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

RX8 yellowdot ARBs arrived yesterday. Looks like the droplinks were cut in half with a grinder but the remaining bits came off today with a bit of persuasion. Ordered yellow polybushes from Strongflex and some replacement nuts.. Guaranteed the old ones will have to be destroyed to remove them!

Going by the Flyin Miata forum the most common set up is a red dot on the front and a yellow dot on the rear, however many people do run a matching set on the MX5 but I've no idea how it will turn out, except the RX8 bars are a fair bit thicker so should be more effective on the lighter MX5.
 
Tee Hee Johnson said:
I'm actually looking at hardtop... the added weight doesnt overly bother me.
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Do check the arches and other usual places for rust.

I had an arch stripped and treated last year (not a full rust removal job I should add) and the bubbling has come back already. I've been considering changing up this year anyway and the thought of rust just pushes me to do it sooner.

I love the car though, best car I've owned (not saying that much to be fair). I often choose to take it out over a 996 turbo I'm able to drive purely because for the roads near me it's the more fun car.
 
bainbridge said:
RX8 yellowdot ARBs arrived yesterday. Looks like the droplinks were cut in half with a grinder but the remaining bits came off today with a bit of persuasion. Ordered yellow polybushes from Strongflex and some replacement nuts.. Guaranteed the old ones will have to be destroyed to remove them!

Going by the Flyin Miata forum the most common set up is a red dot on the front and a yellow dot on the rear, however many people do run a matching set on the MX5 but I've no idea how it will turn out, except the RX8 bars are a fair bit thicker so should be more effective on the lighter MX5.
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I've yellows front and back and they're grand. But tbh I'd stay with OEM RX8 bushes. The new bars will add enough stiffness as it is. Polybushes are a bit OTT imo.
 
Cleisthenes said:
Do check the arches and other usual places for rust.

I had an arch stripped and treated last year (not a full rust removal job I should add) and the bubbling has come back already. I've been considering changing up this year anyway and the thought of rust just pushes me to do it sooner.

I love the car though, best car I've owned (not saying that much to be fair). I often choose to take it out over a 996 turbo I'm able to drive purely because for the roads near me it's the more fun car.
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Thanks for the info!

What age is yours, are even ones from this decade starting to rust?
 
Cleisthenes said:
Mine's a late 2009 car (59 reg), sport tech or whatever they call it. Basically a 2.0 with retractable hard top
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Mine's a 59 plate prht too and rust was just starting to appear last summer on the inside edge of the rear arches. I ground them back to bare metal and applied 2 coats of mastic epoxy. Rust has just started to reappear :( I didn't use rust converter because it was back to bare metal but when it gets warmer I'll do it again but treat the areas before repainting.
 
Cob said:
I've yellows front and back and they're grand. But tbh I'd stay with OEM RX8 bushes. The new bars will add enough stiffness as it is. Polybushes are a bit OTT imo.
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That's good to hear. With Strongflex polybushes the red ones are OEM spec but the yellow "sport" bushes were less than a pound dearer each so I went for them, had I not already ordered them I'd have gone with your recommendation.

For the sake of.£30 I could always change to OEM if need be.
 
Cleisthenes said:
Mine's a late 2009 car (59 reg), sport tech or whatever they call it. Basically a 2.0 with retractable hard top
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bainbridge said:
Mine's a 59 plate prht too and rust was just starting to appear last summer on the inside edge of the rear arches. I ground them back to bare metal and applied 2 coats of mastic epoxy. Rust has just started to reappear :( I didn't use rust converter because it was back to bare metal but when it gets warmer I'll do it again but treat the areas before repainting.
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Thanks guys, good to know.

I'm not after spades of speed, I like the looks, the capability and some of the options they have.

I just get bored of cars, I like the idea of something interesting... well more interesting than my Fiesta. We have two cars anyway, so wont miss the rear seats, etc.
 
I wanted something a wee bit more exciting than my Fiesta Titanium X 125, so bought a 2012 MX-5 Venture 2.0 Roadster.

Good fun so far!

mx.jpg
 
Congrats :)

I'm itching to try an ND this weekend, ony issue is I cant afford it at the moment :p



Getting slightly itchy feet as it's on 58k now and it has a couple of areas of very light rust that I've had 'sorted' but no doubt it'll be back. I've just bought my first place so can't afford to change up to anything too fancy, but given I have about 6.5k in the car what do we think I should consider? I just wonder whether I'm potentially missed the prime time to sell if I keep it for another year.


Thought about an ND3 as I love my nc2, or an ND. Thought about having a look at a gt86 but I think I need a roof that comes off :p

Thoughts please!
 
Cleisthenes said:
Congrats :)

I'm itching to try an ND this weekend, ony issue is I cant afford it at the moment :p



Getting slightly itchy feet as it's on 58k now and it has a couple of areas of very light rust that I've had 'sorted' but no doubt it'll be back. I've just bought my first place so can't afford to change up to anything too fancy, but given I have about 6.5k in the car what do we think I should consider? I just wonder whether I'm potentially missed the prime time to sell if I keep it for another year.


Thought about an ND3 as I love my nc2, or an ND. Thought about having a look at a gt86 but I think I need a roof that comes off :p

Thoughts please!
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Was very impressed with the RF I tested recently but still not decided however.
Not test driven a GT86 but had a look around one at my local dealer and just thought "nah". The 184BHP engine does add an attraction to the MX5 that I wouldn't have had without the new engine. MX5 wins in all cases vs the GT86 IMO, looks, interior, roof (RF too) and performance (184BHP engine power to weight).
Only slight negatives I can remember from the MX5 test drive was the light steering and light clutch - I'm used to both feeling a bit more "manly" :) in sporty cars. I drive a BMW X1 mostly at the moment (not sporty) with proper :) hydraulic and heavy steering so really noticed how light the steering felt in the MX5.
Roof type(RF vs ST when no garage), which of current cars to keep, family concerns (elderly parents and taking them to hospital sometimes), what journeys I may need to do in future etc are mainreasons not pulled the trigger yet on ordering one.

I'd say test drive both if you think you might like the GT86.
 
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Cleisthenes said:
Congrats :)

I'm itching to try an ND this weekend, ony issue is I cant afford it at the moment :p



Getting slightly itchy feet as it's on 58k now and it has a couple of areas of very light rust that I've had 'sorted' but no doubt it'll be back. I've just bought my first place so can't afford to change up to anything too fancy, but given I have about 6.5k in the car what do we think I should consider? I just wonder whether I'm potentially missed the prime time to sell if I keep it for another year.


Thought about an ND3 as I love my nc2, or an ND. Thought about having a look at a gt86 but I think I need a roof that comes off :p

Thoughts please!
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S2k ;) won't be anywhere near as comfy, daily drivable and nice to live with as ND but as a sport car with lovely engine and box it is worth looking into, if you don't mind older cars.
 
A productive day today, working on the NC:

Yellow dot RX8 anti-roll bars with polybushes fitted front and rear.

Coolant change. She's 10 this year so replaced the FL22.

Oil and oil filter change.

All set for a weekend away next week!
 
Quite like the idea of a bit of RWD summer top down fun, maybe the worst time to buy as I didn't really want to pay much and so was initially looking at MG TFs (are we allowed to say that in here?). I've now started looking at Mk2/.5 MX5s and even had a little look at the Mk3.

I've seen quite a few rusty Mk3s, do they tend to end up the same way as the Mk2? And with the Mk2s, is it a case of they all end up with rusty sills or can you prevent it with a decent cavity wax?
 
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