Mexie & Kev say hello

[Okibi]

Looking forward to reading more of your comparisons once you've had a chance to drive the NB a bit more.

[bootz]

8B guages?

[PaulF]

If your NA has an "NA8/NB complex" then I think your NB8A has an "NB8B complex".

[KevGoat]

Haha...looks like it Paul...

Tail lights, instruments, wheels. I think the lip & skirts might even be as well?

And soon to have my 8B seats...

Yup...certainly some personality conflict

Sent from my GT-I9100T using Tapatalk 2

[monty007]

Looks great Kev and now you have two to choose from look forward to how this one turns out

[samx5]

Nice looking NB Kev, I'm also interested to hear your thoughts on your preferences for either NA or NB. I haven't dríven an NA in years, but I'm thinking the 1.8 needs cams/ecu to make it smoother and more revvy like the 1.6 is standard. The 1.8 is very tractable in real world city driving though, never seems to really struggle.

[KevGoat]

Looks great Kev and now you have two to choose from look forward to how this one turns out

Haha...yeah, getting greedy....

Nice looking NB Kev, I'm also interested to hear your thoughts on your preferences for either NA or NB. I haven't dríven an NA in years, but I'm thinking the 1.8 needs cams/ecu to make it smoother and more revvy like the 1.6 is standard. The 1.8 is very tractable in real world city driving though, never seems to really struggle.

dríven only about 500k's since Friday, so some very, very "first impressions" (often the best )...

It's not the same drive as the NA.

The NA excites in it's directness. You feel and hear everything. Every drive's a rush. The NB to me feels smoother despite the engine's harshness. Easier, quieter and rather deceptive. Faster than it feels! The NB gives me quite a bit more confidence. I climb out at the end of every drive in the NB more relaxed and having enjoyed the drive more, but there is not the same satisfaction. Still smile all the way though ...

I didn't think I'd like the power steering after my NA, but I have to say I'm impressed with the feel and feedback! Very accurate! Not sure what suspension is on my NB, looks stock but feels and handles great! Cornering is much better and faster than my NA, yet has a really nice ride!! Kind of wondering about my BC's now but will fit them anyway. At least I know I have a good setup to return to if I don't like them.

The NA begs you to rev it more and more and never feels like it wants to give in, my NB feels like I am pushing it to rev and it doesn't sound real happy about it. The NB pulls better down low, is nicer to drive in traffic. Much better up hills. The gearbox in my NB is smoother than the one in my NA, maybe just age.

The NB feels much better built, despite all my work over the past 18 months on the NA to get it tight. I personally prefer the interior environment of the NB and feel much more at home, except for the crap seats! How could Mazda have such great seats in the NA then totally stuff them up in the NB8A?!!

Exterior and interior differences make my NA feel much older than the 8 year difference. Strangely, I've always read the NB's have less room than the NA but everyone so far who has been in both of mine has felt the NB has more room around them.

So far, I'm very happy with the NB. Much nicer all round car and a more pleasant daily driver than my NA...and I love the hard top!

..............

Anyway...a couple of quick, easy changes have been made:

Changed over the vent rings...



Put my JoyFast red stitched handbrake handle and cover in and the chrome button. Also changed over to my leather gear knob...



It has a broken ashtray lid, as can be seen in the photo, as well as the typical broken NB8A console lid hinge so will decide whether to change for the nicer NB8B console if I can find one, or just fix this one.

Went to change over the floppy vents as I've already fixed mine in the NA, but geez!! no idea how to get the NB vents out!! Pulled as hard as I could, thought I'd break them, still couldn't get them out! I shall not be beaten

All good fun

[KevGoat]

Thought I'd sort through the parts that came with the NB ...

[samx5]

Have to agree with your comment that the NB motor isn't as keen to rev hard, like it is saying "are you sure?" before revving out, almost like there's more flywheel mass to spin up. I haven't found the NB8A seats to be too bad once I put some foam in the lumbar area - its like the seat was purposely designed to accommodate lumbar cushion inserts, just slide the foam in. If I ever have to do the motor in my car, I'll do some cams and an ECU like pcmx5 has done in his NA8 to make the car rev better and smoother.

[KevGoat]

If I ever have to do the motor in my car, I'll do some cams and an ECU like pcmx5 has done in his NA8 to make the car rev better and smoother.

