1.6 versus 1.8

John Wakely · Post by **John Wakely** » Sat May 07, 2005 4:16 pm

I'm keen to buy an MX5 but need some help. I have driven a 95 V spec 1.8 and
was impressed, but the price was too high for my budget. Problem is I have not
driven a 1.6 so don't know how they compare to a 1.8. There are no manual
1.6's in any car yards around my area ( Wanganui/ Manawatu ) to test. I have
scoured the net from one end to the other , and there is not a lot of info on
this topic. Is there anyone out there who has driven both that could give me a
realistic and objective comparison between them.

Thanks in advance

John Wakely

john.wakely@clear.net.nz

MX5PWR · Post by **MX5PWR** » Sat May 07, 2005 5:30 pm

Hi John, I have owned both 1.6 and 1.8. The 1.8 cars have additional body
bracing which will generally give a tighter feel to the car. On the open road
there is very little noticeable difference in speed, its when you get to the
hills that the additional torque is evident in that you do not have to change
gears as much.

I would rather have a good sound 1.6 than a rough 1.8.

Have a look at the for sale on the club site if you have not already done so.

Regards Nigel

rodneyptaylor · Post by **rodneyptaylor** » Sat May 07, 2005 7:17 pm

Hi John,
You may be interested in a 96 1.8 available at approx $9000 I have just
bought a 98 1.8 and am collecting it to-morrow after a couple of months
search.I drove both cars a couple of weeks ago but opted for the 98. If u
like u can phone me 0n 06 758 4678. I am sure u will not better this deal. I
bought the 98 for $12000 plus on road costs...

Rodney
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Date: Sat, 7 May 2005 21:36:28 +1200
From: ~Jeff~ <jifjif@gmail.com>
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Subject: Re: 1.6 versus 1.8
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It really depends what you're after - if you just want a convertible,
either is the same.

The 1.6 engine has more zing and the body is lighter, albeit less
stiff - this is easily fixed however. The 1.6 is more of a go-kart, or
maybe a Jack Russell

Later models became progressively stiffer, heavier, higher (longer
springs) and more plush. Call it a middle-aged labrador by comparison.

Bob Hall, father of the MX5, said it best - "The NB is a better car,
the NA is a better Miata"

I like the pre-93 1.6 NA ones myself

On 5/7/05, John Wakely <john.wakely@clear.net.nz> wrote:
[...]

Keith Smith · Post by **Keith Smith** » Sat May 07, 2005 10:00 pm

I found them about as quick as each other... the 1.6 (92) a shade
faster but a little more tail light. 1.8 tended to be a bit smoother
and "fatter" in its response. If money is your issue I'd plump for a
really tidy NA 1.6 manual and bank the rest of the money.
On 07/05/2005, at 4:16 PM, John Wakely wrote:

[...]

EricW · Post by **EricW** » Sun May 08, 2005 5:53 pm

Hi John,

All round, there is very little difference in performance between the two, the
1.8 being a bit torquier, the 1.6 might just be a little more lively. The 1.8
is certainly stiffer and feels a bit more "car" like, the 1.6 has a slightly
harder ride and loses out very slightly in really hard handling, when
comparing "standard" MX5s, because of it's relative lack of stiffness.
However, unless you really push the car you are hardly likely to notice a
difference, except on hilly roads, where a 1.8 carries it's speed better.

1.8s usually have better specs, like bigger brakes, extra suspension braces,
air con, power windows and mirrors and mag wheels.

It does come down to budget, MX5s, in Auckland at least, seem to have a bottom
price around $7-$7500 and they don't really seem to have crept below that over
about the last three years, regardless of age, unless they are very rough. So
if you are thinking of buying in the $10K area, which will get you a really
nice, relatively low Km, 1.8 NA, around 94 - 96 from a private seller, you
could expect that the most you would ever lose on it would be about $3K, and
you would have the best of it's mileage for the price.

At $7K you will still have a good, older, toy, which is likely to be reliable
for a long time to come and cost very little in depreciation.

Very little ever really goes wrong with an MX5 and the bodies stay together
very well, I dont ever recall seing a rusty one, so something older, with
quite a few Ks on it, is still a good buy as a weekend car. You might want
something newer if you intend to drive it every day.

So if money is a real issue, and it is not an every day car, you will have a
blast in a 1.6. If you are going to drive it every day in traffic and use it
as a car, rather than a plaything, a later 1.8 is probably better value to buy
now, but there are a lot of very happy 1.6 commuters on the list.

