Found one at last; 2010 SportTech tedious first impressions

[Evoluzione]

.....of my first drive and ownership of an MX-5, another 'Pistonheads made me do it' car.

Sorry the content is a bit dull, it's difficult to write anything new about a '5 hence the title, but I just thought i'd write about my recent purchase.
They say a true petrolhead should own an Alfa at least once in their lifetime and I've had a few, but would apply the same adage to an MX-5 and being a PH member for a few years now I could hardly avoid one....
So maybe a year or so ago now I started showing an interest, I did a bit of research, poking around and realised a Mk1 and 2 were out of the running due to rust, reliability issues and most of all, I couldn't fit in one. I know owners of these earlier models rise to the defence every time with shouts of how they are 7ft tall and fit in fine and that anyone can fit in if you have 2ft long legs, throw away the steering wheel, the seats, the door pull, drive around in the rain with the hood down and cut notches in the dash for your knees etc, but I couldn't be arsed with all that, I just wanted to buy and drive as I have plenty of other projects which need attention.
I needed something which didn't need me repairing or altering it much initially, mainly for summer use and with a 2 litre engine.

So I figured a Mk3 was the one and started looking at the lower end of the market, then things snowballed as they generally do with me and I realise I won't be happy until I've got (what I consider to be) one of the better models, so the serious search was on for a 2010 Sport Tech as I figured the promises of a stronger engine and other added extras such as the better suspension package would be worth it.

I started off semi-serious, but as time went on became more determined and was soon doing the rounds of Autotrader, Ebay, Gumtree etc every other day. Autotrader seemed to have the best choice of this model, but everytime I rang they'd been sold. Summer was fast approaching and available cars seemed to be snapped up even quicker. I had a few near misses, mainly by wanting a bargain, but it taught me the true value of these cars and that i'd have to dig deeper in the wallet and be quicker off the mark, otherwise it was going to a long time before I found 'the perfect one', i.e. a good car for little money.
So with another Bank Holiday coming up and having no suitable wheels I rang another couple of ads up, by this time I was just calling to see if they:
A. actually picked the phone up.
B. It was 'SFS'
I was so used to neither or either not being the case I was quite surprised when a woman answered, it was still for sale, they were actually going to make themselves available and would take cash there and then if I wanted it. I asked her and her husband plenty of searching questions and formed a positive opinion of them and the car before i'd even seen it (he was a bit of an MX5 fan), so next day went to pick it up. The only other one which came close at the time was a black one with 8k less miles on it, but needing work, was hundreds of miles away, didn't sound as good and for the same price.
So, first impressions?

I've only done about 250 miles of combined motorway/town/B road blasting so far, but yes I really like it. The jury is still out on the thin rimmed steering wheel (as opposed to more modern thicker ones), but it seems to add to the delicate touch which is needed to keep it pointing in the right direction around some of North Yorkshire's finest blacktop.
I haven't driven an N/A in years, so I'm missing the midrange urgency you get from a turbo unit, but it pulls well from low rpm and has enough power (for now). It takes an age (comparatively) to work its way around the tacho and I can never understand those diehards who prefer this to a turbo unit and complain about lag - this is lag.
The handling is sublime of course and again, years since I've driven front engine, RWD, I'm really enjoying chucking it around corners with just finger tip precision. I didn't actually buy it for its removable roof, in fact if they made a fixed head I would have considered that too, I just see the soft top as a major added extra. When the question arose as to whether hard or soft top I wasn't that bothered as there are pros and cons for both, but figured as I don't spend much time on the motorway and it's going to be a Summer car soft top was fine. On balance I think i've made the right decision as it's so easy to lift and drop, quicker than the hardtop and you don't even need to stop.

