Neat job well done 
.
Consider the silver lining of having to isolate…more time to fettle 
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I’ve still got a bit of a squeaking going on with the O/S/F brake, and it’s still a tad warmer than the other side. I think it may be early signs of a sticky piston.
Here’s the temperatures after an average drive.
O/S/F Disc:
N/S/F Disc:
O/S/F Caliper:
N/S/F Caliper:
The disc is around 9°-10° hotter, and the caliper around 5° hotter. Nothing substantial, but the wheel gets dirtier quicker than the other side, and is squealing a tad. I’ve got the piston and seals so I may as well just re-build the caliper. At least I know it won’t be a weak spot on the track day next month.
In the meantime, it’s been a while since I cleaned the engine bay.
I usually use an engine de-greaser and a brush, followed by the mist setting on a hose pipe.
It wasn’t quite cutting it in some areas, so brought out the steam cleaner.
This thing is fantastic! It gets into every tiny area, perfect for things like badges on paint work too.
The result is a lovely clean engine bay that’ll (hopefully) last a while.
One thing I’d love to replace is this coolant tank…
I hate the fact that it’s brown/yellow. They’re around £60 new so I’m in no rush to get one, but it’s definitely on the list.
In the future I’d invest in a media blaster to take the ‘restoring’ a step further with the suspension parts, gradually dismantling, blasting and re-fitting the suspension components so that it looks lovely and new on the underside. They’re not that expensive either, but do require an air pump and space, so it’s impossible at the moment.
All the while, the track day is getting closer so I’ve just ordered a few goodies:
- Pipercross panel air filter
- ATE Typ 200 racing brake fluid
- Fuchs Titan GTI XTL 5w40 oil
- K&N HP-1002 oil filter
- NGK ILTR6A-13G spark plugs
- Motul 300 LS 75w90 differential oil
- Millers TRS Synth 75w90 gearbox oil (bought a couple of years ago for the Boxster, left in the shed never opened)
- TRS Tow strap
- AA fire extinguisher
Essentially good quality fluids across the board so that I can safely push it with a bit more peace of mind.
After ordering that, I thought I’d double check the spark plugs to see what ones the previous owner’s garage had put in:
Looks like they’re the same NGK ILTR6A-13G’s that should be in there, which is great. Also annoying as I don’t think these need to be replaced for a long time yet and I’ve just spent £56 on 4x spark plugs. I may put the new set in so that it’s all new, or just keep them for further down the line.
In the next few months I’ll be looking at tyres to get rid of the Accelera and Maxxis that are on there currently. I don’t want to spend too much on them as I’d wear them out on track days, but I also want a decent performing tyre. I’ve previously had Falkens in the past and thought they were great, but Goodyear Eagle F1’s are also a contender (and currently a favourite). I’d also consider a set of used Michelin PS4’s on ebay if they ever popped up as they go for around £180-£200 for a full set, which is outstanding. I’ll keep an eye open.
Next year will see a roll bar fitted to the car for a few reasons; I like my head, it adds some rigidity (though I can’t imagine a great deal), and it future-proof’s the car for a harness belt system on the seats.
After the roll bar will be a de-cat manifold and a re-map, but the standard exhaust will stay as I quite like the sound of it as it is. The only reason for doing the manifold and re-map is not to chase numbers, but to free up the potential of the engine. I had a 1.8 VVTL-i Toyota Celica that had 190bhp standard, so seeing a 2.0 unit deliver 158bhp is quite sad. The standard manifold is horribly restrictive, the 4-1 setup pinching into a catalytic converter before the downpipe. I’m not one for chasing numbers at all, but a manifold replacement and re-map (needed for optimal running after it) will see it increase to around 180bhp. It’s a no brainer, and with a car that’s light weight I’ll be sure to notice quite an increase in its performance.
There’s lots of little things I’m going to do with the car, but they’re the main things; fluids, tyres, roll bar, engine. It should be a lovely little track toy by the time those are done.
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Popped the piston on the caliper today to assess the damage, but to my surprise the piston is perfect.