The moral, find the MX5 you fall in love with and buy that one, and dont worry
too much about what it is, Choose it as you would a woman, because it is very
likely to be a long affair!

Hope this helps

Eric

poison · Post by **poison** » Sun May 08, 2005 7:10 pm

Hey John

Just a tip, make sure it has Air Con' you may not think you'd need it but
sitting at the lights in the summer sun is death. Also with a rag top in
winter the air con' is a must for the windscreen.

The one feature I wish I had in mine (an 89 1600) is an air bag, you never
know when s***t's gonna happen. I also believe (but can't be sure) that they
put side intrusion beams in at some stage.

Secondly, if you have two models to chose form, get the one with all the
goodies on it, ie: upgraded shocks, style bars (looks like a roll bar but is
just for fashion), exhaust, mags etc etc as these are all extra $$$ later
(even thought you think, you'll never spend any more... you will...

Someone mentioned that the 1600's can oversteer, this is probably why they put
a smaller rear sway bar on the 1800.

Gazza
"PO1SON"

carl.halvorsen · Post by **carl.halvorsen** » Sun May 08, 2005 8:44 pm

Not forgetting colour, if you are to buy a NA it has to be BRG.

Carl

EricW · Post by **EricW** » Sun May 08, 2005 9:30 pm

Hi Carl,

Did you see the Aston Martin DBR9 on "Top Gear" tonight? It was a "real car
colour" BRG!!!

Eric

Simon Lord · Post by **Simon Lord** » Sun May 08, 2005 9:48 pm

And Vantage vs 355 next week - delicious. The only concern I had about the
racing BR9 was that if they are going to have holes with lights in to denote
its position in a race, it will only take one bad result for the damn thing to
need to be so perforated the whole back end will come off.

Simon

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Date: Sun, 8 May 2005 22:15:35 +1200
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I can assure everyone that the from a standing start drag between a
stock 1600 and 1800, the bigger engine wins by a car length by about
80km/h

... But it's more fun in the 1600 !

On 5/7/05, Keith Smith <keith_smith@clear.net.nz> wrote:
[...]

garry · Post by **garry** » Sun May 08, 2005 10:54 pm

Hi, im going to disagree, the only time i have raced a 1800 in my 1600 was
up the hill on the main road just south of fielding where you turn onto the
main road heading toward sanson.

I did not stretch my 1600 but the guy in the 1800 behind me was a little
further behind when we got to the top than he was at the bottom.

Mazda in general seems to make 1800's that out perform the 2000's in the
80's and i think that this is the case here, where the 1600, cc for cc, is
outperforming the 1800 and all you can expect from the 1800 is a higher
fuel bill.

This is of course only my opinion based on my own experience and i could
well be wrong.

Garry

Michael & Kate Cooper · Post by **Michael & Kate Cooper** » Mon May 09, 2005 1:55 pm

Hi there

Just noticed that nobody's mentioned the crank-shaft problem on the very early
models.

I think it affected 89's, 90's, and possibly early 91's...? (Someone please
correct me if that's wrong).

For the potential time and effort required to fix this problem it would be
worth avoiding these models.

Our 1.6 used to oversteer quite easily, although I think it's not so bad now
that we have the bracing (engine bay, behind seats & rear underneath).

Are mag wheels the same as alloy wheels? I thought all MX5's had alloy
wheels.

Kate

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Date: Mon, 9 May 2005 14:23:43 +1200
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Subject: Re: 1.6 versus 1.8
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I think alloy is the more correct term, mag being short for
"magnesium" which is a/ expensive and b/ combustible !!

PS-Oversteer good, understeer boring

On 5/9/05, Michael & Kate Cooper <m_cooper@clear.net.nz> wrote:
[...]

poison · Post by **poison** » Mon May 09, 2005 2:49 pm

My term mags, was referring to after market mags/alloy
wheels. Personally I don't like the standard alloys. And the
cars look great with the bigger wheels and lower profile
tyres.

I agree... Oversteer Good, but compaing apples with apples
it's not that much.

