MX5 = Awesome!

wassap · 23 Mar 2009 at 18:28

What an enjoyable couple of days Ive had. At work, when we are looking for new cars we are allowed to have a number long term testdrives (normally a weekend).

Last weekend I had a Mazda 6, this weekend I was fortunate enough to have a MX5 2.0 Sport. This was the 1st time I really got to try a MX5, and Ive got to say, what a ****ing hoot,completely impractical, and its about as a secure as a 1991 Citroen AX, but the handling and sheer fun factor simply blew me away. Now Im not a noob when it comes cars, Ive driven a lot of nice metal over the years, but this was the first car in a long while Ive really really liked, even the ride and general comfort levels were very good, considering how much they can be had for now.This was the softop version, and it was so easy to use, I expected a manual roof to be a PITA.

Anyway this has convinced me to get a MK1 MX5 as my potential track toy, so my question to you expert types is, what do i need to look out for on these, and are parts between the imports and UK models the same.

The ultimate plan is to get an early one and turbo it

how reliable are the engines in these, and im guessing the 1.8 is the better option? and finally where can I get all my hairdresser supplies.

Cheers for any advice

Howard · 23 Mar 2009 at 18:32

The 1.6 is more suited to turbocharging, the 1.8 is the choice for supercharging.

Even the early engines are very reliable, but the VERY early 1.6s did have issues with crank pulleys, but this is only really applicable to high milers. Other than that, just look out for rust.

The UK/JDM models are pretty much identical in terms of parts

aproctor · 23 Mar 2009 at 18:36

Imports (Eunos Roadster) tend to be more on the insurance but cheaper to buy and have more toys.

Mechanically they are all the same apart from regional differences.

Rust is the big killer on these and the sills and arches are the obvious places, although they could rust anywhere (like any other non galvanised car).

Test drive a few nails and a few over priced minters and you will find something.

MX5OC and MX5Nutz are the forums which are most popular for these and all information is readily availible.

Also search MX5 on here and there is loads of stuff (i asked it).

wassap · 23 Mar 2009 at 18:36

Awesome, what sort of gains can you expect from both engines and how much is it likely to set me back?

I looked at an early 1.6 today, and that was suprisingly rust free for something 18 years old!

aproctor · 23 Mar 2009 at 18:40

wohoo said:
Awesome, what sort of gains can you expect from both engines and how much is it likely to set me back?

I looked at an early 1.6 today, and that was suprisingly rust free for something 18 years old!

Turbo'd 1.6s are more common than Supercharged 1.8s and you can buy a pre turbo'd 1.6 for £2500 - £3000 or if your feeling flush around £3000 for a BRR)

A 1.6T is likley to give about 150-160bhp, but that depends on the kit used and the money spent on tuning.

Bare in mind 1.6s after 1993/4 (ish) were only 89 bhp instead of 115.

Dorje · 23 Mar 2009 at 18:48

Everyone finds that, image problem until actually driving the damn thing.

As long as you're not a young unexperienced driver, imports should prove to be cheaper to buy, have far less rust and negligible insurance difference. Only downside is the history can be missing, but if owned beforehand in the UK should be fine if looked after. Very little goes wrong with these cars, and if they do it doesn't cost much to repair. Infact it'll be an excuse to mod the car with upgrades. There is LOADS of aftermarket options to taylor your MX5 to your liking. MX5nutz is the most active UK forum and is very friendly with lots of information.

If you're looking for a MK1 FI MX5, I would recommend finding one that has already been done. Budget anywhere between £3-5k for a FI sorted Mk1. This will prove a lot cheaper than gathering all the parts and doing it yourself.

However as you have noticed, you don't need FI to have fun in an MX5. Maybe pop along to a MX5 trackday/Autosolo/Drift day and grab some passenger rides in both forms. You may also find you prefer a Mk2 to a Mk1, I did, and that is after owning a Mk1.

There's plenty of owners on here too, so don't be afraid to ask.

wassap · 23 Mar 2009 at 18:52

I dont think I can initially stretch to a MK2 tbh, Its just going to be a weekend play thing really, I just want something I can tinker with, owning a company car is great, but really miss going to work on a monday morning with the weekends oil and crap still under my nails, plus a project car would get me out of shopping trips on a saturday afternoon

excaliborg · 23 Mar 2009 at 18:55

Good choice, I have a Mk1 Eunos Roadster and it's a complete hoot to drive, handles beautifully and can go round corners at silly speeds

I always planned on turboing mine, but having driven it a fair bit I honestly don't see the need, the car is too uncomfortably noisy over 90mph, and performance below that isn't too bad.

If you are tracking the car you'd be better spending it on a suspension kit, roll bar, chassis braces and other handling related bits and bobs.

As said already, the cars are reliable but watch out for rust on the rear arches.