The heated seats are great for stopping those arguments with the O/H over cabin temp. You know the ones - she always needs it to be 30'c, whereas i'm happy with it off and directed towards the windscreen. Now I get the temp I need and she puts the seat heater on
The last owner wasn't a music fan, the Bose wasn't even set up correctly. All the sound was dull and muffled, fade set to front (no rear), no Bass, no treble, so having a good fiddle has improved it no end.
It sits on a set of Kumhos with 4mm left so will be ok for the rest of the year.
Bodywork is near perfect, only a scratch on the lower half of the door mirror visible if you bend down to find it. It is a bit dull, so will benefit from the attention of some wax, wheels look ok too, but with the usual corrosion just starting from the centres. I'm assuming this starts due to them not putting much paint there or the centre caps chipping it off as they are inserted.

At 37k miles the interior is almost like new and aside from getting in and out I find it very comfortable. It's well thought out (but then after all these years you would hope so!) and being a later Mk3 has the flush fitting cup holders in the door - very important when you're pushing 6'2" with long legs. I like the recess in the boot floor, great for stopping stuff from sliding around in there.

The suspension seems just right, it takes bumps and potholes well, remains composed in the corners. O/H has a 206CC which bangs and crashes over poor road surfaces.
The add on grille looks a bit pie key, so will be for sale soon.

Minor gripes are the clutch which seems to have a biting point 2mm from the floor and the seat belts, the drivers side has lost some of its retracting ability and the bit you clip into sits too far down which means finding it and 'buckling up' hard work.
The oil pressure and water temp would have been better with some actual centigrade and Bar markings on them, but that points to my older Fiat/Lancia/Alfa background.

Some things I would like advice on are do you think my car sits slightly lower (mainly in the water wheel pic as its level) than standard? Maybe the Sport Tech sits a bit lower perhaps?
Is there a name for the colour?
I've read that this is the Duratec engine, but can't find any publications, technical manuals on rebuilding and tuning it as I would like to know more

Anyhow, here it is in a recent outing to North Yorks where I hope it will spend a lot more time.

Edited by Evoluzione on Friday 9th June 09:05

[drgoatboy]

Looks lovely. Increasingly tempted by an nc. If I hadn't sunk so much into my na bbr turbo I would be shopping for one I think.

[fido]

Evoluzione said:

Minor gripes are the clutch which seems to have a biting point 2mm from the floor

I had similar issues to start and thought the clutch pedal was badly adjusted . After a few weeks of driving it, my muscle memory (seems you need to point the toe a bit) has got used to it and now I can tap the pedals with finesse. This will probably help with the 'lag' and having to drop a gear instead of riding the torque on a turbo car which has brought back some enjoyment to driving.

The engine is the aluminium Mazda L-series (branded as Duratec in Ford models). I still find the throttle response a bit off and hoping some BBR upgrades will improve that. Anyway, have fun in your MX-5!

Edited by fido on Tuesday 2nd May 10:05

[Evoluzione]

drgoatboy said:

Looks lovely. Increasingly tempted by an nc. If I hadn't sunk so much into my na bbr turbo I would be shopping for one I think.

Looks better now i've fixed the pics! Have you written about your turbo? Would be good to read about it.

[Evoluzione]

fido said:

Evoluzione said:

Minor gripes are the clutch which seems to have a biting point 2mm from the floor

I had similar issues to start and though the clutch pedal was badly adjusted . After a few weeks of driving it, my muscle memory (seems you need to point the toe a bit) has got used to it and now I can tap the pedals with finesse. This will probably help with the 'lag' and having to dropping the gear instead of riding the torque on a turbo car which has brought back some enjoyment to driving.

The engine is the aluminium Mazda L-series (branded as Duratec in Ford models). I still find the throttle response a bit off and hoping some BBR upgrades will improve that. Anyway, have fun in your MX-5!

Yes like the N/A power delivery, the clutch just takes some getting used to, everything else I drive has the biting point much later, the first few miles had a bit of stalling, swearing and crunching!

[drgoatboy]

Evoluzione said:

drgoatboy said:

Looks lovely. Increasingly tempted by an nc. If I hadn't sunk so much into my na bbr turbo I would be shopping for one I think.

Looks better now i've fixed the pics! Have you written about your turbo? Would be good to read about it.

