Matt's MY08 NC Roadster.

[sliq]

awesome. i look forward to hearing it on the iceberg run, which you're coming to, right? RIGHT!

[Guran]

Matt and I met up for a chat & drive on Sunday, and we did a car swap for one leg. I was quite surprised at just how quiet and subdued his exhaust is. It's far quieter than my stock NA6, both in terms of exhaust and induction noise, at least from the driver's seat. Makes a lovely sound too.

[CoffeeBoss]

Matt and I met up for a chat & drive on Sunday, and we did a car swap for one leg.

and I doth my cap to you sir, for the privilege.
Have been wanting to drive the 135 since it's release, I can't tell you how enjoyable it was finally scratching that itch.




80'000 kms service and beyond

Well, feels like a while between updates. There's been a little bit happening.

Firstly, another milestone achieved. It's been smooth sailing with the dealership (Eurocars) thus far, however the last 2 services have seen some incidentals added to the bill which I saw as unecessary.

Firstly, there was a engine filter change amongst the items, which they assured me they had not charged for.

Then, at my last service, they added extra labour charges because they can't use rattle guns on my McGard lugnuts.



Considering the number of services I've done there already, not to mention the additional fluid changes I do over and above the recommended intervals, I thought this was pretty weak.

[sliq]

is it beyond their abilities to use manual labour by using an extension to undo the nuts?

[Charlie Brown]

At least they can't overtighten and cross thread the nuts like a dealer did on my car using a rattle gun. I ended up getting a new rear hub out of them because you can't just replace the studs!!!

[CoffeeBoss]

At least they can't overtighten and cross thread the nuts like a dealer did on my car using a rattle gun. I ended up getting a new rear hub out of them because you can't just replace the studs!!!

Yikes, I hate dealership horror stories like this one. I guess it's why I take these kinds of issues with a modicum of restraint, for the most part, my experience with these guys has been a good one. It just irks me because the charge was not there for the preceding 5 services where the same was required. And I've been going considerably out of my way to give this dealership my patronage.




Tires, Sways and Bling

So, the Preceda's were starting to look a bit worse for wear.

It really goes to show though, what a good tire and a good alignment can do for you.

The Bridgestone RE050's that this car came with were past their indicators after about 30'000kms.

The Michelin Pilot Preceda's have had just as much track time, probably more than the Bridgestones in fact.
Here's the front and rear tread after 45'000kms:

Front:


Rear:


Had I bothered to rotate my wheels front to back a little more often (the benefit of not running a staggered set up) than the rears would not have looked so worn.

Which brings me to another reason why I harp on about Michelin's perhaps a little too much. Even when they are near their end, these tires still hang on.
Sure, not like when they were new, but a LOT better than the Bridgestones, whose grip levels tend to drop off quite rapidly as soon as their tread depth gets low.

So, it's probably not suprising that I'm on another set of Michelin's.
The Preceda 2 has been retired from the Michelin line-up. The equivalent tire is now a Michelin Pilot Sport 3.

I've been going to Bob Jane's at Haberfield for my tires for a long time now.
Their service is excellent and consistent. I've had great service there through many sets of tires across a number of cars over the years.
I'm glad I opted to go back there, because it was thanks to the strength of a retail chain that I was able to actually get these tires. Michelin Australia was completely out of the size I needed. Bob Jane had a set in QLD, and a few days later they were in. I had them installed the same day.



I've clocked up about 3000kms on them now, including some decent wet weather driving, and I would say that they are a similar step up from the Preceda 2 as the Preceda 2 was from the Preceda 1. So improved wet weather grip and more grip in the dry too. Noticeable almost immediately though is that they are quieter than the Precedas as well. Side walls feel a bit stiffer too.

Sadly though, it seems Michelin are not offering them in 16" or below. And like the Precedas, no 225/40 sizes either, so I'm sticking to 215/45.

[CoffeeBoss]

Dropped into ISMR to install my Eibach sway bars. I picked these up from Andrew in Melbourne when I bought his HKS muffler.

We didn't have much time so we just did the rear sway. With the 'V-mount style' position of the condensor and radiator in the NC, installing the front sway is a bit of a mission.

Besides, Chris/MX5 Racing swears by the 'standard front sway, thicker rear' setup he uses in his race NC's, so I've been keen to try this approach myself.

The Eibach's give you 2 mounting points on the rear to adjust stiffness, I've opted for the softer setting.