Yeah, definitely not as happy as the 1.6 engine that's for sure. That said though, I find this 1.8 engine easier to live with around town. The extra low down torque means revving isn't required as much in normal city driving. Still do though My NA also has extractors and a better flowing exhaust. Haven't got around to improving the intake side.


On other NB stuff...

Worked for nearly 4 hours today trying to get the seat bolts out of the NB. Managed to get two out, rest won't budge.

Started to worry about rounding the bolt heads. Need an impact wrench to budge them I think.

Some jobs that should be so easy, can get so complicated .....

[KevGoat]

As we were heading in to the Hills to Hahndorf last night for dinner (32nd Wedding Anniversary ), I decided to take the hard top off for the first time since acquiring the NB and test out the soft top. Also gave us the choice to drop the top if we felt like it on the way home.

Well, that bought about the usual dilemma for hard top owners ... where to store it!

Looked around the house for somewhere safe.

Son asks what I'm looking for & I tell him ... he says "why not just swap it on to Mexie?" ........... DOH!! Sometimes it's just too obvious

The dopey things we do ...

My first look at my NB without hard top ...



Mexie looks pretty good with a hard hat ...



Was amazed how much quieter the NB is with the soft top up than my NA is!! There was hardly any breeze, which helps, but even at 100 kph there was virtually no wind noise at all!! My NA's soft top creates a great deal of wind noise, no matter how little wind there is!

The previous owner had told me he'd recently upgraded the headlights with the brightest legal "blue" bulbs allowed. WOW!! Best headlight's of any car I've ever owned ... and no massive pop up lights in my vision Very impressed.

Really enjoying the NB. It's a car I feel I can hop in to anytime and thoroughly enjoy the drive. I could easily live with this car daily. To enjoy driving the NA, I always felt that I needed to be in the right frame of mind, otherwise it would feel like a chore. But there's still something special when I start Mexie up, that's missing in the NB .......

[Kev05]

Kev, how do you rate the nvh when comparing the HT to the ST (i.e ST up with windows wind up)?

Basically which is quieter (road noise and wind noise)?

[KevGoat]

Kev, how do you rate the nvh when comparing the HT to the ST (i.e ST up with windows wind up)?

Basically which is quieter (road noise and wind noise)?

Interesting question ...

My hard top has been making rubber creaking noises. On inspection I found that no center striker plates are fitted to the pillars, so it moves very slightly when going over certain bumps, making noises that it normally wouldn't. That aside, it is quiet enough inside to enjoy the stereo at low volume rather than having to crank it to drown out the wind/engine/exhaust/road noises experienced in the NA. Not that I don't enjoy loud music, just that I like to have the choice

After enjoying the quietness of the NB with the hard top on, I thought I'd really notice the wind noise of the soft top. But I am pleasantly surprised how quiet the soft top was! The hard top is quiet even on windy days. I've yet to drive with the soft top in heavier winds.

Road and mechanical noise is pretty similar soft top to hard top. The NB is so much better insulated against external noise than the NA. I had the door card off today and was amazed at how much more insulation there is by comparison. The carpet inside the cabin feels thicker. The boot carpet also feels thicker and the previous owner had recently installed a fitted "Roadster" rubber mat over the carpet in the boot that would also insulate further.

What I did notice is the restricted view and how much smaller the cabin felt with the soft top up compared to the hard top! I'd got use to the excellent vision out of the big hard top window, plus the extra light it allows in to the cabin! It's a "nicer" car with the hard top on.

I also reckon the hard top really suits the shape of the NB and makes it look even better.

I never thought I'd use a hard top, never saw reason to have one and thought it would be more nuisance than it's worth. Now I'm hooked. It's really nice to have the choice.

Just need to get myself an SE Boot Spoiler to set off the front lip and side skirts and finish the exterior look off .......

[Kev05]

Kev, thanks for the detailed reply. Much appreciated.

SE boot lips are hard to come back. I'm looking for an SE front bumper as I like the way the front lip is molded in as one piece.

[KevGoat]

SE boot lips are hard to come by. I'm looking for an SE front bumper as I like the way the front lip is molded in as one piece.

Yeah, not many of either around Missed a couple of SE spoilers recently that were on the Forum because I was waiting to see if this car was going to be mine or not ... I'll have to put a WTB up someday, but need to do some other items first