Matt's MY08 NC Roadster.

[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]

[CoffeeBoss]

The Old Road
With life being a bit hectic lately, the need to go for an aimless drive was getting unbearable.

So last weekend, despite the heat, Reg and I headed out to get reaquainted with The Old Road.



Thankfully, it was a quiet afternoon up there. First off was the obligatory stop at the PITS to 'refuel' - lamb honey & rosemary pie ftw.


Photo by Reggie

Then it was through to the end of 'Stage 3' for a quick 'tunnel run'


Photo by Reggie

I've been driving this road on and off for over a decade now, and I simply never tire of it. Countless times I've found myself on the Newcastle Freeway heading in or out of Sydney, and you can always convince yourself that you've got time up your sleeve to get off the freeway and jump on the Old Pac.

I love the distinct feel of the 3 sections, and the different rythym each part of the road has. It's also a road that doesn't need to be dríven flat out to be enjoyed. Better than average surface quality for a NSW b-road, with great flow and a picturesque backdrop.



It's a perfect Roadster road, really.

On the return leg back to Sydney, we decided to detour via Bobbin Head Road. Near sunset it's usually reasonably devoid of traffic, and is a much nicer alternative to the F3 freeway anyhow. The spot down by the marina is also makes for a nice rest area.



Bobbin Head Road is, of course, quite bumpy. But compared to my old IS200 & it's TRD coilovers, the TEIN's and the tighter NC chassis really make short work of the undulations on Bobbin Head Rd. Which, after nearly 100'000kms of driving, says a lot about the TEIN Super Street's build quality, IMHO. They are well past their prime now, that is for certain! But despite that, they are holding up very well indeed.

[CoffeeBoss]

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.

So, just found out on the weekend that it looks like the whole noise issue and attempts at closing MDTC down are being thrown out of court now.

Truly great news for MDTC.

[Regie]

Hooray! Ive got to get down to that track soon!

on another note, Swung by Spinning Wheel the other day for a alignment. Wow the difference was Huge!! Ive gone back to stock suspension (minus sways) and man the car is a absolute baller to drive..... And i thought i was going to go Euro, might jusy go NC

[CoffeeBoss]

Hooray! Ive got to get down to that track soon!

Yes. Yes you do.
Mandatory for Mazda Roadster drivers. Each one sold should come with instructions on how to get there.

on another note, Swung by Spinning Wheel the other day for a alignment. Wow the difference was Huge!! Ive gone back to stock suspension (minus sways) and man the car is a absolute baller to drive.....

It's always satisfying to hear people driving away from Spinning Wheel with that re-aligned smile. It's the type of difference you really need to experience for yourself to appreciate what a good alignment can do for your car.

And i thought i was going to go Euro, might jusy go NC

Euro aye....?
Just do one thing - if you can find one on a dealers floor somewhere, go and have a look at a white NC2.
They look pretty sweet in the metal. And it doesn't take much to make them look even better



Regret #1 - I should have got 17 x 9's.

[CoffeeBoss]

Interior Enhancements
So, there have been two interior 'upgrades' I've been wanting to do almost since I got the car.

One functional, and one purely asthetic.

I've been sitting on the former item for over 6 months now, and I finally got around to installing it
- the IL Motorsport replacement centre console.

The reason for this upgrade is simply told by this picture here:



Below, we have the standard centre console, with it's two cup holders. What you can't see is that the sliding cover for the console also has a latch that hangs halfway down into the console, meaning that if you have any item larger than a lighter in there, you can't slide the lid closed.

German Engineering to the rescue! Now I have a much larger space in the centre console, with a lid that secures via a magnet instead of latch. When closed, it looks identical to factory. With the addition of some non-stick padding, it's FAAAR more useful than the factory item. If you use your NC a lot, it's well worth the ugprade, and installation takes about 30 minutes, if you follow the right instructions (tip: search MX5 Cartalk, there are 2 extra screws holding the factory console down that are not mentioned clearly in the supplied instructions).

The second upgrade is a very subtle asthetic choice. The Liberal leather instrument binnacle cover.

Liberal are one of those small JDM manufacturers making items you didn't know you needed for Mazda's Roadster.
In typical JDM fashion, there are a huge selection of colours for the stitching - I had 3 different shades of red to choose from!



The cover comes in this handsome plastic case with colour printed instructions





Removing the instrument cover is a 'pull gently upwards' affair.



Covering it with the leather is a little tricky though, as there is no easy way to mount it as most adhesives will not stick to the leather, or the soft felt on the underside of the cover.

Once on though, it adds a subtle, but I think a tasteful touch to the interior:



Big thanks to Guy for assisting me in sourcing the Liberal cover.
Guy's NC is well on it's way to becoming a Liberal demo car

Ultimately I'd like to pair it with leather gear knob and handbrake boots with the same stitiching.

[Charlie Brown]

Ultimately I'd like to pair it with leather gear knob and handbrake boots with the same stitiching.

Matt, contact Benny

[Regie]

Matt

Where did that replacement centre console come from? My uncle is look for something along the lines of that.

As for the white NC2, ive seen them in the flesh and they are pure sex, i wonder if they come in the soft top, i dont fit comfortabley in the PRHT when the top is up

[CoffeeBoss]

Matt

Where did that replacement centre console come from? My uncle is look for something along the lines of that.

IL Motorsport my good man.

As for the white NC2, ive seen them in the flesh and they are pure sex, i wonder if they come in the soft top, i dont fit comfortabley in the PRHT when the top is up

They do, although they are doing a limited edition at the moment, and it looks like it's only available in PRHT which is strange.

However when I purchased my NC1, the PRHT was available.
Apart from being a bit lighter, and giving you the ability to raise and lower the top while you are moving (and in all of 3 seconds with a little practice), all soft top manual NC's came with an LSD standard. So it was the only choice for me.