The result, on the road at least, is a bit more neutrality to the car in the bends. Not a big difference, it's just a little keener on turn-in, and a little flatter in the rear. I like that feeling of the car sitting over it's outside rear tire when you throttle on through a corner (reminds me of my old IS200) so no desire to try the stiffer setting yet.

[CoffeeBoss]

On the bling side of things, I finally got around to installing my IL Motorsport clear side indicators.



I don't think it looks better or worse really, just different. Afterall, the orange indicators match the front and rear.
However, the orange bulbs under a clear housing does look a bit cooler when you are using your indicators. +1 Bling Score



Oh yeah. Wiper blades were a little worse for wear, so I JDMified those too. Autoexe Sports Wiper blades.
With results like these, how can you say no?



They actually look pretty good IMHO. They satisfy my inner expert, you might say
The blades are a graphite silicon mix of some sort. I had PIAA wipers on my IS200 which I loved, these also work silently.
These don't seem to be quite as good at keeping the glass slick, but I'm not exactly comparing like for like, since the windscreens on the two cars are different.



Combined with RainX or similar, a good wiper blade will keep your glass smooth, such that you hardly need to use them, particularly in heavy rain on the freeway. Kinda ironic really

[CoffeeBoss]

Woohoo!

Awesome new Roadster tee from David @ Import Bible featuring Russell / GT Roadster's old NC:

[CoffeeBoss]

Black Betty

Some of you will know Taz. Taz is a fairly recent convert to the Roadster Life. He's currently on assignment overseas.

For those who don't know Taz and his NA8 - some cliff notes: On a recent visit to Oz, when needing a hire car for the stay, he did the sensible thing and purchased a JDM Eunos Roadster 'S Version'. Of course, a month later when it was time to part with the car... the Roadster Life is difficult to part with. So Taz's S Version passed to Reggie's care.

Some of you will know Reggie. Reggie is a fairly recent convert to the Roadster Life... shortly after taking custody of Taz's 'Black Betty' Roadster... see a pattern here?

Anyway, with Reggie having an NA8 of his own to look after, Taz has given me the honour of looking after 'Black Betty'. And it is indeed an honour. It's humbling when someone hands you the keys to their pride and joy, but much more so when they ask you to look after it whilst they are overseas.

Black Betty will be spending most of her time 'under wraps'. The NC car cover I purchased from Moss Motors fits perfectly over the NA, not too lose.



However, we can't let the battery run flat.

Black Betty had her first taste of Roadster Life in the Highlands just a few weekends ago.
Naturally, I did my usual thing and took the car to a nearby location for a few snaps.





and introduced the S Special to the neighbours



I've always enjoyed driving different cars.
Jumping behind the wheel of a car either similar or different to your own can be very illuminating.
In this instance, you learn a bit about the history of the car. The gearbox is much tighter than NA's I've dríven of a similar age. Power is lacking a little compared to other NA8's I've dríven, but there's some new leads to go on which should, shall we say, plug some of that gap.

Not to mention, most of the NA8's I've dríven have been modified in some way.
Recently I had a squirt in Rob's turbo Clubman. An exceptional car, Rob's a veteran when it comes to modified NA8's, and this is certainly penultimate in it's execution! This drive was the day before I drove Black Betty, and I can categorically say that the Flyin' Miata Butterfly Brace is worth every cent. The difference in rigidity between Rob's NA8 and a stock NA8 chassis was considerable.



It's also illuminating to see how the model has evolved over the years. As Nath once said to me after he'd dríven my NC "you can feel the DNA". Steering feel is still much the same, which is great considering the much wider tread that the NC runs. Probably best though, is that I the difference between my car and the NA8 in feel are less now than they have ever been. Thanks to the intake and the exhaust, I don't feel that lack of feel (call it throttle response and sound) when jumping from an NA to my NC.

My NC is largely right where I would expect an NC to be in terms of road car feel and sound. The aural feedback is now on par, top down, with a stock NA8 top down. Talking volume here, not note or pitch. Throttle response is now very similar also.

Looking at the history of Taz's Roadster though... I need to be wary of straying from my current path

[CoffeeBoss]

So, with new tires comes another visit to Stu @ Spinning Wheel.



My intention was to simply get the alignment 'tidied up' to the previous settings.
However, Stu took one look at my car, rubbed his hands together and announced that he 'had some changes to make'. He's had a few NC's through now, and he's starting to really work his wizardry with them.

