mk2 mx5

[BCA]

Hi all,

Been lurking for a while, and on Nutz - but thought I'd ask a few questions here having just bought a lovely mk2 sport 1.8.

Out of interest, does anyone know any specialists in the Midlands for services/ general parts?

What tyres do you guys recommend - its a daily driver, but will be taken on track as much as I can afford (a few days a year hopefully!)

Erm, anyone at the midlands meet on Weds? "pheonix 5's?" - would be nice to meet a few more PH'ers and pic thier brains about a few little things that I can't currently remember.

Ooh, what tyre pressures do you all run/recommend.

Also, what oil I guess - levels fine, but good to have to hand.

Slowly getting used to it, bloody good car. Proper topic to follow (probably on Nutz) when I can get some decent photos.

[Odie]

Dont know, Im not from the midlands.

Eagle F1s

Im not from the midlands.

26/28ish

I use mobil i forget what exactly, probably a fully synthetic of the correct rating for the engine (10w40 is it?)

I think that should help a little

Edited by Odie on Tuesday 1st September 13:54

[Gizmo!]

Agreed on the tyre pressures - when I got mine the dealer had put them at 32/34 and it was hitting the bump stops over speedhumps and generally a bit skittish: dropped them to 26 all round and it rides beautifully.

[Planet Claire]

5 Speed are based in the midland, although I don't know if they are close to you. Steve's a good bloke and used to work for Phil at Performance 5.

For parts you could try MX5Parts for new stuff, or places like MX5Heaven or Autolink for used parts.

Eagle F1s GSD3 (back in stock apparently) and Toyo Proxes T1R are favoured by many but I guess it's down to individual preferences. Do searches on Nutz, PlanetMx5, MX5OC and you'll get a variety of answers.

The official tyre pressure is 26 but I run mine at 28.

Mobil1 0W/40W Fully Synth for oil - usually cheap at Costco.

[BCA]

Thanks guys.

Loving it so far, need to find somewhere to get a true feel for it though, thankfully so far it has surpassed my expectations.

[Pete Franklin]

Apparently Hancook RS2 are the tyre of choice for mixed track/ road use nowadays. I personally find the Eagle F1s great on the road but they suffer a bit on track/ Autosolo with overheating and seem to wear fast when stressed. I also find the side walls a bit too soft. I'll probably go for something different next time.

Pressures- depends on tyres- manufacturer states 26 but i run at 28-29 to compensate for the side walls.

For oil go with a decent fully synth 0w 40, 5w 40 or 10w 40

Regards

Pete

[Combover]

Is that andys old car? If it is you've got a good one. Ive got some good pics of it somewhere

[MX-5 Lazza]

Pete - you find the sidewalls on GSD3s too soft? Really? There aren't many decent road tyres with stiffer sidewalls. They are a lot stiffer than on Toyo T1R for example.

Hankook RS2 are indeed very good road & track tyres but as they are designed for track use they won't last long.

For primarily road use F1 GSD3 are pretty hard to beat but if you are going to do many track days then I'd recomend Toyo T1R as they are almost as good on the road, melt a little less on track and are cheaper.

I have F1s on my road wheels and RS2s on my track wheels. I run the RS2s at 26psi (29psi on track) and F1s at 27psi

[Quick silver]

BCA said:

(1) What tyres do you guys recommend - its a daily driver, but will be taken on track as much as I can afford (a few days a year hopefully!)

(2) Ooh, what tyre pressures do you all run/recommend.

(3) Also, what oil I guess - levels fine, but good to have to hand.

(4) Stuff about Nutz?

(1) Marangoni 195/50/R15.......I swear by them.

(2) 26 psi front & rear

(3) Mobil 1 0W-40 Fully Synth....as Claire said, Costco 4L = £23 & that includes the VAT.

(4) Instead of harping on about Nutz.....post some images on here when you get around to it

[BCA]

Combover said:

Is that andys old car? If it is you've got a good one. Ive got some good pics of it somewhere

A much loved example, and it will continue to be looked after as such... it'll be taking a different development direction, but judging by your cars rollbar, I am sure you'd approve.

