Which MX-5 should I buy for track use?

[Hoolio]

Hi Folks, new member here so be gentle with me while we get to know each other

I am thinking seriously of buying an MX-5 for track use and would like the board's wisdom regarding which model would best suit my purpose. I'm intending to compete in one or more of the sprint series at QR (my local) and Lakeside, and I will probably also enter the Super Sprint series next year at Morgan Park.

I've got a fair bit of track experience, but I'm looking for a car which I'm not precious about and can afford to drive at 100 %, and which is reasonably cheap to run. I want to get as much track time as possible, with the main aim being to improve my driving and also to learn about car setup. The MX-5 will not be used as my road car so I will set it up 100 % for track use, but it will need to be road registered so that I can drive it to events (I can't accommodate a trailer at my place).

If I start with a standard road car, the minimum mods I will make are:
1. Roll bar, proper seat and harness.
2. Brake pads and fluid.
3. Tyres.
4. Suspension rebush.
5. Springs and dampers.
6. Alignment.

I can do all my own car prep work so there is zero labour cost. I have already investigated getting a mod plate for the roll bar and the seat and that appears not to be a problem.

So I am thinking of NA8 or NB8A or NB8B. Is there anything to choose between them for what I want to do? Is there any chassis/suspension difference between them, or are they all the same underneath? I understand that there are minor engine revisions between these three models, but does it make much difference? It is possible that I will look at engine mods in the future, but are they all equally suitable for mods? I would prefer to not have ABS for track use, so should I avoid a NB8B or is it easy to remove/disable the ABS. Is there any preference for the 5-speed of 6-speed box?

Lots of questions, hopefully I won't get too many different answers!

[gslender]

I will most likely come down to how long you can wait and much you've got to spend as the NA8 should be cheaper (but maybe not as easier to buy) vs NB models will may cost more (but you'll find more of them). You are largely correct that the differences are minor, but the later engines and drive train are better/stronger etc. Assuming almost zero mods, the earlier model (NA8) could be lighter and make up for the later (NB) better engines etc.

The other consideration is that later models will have ABS and other safety gear that won't be in the earlier models.

G

[Magpie]

Budget?

[mx5002]

Get an nb8b. It has all the bits you'll want after you own an na/nb8a for 6 months. 6spd, larger brakes with abs to stop you flat spotting your new r spec Tyres. More chassis Rigidity.. Should I go on...

Coilovers
Quality brake pads and fluid
Sticky tyres
Rollbar
Lsd.

And you'll have quite a good setup

[Hoolio]

Budget?

Sorry – I left out one of the important bits!

There is no precise budget for this, but based on the classified ads I have looked at if I start with a standard road car plus my estimation for essential mods I expect to be spending $10 - 15 k straight away.

Of course the less I can spend on buying the car the more track time I can afford, so I will also be on the look out for either a cheap tired road car, or one which someone has already modified for track use. Unfortunately it has to be one which is either Qld registered, or can be without too much hassle.

[Magpie]

Mine would fit the bill for you but alas it is not for sale...

If in Brisbane for the next dodgy day feel free to come along and discuss with other MX5 owners your wants/needs.

[Hoolio]

Lakeside on Monday? Is it now an all day event and when is a good time to be there without distracting people too much?

[Magpie]

Lunchtime between 1200 and 1300 I think would be a good time.

[Steampunk]

Do you know about the MY105 website? There are a couple of very decent MX-5s around the $12k mark ready to go.

If you are going to tow the car then obviously no RWC issue, but if you want to drive it on occasion, then apparently there was a time-limit where cars that were passed before X date could get a RWC with a full cage. So if this is a consideration then you'll obviously need to find a car that has a complianced cage before whatever date was set. Someone here is bound to pipe up when that was.

[Hoolio]

Do you know about the MY105 website? There are a couple of very decent MX-5s around the $12k mark ready to go.

If you are going to tow the car then obviously no RWC issue, but if you want to drive it on occasion, then apparently there was a time-limit where cars that were passed before X date could get a RWC with a full cage. So if this is a consideration then you'll obviously need to find a car that has a complianced cage before whatever date was set. Someone here is bound to pipe up when that was.

Thanks, I've already had a look through the MY105 ads and I can see that buying an existing race car would be far better value for money for me than starting with a tidy road car. The problem is that none of them are obviously registerable, but maybe I should contact the sellers to check. My difficulty is that my property does not give me room for a trailer without major excavation.

Qld used to allow mod plates for full cages under the old code of practice (code LH8) but as of two or three years ago under the new code of practice that code has been withdrawn. Under the current regs you can get a roll bar, or half cage behind the seats, mod plated (LK8/9/10) but not a full cage with anything in the A-pillar area.

[Magpie]

I have a shell at home that can be road registered. This could be available in Jan 2016?

The shell would take a lot of work to get it back to being road registered. It is a NA6.

[CrazyRacer]

I posted an almost identical question to the Vic sprint guys a few months ago, so it might be worth looking at some of the responses I got there.

http://mx5cartalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=68660

General consensus seemed to be to get a NB8B, which was my plan. But I just missed out on a bargain NB8B (an injury prevented me from driving for 12 weeks) and then was unable to find one that I considered cheap enough to race but still reasonably presentable. In the end I went for a cheap NB8A that a mate was selling with 11 months reg, a RWC and a hard top. Sure if I try to update it with all of the NB8B bits (which would be good) then it will end up costing just as much as a decent NB8B.

But at least this way I can get out there with a few mods and stay within a reasonable budget with some funds left to actually pay for some track days. Over time as I learn the car and want to go faster and more funding becomes available, I'll probably start doing some further mods, but in the meantime it gets me out on track.

Whatever car you get, if its stock you probably need to budget between $5K - $8K for you basic safety gear, exhaust, suspension, brakes (just decent pads and maybe new rotors), wheels and tyres on top of the purchase price. If your budget it adequate, get an NB8B. Otherwise NB8As are probably the best bang for buck at the moment.

[lightyear]

The answer is always NB8B. Thinking you are saving money buying an NB8A like crazyracer, is dumb. You are not saving money,as you need to buy all the bits to make it as good.
Your lap times will always be slower in an NB8A $ for $.
Here is the fastest MX5 combo for low budget.

NB8B's can be bought for around $8,000 now.
eBay extractors and basic straight through exhaust and cheap muffler $600-$700
Torsen 4.1 or 4.3 diff $1100, minus your diff @ $500 = $600
B.C or similar coil overs $1100
Front sway bar $250
Wheels and tyres allow at least $1500
Pod filter and intake pipe $50
Seat, harness and rollbar $1000-$1500
Corner weight and wheel alignment $350
Flywheel and clutch (optional) $1000
Brake pads, fluid and lines $500
That is new prices, so if you buy bits slowly when they come up for sale you could save a lot.

So that's about $14,000 which puts it in your price range. You don't need to do bushes. You can sell the seats and soft top, and use the money to buy a hardtop.

You can however find an NB8B with mods listed for sale. I payed $9,000 for mine, and it had most of the above already done.

[CapitalF]

Hoolio

I PM'd you yesterday in case you are not familiar with that part of this forum.

Peter

[Hoolio]

Thanks to everyone for all the replies so far – very helpful.