No restoration thread yet, maybe when I have the car back in one piece!!

[griffdude]

If you are thinking of adding a little more get up & go, Morgan used the Mazda 'Duratec' in the +4SS & Baby Doll models but with the 5 speed gearbox. They were 200 & 250 hp respectively on Jenvey ITBs so the MK3s have straightforward tuning possibilities. Alternatively, the MK3 2.0 does forced induction very well take a look at what Blink Motorsport do... http://www.blinkmotorsport.com/?page_id=420

Or go speak to Nick at Skuzzle & ask him to strap one of these on-

http://www.skuzzle.com/Borg-Warner-EFR-s/143.htm

These cars are seriously under rated (in fact all MX5s) & can be made to exploit how good a chassis the cars have.

[xyyman]

''Some things I would like advice on are do you think my car sits slightly lower (mainly in the water wheel pic as its level) than standard? Maybe the Sport Tech sits a bit lower perhaps?''

I have a feeling yours has been lowered, it is noticeably lower than the bog standard Sport Tech, same year, that we have. Having said that yours looks all the better for it.

[tr7v8]

xyyman said:

''Some things I would like advice on are do you think my car sits slightly lower (mainly in the water wheel pic as its level) than standard? Maybe the Sport Tech sits a bit lower perhaps?''

I have a feeling yours has been lowered, it is noticeably lower than the bog standard Sport Tech, same year, that we have. Having said that yours looks all the better for it.

I agree it does look lower than mine which is exactly the same model & year.

[Evoluzione]

xyyman said:

''Some things I would like advice on are do you think my car sits slightly lower (mainly in the water wheel pic as its level) than standard? Maybe the Sport Tech sits a bit lower perhaps?''

I have a feeling yours has been lowered, it is noticeably lower than the bog standard Sport Tech, same year, that we have. Having said that yours looks all the better for it.

Do you thinks so? I never noticed until I'd bought it and was looking across a car park at it and began to wonder as it's quite subtle, the top pic is deceiving as it's sat on uneven ground, but it's level on the others.
If it has it saves me doing it so a bonus there!

Edited by Evoluzione on Wednesday 3rd May 10:59

[Bertrum]

It is a Duratec. Exactly the same as you would find in a Mondeo or Focus. Except with A variable inlet cam and a variable intake.

You can swap the cams out for non-variable ones with higher lift. That plus an ECU re-map by skuzzle or Blink would give good gains. Add a manifold and exhaust and it'll be a good little car.

Just a remap can help.

I'm on the hunt for one at the moment as well, prices are all over the place....

[Evoluzione]

Bertrum said:

It is a Duratec. Exactly the same as you would find in a Mondeo or Focus. Except with A variable inlet cam and a variable intake.

You can swap the cams out for non-variable ones with higher lift. That plus an ECU re-map by skuzzle or Blink would give good gains. Add a manifold and exhaust and it'll be a good little car.

Just a remap can help.

I'm on the hunt for one at the moment as well, prices are all over the place....

Nah if anything it'll get a turbo - one day.
I found £7k about right for the 2010 ST, a bit below gets high mileage and scruffy, a bit above gets mint, low mileage.

[Bertrum]

Evoluzione said:

Nah if anything it'll get a turbo - one day.
I found £7k about right for the 2010 ST, a bit below gets high mileage and scruffy, a bit above gets mint, low mileage.

Ha, a Turbo'd Duratec would give 300+hp, which would go ok......;)
some people seem to be asking over £8k. I'm in the under £7k bracket as eventually it'll be a race car.

[RobDickinson]

Evoluzione said:

The jury is still out on the thin rimmed steering wheel (as opposed to more modern thicker ones), but it seems to add to the delicate touch which is needed to keep it pointing in the right direction around some of North Yorkshire's finest blacktop.

I put a http://wheelskins.com/ on mine now its nice and chunky enough.

[Flip Martian]

Evoluzione said:

Minor gripes are the clutch which seems to have a biting point 2mm from the floor and the seat belts, the drivers side has lost some of its retracting ability and the bit you clip into sits too far down which means finding it and 'buckling up' hard work.