No good pics yet, afraid its pretty much been miserable since I bought it, the only day of sun we had was when I was working...

Edit: I'd love to see any pics that you have of it, its changed a fair bit as Andy has moved alot onto his mk2.5 - but I would love to see them all the same.

Edited by BCA on Wednesday 2nd September 00:01

[BCA]

Margoni or whatever they're called are intriguing.. I've seen them on other cars at sprints - I am wondering whether they are the "Scudo Stunners" of this year? Nice softish compound, unknown, cheap, punch above thier weight?

I have to admit, I am erring towards the T1R's.

[MX-5 Lazza]

I think it's the Marangoni Zeta that they use. They are good for sprints because they are pretty soft so don't need to be heated up. Not so good for track days for the same reason.

[BCA]

Edit: wrong thread.. ignore.. but yeah, have joined Planet.

Edited by BCA on Wednesday 2nd September 13:48

[Pete Franklin]

MX-5 Lazza said:

Pete - you find the sidewalls on GSD3s too soft? Really? There aren't many decent road tyres with stiffer sidewalls. They are a lot stiffer than on Toyo T1R for example.

Mine are GSD2 in 185 60 R14. they do feel very soft compared to the Bridgestone RE720s that were on before. They grip very well but just feel so squishy and you can feel them rolling over when cornering very hard. The GSD3s on 15" may be different?

[MX-5 Lazza]

Pete Franklin said:

MX-5 Lazza said:

Pete - you find the sidewalls on GSD3s too soft? Really? There aren't many decent road tyres with stiffer sidewalls. They are a lot stiffer than on Toyo T1R for example.

Mine are GSD2 in 185 60 R14. they do feel very soft compared to the Bridgestone RE720s that were on before. They grip very well but just feel so squishy and you can feel them rolling over when cornering very hard. The GSD3s on 15" may be different?

Ah right. GSD2 are a bit softer (still stiffer than Toyos) especially compared to Bridgestones which tend to suit heavier cars (S02 were great but S03 were much too stiff and MX5s aren't heavy enough to get any heat in them).

[Pete Franklin]

Sorry to go off topic but this may be of use to others?

Lazza you seem quite experienced in this and I respect your opinion.

Unfortunatelty everyone seems to be running semi-slicks in Auto-solo these days and it is general consensus that they give you around 1.5 to 3 seconds per run. Basically you cant be very competitive on road tyres against guys on 888s etc.

My tyres will be destroyed after another couple of events. I'm planning on going up to 15" wheels. what i'm really after is an increase in responsiveness as well as good wet and dry grip. In your opinion; which would give the best all round compromise. I was alsmost sold on the RS2s because they get good reviews as a track day tyre that are also hard wearing enough for everyday road use. your comments about not lasting long seem to contradict this.

Just getting myself a little lost

Cheers

Pete

[MX-5 Lazza]

RS2s are somewhere between road tyres and hardcore track tyres therefore while they work much better on track than road tyres they do wear faster. However, they will last longer than the likes of R888s or A048s and work better as road tyres too. They won't be quite as good as F1 GSD3 in standing water but as a compromise they are hard to beat, especially at around £50 each.

[NiceCupOfTea]

Our very own OnlyMX5s is in Solihull and does servicing etc.

There used to be a very active Midlands MX-5 group, a lad called Matt Dolphin used to be the guy to speak to IIRC. Have a look on the OC forum.

[T5SOR]

Ben,

Good to see you have bought an MX5, but why did you go for the blobby version? Always time to upgrade to the original MK1

Mike

[BCA]

T5SOR said:

Ben,

Good to see you have bought an MX5, but why did you go for the blobby version? Always time to upgrade to the original MK1

Mike

Having come from a rock solid riding smart car, I preferred the blobby one to the less comfortable rattly one.

See you on track sometime?