Ready to be convinced

IanR · Postby **IanR** » Sun Sep 25, 2016 11:55 am

I was actually in Sydney last night... but if your up in Newcastle any time come and have a driving experience.

Travelator · Postby **Travelator** » Sun Sep 25, 2016 3:28 pm

IanR wrote:I was actually in Sydney last night... but if your up in Newcastle any time come and have a driving experience.

Ah man, I would've bent over backwards for a ride in your beast Ian!!

jpgibson - sorry to hear about the back. I shall pm you anyway for any future times you are able to drive to work and show off your ride.

IanR · Postby **IanR** » Sun Sep 25, 2016 3:52 pm

Travelator wrote:Ah man, I would've bent over backwards for a ride in your beast Ian!!

ahh I think I know what you mean... :lol:

see if we can't organise a drive, send me pm if keen

TTT · Postby **TTT** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 2:55 pm

More feedback is better right?

I've had about 25 cars since getting my licence.

Of those, 3 were liberty RS turbos (2 sedans, 1 wagon)
Sure not 09 Wrx, but Subaru AWD, turbo etc

Anyway, after all the skylines and Silvias etc, my first NA6 was THE best car I've owned.

Exhaust, intake, suspension and chassis stiffening mods and good tyres.

It was not fast. A 85kw 1.6L 950kg car is not going to win anything.
But it was THE most fun car I've had.

I sold it and bought an 03 Wrx Hatch to be able to cart my dogs around. Sold it 1 year later and bought the current NB8B.

it's great and faster than the na6, more comfy but not as fun.

For me, naturally aspirated is more fun in these cars.

But after driving a turbo NA recently, I was shocked how awesome it was. Had like zero lag and the rate of acceleration was just next level to anything I've owned before.

I get you're a turbo Fanboy, but if you're keeping the rex, if suggest also trying an natro mx5. Roof down, free intake and exhaust an 5000+ rpm is a great experience

roshmx5 · Postby **roshmx5** » Thu Sep 29, 2016 6:01 pm

Hi to help you out I have owned 6 different WRX's plus a Forester XT.
The only WRX that came close to a MX5 SE for handling was my GC8 with coil overs, struts and upgraded swaybars. Went for a drive in our WRX STI 2016 and followed a group of MX5 through some very twisty roads. In the corners they had me, I was battling to keep up. If you want a quick car that handles ok go the WRX. If you want brilliant handling, and heaps of fun go a MX5.

Zac · Postby **Zac** » Thu Sep 29, 2016 6:24 pm

I will also second that aspirated mx5's are more fun. After driving an SX Seca like the OP, I bought my first mx5 yesterday: a nb8a with 130k kms. 100% stock. My friends have a car the exact same 'spec' and year model except it is turbocharged and heavily modified it's essentially a register-able track car.

Their car runs something like 22psi and is fully forged 250hp atw, has the 6 speed, semi slicks and apparently an rx7 diff and corvette brakes (I'm not sure but that is what they said). I have dríven that car and been in it enough to know what it is like.

It IS super fast, it DOES handle Awesome and it IS super fun but the feeling I get when I'm around it is it ISN'T super happy. Yes it's mechanically good but it loses that jaunty mx5 character. Their car has an attitude and is angry and lustful and that is fine and is what some are after. I'm not saying my stock one is 'better' but to drive, it's nicer and in my mind, that is what the mx5 is all about. They do have the potential to go really fast really well but I believe that they are about enjoying the moment and not stressing about how fast you can go or how much power they need.

Travelator · Postby **Travelator** » Thu Sep 29, 2016 9:45 pm

roshmx5 wrote: The only WRX that came close to a MX5 SE for handling was my GC8 with coil overs, struts and upgraded swaybars. Went for a drive in our WRX STI 2016 and followed a group of MX5 through some very twisty roads. In the corners they had me, I was battling to keep up. If you want a quick car that handles ok go the WRX. If you want brilliant handling, and heaps of fun go a MX5.

Great to hear the opinions from Suby owners, thanks guys. Common car history means we like the same things in a car, and if you all agree that the mx5 is more fun...well then, it just further adds to the case to park an mx5 in my driveway sometime soon doesn't it?!? :lol:

I loved my GC8 too...I still get nostalgic every now and then and look them up on carsales.

If all goes to plan I should hopefully experience both naturally aspirated and turbo-modified NBs next week. I'm quite looking forward to what my initial impressions will be.

roshmx5 · Postby **roshmx5** » Thu Sep 29, 2016 10:14 pm

Love the raw feel of the NB I have, drive a few models I guarantee you will have a huge smile on your face. I test drove one to see what all the hype was about, thinking I would be disappointed. Yeah disappointed I did not have one, so next weekend bought one

Zac · Postby **Zac** » Thu Sep 29, 2016 10:34 pm

[quote="I test drove one to see what all the hype was about, thinking I would be disappointed. Yeah disappointed I did not have one, so next weekend bought one

[/quote]

Haha awesome!

billybunter · Postby **billybunter** » Tue Oct 04, 2016 11:44 am

I keep reading all this material about super powerful 250 hp cars and I am sitting on 300 hp and its a bloody pussy :lol:

sh*t I can drive it about one handed :roll:

I have to concentrated more in the Z3 than this toy :wink:

300 is not good enough :lol:

I am going to take mine back to danns and get him to up the power to 350 rwhp plus :lol:

because there are poor tuners -good tuners and f....good tuners and he certainly tune a car and deliver the goods.

no doubt by the way he tunes and does the power delivery - he is the very best tuner out there. i'd class mine as running more like a v8 than a turbo powered car - no lag just straight controlled power from 1000 revs in any gear.......maybe even reverse too :lol:

so any-one who gets in a 250 to 300 hp car and says its hard to handle -don't blame the car its the bloody tuner.....

although mine is still on a mild tune from that northern territory run. I might sh*t myself if it runs much higher than the 350 and do a backflip and bail out :lol:

StanTheMan · Postby **StanTheMan** » Tue Oct 04, 2016 1:57 pm

you've only got 230 rw killer wasps.....of an appliance with red stripes
which is exactly 3.53 times as much as have.... :lol:

billybunter · Postby **billybunter** » Tue Oct 04, 2016 3:13 pm

maybe I should be saying 300 RWKWASPS Please! :lol:

or a neat 400 atw :lol:

that way on a bad/good day I might lose the clutch-gearbox-diff and axles-plus spin the wheels all in the one cycle :lol:

Garido · Postby **Garido** » Mon Oct 10, 2016 2:45 am

I normally lurk but as I'm nursing a bit of a Bathurst hangover I thought I'd chip in. The NB platform is such good value and so versatile while benefitting from improvements over the earlier NA. The SE is not a bad car and is more than adequate but this is room for improvement (but then again improvement is all relative to what you want). It can be quite difficult to compare modified cars because of the many variables (induction/parts, breathing, fuel used, tune, cost, quality of workmanship, etc). Very few are likely to be exactly the same though I think you're going about it the right way.

I really hope you find what you are looking for.