tallsteve

Hmmm. Have always liked these (MK1 and 2) and almost got one before my sensible head took over and I got an Ignis Sport earlier this year. Thing is I've got itchy feet again and have found a nice 1.8i P plate.

The MX looks very tidy, has a hardtop for when weather (or posionous gas clouds!) loom on the horizon but I wasn't expecting to find condensation on the roof. True, the car had been sitting on the forecourt all night (and probably longer) and it was pretty parky outside. Is this an indication that the seals have gone, or on the way out?

Only other things are would I end up missing the LSD (as I'm pretty sure the one I'm looking at hasn't got it)? If I go down the turbo/supercharger route is this going to limit the fun aspect I could have?

GC8

Fitting an LSD will be a damned sight easier than fitting a supercharger or a turbocharger; especially one that develops any real boost.....

Simon

carl

There are more supercharger kits for the 1.6 than the 1.8. Actually fitting the supercharger kit (e.g. the Jackson Racing one) to the 1.6 is a doddle and it can be removed come resale time. The engine was designed for forced induction (Mazda 323, or Rx-3?) and is over-engineered. 250bhp at the rear wheels is not unachievable.

Col

My dad had a 1.8i sport, Y-reg, Suspension was rock hard so you tended to get a lot of scuttle shake over rough roads.I wasnt very impressed with the performance either,pretty gutless unless you hammered it to death! good points were the build quality and the brakes, a supercharged one would be a hoot as long as the roads smooth.

mightyyid

Tall steve

You are right that a P reg 1.8i would not have an LSD - you may find it will not have power steering as this was an option on the '97 version (I know as my second MX5 back then was a brand new 1.8i P reg). Makes the car more involving to drive but parking can be hard.

Condensation - the seals on the doors can go on almost any age of car. I only had my 5 for 2 years, but my previous one I had the door seals replaced as they do get worn fairly easily and it does not take much for them to go. However, replacement is fairly easy and cheap so it's worth getting it done. Most competent DIY'ers can do this as well.

As Carl says, you have the option of a Jackson Racing s/c - which is exactly the one that I fitted to mine (sod the warranty - this was part of the fun). Made a good car great and this was without the boost upgrade kit (which is basically a different size pulley). Reckon on about 185bhp, up from the standard 130bhp, and it pulled very well - 80mph in 5th equated to max boost and it really went well.

I have photos of the full installation if you;re interested as it was featured on quite a few sites as, at that time, RHD s/c 5's were very rare in the UK.

check out www.performance5.co.uk for someone else to fit an s/c - I did it with a mate and it took about 8 hours and was a lot of trial and error at that time!

Andy

ScoobyJawa

As above only the 1.8iS came with the LSD. My sis has had a Mk1 1.6 and Mk2 1.8iS - both cracking cars IMHO

Supercharger is a very good mod with easy gains and easy to do and as also said, engines easily capable of it, its pretty bulletproof!

mightyyid

Except it's not so bulletproof when there was no guide to how tight the s/c belt should be though - this was pot luck. My s/c ran fine for a year and then, when I fitted a new belt (they recommend you should change it once a year), it must have been tighter, and on a 180 mile journey, noticed burning oil. Pulled over and the engine had a fair bit of oil laying around. Into a Mazda dealer who eventually found a hairline crack in the cylinder head, caused by the belt pulling down on the s/c which flexed (enough) the cylinder head. £2k and 5 days later and I was back on the road with a lesson learnt. They are bullet proof most of the time, but a simple belt change cost me a lot of money.

Andy

JCScooby

Do NOT buy

Roadster

Thats a very odd comment to make , whats that based on ?


The MX-5 is so Mod -able its untrue, in a very similar way to the scooby

The Turbo options are endless, Greddy,HKS, AVO, FM etc and theres the new BRP MP62 Supercharger that when intercooled can easily take a sub 1000 Kg car well past 220 BHP , obviously this sounds a lot less than a scooby but these things really shift

Then you have the advantage of learning a new driving style, propper rear wheel fun.

