Matt's MY08 NC Roadster.

[Gmi]

Great matt!!

[Robert]

Matt you must try and make the 500 comming up. It has some great roads. Lots potential for goiing back another week end for a picnic etc.

[CoffeeBoss]

Matt you must try and make the 500 comming up. It has some great roads. Lots potential for goiing back another week end for a picnic etc.

Yep! It's on my radar!

Just been so busy of late, not as much time for driving as I would like.
But with the work car being basically the antithesis of the MX5, it means each time I take the Roadster out it's that much more enjoyable.
Even if I'm just 'going for milk'.

[CoffeeBoss]

Not much to report, work can be a harsh mistress, and saving money means curbing expenditure...

Of course, it also means hopefully being able to participate in an event like Targa High Country.
I've always wanted to do some road rallying in the future. It combines two things that I love, the adventure of driving on the open road, and the full tilt attack of driving around a racetrack.

Ben & Alex, two of the Roadster faithful decided it wasn't enough to dream, and they have been down at Targa High Country this weekend just gone.

What's more, they took it upon themselves to put some video together which does a great job of displaying some of the sights, sounds, and great people you meet in the road racing community.



*envious glares in your general direction, you two! *

But seriously kudos for getting out there and not only participating in these events, but giving them some of the coverage they really need.

[kris]

I missed your reports Matt

I am also keen to targa

[CoffeeBoss]

Still here!
Things have been hectic of late, and yes, in the name of full disclosure, I have rediscovered my passion for cycling also.
I have a new toy:



Cycling is in the blood - Dad was a road and velo racer, and I used to ride a great deal in school, both road and off-road.
A very large accident put paid to that, so getting back on the bike ends a 15+ year hiatus from riding!



It must be said that cycling does offer some cheap thrills, ironic given that my choice of bicycle is Italian... so far, so good!
*fingers crossed*
It's also assisting with some weight reduction, which has obvious performance benefits

This new found hobby however at odds with my choice of car, so when I am without a work car, there's conflict there!

However that's not that case at the moment, which means the weekends still see some quality time with the Roadster.

Lately, it's just been some TLC whenever possible:


Or just tooling around town carrying out errands and seeing people:


This is one of the great things about Roadster Life - taking the mundane, and lifting it into the realms of pure enjoyment.

The prospect of a new, lighter ND is starting to loom on the horizon, not to mention a very Roadster-inspired Toyota GT86.
Which, from all reports will be a very appealing package.

However, I still have much unfinished business with this car, so no intentions of parting company just yet.
Too many drives yet unconquered, and some more modifications to fund as well.

So the course remains slow, but steady for now!

[CoffeeBoss]

Spotted at the recent Australia Day Circuit Club day...

if not for the PRHT, I could almost convince people I was back out on the track!



Not until the coilovers get a refresh or more likely are replaced though, as they are a bit raggedy now.

So, the situation is more like this at the moment:

[CoffeeBoss]

Attended the MX5 Club organised tech talk at Spinning Wheel Tyres over the weekend.



What a great day. I love nerding out on wheels, suspension and tyres.
To see and hear three experienced people from the field doing just that was very interesting, and entertaining as well.

Meanwhile, I've been getting back somewhat reacquainted with the NC as much as possible lately.
Here's a few shots taken along one of my regular b-road diversions I make near home down in the Highlands.







Appropriate in a way, as I feel that the sun may be setting on my time with this car.
There's still a few adventures scheduled however, most notably NatMeet X.

[Charlie Brown]

Appropriate in a way, as I feel that the sun may be setting on my time with this car.
There's still a few adventures scheduled however, most notably NatMeet X.

Not considering to, or part way there, expand the family, are you.

[CoffeeBoss]

Appropriate in a way, as I feel that the sun may be setting on my time with this car.
There's still a few adventures scheduled however, most notably NatMeet X.

Not considering to, or part way there, expand the family, are you.

Haha, if you are referring to the Mazda Family in our garage, yes, at some point ;-)

Currently we have two 2-seater Mazdas... the Roadster and the BOSS.
But that's just a work ute no one else is using at the moment.



The 2.5 turbo diesel pulls pretty hard actually, and yes, it comes in handy sometimes:

[Hjt]

Nice bikes mate, and I use my work ute for the same method when im able to get away with it!

[CoffeeBoss]

Nice bikes mate, and I use my work ute for the same method when im able to get away with it!

Haha - thanks! Naturally, with my Bianchi obsession, a thread followed.
let me know if you want to ride some time!

Anyhow - with NatMeet X approaching, I took some time off work last week to get the car ready.
This was only partly successful... I didn't manage to get all the time off I required, but I did manage to get a few crucial things sorted.