Stu has insisted I give him some feedback. I'll be telling him that I love the new settings and will be recommending them to every NC owner I know. You hear that NC owners?

Seriously though, with a lot more castor up front, the car has a lot more bite in the front on turn in. Under throttle, this translates to a more pointy, more 'oversteery' NC. It's great. Will probably be more of a handful on the track, should be interesting on our next outing.

Once this was done, I had to run an errand for Reggie. A tough task, this meant driving Reggie's NA8 around for a few hours.



This of course is the same car we bought up from Melbourne earlier in the year (see earlier post) and of course JDMST's first feature car.
Driving the car up from Melbourne was a blast, but spending some time with it in the familiar confines of inner-city Sydney on a cool sunny Saturday was much more enlightening. This really is a very special car.

I'll be joining Reggie in The Toaster tomorrow on his first outing to Wakefield since we brought the car back from Melbourne. Should be a blast

[CoffeeBoss]

My NC2 is fitted with RE 050A tyre (5000klms) that are showing some feathering (front) and I was wondering if you might have a copy of the alignment specs that you are using, I drive with some spirit (no track work though).

Greg, I have a scan of Stu's newly updated settings (see post above) for you.
Please PM me an email address.

[taminga16]

Matt.
You have a PM.
Greg.

[CoffeeBoss]

Wakefield In The Rain
So although this is NOT indicative of a growing obsession with NA Roadsters (it's always been there!), I did my first properly wet track day at Wakefield recently. In a pair of NA8 Clubmans.

Great photos by Matt Mead. Love your work Matt!


Ostensibly I was there to help Reggie out with what was his first track day in 'The Toaster'.
The OzRenaultsport forums were also having their annual track day as well, so I was hoping to catch up with some of my Renault driving friends.



Since we were not going to be there for the whole day, I decided to ride shotgun and leave the NC at home.


So with really no expectations of driving, it's quite humbling for me to report that I ended up driving in 4 sessions in Karl and Reggie's NA8 Clubmans.
This was interesting from a comparison point of view but mostly it was just a huge amount of fun.



The day begun nice and casual, with some decent coffee and breakkie at The Green Grocer in Goulburn.
I try to start all of my track days here, decent fresh food and coffee can be hard to come by in a place like Goulburn!



As you may recall from an earlier post, Reggie's car had recently been 'dialled in' for track day duties by Stu @ Spinning Wheel. We had not really accounted for the rain - with the aggressive camber and castor settings, it was quite twitchy for an NA. This combined with the greater top end power delivery of The Toaster made it quite challenging for this driver to string a fast lap together. In this respect, Reggie's Toaster is a great track car, requiring far more precision to get it all right. It also has a truly legendary soundtrack.

Another of the super crispy shots Matt Mead took on the day


Karl's NA8 on the other hand, wearing Michelin Preceda rubber and one of Stu's more 'conservative' alignments was, dare I say, putty in my hands.
Just a pure delight to steer a well sorted NA8 with a nice rorty soundtrack around Wakefield.
I think it's also telling of how great these cars are that you can drive quickly, yet confidently within your limits in these kinds of conditions.
It really was very wet out there, with a stream of water running across turn 1 which made things really interesting at the end of the straight.



I had a great time working on dialing out understeer under throttle, braking hard without ABS, and of course there was oversteer-a-plenty.

Being a Circuit Club day means there was a great community spirit prevailing, and a large variety of cars out for some action.

Mitch barreling down the straight:




No times for me, I either didn't have a transponder in the car or was driving in non-timed sessions. But it was a slow day for all involved.

Most of all though, I'm hugely grateful for the generosity of friends.
It's a big deal to hand the keys to your pride and joy over to someone else, and not something I try to take lightly!
Karl & Reg's contributions made this one of the most entertaining track days in recent memory. Thanks guys!

[Robert]

Matt, I had Stu from spinning wheels redo the alignment on my nc2 . The previous one Stu did as part of the club organised event. Stu was great then and as you say is just so keen about getting it right. I will be giving him a call and let him know some feedback.
Just returned from a drive . a repeat of last sundays drive I did down to Berry etc, with Alex and The mad hatters . Gave the car a great work out over the same roads. Completely different behaviour . I really enjoyed the more positive turn in and stability thru the corner love the new settings. Now I am trying to find 4 michelin pilot tyres . Apparently there arent any. bugger. Not sure what to do about them. So I agree with you, a must 'do' adjustment for nc s