The seal did have some rust on the edges, so it was a good time to change it
After spraying with PlusGas and going nuts with a wire brush inside, it came up a lot cleaner.
Nice and shiny.
After bleeding the system, the brakes registered a perfectly even temperature across the two fronts after a spirited drive, both reading 56°C on the discs. I didn’t think it would have made a difference after looking at the original piston, but there we go. At least I know it won’t fail now.
Lastly, I fitted fire extinguisher is in its place.
I’ve basically removed the net, made a sort of ‘clothes line’ of one huge cable tie across the two net attach points, then put two cable ties around that holding the extinguisher in place. It’s sturdy, but allows it to be slid out if needed. It’ll do until I can be bothered to spend £40+ on a mount designed for the MX-5.
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Quite a big update.
After another run in the car with the re-built caliper, the O/S/F brake was still a touch warmer than the other side. Not worryingly so, but it shows the piston was fine after all. At least it’s peace of mind with it changed. I cleaned the pad clips and re-seated everything and it seems to have done the trick.
A few more parts arrived in the post the next day for me to fit:
Pipercross air filter, Motul 300 LSD oil, K&N oil filter, ATE Typ200 racing brake fluid, and a tow strap which was a daft idea as there’s no way to bolt it to the car without an adapter that’s worth more than the strap itself, so I’ll see if I can be bothered. I’ve already got engine oil (Fuchs Titan) and have Millers gearbox oil too, so that’s all main fluids covered. It’ll give me a lot of peace of mind that the brakes won’t fade on the circuit and that the engine will be running at high revs with fresh oil.
I was going to swap the fluids myself, but with the gravel driveway and the weather we had, I decided not to do it. My local garage is fantastic and did the whole job for £90, and also found something quite worrying. This was the conversation mid-way through them carrying out the work:
Garage: “Have you ever changed the transmission fluid yourself?”
Me: “Nope, why’s that?”
Garage: “Because there’s gearbox oil in the differential and differential oil in the gearbox…”
Me:
Garage:
Me: “Well s**t.”
I walked over there after the phone call (they’re only three streets away) and they had the two oils in sample cups for me to see. The oil from the gearbox smelled vile, and smelled the same as the MOTUL LSD oil they were putting in the diff, whilst the diff oil was quite clearly just gearbox oil. They mentioned that the diff oil would have been too thick for the gearbox and the gearbox oil would have been too thin for the differential. I’m glad I changed the fluids now knowing that, especially with the track day coming up. I’m quite shocked how someone could get that mixed up but I suppose it happens?
In the meantime, I’ve bought and installed an original un-cut air box for the Pipercross filter to go into. I’m still paranoid about water on the ECU with my cut up version, and I know the original must (even marginally) perform better. Plus it looks neater.
Which leads us to Sunday 24th - Llandow Circuit.
I finally got to drive this thing on the track, and it’s probably a safe assumption that I’ve caught the bug.
I was quite nervous the day before the track day as I had this wall in my head that I needed to get past. Essentially, I love motorsports and have done since I was small, and always wanted to start track driving, but have had this fear that I would be awful at it when it comes to trying for real. Only time would tell I suppose. The car was also prepped the day before ready for its track day the following morning. The car was cleaned throughout (though I’m not quite sure why with the rain overnight), I checked its fluids, tyre pressures, tyre tread, and so on.
The list of equipment that I took was extensive, but knowing what others were taking it was a good idea to be prepared. Better to have and not need than need and not have, so if it fit in the car and there was a potential that I’d use it, I took it.
Waking up early the next morning, I started to get as nervous as I was excited. I’d be going with people I had never met, and I was risking pushing the car too far. This was all drowned out by the excitement of doing something I’ve wanted to do for years.
First necessary stop though, a McD’s breakfast.
I arrived at the Esso garage close to Llandow where we all agreed to meet. One by one, everyone arrived.
Everyone was lovely. There were five of us in total; Ian (the Blue MX-5, has a thread on PistonHeads), Roshan (350z), Alex (Fiesta ST) and Craig (MR2), who’s also experiencing the track for the first time too. This was really comforting knowing that I wasn’t the only one out of us.
