Matt's MY08 NC Roadster.

[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

[Lokiel]

:
However, the orange bulbs under a clear housing does look a bit cooler when you are using your indicators. +1 Bling Score

:

Suggestion: I smoked my clear indicators with two light coats of VHT's Night Shade to blend them into the car more. It's very subtle since you don't want to make them too dark in case the amber signal is no longer visible - looks good on a Ti. Your side indicator's look exactly the same as mine (NB).

Before:


After:

[CoffeeBoss]

Hey Lokiel, that doesn't look half bad! Cheers for the tip
*adds to ToDo list*


Spring has Sprung
So not a great deal to report - just the usual drives and photos and such.

With Taz's S Special to look after, my attention has admittedly been a little divided anyhow!


However, with Spring in the air, a decent meet and drive had to go down.
So over the long weekend a group of us went for a run through the Highlands.


Not the best weather for it.
However this didn't really matter, as it was a great drive, with great food and great company to boot.


Jamberoo Valley -> Kiama - I love this stretch of road!


Montego Blue NA8's are the flavour of the month




On 10-10-10 I gave both the Roadsters a decent bath




Cooking a little something up though, which should make for an... interesting post for next week

[CoffeeBoss]

Matt, I had Stu from spinning wheels redo the alignment on my nc2

Robert, cheers for the update!
It's great to get feedback, and nice to know Stu's magic is appreciated by others.

Incidentally, my ToDo list includes a visit to Forsyths, which is frankly well overdue...
so expect to see me one weekend soon?!

[CoffeeBoss]

MDTC Birthday Cosplay Trackday
So, I've been doing trackdays fairly regularly now since 2007.
Getting out there with a mix of cars is always great fun. However I've always wanted to do a private day.




Photo by DanMac

So when Reggie suggested hiring a track for our respective birthdays (which are 1 day apart) the seed was planted.





Just to set the scene, and with Halloween nearby on the calender, we decided to make it a cosplay theme. As you do.







And to increase the nerd quotient even further, our good friends at Motographics pitched in with a truly cool and suitably geeky gift:
Macross Veritech Fighter livery for 8 of the Roadsters in attendance.





Complete with callsigns, model ensigns on the bonnet, and 'tail' symbols:




Photo by Rob/Frogger

So - the intention was there to get lots of great group shots of all the costumes and cars.
In reality though - a trackday with a bunch of close friends and family in attendance means lots of driving and gasbagging, and little time for pictures.


Photo by Rob/Frogger

Fortunately though, Danmac and Rob where present and squeezed off some great shots for us.
Thanks again guys!!


Photo by Dan/DanMac


Photo by Dan/DanMac


Photo by Dan/DanMac


Photo by Dan/DanMac


Photo by Rob/Frogger


Photo by Rob/Frogger


Photo by Rob/Frogger


Photo by Rob/Frogger

Marulan is really the PERFECT venue for a trackday like this. Even one without geeky costumes
The cost is reasonable, and Gary is an exceptional host. It's nice and cosy, with a great viewing area and cafeteria.
The day ran nice and smoothly, and the tight circuit means 10 minute sessions are more than enough.
By the end of the day I'd done 8 sessions, each one with a passenger in the car. Plus some half sessions and passenger runs.
I was stuffed!


Photo by Rob/Frogger

It was, in a word, awesome having a trackday with so many friends and family present.
For a number of them it was their first trackday, and this just adds to the excitement.


Photo by Rob/Frogger

A huge thanks to everyone who came along.

And a massive thanks to Gary and the team for running such a great event.
If you're thinking about doing a similar event, I urge you to consider MDTC as a venue.

The Wilmington's have been copping some serious flack from the local council over their venue recently, something we are hoping we can help him with through some legal contacts of ours. What they have done for the track day community stretches far beyond this facility. A facility which just happens to be of vital importance to enthusiasts like us, and which is a much needed by the grassroots motorsport and driving community. They deserve all the support they can get.

[azzaboynt]

Just wanted to say this is one epic and inspiring thread. Love the Macross decals, would look good on my silver NC2!

Cheers, and appreciate you sharing your story with us all.
Azzaboynt

[CoffeeBoss]

Cheers Guvnah! Glad your enjoying!

Wow, it's been a while since my last update.

Truth be told, those parts of my days not filed under Roadster Life have kept me quite occupied over the past few months.

However there are a few things to report.

Firstly, a few shots I took before removing the Macross inspired Veritech Fighter graphics.



Once again a massive shout out must go to Brendan & Melvin (Motographics) for their tireless assistance in helping design, apply and remove the decals.



I ended up having them on for probably just over a month. There was some residue which was easily removed by this magic goo removal liquid stuff Motographics use which basically melts the residual glue. Without it it would have taken hours to remove the residue from the paintwork without damaging the clearcoat.



But really, it was just funny to see the looks you would get from driving around in a car with U.N. SPACY plastered up the sides. Honestly most people didn't know what to make of it. However I did get three knowing looks and smiles from people who I'm fairly certain knew where the inspiration came from.



Next, I upped the ante behind the front wheels with a set of Carbotech XP8 brake pads.



Previously I've been using the Carbotech 1521, which is a street pad. Better than OEM in basically every respect, I was still keen to step up the range and see what type of performance the more aggressive Carbotech pad offered. The XP8 is basically in the middle of the range for MX5's and from reports probably the most aggressive pad I could reasonably run on the street.

Yes, yes it is.

You really need to bed this pad in properly. That's the first lesson. I gave the pads very light treatment for the first 400kms before hitting them repeatedly up to track temp and them letting them cool (which is basically the Carbotech bed in procedure). Secondly once this is done, the squealing will dissipate a little, but under normal road use, these pad still squeal like a banshee.

The downside is that, in carparks and beside cliff walls with the roof down, it sounds like you're being swooped by Imperial Tie Fighters. And after a week, your front wheels have taken on a 'shadow chrome dust' look. On that note, I will say this for the RPF1's. Their finish is still as good as new, and brake dust is still a trivial task to remove, most of it just washes off even after a week or more of daily driving. Great wheels, Enkei.

The upshot of all this is that, particularly when warm, these pads pull up MUCH harder than the 1521, Carbotech's road pad that I've been using for a while now. Even with spirited driving, you need not go any deeper than maybe half of the brake pedal. Any more and the car will aggressively follow the contour of the road. For the performance, these pads are worth every cent. I can't wait to get them to the track.

Incidentally, it just so happens that a friend of mine via Circuit Club has become the Australia distributor for Carbotech, and thanks to Mark it's now cheaper to source these pads locally then via the usual 949 Racing / Goodwin channels. So if anyone needs a hook up, feel free to PM me for the contact details.

[re99ie]