JimR123

Mystery solved! This sounds exactly like the problem... http://www.mx-5.com/Forum/Room/Topic/?topicId=1819 Looks like I'll be visiting my Mazda dealer shortly...

Last Mk3 was a 5 speed, so you may be onto something there. If the 6 speed was made deliberately to make a different noise, I wonder why? ...as it certainly doesn't make it sound any sportier. What do you know about this resonation thing? Don't suppose you have any links to sites that go into excrutiating detail, so I can at least try and understand it.

Not worried now Thanks for the advice guys.

I do manage to hit a lot of potholes, allthough that's more because there are a lot of potholes to hit, I like to think

Do you think it needs repairing, or is it safe as is?

Ah, ok. And is timing something that is easily adjustable?

Can you see the image in my previous post?

Would bad timing not be noticable at higher revs too? To my untrained ear it seems to sound ok at higher revs. ...allthough different to my old Mk3. I put that down to the fact that it always feels like I have to rev it higher.

There's not an obvious bulge. I've tried not to pull the cut apart too much for fear of making it worse, but I couldn't see any cords. Hopefully you can see a photo of it below (if I've managed to attach it right)...

Hi, I've somehow managed to get a cut in the sidewall of my tyre. I can't figure out how, but the alloy wheel is also scuffed right next to it, so I'm guessing I somehow must have wacked something. Suprising thing is, it's on the driver's side rear tyre. The only time I can recall that tyre getting close to a curb is when I'm overtaking something, and I think I would've noticed clipping the curb if I had hit it at that speed! I think the cut is probably about 4 or 5mm deep, but the tyre hasn't shown any obvious signs of losing air yet. I noticed the cut about 3 days ago. I'm worried that its dangerous to be driving on it, as maybe a hard hit through a suprise bump could maybe blow the tyre? My question is, can you repair a tyre with a cut on the sidewall? I've checked out a few tyre repair websites, and some call it a "major repair", and others say "repair not possible" for that area. Also, if it is repairable, is a repair expensive enough to consider just replacing it with a new tyre? And... if I should be replacing the tyre... I've always replaced 2 at a time, so they have the same level of tread on the same axis, as I remember hearing somewhere that this is a good idea for handling and safety. Might have been from a garage selling tyres though! Is this good advice or would replacing just one not making any difference in handling at all?

I'm on my second MX5 Mk3 now, and tyres defintely make a difference. Had a set of 4 Vredesteins [sp?] put on my old '5 and I got rid of them after about 3 months because it made the car feel like I was always driving on ice! Toyo Proxes T1R's have been good to me on my old '5. They seem to have good grip in all conditions, and also when there's not so much grip it seems to lose traction quite gradually, so you don't get so many suprises. My latest '5 came with Bridgestone Potenzas which seem to have good handling too, although I think the suspension is a bit more "pro" on this model so it might be that making them feel good

Hi, I'm on my third Mazda MX5 now, my second Mk3 version, but bought this one at only 3.5k miles. I'm getting an undesirable noise when at low revs, mostly when accelerating, even very slightly. I also get the same noise sometimes when changing gear. If I try driving at 10mph, which is 1st gear at about 2k revs, I get the noise constantly. My OH says it sounds like it's a deisel when it makes the noise, but as I've never had a deisel, I couldn't say. To me it kind of sounds like something's rattling, but only in those certain circumstances. It sounds like the noise is coming from underneath rather than in the engine area. I had noticed the noise a little when I took the car for a test drive, but when I mentioned it to the sales guy, he just said he didn't notice anything unusual, but he'd get the guys in the garage to check it over before handing it over. I assumed that it was perhaps just because it only had a few miles on the clock, and just needed running in or something. Well, 5k miles later, and still the same noise. The car is a MX5 Mk3 Coupe Sport Tech 6speed... http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/mazda/m...r/summary/56840 Can anybody please suggest what might be the trouble here? Is it normal? ...because if it is, I wish hadn't bought the car as it sounds really cheap and nasty, which I don't expect for the £18k I paid for it. Annoyingly, my old MX5 Mk3, which I replaced with this, didn't make any such noises, but instead at low revs made a satisfying growling noise to remind you to shift down.