After a quick stop at Waitrose for some lunch, we got to the track.
Surprisingly, after consistent weather warnings throughout the previous few days, it stayed dry aside from a touch of rain in the morning for about 20 minutes, and that was only light rain. This day was turning out to be a lot better with a dry track ahead.
After we put our kit to the side of the track and waited for the sighting lap, we started to have a chat about what we could expect. The (surprising) complexity of the circuit, weather conditions, etc. It’s an odd track this. You look at the aerial photo of it and it looks like an oval, but the reality is that there’s complex corners all around the circuit that catch you out. It’s unapologetically short (0.9 miles) but it uses it to its advantage.
After much chatting, another lovely looking grey MX-5 NC turned up with a Pistonheads sticker. Great to meet you Macaulay!
They announced over the track tannoy that the sighting lap was starting; 3 laps, 40mph (ish), no overtaking, following a pace car to just get a feel for the track. This is where I was starting to get properly excited, and also very nervous as I completely forgot which side we were supposed to overtake on!
Luckily we pulled in after finishing the sighting lap to have a quick chat before going out. We then eventually we started to line up to head out for the actual laps.
I took the first few laps gingerly. I was so afraid I was going to get left behind but thankfully I was with Craig out on track, which allowed us both to follow each other’s lines. Once we got confident enough we both went onto our own paces and started to explore both the car and the track. At first I left the traction control on and took it steady, gradually building the pace as I went. I quickly realised how aggressive the TCS is in this car. You don’t notice it on the road, but through a set of tight bends the TCS will cut all power for a brief moment, rather than feather it. Even so, I was thoroughly enjoying myself out on track (photos by Richard Baxtor).
After a while, I stepped into Ian’s blue MX-5.
To say he’s a quick driver is an understatement, so this was a good introduction into what the car is capable of. He drove with the TCS off the whole time, pushing huge speeds into bends with confidence. Once we came back in we were talking about how this was the case, and how the rear doesn’t just slide out on fast corners. The semi-slicks were partly the reason, but the LSD was also playing a huge part. To spin, the outside would have to be spinning faster than the inside, causing it to turn. The LSD literally limits this creating stability in the corners. I knew this, but knowing something and trying it for real are two different things.
My third outing saw the TCS disabled, and I started to push hard. The mechanical grip is fantastic in this thing, creating a huge amount of confidence with the faster corners. The budget tyres were now showing their limits, having not reached them on the road. The rear Accelera tyres were actually quite impressive, but the fronts were causing understeer here and there. Nevertheless, they didn’t hold me back from having an incredible time.
Craig in his MR2, being his first time with track days too, was also getting faster and smoother by the lap. It was great to be out at the same time knowing we were both in this together.
After a few hours, it was time for lunch.
(sorry Alex)
It was also time for me to gather my thoughts. You think you know the car from driving it on the road. I did, I thought I knew what it had to offer. The brakes, suspension, tyres, and so on. In reality I only knew about 50% of it, with the other 50% ‘unlocking’ itself on track. Now you understand what different tyres feel like, how the suspension helps at high speed chicanes, how the brakes feel when you heat them up to the point where the caliper paint starts to bubble (genuinely). It all makes sense, and it’s addictive. It felt like a completely different experience, and a wonderfully natural one at that.
After lunch, I had 10-15 minutes with an instructor. It was lovely to hear him say that my driving was smooth and technique was solid, and gave some great tips for a few of the more technical corners which saw speeds increase drastically through them. Afterwards I started to play with the balance of the car on the track. Hitting a left hander a little hard saw the rear come away from me, but it was quite enjoyable to catch it. The next few laps started to get hilarious with me exploring how rear moves around mid-corner. So this is why these cars are renown for their balance.
At this point I didn’t want to come in. cue more photos
Macaulay (grey MX-5 owner) popped in as a passenger towards the end of the day and was pleasantly surprised with the difference springs and brakes can make to these cars. Quite funny watching him laugh and shake his head with the speed we were taking the back chicane:
Towards the end of the day, I took the opportunity to be a passenger in Roshan’s 350z. This was one of my favourite cars when it first came out, so this was a real pleasure. I certainly didn’t expect the capability of the thing on track! The same can be said about Roshan’s mastery behind the wheel, the man is a seriously skilled driver.