My mate has a 92 classic and its fantastic , I love it , but my 5 is a totally different car and opffers a totally different experience and without all that BHP its a cracking car to own

16vmarc

Wheres Pete?

JCScooby

Its based on my dislike towards the car. Im not saying scoobys or any other car for that matter are better than the 5, its just that i cant and dont think i ever will understand why people like them. Its only my opinion and after all i think the guy wanted answers from both sides of the fence.

stevencotton

Then you should have stated it was just your own dislike, I think people thought you had a horror story to tell

I think they are cracking little cars, so much fun, nothing beats it for the price for that kind of car. I had an '89 Eunos, 115bhp 1.6, would definitely have one again.

Dracoro

A small, fun and cheap wind in the hair motoring and you don't understand why people like them

JCScooby

its just like somebody who hates coffee cant understand the appeal it has to people who live on the bloody stuff.
I just dont like those kind of cars, not just mx-5's but also z3's, MG's and the likes.

T5OLF

iTrader: (4)

Buy one, i have one(got it for the wife to use in summer) and its great fun...one of the best handling cars you can buy with near perfect 50/50 split. They all rain in a bit even my mates with a new roof lets some in. Scuttle shake can be removed with a roll hoop and 2 braces for the underside that cost about 35 quid.

Power wise the 1.6 it not great and you do need to rev it but the MX is not about outright power its about amazing handling and road holding. Its great in summer...roof down, music on find some back roads and off you go.

tallsteve

Thanks for the feedback guys, I've driven them before so know how much fun they can be (in the summer at least).

I've seen a lot of people and sites about tuning the 1.6 (which apparently is over engineered) so can take the forced induction route without much problem. Is this the same for the 1.8?

pjb

take a look at these guys to see what can be done :thumb:


http://miata.cardomain.com/member_pa...=307965&page=1

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/689163


http://www.cardomain.com/ride/665796


http://www.mx5ocforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=14567

let us know what you think :wonder:

mx5 owner looking to buy a scooby for a second car :)

RRH

Would you not be better with a Eunos if you want the LSD? The only down-side of fitting an supercharger / turbo is you may compromise reliability- which is where they really excel.

MX5Daz

Thought I'd post up since I own an FI'd MX-5 (well an imported Roadster).

I've got a 1.6 1991, supercharged with a few other upgrades. It's been dynoed at 180.8 at the flywheel. I've got a few other mods planned (WI and smaller SC pulley) that should see 200.

The Mk1 engines are virtually unbreakable. Mk2's have thinner con-rods (cost saving by Mazda) and are seen as being safe to 250bhp. Easy swap though and the likes of David's car show what can be done.

There are more tuning options for a 1.8 than a 1.6 and the 1.8 FI options offer far more power potential than most of the 1.6 ones. The only exception being the FM2 kit, which is well supported and will offer up around 220bhp in the 1.6 version, 250+ in the 1.8.

For the supercharger bods, the JRSC M45 is available for all models and is capable of up to about 200bhp. Coldside it can do maybe 220, but there's no 1.6 kits. MP62's only fit the 1.8's (all years) and have levels of power from about 180 to 300 depending on which one you go for.

I'm not here to argue with the 'anti-hairdressers', I just spotted a thread asking for relevent advice and I happened to have some answers. Looks like many of you are a bit more open minded but I had to add the rider (waits for Pete Lewis to interject )

Daz

MX5Daz

The 1.6 LSD is viscous, only about 20% lock when it's working properly at best. Most are probably open diffs by now due to wear, and they're weak. I've killed two (one NA and one FI), and I've since gone to a 1.8 Torsen setup (you swap the diff, half shafts and propshaft) which is far better and much stronger. I did this for about £350, so it's not an expensive mod

Daz

ScoobyJawa

You must not like fun drivers cars then........ MX5 is well known as one of the best! And thats the point of it and why its the best selling 2 seater of its type ever.