My 2007 Sport model is the same; I suspect they are design "feature"s... I did have one mechanic tell me he thought the clutch was on its way out - but that biting point has stayed consistent in the 2 years I've owned it - I got used to it. Although there IS a modification that can be done at home to the biting point I found online when I bought the car, I never tried it myself - but if it continues to bother you, you should be able to find it online. The seat belt losing its ability to retract does make it feel a bit cheap and annoys me more, to be honest.

[Evoluzione]

Flip Martian said:

Evoluzione said:

Minor gripes are the clutch which seems to have a biting point 2mm from the floor and the seat belts, the drivers side has lost some of its retracting ability and the bit you clip into sits too far down which means finding it and 'buckling up' hard work.

My 2007 Sport model is the same; I suspect they are design "feature"s... I did have one mechanic tell me he thought the clutch was on its way out - but that biting point has stayed consistent in the 2 years I've owned it - I got used to it. Although there IS a modification that can be done at home to the biting point I found online when I bought the car, I never tried it myself - but if it continues to bother you, you should be able to find it online. The seat belt losing its ability to retract does make it feel a bit cheap and annoys me more, to be honest.

Yes I've been mulling it over recently as the clutch thing does continue to annoy, it's a shame as most of the other stuff just falls to hand where you'd expect it to be, it isn't a car which you need a long list of instructions for (apart from where the fuel cap release lives and bury the clutch into the carpet otherwise thou shalt grind). I did ponder over some way of shortening or lengthening the stroke of the pedal or something like that, but haven't had a look at it yet.

I measured the height of the car overall and it's just 20mm lower than stock, also had an issue with a flat battery, which was strange as i'd just driven it to work. It was odd as something continued to be flattening it, but I couldn't make out what. Because it was sunny for a change I couldn't see it either until I pulled it into the workshop and noticed the brake lights stuck on.
Brake light switch?
Turns out I'd probably clouted it with my size tens and snapped it off, a new one was cheap enough and an easy fix. Interestingly when it's unplugged the traction control doesn't work either.

I was surprised at the 3000rpm/70mph speed in 6th, thought it would be less rpm than that, but it's for performance I guess, the engine is quiet enough anyhow and It's easy enough to pootle along in 6th in a 40 zone.

Fellow '5 drivers seem a friendly bunch and i've been waved at or 'flashed' a few times by them, tends to be the older the car the more hardened enthusiast you are, same as any marque I guess.

Edited by Evoluzione on Wednesday 10th May 19:00

[Flip Martian]

I've only been waved at once - by a fellow Mk 3 driver. I was so surprised I barely had chance to smile at him!

Home early today on a sunny day with a trip to the dentist ahead - 20 mins away down mostly country lanes. Out came the MX5 and down came the soft top. No better place to be on a sunny day here. Even had a bit of a hoon on the way back when there was less traffic.

[Evoluzione]

That's another thing I like - the fact you can raise and lower the roof in seconds without even getting out!

[Flip Martian]

Yep, its so easy its ridiculous. Although at 53, that "reaching behind me to pull it back up" is getting a bit harder

[fido]

Evoluzione said:

Yes I've been mulling it over recently as the clutch thing does continue to annoy, it's a shame as most of the other stuff just falls to hand where you'd expect it to be, it isn't a car which you need a long list of instructions for (apart from where the fuel cap release lives and bury the clutch into the carpet otherwise thou shalt grind). I did ponder over some way of shortening or lengthening the stroke of the pedal or something like that, but haven't had a look at it yet.

Interested to see whether you can get it adjusted easily. I've done nearly 2k on mine and no issue with the clutch travel now, but maybe a few mm more would suit my driving style better - not a huge fan of an immediate biting point though the salesperson did show me how to do a quick launch .. (!)

Not having much luck with rear nearside alloys - managed to kerb two of them in a few months. Having them all of them refurbed on the MX-5 next week .. my first upgrade so as to speak of.