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NC MX5 Handling Issues


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Hey All,

 

I'm currently having some issues with the handling on my 2007 NC MX5 2.0 Sport.

 

The car is lowered 30mm with Meister TV Zeta CRD Coilovers however the steering is very vague and unresponsive.

I can move the wheel an inch in each direction at all times without anything happening. There is around 10mm play in the steering but that's not a problem, at least I don't think so.

 

At low speeds the car feels very unresponsive and it takes a lot of lock to get the car to turn.

 

High speeds are a bit better although going in a straight line is a bit scary as comtrolling the car isnt that easy with the steering.

 

On higher speed corners there is no feedback from the steering and it is still very dull and unresponsive.

The car is not engaging to drive and I'm really dissapointing as everyone says it's a great handling car, I've not seen this yet.

 

http://imgur.com/JJrGc6WHere is the alignment that was put on the car when it was lowered.

 

Ideally I'd like a car that has a sharp turn on with responsive steering. The opposite to what I currently have.

 

Also my tyres are Pirelli P Zero Nero GT if that helps.

 

I can provide more info if required.

 

Thanks all. I hope I can experience the cars full potential as I can sense it has a lot more to offer yet.

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Hello and welcome to the forum thumbsup_anim.gif

 

A few questions....

1: Did they set the pre-load on the coils and if yes by how much

2: What are the current damper settings

3: Was the front upper A-arms tightened with the wheels on the ground or in the air

4: Where did they get the geometry numbers from or were they born on the fly

 

The current positions are awful. The castor positions are way to high and all the cambers to low ( toward negative )

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Hello and welcome to the forum thumbsup_anim.gif

 

A few questions....

1: Did they set the pre-load on the coils and if yes by how much

2: What are the current damper settings

3: Was the front upper A-arms tightened with the wheels on the ground or in the air

4: Where did they get the geometry numbers from or were they born on the fly

 

The current positions are awful. The castor positions are way to high and all the cambers to low ( toward negative )

Hey and thankyou!!

 

1: I'm not sure if I'm honest

 

2: 18/32 all round (with 32 being the hardest)

 

3: In the air, the wheels were the only things tightened on the ground

 

4: I'm not sure again I'm afraid.

 

I admit it looks strange to me but I'm new to all this.

Glad to hear it from the experts too!

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1: From the factory they vary from 0 to +35mm so you must check. What needs to be done is lower the coil perch so the coil just chatters and then add 5mm of pre-load.

2: 12 front/ 10 rear are the base settings

 

3: In the air is not good. The upper A-arm is connected by 2 17mm bolts that have to tightened on the ground or they twist the bushing adding pre-load. Normally i can tell at a glance because the front will look higher than the rear.

 

4: I'm at a loss for the positions... The castors are to high ( positive ) which makes the steering heavy at low speed and scatty at high speed. 6 degrees 30' is as high as you want to go. To much camber is a bad thing because it narrows the size of the contact patch. 1 degree 50' at the rear and 50' front is as low as you need to go.

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1: From the factory they vary from 0 to +35mm so you must check. What needs to be done is lower the coil perch so the coil just chatters and then add 5mm of pre-load.

2: 12 front/ 10 rear are the base settings

 

3: In the air is not good. The upper A-arm is connected by 2 17mm bolts that have to tightened on the ground or they twist the bushing adding pre-load. Normally i can tell at a glance because the front will look higher than the rear.

 

4: I'm at a loss for the positions... The castors are to high ( positive ) which makes the steering heavy at low speed and scatty at high speed. 6 degrees 30' is as high as you want to go. To much camber is a bad thing because it narrows the size of the contact patch. 1 degree 50' at the rear and 50' front is as low as you need to go.

1: Is there a way I can check or do I need to ask the garage that did it?

 

2: OK thanks for that. I'll give thosr settings a go.

 

3: Well that's not sounding good. Can this be fixed at all?

 

4: Those numbers sound more like what I've seen before.

How does the car perform after a proper alignment has been carried out?

 

I remember I drove an RX8 a year ago when deciding what car to buy. It handled so nicely, was very responsive, turned in sharply and had a nice weight to the steering. I kinda want to get something like that. And seeing as the MX5 has the same chassis (I think, with a bit cut out) that it would be pretty similar.

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1: Anyone can do it.. Remember it's not easy to get at unless the cars jacked up then follow my instructions

 

2: Try the base settings and if you need to adjust do it in 2 click increments, do the front or the rear but not both as the same time. Say you think the front needs more give them two clicks and if that doesn't work put them back and try the rear. There are no perfect settings because we're all different meaning you have to find what works for you.

 

3: Yes, on the ramp undo the bolts give the car a bounce then lock them back up.

 

4: It will be a different car...Planted, snappy corner in and balance on steady state corners. I would say better than the RX.

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1: I’ll have to have a look at that then. Thanks.

 

2: Ah I didn’t know about the 2 click increments. I’ll see how it goes.

 

3: Sounds straightforward enough then. I’ll make sure to do that too.

 

4: That sounds awesome! Precisely what I want haha. How much would an alignment cost if you don’t mind me asking?

 

Also may I ask what tyres you recommend for the stock alloys? Mine are starting wear down a bit so I’m searching for some new ones, but can’t decide.

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If we set the chassis to fast-road the most it could cost is £95+ vat.... I know yours has just been done but i would need to re-set everything.

 

The reason i say two clicks is one click won't be that noticeable but i urge you once the base is set adjust incrementally or you might just migrate the problem end to end.  

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Dom. Whilst you may feel bad about having to fork out another 95+ VAT. WIM know their stuff and are very good at what they do. It's will be money well worth spending.

I just don't want to keep spending money on the car. Although if this can fully solve it, it is most definitely worth it.

Also its a 3 hour drive each way which is a tad concerning in the car as it is now.

 

But yes WIM do seem to be one of the best out there so I have no concerns about them.

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Distance has always been an issue hence the reason we had trusted centres around the UK people could use. I discontinued them because it was so hard to police, Staff I trained moved on over time but the companies failed to tell me knowing i would drop them until another member was trained.

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