Whilst out on track, Alex in his Fiesta ST was putting out outrageous pace, doing things that I didn’t ever expect a FWD car to do. It was pretty much always on three wheels, amusing and impressive.
Eventually we came in, let the cars tick themselves cool, started to pack up and wind down.
I have a new level of respect for the car. I was pushing seriously hard by the end of the day, late/heavy braking and throwing the car around corners without thinking of the impacts it’s going to have on my own car. It didn’t miss a beat, didn’t suffer any brake fade (thanks to the track pads and racing fluid), didn’t loose any fluid or burn any oil, and sat there at the end of the day like nothing had happened to it. The only difference was that it was now covered in brake dust and bits of rubber, and the brakes were hot enough to re-ignite the sun after each lap. Though they didn’t ever get affected, I may invest in some brake duct cooling. I don’t think the day could have gone as smooth as it did without the performance changes being made to the car. The suspension gave outstanding response with sharp changes of direction and remained flat in the long fast bends, and the brakes remained firm all day.
The drive home was a quiet one. Thinking back on the whole day has just left me wanting more. I still couldn’t quite believe how much more I had learned about not only the car’s capabilities, but also my own. Having the room (on a track) lets you explore it and ultimately enjoy it far more than on the road.
I can’t thank the other guys enough for their hospitality on the day, their insights into track driving, and being all round good eggs.
What a day.
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Really enjoyed reading this. Fantastic write up of what was clearly a superb experience! Thanks for the share, makes me want to do a track day even more 
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Fab write up Ger, as are all your posts. Great to hear you and the guys had a super day.
My lady and I are going to Croft this Saturday and it looks like it could be our first track day with the lid up (cos the weather forecast is looking pants) 
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Thank you! Was one of the best things I’ve done, and I’m a big fan of skiing too.
Hope it goes well! One tip: take spare brake pads and check your oil. The oil can be catastrophic if it’s low, and the brake pads as the NC can go through a set of road pads from new to the backing plates in a single track day, hence the upgrade to track pads.
Had a look at the tyres today. They held up really well on track, but looking at them today they’ve been a little ‘sculpted’ by the anti-clockwise circuit leaning on the left tyre too much:
The rears haven’t done this, but they’re a different tyre and there’s less pressure. Oh well, an excuse to get new tyres at some point! I need to go and drive it so that the road would hopefully flatten these edges off.
A friend of mine was selling his GoPro Hero3 Black but sold it to me for a great price, so I couldn’t turn down the offer. The one I used on the day was from work taken off a drone, so it’s good to have my own. I’ve wanted to play around with a POV style camera for a bit but it’s proving to be quite difficult.
That looks good but all you see is the steering wheel. On top just shows the windscreen surround, and on the side is quite uncomfortable as you can feel it pulling on your head (plus looks odd). I think I’ve managed to make the above location a little higher so it’s a happy medium.
Anyway. In the meantime I’ve ordered a new oil dipstick as I kept borrowing Ian’s to ensure I was at the correct level. I don’t know why they overly engineered a dipstick as the facelift was so much more simple; a piece of metal with two holes.
New on the left, old on the right.
Surely this would also have been cheaper for Mazda to re-produce on a mass scale? Odd decision by them.
So the two things I’ve been worrying about on the track day were the oil and the brakes, in that order too. The NC1 has no oil exchanger unlike the later models, so I’d like to know what temperature the oil is at on the circuit. The issue is where I can locate the gauge.
I’ve just 3D modelled this 52mm gauge pod thingy to go into the dash speaker:
I’ll 3D print it this week at work to see how the finish is. If it looks good then I’ll order some 52mm gauges (though I’m not sure what the second one would be, or even why I modelled two in the first place). If not, I’ll order a 60mm gauge as apparently the 60mm ones fit into where the dash vents are without modification and without adapters.