Gazza
"PO1SON"

[...]

ianbell · Post by **ianbell** » Mon May 09, 2005 5:10 pm

Hi
On the MX5 Club of Queensland, I sourced some info that says that the
crankshaft problems were on vehicles with a VIN number of 209446 or lower. On
the European spec MX5s it was at VIN 127442 or lower.
Also, according to the site, there are 3 crankshafts for the 1.6 litre
The Queensland site is worth a visit for lots of info.
Ian

Warwick & Heather · Post by **Warwick & Heather** » Mon May 09, 2005 7:06 pm

Yep - I've had the crankshaft fail on a 1990 1.6 at 120,000km (plus winding in
Japan presumably). The Dog and Lemon buyers guide lists all faults for each
MX5 model, safety passings and failures. Note- you should not carry a child in
a NB twin airbag model unless in a Mazda safety seat . Non Mazda seats are not
recognised by the sensors which switch the airbag off.
Also factory recalls for each model are listed as well.
Warwick

Mikkels · Post by **Mikkels** » Tue May 10, 2005 6:45 pm

You should try a 1.8 in a 1.6. Definitely faster than a 1.8 in a 1.8 or a
1.6 in a 1.6 or a 1.6 in a 1.8 and sooo easy to do

. Anybody wanting help
to do the swap - I'd be pleased to help.

Don

_____

From: e-admin@mx5club.org.nz [mailto:e-admin@mx5club.org.nz] On Behalf Of
Keith Smith
Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2005 10:00 PM
To: MX5List
Subject: Re: 1.6 versus 1.8

I found them about as quick as each other... the 1.6 (92) a shade faster but
a little more tail light. 1.8 tended to be a bit smoother and "fatter" in
its response. If money is your issue I'd plump for a really tidy NA 1.6
manual and bank the rest of the money.

On 07/05/2005, at 4:16 PM, John Wakely wrote:

I'm keen to buy an MX5 but need some help. I have driven a 95 V spec 1.8 and
was impressed, but the price was too high for my budget. Problem is I have
not driven a 1.6 so don't know how they compare to a 1.8. There are no
manual 1.6's in any car yards around my area ( Wanganui/ Manawatu ) to test.
I have scoured the net from one end to the other , and there is not a lot of
info on this topic. Is there anyone out there who has driven both that could
give me a realistic and objective comparison between them.

Thanks in advance

John Wakely

john.wakely@clear.net.nz

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Mikkels · Post by **Mikkels** » Tue May 10, 2005 8:20 pm

Hi Garry

Relatively straight forward once you have sourced a 1.8
engine. Flying Miata now do a kit that provides all you
need. Cost including an engine would be around $1500 if you
do all the work yourself. If you are in Auckland I would
help.

Cheers

Don

[...]

garry · Post by **garry** » Tue May 10, 2005 8:23 pm

Hi Don,

I would like to turbo my mx5 and there seems to be more 1800 turbo stuff
around than 1600 so what exactly is involved in the swap over ...does anyone
know another motor that just bolts in ??

Garry

R LTD · Post by **R LTD** » Tue May 10, 2005 9:23 pm

As a very recent owner of an MX5 (purchased last week) and having spent some
time to find a car that I liked I have found it insightful following the
discussion as to whether one should purchase a 1.6 or 1.8. I have decided it
very much comes down to personal preference. The 1.6 clearly has more body
flex and its suspension requires after-market bits and pieces to give it the
same handling characteristics of the 1.8. I purchased a 1.8.
I wasn't able to discern much difference between the 2 in power output;
however, the 1.8 appeared to maintain a better power curve on twisting and
hilly roads. I'm not an expert and the judgement is subjective but I suspect
the 1.8 model has a different torque curve if that is the correct expression.
Finally, the discussion seems to have moved on to fitting a 1.8 engine to the
pre 1994 1.6 models. The question I ask is whether you ultimately gain much
except a lightened bank balance and one is better off buying a 1.8 or sticking
with a 1.6 and accepting that both models are great to drive and provide the
feel of a true sports car.

Tony

garry · Post by **garry** » Tue May 10, 2005 11:23 pm

Tony,

One of my reasons for engaging in this topic is that my car is getting high in
k's, i guess thats why i got it cheap and so i fully expect to have to replace
the motor during my time with the car.

I fully intend to turbo it and it appears that the stuff is readily available
from other mazda 1800's to do this but not for the 1600 so if i am going to
blow a motor, which becomes more likely with a turbo charged high k's motor
then i would surely like to know the options and maybe its cheaper to go and
get a turbo 1800 to start with than kit out the 1600.

Garry

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