Howard · 23 Mar 2009 at 18:57

Dorje said:
imports should ...... have far less rust

Not sure I'd agree with that.. I've seen more tatty Eunos' than UKDM models... didn't the JDM ones have less in the way of galvanising?

Dorje · 23 Mar 2009 at 19:07

Howard said:
Not sure I'd agree with that.. I've seen more tatty Eunos' than UKDM models... didn't the JDM ones have less in the way of galvanising?

Not sure on the galvanising. But due to much better weather and road conditions (I've been there), there tends to much less of a rust issue on cars of the same age. There are of course exceptions, but tends to be owner dependent and how they look after it, just like any other car.

aproctor · 23 Mar 2009 at 19:41

Howard said:
Not sure I'd agree with that.. I've seen more tatty Eunos' than UKDM models... didn't the JDM ones have less in the way of galvanising?

Very few cars are galvanised, i think you just mean undersealed.

Some have said JDM MX5s were not or not very well undersealed as they do not salt their roads, but most were on entry into the UK (it takes 3 hours and cost £100)

The main reason JDMs are considered less prone to rust is for the pure fact many have been in the country half the time and exposted to less winters and salted roads.

If you got a 1997 Uk car and a 1990 JDM imported in 1997 i would hazard a guess that on average the condition would be the same.

The ones to look for are one imported in the last 10 years and that have had regular oil changed and have been undersealed whenever necessary.

If you buy one that needs undersealing (not much of a problem for the next 6 months mind you) as i said it costs £50-£150 to get done in a garage or £20 to do yourself.

Kitchster_uk · 23 Mar 2009 at 19:54

You should probably look at a 1.8iS if you can get one, few more toys and not exactly hard to find and should be around £1500. Add a 2nd hand supercharger kit for about 1200 fitted and you're looking at 170-180 BHP. Add decent breathing and you're up near 200 and a proper sorted intercooler should see you at around 220. The beauty of this approach gives you a stepped increase and means you don't have to blow loads straight off.

Decent suspension is a good upgrade as is a Larini Exhaust and if you do step the power up, you'll be looking at some 15's, though these can be had for £100 from ebay.

Good luck!!!

saitrix · 23 Mar 2009 at 20:00

Well I know more on the 1.8 than the 1.6 but I do know a few mods to get cheap power for the 1.8. I am just about to do them on my car, which is adjust the ignition timing and then also fit a 2nd exhaust cam on the inlet. Should gain you about 10-15bhp, so get you up to 140-145bhp area. Get an mx5parts catback exhaust, they sound real good and are nice and cheap.

Now with turbo'ing, how good are you mechanically? If you do all the work yourself and buy all the stuff you need separately there is no reason you couldn't turbo or supercharge for £1000-1500. That is using megasquirt (full standalone ecu) and buying wisely. For example taking the injectors off an rx7 instead of buying new injectors.

If you turbo then expect for that cash to be in the 200+bhp area, if you select the correct bits then you could get up to 250bhp. That is the limit though for the stock internals for the 1.8 engine.

Go for the 1.8 and get big power.

I went in Freefallers 200bhp 1.8 and that was awesome, the chassis could easily handle more. With 250bhp not much is going to be faster than you round a track with the correct bits.

Oh if you are going to turbo the 1.6 remember to factor in upgrading to the 1.8 brakes. Whereas the 1.8 all you need to run is mazda official discs with some good pads (yellowstuff, m1144 or axxis ultimates). Also the drivetrain of the 1.6 is a bit weak, so you may want to bare that one in mind, in my opinion the 1.8 is the cheaper option overall if you are going for big power.

Ideally you want to get an import 1.8 with LSD. This is a good base, oh and if you get one with Bilstein shocks they are decent on track and will get you going plenty well enough. You will want the LSD when running around the 200bhp area to help get the power down. Only downside to an import is the 112mph speed limiter, though you can remove that easy enough on both the 1.6 and 1.8.

As said above you will want 15x6.5 wheels really. Then you can fit either 195/50/15 tyres or 205/50/15, really good tyres in 195 will be plenty good enough. For trackdays you will want R888's or the cheaper option of Hankook RS2's. A set of Hankooks will only cost you £200 for 4 in 195!

Feel free to add me to msn if you got any questions.

DrDee · 23 Mar 2009 at 20:01

Kitchster_uk said:
Add a 2nd hand supercharger kit for about 1200 fitted and you're looking at 170-180 BHP.

