jon.l Posted November 10, 2011 Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 Hello all, it's been some time since I last posted here, however as I know WIM is the place to discuss all things MX5 I thought I'd pose a question. I'm considering an NC MX5, whilst the reviews I have read (magazine and owners) may not be overly positive I know that the car can literally be 'transformed' by lowering and having a good geo done. My question is whether or not the same principal applies to the RC (folding hardtop) model aswell, I know there is a little extra weight up top, so does this affect geometry considerations? I know that the soft top model seems to be getting more praise but the folding hardtop seems like a safe bet, especially over the coming months, I'm just wondering if by choosing that would I be potentially compromising the handling characteristics of the car? Logic tells me that 35kg~ won't make much difference but I'm no expert Cheers Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonybarber Posted November 10, 2011 Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 Hi Jon, The chassis are obviously identical, the added weight does cause problems when lowering at the rear but we noticed this some time ago and had a different llb/lenth spring manufactured for the rear to overcome this. They are a great car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hms Posted November 10, 2011 Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 35kg, less than a passenger, so I wouldn't worry about it! Another good forum for MX5's is: http://www.planetmx5.com/forum/index.php Lots of interesting stuff on the site, also have monthly meets in Cobham. h Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted November 10, 2011 Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 As Tony Barber said we recognised a weight issue with the RC running the normal wim lowering springs or the Eibachs. What concerned us was the negative rake and squat under acceleration, both were wrong in our opinion. GAZ suspension added extra helix and poundage to the rear coils that then gave a level or zero rake and reduced squat, to my knowledge we are the only one's out there that recognise the condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon.l Posted November 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 Thanks for getting back to me folks, I had a feeling you'd have done something about it, hence me asking here first I intend to go have a look an RC local to me at the weekend, however I'm not sure what to expect on account of the manufacturers settings, it should be easy enough to get a good idea though. To all intents and purposes the soft tops are a lot cheaper, I just fancy the added security of the hardtop (and they seem to be holding their value more aswell:) I've read praise from Tony before of the NC MX5's but are they really that good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 The hard top looks stunning in my opinion but as you know hight is an issue for looks and handling, nevertheless i still love the cars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon.l Posted November 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 I presume a decent drop and geo wouldn't put it far off the equivalently altered soft top? I'm currently driving a BMW 130i, which is a great car, just not much fun to drive, if I get another '5 I'd like to hope it would be a step in the right direction in terms of handling and fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 The drop, or rake on our coils would be the same as the ST..... We are not looking to modify the car, more toward putting it back where it should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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