CrisPDuk

What he said

MrsD bought a Mk1 1.8iS this summer, and I have to say for sheer enjoyment it p!sses all over my Scoob!
It's got a beautifully balanced chassis, a nice revvy engine with linear power delivery and, most importantly, tyres wide enough to carry some speed through the corners, yet skinny enough to let the back do the steering when you want too

Best of all, it's got a fecking awesome heater, so you can enjoy some roof down hooning even at this time of year

scoobylover

my old mk1 l-plate mx5 was the most reliable car ive ever owned and driven and the only car ive ever sold for a profit! (bought winter and sold in a good summer) possibly the best car ive ever had...

still think back on it with fond memories, didnt cost anything to run, great and fun to drive, personally id buy standard, leave it that way and just enjoy the damn thing.

I can remmeber another well known sti5 owner saying who gay the car was, how i looked like noddy and big ears etc, how he wouldnt get in it with the top down as it was gay, same former sti5 owner now has a bird with one and now how hes driven it a few times what a great car it is, more fund than his 430 horses scoob and how he now would not mind buying one...... says it all really.

JCScooby

I love fun drivers cars mate, thats why i dont like the mx5

CrisPDuk

Sounds to me like he doesn't actually know what a fun drivers car is SJ

JCScooby

he he he he I love it! somebody has a negative point on a car u like or own and u go getting your back up and all in a fuss. Its funny that really, u think the mx5 is wonderful so nobody else can give their opinion unless its what u want to hear.
Well im afraid the FACT is, in my opinion, the mx5 is not a car for:
a) people who are serious about cars.
b) people who want a "drivers car".
c) people who want a "fun drivers car".
d) people who know a good car when they see one.
e) last but not least (i just could'nt resist) people who are not a ******* hairdresser.

Again i must stress, its only an opinion

RRH

they're one the best budget trackday cars out there; buy one if you want to learn how to drive.

JCScooby

In you and other peoples opinions, yes they are. In mine and alot of other peoples, they are not. Half of what i said was simply in anger at the fact EVERYTIME it would seem, that somebody has a negative point on a car that other folk worship, the knives come out. Il be first to admit that Subaru owners are up there with the worst of them, but lets not forget there are OTHERS who are every bit as bad.

Roadster

Your right about how on forum people attack your opinions , however something you havnt done is tell any one of us what your opinion is based on, which makes them no more than factless statements

a) people who are serious about cars. - why cant you be serious about a 50 -50 wight distributed car that re invented small roadster motoring and outsiold every other car in its class worldwide ?

b) people who want a "drivers car". - How can it not be a drivers car - what have you based this on , its front engined , rear whell drive , well balanced , fine handling

c) people who want a "fun drivers car". - see above

d) people who know a good car when they see one. - Ill agree you may not like the look of it - your choice

e) last but not least (i just could'nt resist) people who are not a ******* hairdresser. - No point in biting as its a pointless statement - think what you like

Adam M

OMG,

JCScooby,

your opinion makes you a complete LONER, clearly you have no knowledge abut cars and have never driven one.

I have NEVER heard anyone, who has driven one say that the mx5 (with the exception of the mk3 which isnt being discussed here), say that the mx5 isn't great fun to drive a drivers car.

Its like saying that a ferrari is not a well known sports car, or the mclaren F1 is not a contender for the greatest drivers car of all time.

Or the lotus 7 doesn't have driect steering.

Some car related facts are just that, facts. This is not about opinion, yuo could say it is ugly, or its a hair dressers car they are opinions, but there is no question that it has one of the finest driver orientated chassis of all time and any true car enthusiast, including most who haven't driven one will say that.

if you don't like them then fair enough, I am not keen on the looks, but I would like to see the proportion of people who think the way you do about it a drivers car, compared with the proportion who disagree. I think you will find yourself outnumbered by several million to one.