Care to give me a link to these details, I was tempted to go Supercharge route but it looks like it costs closer to £3/4k at which point it makes more sense to just save and wait to change to the next level of sports car, if it can be done for £2k or under I would be very very tempted.

saitrix · 23 Mar 2009 at 20:04

Kitchster_uk said:
You should probably look at a 1.8iS if you can get one, few more toys and not exactly hard to find and should be around £1500. Add a 2nd hand supercharger kit for about 1200 fitted and you're looking at 170-180 BHP. Add decent breathing and you're up near 200 and a proper sorted intercooler should see you at around 220. The beauty of this approach gives you a stepped increase and means you don't have to blow loads straight off.

Decent suspension is a good upgrade as is a Larini Exhaust and if you do step the power up, you'll be looking at some 15's, though these can be had for £100 from ebay.

Good luck!!!

What supercharger is that? If that is the M45 I would be very suprised to see it hitting above 200bhp area!

Lopéz · 23 Mar 2009 at 20:05

saitrix said:
1.8 with LSD

THIS

DrDee · 23 Mar 2009 at 20:05

saitrix said:
Now with turbo'ing, how good are you mechanically? If you do all the work yourself and buy all the stuff you need separately there is no reason you couldn't turbo or supercharge for £1000-1500. That is using megasquirt (full standalone ecu) and buying wisely. For example taking the injectors off an rx7 instead of buying new injectors.

If you turbo then expect for that cash to be in the 200+bhp area, if you select the correct bits then you could get up to 250bhp. That is the limit though for the stock internals for the 1.8 engine.

I have added you to MSN

Firestar_3x · 23 Mar 2009 at 20:05

M45 won't get over 200bhp, even with a smaller pully its not meaty enough, you need an M62 for that.

saitrix · 23 Mar 2009 at 20:09

DrDee said:
Care to give me a link to these details, I was tempted to go Supercharge route but it looks like it costs closer to £3/4k at which point it makes more point to just save and wait to change to the next level of sports car, if it can be done for £2k or under I would be very very tempted.

It can be if you DIY it. Probably about 180bhp you could get. Some of the things you will want.

Megasquirt 1 v3
88-92 RX7 injectors (460 or 550cc ones)
Ebay universal intercooler (only about £70, people say they are totally fine)
Innovative LC-1 wideband with DB guage

I am not sure on prices of supercharger itself as I know more about turbos. But then you just need to make up the tubing to connect it all up. Oh and a cone filter of course. Megasquirt can control everything for you. Then of course you got the belts required and getting mounts sorted. Can't think of anything else off the top of my head. Stock fuel pump will be fine with that power level, to be fair it can flow enough for up to 300bhp.

wassap · 23 Mar 2009 at 20:10

saitrix said:
Well I know more on the 1.8 than the 1.6 but I do know a few mods to get cheap power for the 1.8. I am just about to do them on my car, which is adjust the ignition timing and then also fit a 2nd exhaust cam on the inlet. Should gain you about 10-15bhp, so get you up to 140-145bhp area. Get an mx5parts catback exhaust, they sound real good and are nice and cheap.

Now with turbo'ing, how good are you mechanically? If you do all the work yourself and buy all the stuff you need separately there is no reason you couldn't turbo or supercharge for £1000-1500. That is using megasquirt (full standalone ecu) and buying wisely. For example taking the injectors off an rx7 instead of buying new injectors.

If you turbo then expect for that cash to be in the 200+bhp area, if you select the correct bits then you could get up to 250bhp. That is the limit though for the stock internals for the 1.8 engine.

Go for the 1.8 and get big power. I went in Freefallers 200bhp 1.8 and that was awesome, the chassis could easily handle more. With 250bhp not much is going to be faster than you round a track with the correct bits.

Oh if you are going to turbo the 1.6 remember to factor in upgrading to the 1.8 brakes. Whereas the 1.8 all you need to run is mazda official discs with some good pads (yellowstuff, m1144 or axxis ultimates). Also the drivetrain of the 1.6 is a bit weak, so you may want to bare that one in mind, in my opinion the 1.8 is the cheaper option overall if you are going for big power.

Ideally you want to get an import 1.8 with LSD. This is a good base, oh and if you get one with Bilstein shocks they are decent on track and will get you going plenty well enough. You will want the LSD when running around the 200bhp area to help get the power down. Only downside to an import is the 112mph speed limiter, though you can remove that easy enough on both the 1.6 and 1.8.

As said above you will want 15x6.5 wheels really. Then you can fit either 195/50/15 tyres or 205/50/15, really good tyres in 195 will be plenty good enough. For trackdays you will want R888's or the cheaper option of Hankook RS2's. A set of Hankooks will only cost you £200 for 4 in 195!

Feel free to add me to msn if you got any questions.

I'd be doing most, if not all of the work myself, I dont mind shopping round for the bits.

So did all 1.8is' have the LSD? how well do these fair in accidents, im just wondering what to look for in the cheap end of the market, I can usually spot a botched repair, but is there any commons points where they bend?

Some great info so far lads, cheers.