Matt's MY08 NC Roadster.

[Hammer]

Brilliant write up and photos Matt. You should conslidate your words and photos, and submit it to publications@mx5.com.au for Glenn Thomas to publish on the next MX5 Club of NSW newsletter "Club Torque".

I believe these are just the type of articles they'd like to include in the newsletter. Its a good read.

[Okibi]

Fantastic article and photos worthy of any publication, thank you for sharing Matt.

[sliq]

all i can say is wow. i gotta do these more often.

[Cappuccino]

Awesome write up thanks again for the invite Matt!

Something we must do again!

[zorak]

awesome photos - always wanted to do that drive, now even more!

[nath]

awesome photos - always wanted to do that drive, now even more!

Do it. Fill up that tank, make that play list, take the road less travelled.

[jules]

Matt, you're a dude!

I just love reading this stuff.
I have been lucky enough to do Thunderbolt's Way and the Oxley.

I even let Craig drive in the wet!


Jules

[CoffeeBoss]

Thanks guys.
As much of a chore as it can be going out there to get all these pics, the comments make it all worthwhile
Heh heh.


Circuit Club ANZAC Day 2010 Report
Anzac Day at Wakefield could be best described as a very entertaining
track day for me.

Not a particularly fast day, however!

This marked my first full day out at Wakefield on my A048 semi slicks.
These have a few track days on them now, but are still performing well.



However, I'd never run them on quite such a cold track before. And subsequently
I've never had a track day in the NC which required so much countersteering!
3rd gear slides through turn 5 off the top of the hill, 2nd gear power oversteer all the
way out of the fish hook - the NC has never been so much of a handful around Wakefield before.

Early sessions required 2 solid laps to get the tires warm, and subsequently
I spent a lot of time sliding the car back onto line rather than staying on line.
Apart from one lapse in concentration that resulted in an under-under at the fish hook,
I at least managed to keep it going in roughly the right direction all day



I also had the return of some brake fade I seem to often encounter at track days.
However this was OEM fluid, which I consistently find is not up to the task
of a full track day with 15-20 minute sessions.

The rear discs are also requiring replacement soon. I'm a little dissapointed with
the lifespan I'm getting out of these discs. They may be quite light, (unsure?),
but I'm not using particularly aggressive pads either. So I'm thinking of upgrading
the rotors as I had a good experience with aftermarket rotors on the Lexus.



I digress - the outcome of my ANZAC Circuit Club day was a 1:15:50. I was really
not that focused on the day though, and this certainly resulted in a times
which should have been under 1:15:00.
I was having too much fun with opposite lock, and watching Narada's new setup on
his S2000 catch a few drivers completely unawares



There was just too many distractions - catching up new friends and old.
Nigel took me for a spin in his 400rwkw XR6 Turbo which was memorable to say the least.
I also finally got to witness Andre's Radical SR8 at full noise. That thing... Phwoar.
Even Narada managed a 1:03 in it
It has previously netted a sub 57 second lap. Which is Formula 3 territory.



There were a number of Roadsters in attendance. Although I try to make myself
known to other MX5 drivers for whatever reason, I didn't manage to locate all the owners.
If you see the Galaxy Grey NC though, come say hello.

I had a good little battle with this NB at one point.



There was also an NC2 out to play



And a strong contingent of NA's including Mitch, who put on an
excellent show and posted a great 'no-holds-barred' report on The Lowdown.
Respect.



Karl was also there, our accident prone cyclist who featured in an early post in this thread.



Always good to see a Circuit Club day where the Roadster numbers rival the All Wheel Drive Mitsubishi crowd


More great photos by my number one co-driver in the Flickr set here

[CoffeeBoss]

Two Years On
May 2010 marks 2 years with the NC.
So naturally, I had to mark the occasion with a suitable edition.
Namely a much needed exhaust upgrade: the HKS Legamax Premium.


That's the stock muffler on the left, HKS item on the right.

There has been a great deal of deliberation by yours truly over muffler selection for the NC.
I started this thread on MX5 Cartalk to assist with my research.
Primarily, the NC owner is faced with the question - stay with the dual muffler, or go single.
The benefits of the single muffler are obvious - free'er flowing, cheaper, and much lighter.
Greddy offer one, as does Goodwin Racing. Custom is also an option of course.

