Any MX5 owner that would like to attend an exclusive trackday should read this: Ruapuna circuit 26th February. The day includes, Unrestricted access to the full Powerbuilt raceway, all soft drinks, snacks, post circuit BBQ or Pizza, beer, prizegiving and obligatory 'Hero drive stories'. Experienced ...

Sorry, an NB is not 3 secs a lap quicker round Ruapuna than a Lotus Elise!!! I'm with you on that Ian and after hankering after an Elise for years I'm a little dismayed. However: The Elise was a base model K series S2 (120bhp) with two burly adults on board so weighed in at over 1000kgs, my VVT NB ...

Went to a trackday at Ruapuna last Thursday in my '04 NB and had a ball. Once I'd got a bit of air in the tyres (it hated standard road pressures) the car just flew. I run it on 98 octane, which it loves and with spare wheel and tools removed to save a few kilos I followed a K series S2 elise out of...

Alisam, how about as the cambelt is non interference (ie: it won't damage anything if it breaks) that you leave it until 100k and spend your $500 on a weekend away enjoying your car. I have never heard of an MX5 cambelt letting go early, in fact I've read a thread asking how long people have left th...

Ian, as promised a quick look at the tyres shows that they were manufactured in 2000!!!!!!!
So, 8 years old, 44,000kms and still with 3/4 tread depth.........must be made of granite...........it certainly feels like it.
Thanks again for your handy tips.

Ian, no apology needed, that's useful stuff and when the cats and dogs stop falling out of the sky I'll be down to check my tyre sidewalls. You may have just cost me a thousand bucks though, 'cos if its old rubber I'll just have to change it!

Ian, I just don't get it. As an extreme example are you saying that a 345 width tyre could have a similar contact patch to a 155 width tyre of the same diameter? How so? I do agree with your unsprung weight statement and the belief that the same car with smaller wheels can have subjectively better h...

Ian, interesting stuff with your Toyo's although as I previously stated ultimate grip isn't my aim. The MK2.5's big tyres hang on so well that by the time they do give way you'd better be on the ball to get things back in line because you'll be carrying decent speed and generating pretty high g's. Y...

Skams, I love the fact that you're anal enough to look at the tracks you leave behind on wet roads and determine tyre pressures based on what you see. As for your 'Overtyred' post I'm afraid you lost me when you stated "There is no more grip to be had with a wider tyre, it'll just hang on longer". T...

Ian, factory quoted tyre pressures for the MK2.5 16 inch 205/45/16 is only 26psi front and rear (seemed low to me too but you can't argue with the handbook and factory door shut sticker, the tyre profile is very low (it's a similar sidewall height to a 295/30 tyre, they don't get too much lower than...

Gordon + Skam, thanks for your insightful posts. Gordon when you say that the Toyo's were streets ahead, in what way? Progressive breakaway? grip? ride? tramlining? I'm not after the most grip, even my old Turanza's hang on gamely, which is more a product of the MK2.5's power to tyre size mismatch t...

Thanks Ian, handy post. You may be right about the tyres, the cars done 44kms so I doubt the tyres are original but they are Bridgestone Turanza's and despite running them at 25psi the sidewalls are like Rimu and the ride is similarly 'wooden'. As for oil......well if you're racing on Magnatec with ...

Thanks Grant, I'm in Christchurch and a quick squizz at the NZ MX5 club website (which I should have looked at first of all) shows the Christchurch arm to be healthy and active with a get together in 2 days and meetings at least once a month.

Thanks Poison, very thorough and insightful post. The steering wheel change is more about ergonomics, the NB (MK2.5) seats are set high and lowering appears difficult, this, combined with a large diameter Nardi wheel conspire to create a less than ideal driving position. I thought that a smaller dia...

I recently bought an '04 MX5 and I've got a few queries. Is it possible to fit an aftermarket steering wheel, if so how do you get round the airbag issue? Is there any consensus on the best engine oil to use? Any thoughts on tyre choice (205/45/16's), something with a softer sidewall would be benefi...

I've read that people have lowered seats in NB models by removing foam from the underside. Has anyone carried this out on a MK2.5 (2004 model) as these seats seem to be higher than in earlier NB models? There appears to be a lot of clearance underneath the seat between the chassis rails where the ru...