely keeping the standard wheels, but not because I'm worried about future resale.... they'll be handy to hold some decent road tyres if I end up putting semis on the RPF1's....might even paint them black. I've been into black wheels since 1995 when I bought my first new car - not worried about trends.

Rolled the rear guards today. Will go for a drive tomorrow to check for scrubbing.

You will find lines on the track in a car are much different to a bike. However the skill of looking beyond the corner and always having an out from riding bikes translates very well to the car on the track!