16" Writing on tyres is: 205/50ZR16 87Y It would help to have XL (extra load) tyres then since there's less slip angle... problem there though is they may then tramline. Have you checked out this superb site> http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/ Thanks for your help so far... www.tyrereviews.co.uk don't list the T1R's under the MX5... http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyres_For/Mazda/MX5.htm ...but I know you can get T1R's in my size. Checking the individual reviews of the Toyo TR1's, Goodyear F1's, and the Toyo CF1's, the CF1's come out on top by a long way. If I understand right, "directional" means that you get chevron look on the tread pattern, is this right? If that's right, then the CF1's are not directional, whereas the other 2 designs are. I'm wondering if my wobbliness [sp?] is due to the directional pattern, and maybe the CF1's would help matters. Do you have an opinion on the CF1's? Can you see any reason why going from the Goodyear F1's to the Toyo CF1's would be "downgrading"?

16" Writing on tyres is: 205/50ZR16 87Y

Hi Tony, Thanks for the quick reply, and clearing up that TWI thing. Can tyre choice affect the handling charactaristics as well as the grip of a car? The handling of my car definitely became more "wobbly" after getting the F1's fitted. I put it down to it just feeling different because the tyres were much newer than my old Pirelli P5000's (or were they P6000s?) and assumed that's just how new tyres felt. However, they're now on their last legs, and the handling still feels wobbly. I'm thinking it's either down to the tyres being a much different design to my previous ones, or the "percussion engineering" applied by the garage that fitted them. I'll hopefully be bringing the car down to your good self sometime in the very near future for tyres and full geometry check, but I've just gotta decide on what tyres first...

I can't offer you an opinion about the mechanicals, but if you've got an XBox 360 and a copy of Forza Motorsport 2, you can try on lots of different wheel styles, from real manufacturers (OZ, etc), albeit on a "Mazdaspeed" MX5 Mk2 variation. I don't think it gives the names of the wheel designs, but at least you can see what style you like, and you can paint them any colour you like too. I found it very useful when trying to decide on some new wheels for my old Mk2, but decided to get a Mk3 instead. I just couldn't make a decision on which wheels!

Hi, Looks like it's time to get a new set of tyres for my Mazda MX5 Mk3, as the rears are down to that rubber bit that sits in the tread (somebody please tell me what the proper name for that thing is!)... I can't decide which tyres to go for. I've currently got four Goodyear Eagle F1s (GSD3's, I think), and I like to have the same tyres on all four wheels, so am looking for a new set of four. I've been happy with the F1's, allthough sometimes the grip feels a bit "icy" on rough surfaces. I'm not sure whether that's down to the tyres, or the fact that the garage that fitted them appeared to do an alignment correction using a mallet of some sort. I get the impression from the MX5 forum I visit often (http://www.mx-5.com/community/forums) that the leading 2 tyres for the '5 are the F1's, or Toyo Proxes (not sure exactly which model). So I have two questions really... 1. Which tyres should I go for next? 2. How much does the design of a tyre affect the handling behaviour of a car. Presumably tyres don't just affect grip levels, do they? Many thanks for any suggestions or opinions...

So the car will handle much better with just a calibration?

Hi Tony, I think it is the "as sold" suspension height, as it looks like there's too much room under the wheel arches. It has been suggested that I get it lowered, namely using eibach springs, mainly by other MX5 forum'ers. But, I'm concerned about the cost (obviously), the prospect of a more bone-shaking ride, and the possibility that the car then may be too low (and then the further cost when grounding it on a speedbump). Allthough, I gather the factory setup is only about 30mm too high, and that doesn't seem a lot considering how high it looks now. Is this correct, or do I mis-remember the 30mm? And would it make much difference in handling? I used to have a MX5 Mk2 previously, and that seemed a bit lower, and handling seemed better too. I don't suppose you happen to know how the two compare for road clearance? If the lowered Mk3 is no lower than the Mk2, then I'd give it some serious consideration.

Hi all, This is my first post here, so please be gentle with me! I don't know much about how cars work, but I could swear that the handling of my MX5 has changed since I've owned it. In general, it feels soft when going around corners, feels like its rolling more than it used to, and sometimes it feels like the traction control is kicking in, even though the TC light on the dashboard isn't coming on at all. I've asked about it on a few MX5 forums, and one suggestion has been that I am in need of new shocks. So I took it to a KwikFit, they bounced it on each corner, then took it for a test drive. They said there was nothing wrong with it, but suggested that I could take it back the next day for them to have a "proper" look at it. It wasn't till then that sense came over me, and I declined the offer. So I've ended up here on the WIM forum, because just about everybody on the MX5 forums seem to worship Tony and his wizardry talents. I'd be straight round to have it looked at, but WIM is about a couple of hours drive away, and I've been trying to find a more local expert, with mixed results. As soon as somebody says that a garage is top notch, somebody else says it's rubbish. WIM seems to be the only squeeky clean outfit in the country! Can anybody please offer me any advice with my problem? Many thanks in advance...