ND Review 6000klms + 3 Months In

3 Months has gone so fast.

Familiarity, Travel, Sport Driving, Daily Life

The Roadster has been above all surprising and fun!

I'm not new to the MX5, but the ND is something different. Its not raw. It's refined. Its not slow, its fast!

And I love it.
 

 Ive been burning through online parts catalogs and the desire to make it more "cool" is there, but the desire to not ruin the car is also very high on the list.

Where I like to drive is not necessarily a silky smooth circuit, so the stock ride height and feel is pretty dam good.

But when I look at this car... It just screams at me. do it!

Sop my list is,

Volk Racing TE37 16x8 +25 tires 205/50R16
Garage Vary Type 3 Front lip
Odula gt wing.

First Attack

Early rise and and a hike up Mt Warning.

A quick stop by Murwullimbah as I headed to my 4 Special Stages

It's hard to get used to the reduced size, 

After coming from my ROCK HARD NCEC the Jimba Itai feeling is undeniable in this one.

In the Horse and Rider Mazda style, the suspension soaks up everything keeping your body in a stable position, and you soon forget that the car is actually rolling and pitching a lot. On some of the heavily cambered corners that I usually love the lean of, that can be a bit strange, but you soon forget it because you simply push harder.

 
Now this is a very different feeling to an old NA6C MX5 "go cart" on slammed coilovers.  So you wonder whether that style is still what I want.

I mean, the last NC was using it's suspension in a totally different way. just as good in a different way.

In the ND You can still play at the limit and in the wet, this is still a lot of fun. 

For point to point enjoyment, this is a different way of driving.

I would definitely need to try a modified ND before I ever decided to modify this one. 

At the moment... VERY HAPPY.






now if only they could eliminate that shake from our stupid Australian concrete highways. 

ND vs NC - A REAL Owners Review

Lets take a look at the NC vs ND in REAL terms. No paid advertising here.

A direct comparison between a car lightly tuned to the way I like it. vs a brand new modern car.

NC

FUN PARTS!

SOUND is awesome.
FLAT handling is awesome.
Interior space is just right.
Good power and smooth balance.
I loved driving it.

NO SO FUN PARTS!

Interior was old.
and just needed a fresh up.

But all this is irrellevant now. because it's sold.

ND.

FUN Parts

The ND looks good!
Sharp and tight.
Details are good.
Interior is very pleasing and functional.

I love the way the rear lights look.

Power is good. SKY Active 2.0 is a little more torque and gearing is taller.
But that means less changing of gears.

In fact I'm yet to extend the ND's power band untiul it reaches 1000klms. But I'm sure I'll get used to it.

Car is noticibly lighter and therefore faster.Is that a good thing around town?

1st to second gear is a bit hard to match. Maybe clutch engagement position is a bit high.

Standard handling is interesting.
Very similar to how my NC used to be. Weight shift for reward. but still very very good.
tyre grip is exploited well. long stroke is definitely used

At the moment, I'm adjusting to the massive reduction in size.
side by side, the difference is very clear.


ND is SMALL!!!!!!
Right now just a little unconfortable in the seating position because the steering wheel is too far away. I can't get the steering wheel to my wrists. It needs a 50mm boss spacer.

So that will be the next mod and hopefully only mod for a while.

getting comfortable is the only thing I want to change right now.

Letting go of the noise and bumpy ride is hard because the NC was so connected.
But I'm looking forward to the new style.