However as the numerous threads, and Brian Goodwin's tireless development has shown,
the 2L MZR engine in the NC LOVES to drone. It's also a fairly loud engine,
with some full exhaust setups seeing 90db at track days.
So any exhaust mods for a road going NC have to be treated with caution.

Initially, I was going to go with a single muffler. However, after much consideration,
and countless threads and You Tube videos, I had to conclude that sound
was more important than weight or horsepower. With a road car, I reason that max HP isn't
something I'm going to use all the time. However sound is something that is always there.
What's more, for a daily dríven car, it's a big part of the Roadster experience. So it's important to get it right.
There aren't many aftermarket exhausts getting around on NC's yet, so first person experiences were scarce.
I'd heard the Mazdaspeed muffler in person, and was not impressed. Plus the car had an aftermarket midpipe.
Lots of drone at constant throttle.

Meanwhile, I kept coming back to this video (and the one on the HKS website)



So, as some will know, a small band of us crossed the border into VIC in March
to rescue one of the greatest NA8's known to man-kind!
That car now belongs to Reggie, and the epic story of it's retrieval can be read on the Roadsterlife blog.
However, while in VIC I also met up with Andrew to purchase this exhaust.

The muffler install was straight forward, it's just a diff back muffler.



Just a few bolts to undo, and there is a replacement gasket provided in the kit also.



First drawback - stock muffler, 11kg, HKS Legamax: 12.5kg


Looks quite cool though. Sits lower than the stock item, so you can see the twin cannisters.



Soundwise, it's exactly what I am after.
Firstly when you turn the car over, you notice a bit more exhaust sound, and a much lower tone.
On the freeway, at constant throttle, I would say it's maybe 5% louder than stock.
Under load it's probably 15-20% louder.
It has a nice low hum up to 3000rpm, the note hardens, and above 4500rpm it develops a bit of a rasp.
Brian Goodwin has said a great deal about the drone the NC makes at 3000rpm on trailing throttle.
Well HKS seem to have pushed it further down - it get's some nice standing waves around 1500rpm.
Not the 'brown note' but close. Only at that rpm though, which is above idle and below cruising speed.
So you never notice it.

Driving impressions? Well, this is the good part.

Immediately, the 'seat-of-the-pants' dyno pointed to better response through almost the entire rev range.
Throttle response is improved again from when I added the Autoexe intake. In fact I would say it is now
where I have wanted it to be. Gear changes, and particularly rev matching, is that bit sweeter now.
Certainly, the sound has some impact on this. But it's no placebo effect.



Basically, I was hoping for better tone, more noise at wide open throttle, and some improved
throttle response. The improvement in pickup throughout the rev range has surprised me.
Sound is great, exactly what I wanted. All in all, a very worthwhile upgrade.

[broady]

What's more, for a daily dríven car, it's a big part of the Roadster experience. So it's important to get it right.

+1. When are we going to go for a drive Matt?

[sliq]

fly by clip asap.

[Hammer]

Its surprising to find out the HKS sits lower than the OEM muffler considering it looks flatter on your comparison shot. But on closer inspection, you realise why. The brackets are longer and further away from the unit.

If I had an NC, I would have chosen dual exhaust as well. Looks great Matt.

[@ndrew]

Matt I would recommend adding the factory lower rear bumper lip

It should definitely improve the look of that rear end...well that's at least what I was planning on doing if I kept her.

[CoffeeBoss]

Matt I would recommend adding the factory lower rear bumper lip
It should definitely improve the look of that rear end...well that's at least what I was planning on doing if I kept her.

Haha - funny you should mention that. The rear bumper was 'bruised' in a carpark recently, so I've been thinking about what bumper to replace it with if I was to do so. But those things aren't cheap. No more unnecessary mods planned for this year, apart from the few sitting around which are yet to go on the car (more on that later).

Should the time come though, Mazdaspeed front and rear is the only way to go IMHO.

What's more, for a daily dríven car, it's a big part of the Roadster experience. So it's important to get it right.

+1. When are we going to go for a drive Matt?

You should come down to the Highlands for the 20th Anniversary weekend next month.

[LeftRightOut]

From where did you buy it? Does Andrew import them?

I'm in Melbourne, have an NC, and am very interested! Looks and sounds excellent!