This is my little machine which has been code named Junior… Mainly because it will inherit my WASABI plates which I’ve had for years & this is the smallest car in terms of size & capacity to wear the plates.
A lot of the mods were done by the previous owner & forum member Trav (travyMX5), so when I picked up the car, it was really just a matter of finishing everything off & tidying a few things up. Turned out I knew Trav (He knew my old car
) as he worked on my Dad’s car previously & he was even in the year below me at high school! So I knew it was ment to be.Here are the main mods / enhancements:
• Haltech Elite ECU
• 3 port solenoid
• 450cc injectors
• Walbro 255l/ph fuel pump
• AEM CAI
• Larger FMIC
• Larger alloy radiator
• AGI CAMS approved half cage
• Deckspeed built 3 inch cat back exhaust with high flow cat
• Sparco Sprint V seats
• Sparco race steering wheel
• 6 point harness (Driver)
• VDO triple gauge DIN cluster
• Auto Meter Boost Gauge
• Pedders Extreme Coil Overs
• Engine oil cooler
• Upgraded Exedy clutch
• Carbotech pads front (X12) & rear (X10)
• Slotted rotors front & rear
• Braided brake lines
• Braided clutch line
• Whiteline adjustable front sway bar and drop links + reinforcement / support kit (Rear with adjustable drop links)
• MX5 Mania steering rack spacers
• Mazdaspeed comp engine mounts
• Miata roadster long angled short shift kit and plain black spun gear knob
• Forge Blow off valve
• Factory small NB side skirts
• Track Dog front splitter
• Clear side indicators and reflectors
• Joyfast stubby centre console
• Mazda OEM hardtop
• Upgraded Alpine stereo (Speakers, sub, headunit)
Deckspeed has handled all the work that I’ve had done to the car while in my ownership & can’t recommend them highly enough. Fantastic to deal with & they really know MX5’s.
As some other forum members have also experienced, getting the SE working nicely with the Haltech can be a bit of a challenge. Main issue seemed to be caused by the wiring loom. After going through 3 x looms (2 x didn’t have the required alternator control, 1 x caused relay issues – ticking – which resulted in poor drivability & stalling) & Deckspeed working tirelessly to trouble shoot, the car landed up going to Haltech directly. They’ve now perfected the wiring loom for the SE, which is slightly different to what is used in the standard NB’s & have checked over everything using my car to create the bass map. Haltech, with the assistance of Deckspeed, retuned my car which made 140kw ATW’s on 98. Seems there could be room for improvement with this Elite ECU (E85 among other things ;) ) & will be working with Deckspeed in the new year to see how far we can push things while still remaining safe & reliable.
Despite all the dramas & frustration caused, Haltech really did come through & made sure that everything worked correctly. Just a bit of blessing that they are in Sydney, otherwise they the process we went through wouldn’t have been possible.
For those that are worried about going a stand along ECU, yes, in certain circumstances you can’t beat a standard ECU (NC owners are lucky as they can reflash their standard computers!) BUT, with my experience, the car is running smoother & flat out better than when I originally purchased the car… Just goes a fair amount faster! In my humble opinion, you need to make sure your tuner is familiar with MX5’s as they are not your run of the mill Holden, WRX or EVO to tune. There are tricks & limits to which you can push to which you don’t necessarily encounter when dealing with other popular tuner cars.
Before the tuning, clutch, etc, I’d had the car out at a Motorkhana day & it was great fun! In fact, it was what I originally bought the car for given I have another car I used on the track… But after getting some feedback from other MX5 drivers on how much fun they were on the track, I have to give it a go very soon!
Very happy with the car thus far & absolutely loving the whole MX5 community, which is quite different to the EVO & Subaru groups I’ve previously had a lot to do with. Still learning about all the MX5 qwerks, but feel I’ve learnt a fair bit over my short ownership period. It’s also my first convertible, so still getting used to the additional wind noise etc.
On that note (Qwerks), I had some crunchy gear changes particularly into 2nd. Thought syncros could have been on the way out & thought I might be up for few bucks to sort. After reading about another forum members experience (With an NA8 I believe) where similar problems were noticed & was advised to change the clutch, I thought I’d try the same thing. Once I’d made that decision, I actually noticed the trust bearings were rattling a bit so I was happy with the direction I was heading. Clutch changed & guess what… Everything is perfect now! I’m finally experiencing the sexy shifts that MX5 owners have described.
Probably not going to do a great deal more to the performance side of the car at this stage (Aside from looking into E85 & a few other minor things to get the most out of what’s there) as I was lucky enough to buy the car with most of my wish list already completed as mentioned. I’m considering doing a turbo upgrade & engine build in the future, but that will depend funds & if I’m tracking the car – Not like I’m competitive or anything ;)
Will likely look at cleaning up the car really well. It is in good condition given it’s age & mileage, but some areas could use a bit of a freshen up.
Really look forward to seeing more of you at various meets in the future. Although I’m already a member of another CAMS car club, I’m hoping to join the NSW MX5 ranks in the not too distant future.
Cheers
So she's pretty damn well ready for a track day 
