MX5 - Ideal track car?

[plohl]

Had a DC5R as a daily for a while - nice car, definitely belonged on the track rather then a daily, but would I get one over an mx5?
It'll really come down to requirements -
If you wanted to race IPRA, DC2 or DC5R would be at the top of the list.
If you're just doing track days... MX5 wins.

The DC5R was a pain in the ass to work on compared to the mx5.

Others have already mentioned this already, you can't beat an mx5 in terms of reliability... but if you're going to slap a turbo on it, be prepared for a drop in reliability - Turbos are trouble. My opinion of turbos has come from seeing all the trouble everyone else has with them, from track days and racing, plus seeing all the work that goes into a friends turbo'd mx5 - sh*t it's fast though. If you have the budget and time, go nuts, but if you want bulk track time, just leave the engine alone.
The most fun you can have at the track is a standard (or close to it) mx5, and it's also the cheapest.

As for NB vs NC, you don't want an NC by the sounds of it, so don't consider it. Tyres are more expensive due to the bigger wheels, they do crank out some good and even better lap times though compared with a similar modded NA/NB, and you can put the 2.5L in them...

Anyway, some questions for you:
What do you want to get out of the car (regardless of what it is)? I bought an mx5 originally because I wanted a car to learn to drive in/ work on for example. It had to be cheap, easy to work on and easy to get parts... not many cars hit these requirements. And I couldn't afford anything cooler at the time.
What's the primary purpose of the car? (Time attack/track days, racing, rally?)
Are you planning of working on the car yourself?
How much driving experience do you have?
Is there any specific class or classes you want to participate in?

Some more questions:
Why do you want boost?
If you boost, will you also aero?

[Mr Morlock]

Gee there are really are some very good responses and recognition that reliability fun and affordability are a big factor with MX-5. Some of us have recognised the same for road use- having fun with a car that feels more like a scalpel than a putty knife.

[Magpie]

Keep your expectations grounded in reality and understand the futility of taking a knife to a gunfight.

As Shane indicated if you want boost then the next will be aero and the spiral starts... as well as reliability issues.

In my build the ongoing maintenance was grossly underestimated, for example tracing electrical issues and implementing a fix to prevent a repeat can be frustrating. The more highly strung the car becomes the more issues you will have, this will increase exponentially with boost.

My car is naturally aspirated and moderately strung, I could give you a list of issues over the past 4-5 years that have required troubleshooting.

[Bianchi-89]

That's a good thread! Answered some questions I was asking myself again (SE x SP x custom Turbo)
I choose a 2003 NB. Bought it in the same day I drove John Boston's MX-5. That day I had an absolute blast in 3 sessions at Wakefield with a PB of 1'14''
I did the required club track day mods: braided brake lines, Roll Cage and the paperwork.

Went back to Wakefield about 6 weeks after my first experience and my time was only 1'24''... What's wrong with my car!? Hahaha

This month I got around Helmet and race gear.

For the coming month I'm looking to do exhaust, wheels, tyres, cold air intake, racecapture track and race receiver.

I'm sign up for the Regularity on the 24th August and see how it all goes.

Then there's more to come: MCA Cooilovers and Sway bars.

Still researching on Turbo kits/custom turbo and where to go to install it. Just learned the other week about ITBs...

Definitely not as straight forward as buying a race-ready car but you get to appreciate the car more than you would otherwise.

How do you go about getting driver coaching/tuition?

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[StuwieP]

How do you go about getting driver coaching/tuition?

A quick google should show up companies that do it in your area. MOst places offer defensive, advanced and high performance driver education "HPDE"

[rowdytoot]

That's a good thread! Answered some questions I was asking myself again (SE x SP x custom Turbo)
I choose a 2003 NB. Bought it in the same day I drove John Boston's MX-5. That day I had an absolute blast in 3 sessions at Wakefield with a PB of 1'14''
I did the required club track day mods: braided brake lines, Roll Cage and the paperwork.

Went back to Wakefield about 6 weeks after my first experience and my time was only 1'24''... What's wrong with my car!? Hahaha

This month I got around Helmet and race gear.

For the coming month I'm looking to do exhaust, wheels, tyres, cold air intake, racecapture track and race receiver.

I'm sign up for the Regularity on the 24th August and see how it all goes.

Then there's more to come: MCA Cooilovers and Sway bars.

Still researching on Turbo kits/custom turbo and where to go to install it. Just learned the other week about ITBs...

Definitely not as straight forward as buying a race-ready car but you get to appreciate the car more than you would otherwise.

How do you go about getting driver coaching/tuition?

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

Training- Call John Boston, .. Organise full day 1 on 1 tuition. He's a great instructor, quick as, and he knows mx5s.

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[GCMX5]

Q: Also, if one was to go for an NB as a track toy, would it be best to start with a turbo model or get a normal one and then add a turbo kit to them?
A: Start with a N/A NB, learn to drive it fast and address brake and suspension issues as you need to; then turbo the car (I feel like the world's biggest hypocrite as I write this). Do LOTs of research on this so that you don't end up wasting money on combinations that don't work together - change one component and something else gets impacted - it seems like an endless progress to get right so see what others use effectively and save time/$$$/effort/frustration. Don't "cheap-out" either, you'll end up replacing dodgy components with decent ones.

I have started to do a few sprint days with my NA8 this year (thinking I would need HP straight up) and completely agree with this. I'm having a bunch of fun "Learning to drive" the car fast and have not been hunting for extra HP as yet (No doubt this may come at some stage). Small changes to make me and the car better first.

[RileyR]

Great thread, so much knowledge and advice here!

My 2c:

I have an na8, and tracked it for a couple of years in sprint style events and plan on getting back out there.

I echo what people are saying about power: its not needed to have fun! Theres something cool about pressuring, keeping up with or overtaking a bigger HP car. Without sounding like I'm tooting my own trumpet, I once had a WRX owner come up and ask what turbo I was running - I was pretty happy to say the engine was stock! My point is that its always great being an underdog or driving a car that keeps up or punches above its weight so to speak.

In my opinion, mods to focus on would be mods to improve reliability and handling.

I recently had a full engine rebuild to stock standard. If there was a time to add power it would have been then. I didnt, I added a race engine mount and a better oil baffle. I will also be adding a coolant re route, an alloy radiator and a hose kit. In summary I did not chase power, just cheap reliability to have more fun and to try and stick it to the burnout lovers.

If you still want straight up HP and straight line speed then maybe an evo, wrx, s200 etc will be the cheapest and easiest way - re Magpie's post above and Beavis's race car costing video (though your cars are cool as hell!).

If your happy to learn to drive fast (rather than relying on HP), get excitement from shocking / annoying people with how fast it is around a track, and accepting that it will never be one of the 'fast' cars out there, then any of the mx5 models would suit