Firstly, a visit to Spinning Wheel to plug a slow leak thanks to a bolt I'd picked up.
Then, an updated alignment from Stu.
We dialled out some of the rear camber to make the car a little more forgiving on the road, and tidied up the front alignment.
We also gas-bagged about go-kart racing. If you want to know anything about it, ask Stu - the guy's mad for it.

As before, the results were IMMEDIATELY apparent as I drove down the road, you can just feel the car settling on it's four corners that much more evenly.
As always, love your work, Stu. (I went in there today to tell him just that, actually).

Then it was over to Indy at IS Motor Racing for a catch up.
Indy had a little spare time, so we decided to throw in my front and rear strut brace.

See, I've had a replacement front strut brace sitting around for... ages now.
Probably 12 months or more.

It's an IL Motorsport item I purchased from a forum member who never got around to installing it on his NC before he sold it.
As best I can tell, it's a carbon copy of the LAILE / Beatrush item. Made under licence or not, I'm unsure.
A straight bolt on, very straightforward. No fowling of the A/C line as some left-hand-drive NC owners have reported.



The Australian delivered NC (I think all 2L NC's, but perhaps not the 1.8L ones) come with a strut brace from the factory.
So while I find they make a big difference on cars that don't have them, I wasn't expecting a big difference here, when the car has always had one.

Still, the aftermarket item is considerably larger, while not seemingly weighing more either:



Next was the rear strut brace.
Again, something that I purchased some time ago (try May 2010!) - an AutoExe rear strut brace



Out comes the boot lining, and the shielding around the fuel line.
The brace fits neatly under the fuel line, in fact it just clears



You also have to trim the boot lining before you put that back in.
It's all very neat once it is all done, and mercifully, it makes no real impact on the modest boot space we have as Roadster owners.



Initial road impressions? I noticed a definite improvement on initial turn-in from the front strut brace.
It's just that bit more responsive, particularly in terms of better feedback.

As for the rear strut brace. Well, I've owned this car new now for over 3 years.
What you notice most of all with open top cars is that, as they age, they start to soften a little in the chassis.
Such that when you have the roof down, and the windows up, the windows will rattle over some bumps.
Mine does this now, consistently, over familiar bumps where before it did not. It's par for the course.

However it's been almost eliminated with the presence of the rear strut brace.
Not completely so, but it's much reduced, and something I didn't really anticipate.
As such, a welcome improvement.

[Guy_Coles]

Appropriate in a way, as I feel that the sun may be setting on my time with this car.
There's still a few adventures scheduled however, most notably NatMeet X.

NOOOOOOO !!!

C'mon Matt.. there has to be a few more mods in there somewhere.... a 2.6 perhaps [LOL]? Cosworth ? Headers ? Too many people read your writing for you to give us on us

[CoffeeBoss]

NatMeet X - Day 1

Well, the long weekend is gone, and so has NatMeet.

NatMeet, or National Meet, is the name given to the National Meet of the MX-5 Clubs of Australia.

It occurs once every 2 years, with each event taking place in a different host state.

Twice, attempts have been made to bring NatMeet to Perth, however the weight of members in the Eastern States unwilling to make the trek across the Nullabor has put paid to this idea.

This year's NatMeet is the 10th such event, hence the name NatMeet X.
The venue was the ANU in Canberra, at University House.



Having never attended a NatMeet before, we were not going to miss it when it was practically in our backyard.

Friday was hectic, making up for all the preparation I was unable to carry out in the days prior (too many work committments).
One good thing about a car with no boot space - packing doesn't take too long.
Our Roadster luggage comfortably fits our clothes and accessories for four days, while allowing room for the loot we will apparently be receiving upon our arrival.



With the car packed and ready we headed to the ACT border.



Upon arriving at ANU for sign-in, we received two show-bags, a glossy NatMeet X guide, and various forms detailing each major event, locations, times.
There is a detailed history provided by a member of the club who has attended every NatMeet, as well as a complete list of everyone attending the meet, which car they are in, and what state they hail from.
The organization effort has clearly been a prodigious one.



Upon getting back to our accommodation, we are greeted by some of the neighbours.



Then we poured over our goodies - chocolates, bottled water, commemorative badges, pins, beanies and scarf.



A rather trick NatMeet/Mazda umbrella, vouchers from Club partners, even a Mazda MX-5 branded picnic set!



That evening we watched the cockatoos careering about while the sun set on the horizon.
It was the perfect start to a Roadster Life weekend.
It has been a while between drinks for some quality time with the Roadster. Things were shaping up.



to be continued...

[Hjt]

Great to see your name next to a 1:XX time. New pbs for everyone. You just missed out on a class win...