New toy

[1blue5]

Well, I got it a day early, the back of my neck is sunburnt a bit, but I LOVE IT!. I am thrilled with my new little baby just home so too dark to take pics, will do so over the weekend. Cheers, Rem.

[grump]

Ahh, the old MX5 suntan, you should have see my wife after a 300km trip the first time. She wears a hat now. you don't realise how vunerable you are to the sun without a roof.
Look forward to some pics. ( of the car, not your neck )

[PUR157]

There is no such thing as being too sun safe...

Just stick a tube of sunscreen in the dashbox
One of my worst burns came from driving to work AFTER a day at the beach...

[1blue5]

Hi all, well after driving my new baby most of Wednesday then all over town getting ready for my bday Thur nite, I sadly havent had any time to take pics, but! here are some. I have now placed some sunscreen in the glovebox, and permanently leave a cap in the car too. Got hold of some of that 303 aerospace stuff to bring back the vinyl on the roof, and what a difference that has made, Im soo happy.
This may seem like a dumb question, I believe the previous owner has lowered the suspension, can u un-lower the suspension?. Im feeling most bumps, I will admit it handles like its on rails and I love that, but I dont want to be constantly looking out for dips or bumps in the road to try and save snapping my neck!. Looking through all the receipts in the glove box, I discovered the prev. owner spent nearly $2k on a new exhaust and air intake (thingy). It sounds wicked. Big bucks though!.
Any advice on the suspension would be appreciated, cheers Rem.

(just tried to upload pics from my phone and they are too big- will try again in a min)

[1blue5]

ok hopefully these work..

[grump]

what is the measurement from the centre of your wheel to the wheel arch, front and back. It might not be a lowering issue it could be springs and shocks, can you see what brand they are?.

[1blue5]

Hey grump, from the middle of the mazda logo on the wheels to the top of the wheel arch: rear 33 cm and front 32cm. They are slight bigger alloys than standard. Cant really see what brand shocks they are (light fading outside) however what I could see were red coils on the front (???). No doubt this is not much help-/

[grump]

Hey grump, from the middle of the mazda logo on the wheels to the top of the wheel arch: rear 33 cm and front 32cm. They are slight bigger alloys than standard. Cant really see what brand shocks they are (light fading outside) however what I could see were red coils on the front (???). No doubt this is not much help-/

1B5, your car is 4cm lower than standard on the rear and 2cm lower on the front. the issue is really the dampers (hows that again Andrew ) and springs. My NA runs the same heights , give or take .5cm and rides perfect on KYB AGX and king lows. There is a big difference between different brands of dampers and springs. the heights you have are not low compared to other NA's. I fitted NB suspension to my NA, which gives me about 1cm more damper travel than an NA. Dampers and springs are a bit of a COW on the forum so I can only comment on what I have done. hope this helps in some way.

[Hammer]

I just love the Laguna Blue on the NA. It was my equal choice for colour (along with red) when I was looking for an NA.

[dingmaz]

That blue is certainly a different colour, dont see many of them here in the ACT. Are there any more pictures to come, or are you too busy driving around in it--eg just going to get some milk--via the GOR--

[1blue5]

Grump thanks for the advice, nice to know it could be 'just' the springs and dampers. Am back to work tomorrow after a month off, so will have wait until next pay to see what can be done. Interesting (to me) that a small difference has a big impact on ride, again more likely the springs/dampers, appreciate your advice, thankyou.
Dingmaz and Hammer, yeh must admit havent had much time for pics, though we have a milk bar accross the road, I still drive ten min to get it from the supermarket!.
I do like the Laguna blue, its interesting (prob my camera), in the photos it looks a little lighter than in real life. I will try and get some more pics today.

Grump this may be a stupid question, re my springs/dampers,(not knowing the brand) can they be adjusted with the set that are on my car now, or would a new set need to be purchased?. Cheers

[NMX516]

Some 15 inch NB8A wheels will improve the ride...

[GS]

You could also look at getting some FCM bumpstops, which apparently make a significant improvement to the ride on NA's with shorter springs. Ive only heard good things about them (and hopefully i'll find out soon as mine are still sitting in a "things to do" pile in the garage).

Link > http://fatcatmotorsports.com/FCMstops_46.htm

[1blue5]

Hi GS thanks for the info. This is all new to me, previous car was stock standard the way it left the factory. Apparrently my car is lowered by 4 and 2 cm (from factory) rear and front. Would the bumpstops stop the 'harsh' travel over choppy roads do you think, or would it be better that i get the car raised a little? Cheers

[GS]

The way i see it, theres probably 3 things that could be contributing to the harsh ride on your car:
* Springs/dampers significantly harder than stock. Both can be made with a large variety of rates. Some aftermarket lowered springs may only be slightly harder than the stock ones, while others might be rock hard. Likewise the dampers. Might be worth having a poke around under the car to look for some brand names or other identification. You mentioned the coils were red which excludes Kings. Maybe someone else has some ideas.
* Suspension travel. The NA's dont have too much suspension travel before they start riding on the bump stops. The solution is to either bolt in NB suspension as Grump as done, trim/cut the bumpstops, or install shorter aftermarket bumpstops.
* Bigger wheels. NA's came standard with 14in wheels/60 profile tyres. Go up to 16 (like yours) or 17in wheels, and the profile reduces to 45/40. Less rubber = harsher ride.

So you could replace the lowered springs with some stock ones, but the shocks and/or wheels may still cause some harshness. And if you're concerned about the visuals, an MX5 with 16in wheels and standard shocks can sometimes look a bit jacked up.

Its also hard to give advice as different people have different thresholds when it comes to judging ride.

In my case, ive got King springs (30mm lower) and 17in wheels on my car at the moment. The low speed ride is acceptable in my view, but the lack of suspension travel is the problem. This is most obvious when you hit a bump while the suspension is already partly compressed (eg when cornering or on an undulating road). The resulting crash can be quite uncomfortable at times, especially as the NA seats are not overly generous in padding.

From what ive read (and this matches Grumps previous comment), you can get a lowered MX5 riding as well as stock. All depends on the brands of shock and springs, sufficient suspension travel, and the size of your wheels. Im hoping thats the case anyway, as im installing some AGX shocks, FCM bumps and NB8A 15in wheels soon.

ps. Love the new car. Always loved the Laguna blue colour.