Introducing myself- new member. Problem with the new Mx5

[sliq]

imho, i've had a drive of the nc roadster coupe, and they're not as sharp as the NB's.. a lot of body roll as you described before.. wouldn't ever think of upgrading my NB to an NC

[StanTheMan]

before we start the NAvNBvNC wars, lets see if we can help here. Yes The NC does have a little more body roll than a modded NA & even a standard NB. But in standard form generally it is a fair amount quicker.

A few NC have suspension mods & allignment mods......thats where i'd be starting to look. Just wait for the apropriate peeps to tune in they'll have answers for you.

[mazlot]

When we bought our NC, the tyre pressures were all over the shop, and the alignment was out.

Do not take it to Mazda to check the alignment, have it done by some-one who knows what they are doing, ie not P*dd*rs or KM*rt.

Depending on where you are, some-one will recommend a good aligner.

The standard NC will clearly out handle a well sorted NB.

Ours does not have TEC, so can't comment on that.

[adamjp]

The standard NC will clearly out handle a well sorted NB.

That is a very big claim. One I didn't feel was backed up by my test drive.

The newer the MX5 gets, the more comfortable it becomes. But IMHO any model with decent aftermarket springs, sways and shocks will outpoint a stock variant any day.

But it won't be as comfortable.

[AJ]

i'd bother helping answer if the poster wasn't so f*cking negative & snotty, better off to flog it off mate & buy something else, you're never going to be happy with it with an attitude like that.

[AJ]

forgive me, BUT, you've blasted onto a board & bagged out a car that a large section of this community have been owning, driving & enjoying for the past 2 1/2 years.....i'd merely suggest you head out with whatever MX5 club you happen to be near & talk to the guys who've been driving & tracking the NC since they came out, before you decide a new version is a \"dog\" as you put it, the height issue is a personal thing IMO, i don't have a problem with where ours sits, & even though it is standard ride height, it still manages to scrape the tailpipes or the front skirt on some driveways.

as Mazlot said, get your tyre pressures right (i run 34 all round in ours) get the wheel alignment checked, & TALK to those who've had them since they came out.

Clive
'05 NC LE

[ducktape69]

well.... does the car have a shimmy? any unusual noises? tyre pressure? alignment?

what you have described doesnt sound like a well sorted mx5(may it be na, nb, nc). all are great handlers in stock form....start with checking tyre pressure and alignment and go from there...

good luck mate

[NMX516]

Spag you might be surprised at what a good alignment can do for you... Having one isn't a \"mod\" as such, and a decent alignment isn't going to make it tricky or anything for the mrs to drive. I would be very surprised if any new MX5 has a decent alignment off the showroom floor.

The dealer won't know his arse from his elbow when it comes to doing a decent alignment - there is proof enough on parts of this forum to back that up. And most wheel alignment places won't be much better.

Where are you?? If you're in Brisbane I can recommend a couple of places, if you're in Sydney or Melbourne there will be people here who can also recommend a good aligner. If you're anywhere else, there might be someone who can still point you in the right direction. Worst case, there have been threads on here quoting actual alignment specs which you could take to a competent aligner.

[JBT]

Get a proper alignment to start with. We're on our second NC and both had absolutely atrocious alignment out of the box/factory.

Ride height - yes it's high but it works.

Roll - I'm sure the late 2007 build cars roll less than the earlier cars but I do a faster time at QR in a standard NC than I could ever imagine in the (supension) tweaked NA8.

I had a pretty well sorted NA8 and, as far as I'm concerned, the current NC would out handle it any day of the week.

Our NC has TC and DSC. It is far from intrusive - love it

[Garry]

What the others have said re alignment. The factory alignment on my NB was all over the place when I got it. It's possible to run a slightly agressive every day driver alignment spec, you dont need to get a full on track spec alignment. Guaranteed you WILL notice an improvement over what you have now. I wouldn't go near a dealer for an alignment. NC's do tend to roll a fair bit. If you have the powered hardtop version then you might notice it more as Mazda softened up the spring rate on that model. I have read road tests complaining that the traction control cuts in to early. They also seem to sit about 25mm to high to me, though I've noticed a few of the older ones starting to sag back to normal height. Some beefed up sway bars will help with the body roll without making much of a negative impact on ride quality.

But didn't you test drive one before you bought one? Surely the issues you have raised would have been apparent in a test drive? If your test drive car didn't exhibit the same issues you have with your car then you may have a dud.

BTW, I wouldn't assume an MX5 would be well sorted out of the box. Mine wasn't. It was a rolly polly barge with a heap of understeer as delivered from Mazda. A couple of minor suspension tweeks have transformed it.

[Craig]

Dont worry about AJ, to him the NC is Gods gift to the MX5 fraternity!

For reference I have had one lady mention her 2005 LE seemed to too high in the rear end compared to the 3 new showroom cars, and that it errr handled like a dog!

Just throw some aftermarket Tein coliovers in there and enjoy!

[Okibi]

.....i'd merely suggest you head out with whatever MX5 club you happen to be near & talk to the guys who've been driving & tracking the NC ...

My thoughts exactly, if you think your MX-5 may be different from all the others, join your local club and get some other NC owners to drive it and see if it handles any differently.

Were your other MX-5s modified? The NC is a bigger beast with those child bearing hips and bigger wheels, it may seem a little more whale like but it should stick as good as a stock NA/NB if not better.

Spag you might be surprised at what a good alignment can do for you... Having one isn't a "mod" as such, and a decent alignment isn't going to make it tricky or anything for the mrs to drive. I would be very surprised if any new MX5 has a decent alignment off the showroom floor....

I agree, go to a proper suspension shop that has a drive on computerised setup.

Most manufactures have tolerances the alignment needs to fall within, a GOOD suspension shop will have tigher tolerances on what they feel is a good setup.

[Mr Morlock]

Spaghetti you must be having a wow of a time in the come in spinner routine. I would take your comments as pushing credibility and clearly if you think MX5's handle badly for road condtions then you are clearly mistaken.It does not make any sense that the handling of your car is so atrocious and that the dealer would not be able to identify a serious shortcoming. Road tests extol the virtues of the car. If you have a problem with the car do what any other new car buyer would do - take it up with dealer/Mazda Aust

[PUR157]

Like you said Mr Morlock, if he isn't satisfied he should take it up with the dealer (and he did) but he didn't seem to get a satisfactory answer, (we should all know that some dealerships don't exactly have the clearest idea of customer service) so he's just exploring the other avenues and options (by coming here and asking us)
He knows that the MX5 should be much better sorted than what he is finding right now... so he's here asking why!

But I digress... and onwards to my point...
Some of you might remember that Best Motoring New Roadster video clip someone posted up about a week or two ago?
It reminded me of all the things that have been written about the NC MX5... written in Motor (OK not so credible...) but in Evo mag, as well as the Best Motoring reviews/test drives etc., they have all noted some bizarre handling characteristics of the NC compared to the previous iterations
Can anyone offer an opinion as to why? (I'm genuinely curious here... I'm not trying to step on anyones toes)

[Boags]

Mate; I have to say I feel very sorry for you. Firstly, you have an MX5 which is clearly not right, then you ask people who might have experience for advice and get shat on.

You guys are out of line: READ THE THREAD before you post.

I hope you get some more sensible posts in future.

Boags