Tyre pressures on a non-ABS car?
Discussion
Hi all!
So I'm fairly new to the MX5 world, but I must say they are ace cars, I absolutely adore mine!
I've got a basic NB, with no ABS... Driving a car with no electronic assistants takes some getting used to! The brakes on mine are sharp and the feel is good, but below 20mph I keep locking up the wheels... The car came with tyres are okay, good year branded economy style ones, not ideal really. Thing is all four are brand new, so it seems a bit of a waste to swap them for RainSport 3s.
Question is, would lowering from the factory 26psi, to say 21-22psi help with braking grip?
So I'm fairly new to the MX5 world, but I must say they are ace cars, I absolutely adore mine!
I've got a basic NB, with no ABS... Driving a car with no electronic assistants takes some getting used to! The brakes on mine are sharp and the feel is good, but below 20mph I keep locking up the wheels... The car came with tyres are okay, good year branded economy style ones, not ideal really. Thing is all four are brand new, so it seems a bit of a waste to swap them for RainSport 3s.
Question is, would lowering from the factory 26psi, to say 21-22psi help with braking grip?
My NA MX-5 was fine on 26 or 28PSi. It very rarely locked up. I could lock up my S1 RST on Nankang NS-IIRs warmed up if I tried hard enough and in the cold they did occasionally lock up.
FWIW my M3 has the ABS cut in at times at this time of year. Even with lower pressures it's not great.
Give it a go if you wish but going lower on the pressures runs the risk of overheating the sidewalls.
Without sounding silly, is this the first non-ABS car you have had?
Also, what brand of tyres are they and more importantly how old are they? On my NA, the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performances were very good, and IMO on a par and possibly a little better than the RainSport 3s.
FWIW my M3 has the ABS cut in at times at this time of year. Even with lower pressures it's not great.
Give it a go if you wish but going lower on the pressures runs the risk of overheating the sidewalls.
Without sounding silly, is this the first non-ABS car you have had?
Also, what brand of tyres are they and more importantly how old are they? On my NA, the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performances were very good, and IMO on a par and possibly a little better than the RainSport 3s.
SebringMan said:
Without sounding silly, is this the first non-ABS car you have had?
Yep it is my first non-ABS car, I'm 26, so everything I've grown up driving has been part of the electronic nanny state 
I do try and bare in mind that whilst driving that braking isn't as straight forward (and to leave a bit more space)... That said there have been a few instances where I just needed to get the car stopped quickly and instinctively slammed on the anchors! SebringMan said:
Goodyear EfficientGrip Performances
Sadly the are Duragrips, no idea on age, the owner said they were new-ish when I bought the car in September... Lots of tread, but that doesnt really give away any clues! Duragrip aren't exactly performance tyres but they shouldn't be bad. Maybe you are just relying on the brakes a bit too much. The joy of an MX5 is the handling balance so hard braking shouldn't be needed. It's all about preserving speed. On the road of course, on track it's all different.
Do you know when the alignment was last checked? Do you know what brake pads, front and rear you have? Do the discs look like they are wearing cleanly and evenly on all 4 corners?
Do you know when the alignment was last checked? Do you know what brake pads, front and rear you have? Do the discs look like they are wearing cleanly and evenly on all 4 corners?
The joy is not running over people when they absent mindedly walk into the road 
Dynamically the car feels fine, doesn't pull or wonder around the lane at all, same under braking too...
It's mostly a sub 30mph problem! It could also have something to do with the combination of near zero temps not warning the rubber up, hence I'm thinking lower pressures will allow a bit more movement in the carcass, this more temperate in the tyre...?
Dynamically the car feels fine, doesn't pull or wonder around the lane at all, same under braking too...
It's mostly a sub 30mph problem! It could also have something to do with the combination of near zero temps not warning the rubber up, hence I'm thinking lower pressures will allow a bit more movement in the carcass, this more temperate in the tyre...?
I would say get some decent tyres and , as this is your first non-abs car, learn to be the ABS.
You will get better over time, when I learnt to drive abs was not common and the emergency stop taught you how to stop quickly without locking the wheels and you got to practice it during your lessons.
If I can learn it so can you :-)
Maybe find somewhere quiet and practice emergency braking from less than 30mph.
You will get better over time, when I learnt to drive abs was not common and the emergency stop taught you how to stop quickly without locking the wheels and you got to practice it during your lessons.
If I can learn it so can you :-)
Maybe find somewhere quiet and practice emergency braking from less than 30mph.
I use mine on track and although it does have ABS it also had 245bhp and braking hard from a long straight at over 120moh into a hairpin bend at 30mph I can absolutely hammer on the brakes and stand it on its nose without the ABS cutting in, even in the wet it rarely cuts in unless I brake while turning.
I think you should inspect the brakes. It could be that the rear brakes are doing nlittle meaning the front does all the braking. I also think getting the alignment sorted would help. Just because it isn't pulling, doesn't mean it isn't out. MX5s are very adjustable with camber, caster & toe on the front and camber & toe on the rear and is very sensitive to fairly small adjustments.
I think you should inspect the brakes. It could be that the rear brakes are doing nlittle meaning the front does all the braking. I also think getting the alignment sorted would help. Just because it isn't pulling, doesn't mean it isn't out. MX5s are very adjustable with camber, caster & toe on the front and camber & toe on the rear and is very sensitive to fairly small adjustments.
27 to 28ish would be an ideal setting it is what we run on the wife's NA. As for the locking wheels I suspect it is a lack of sensitivity of the braking foot. My wife went through this having been driving a succession of new company hatchbacks. She has got better but still struggles at times. I was bought up driving crossply shod non-abs cars 40+ years so the neural network is better trained.
Run 29psi on mine.
Last trackday I was standing on them hard and it was easy to get to the edge of a lockup. Just takes time to get a feel for it. Braided hoses and good pads (I run mintex 1155s up front) make a big difference to feel in terms of modulating the braking and confidence.
Last trackday I was standing on them hard and it was easy to get to the edge of a lockup. Just takes time to get a feel for it. Braided hoses and good pads (I run mintex 1155s up front) make a big difference to feel in terms of modulating the braking and confidence.
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