Here’s the 60mm gauge for the dash:
I’ll most likely go with that option as it’ll be a little more integrated, but it’ll be good to see how the 3D model looks when printed.
The second is the brakes. They didn’t fail, fade or get affected by the abuse in any way at all and I’m hugely impressed with them, but I’d like to ensure that the longevity and performance remains with a bit of brake cooling. The first thing I’ll need is foglight adapters which someone has created to use with the original fog light surrounds:
They come with wheel arch couplers too.
After this, some silicone duct piping will be used:
When it comes to mounting the pipes to the brake disc backplate, I could purchase some new backing plates with integrated outlets for the tubing to clamp onto, but they’re stupidly expensive. Over £100 for two. My solution is to use these aluminium flanges for cheap, drill holes in them and mount them to the backing plates where there’s a gap:
The whole kit comes to around £100, cheaper than the ‘actual’ backplates alone. I can’t see any reason for this not to work so I’ll go ahead and give it a go.
But first, oil temperature gauge.
Or you could have drilled 2 small holes in the oe dipstick and saved yourself some ££’s (like I did ).
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Thanks Ger, I run Roddisons pads all round on the road too and 6 events or so in, they’ve proved to have some stopping/staying power with no fade at all.
I am a stickler for oil checking in between every session after a 10-15 min cool down (new type) dipstick check to a gnats nudger over the top fill mark.
I’m delighted that my car uses no oil and luckily hasn’t done in just over 13 months and 11.5k miles of ownership.
Around 3 wks back I fitted new front discs and calipers and a fresh set of Rodders too so they’ve had chance to bed in nicely.
Keep up the car reports, love em
Hi Ger, that 3D printed gauge pod looks awesome. If it works out well, and it’s to your satisfaction (I can see you only do things with great execution), I’d be prepared to buy one from you if you have the opportunity to print a second?
Keep up the great work mate, loving reading your updates!
Cheers
Nick
I’ll be honest, having the flat simple dipstick is a tad easier to read anyway.
Nice to hear about those pads! You sound like you’re all set then. Enjoy!
Of course, I’ll see how it turns out but I’d need a 52mm gauge to try it in. I may pick up a cheap chinese Ebay one for the time being as I’m most likely going to go for the 60mm pod to put in the dashoard for mine.
No worries mate, I don’t think I could sacrifice the vents for a gauge when it’s been as hot as recent weeks. Need aircon on full blast 
Don’t forget, you’ll still get the same amount of air coming out, it’ll just be re-directed to the other vents. That and because the 60mm gauges can be installed without modification, you can keep the vent in the boot and hot swap it as and when you need to.
I didn’t realise it was swappable…… interesting! Still think the dashboard pod you’re printing would be a better solution, if gauges can be sourced cost effectively of course. Look forward to tracking your progress mate, always great updates 
A real oil pressure gauge would seem a good idea but I don’t know how or where you could fit a sensor to get a reading from.
Maybe a Ford version of these engines has a proper sensor which can be retrofitted in place of a blanking plug…
As far as I’ve read on t’internet…one has to put a sandwich plate with threaded take offs between the oil filter housing and the oil filter. Run a live oil line and return to the gauge and Bob’s your uncle (but I’ll allow for SOMEONE to come along and correct me here…)
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Sounds doable, if someone makes/sells such a plate.
So, this engine was designed with no provision for an oil pressure gauge. How weird is that???
I do believe they are out there.
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I’ve heard that installing sandwich plates into the NC’s can cause a failure around that part from stressing something, but it was something I read briefly and could be completely wrong. There’s also the ability to piggyback from an oil feed with a T junction and have the sensor in that, so I’ll give it some thought.
I’ve just had an induction at work to use their £3,000 3D printing machines, so I’m now racking my brains as to what to print for the car…
I’m sure you know your Onions Ger but I’d be really careful about fastening a GoPro to your helmet especially the front. Your visor will be no match for that tough poly carbonate clad camera if you have a serious impact. Michael Schumacher had a GoPro on his ski helmet as I recall and it was a likely contributor to his injuries.
Love your posts btw, looking forward to my first track day at Oulton Park in November!
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