I bought a non runner last weekend.
All totally honest as the damaged rad was mentioned way before we agreed a price, but it made me think.
Would you run without a grill in place ?
Paul G
I’ve had them fitted on all of my Mx’s, I don’t know why they didn’t from manufacture, well on the Mk1/Mk2?
*** Shameless plugging alert ***
ND owners, don’t risk it, take a look at my Zunsport grille in chrome in the parts for sale section.
Sorry, I’ll get my coat.
First thing I bought - one look at the front and it hits you straight away (better than hitting the rad!) Fortunately, Moss had a branch in Derby, in 2002 - closed a few years later. I followed Miata.net in those days - no MX5 UK forum then, and I also bought a pair of Mazda headlight protectors, as most Yanks were fitting them too. We’ve lost a few independent suppliers since then, which is a pity. - I won a £100 gift voucher from ‘Everything MX5’ at my first National Rally (Gaydon, 2002) and AFAIK, selling raffle tickets at Club events also ceased a few years later, - not bad for an investment of £5 !
Before I bought the grille, like Mick said above, you are left wondering why Mazda do not fit a grille to start with, and no doubt many non members out there are oblivious to the menace offered by that zero protection, and the car Paul G bought seems to be one of them. First tip you mention to a new member!
I fitted grills to both our 5’s, and they have been on for 11 years…one needing replaced when a grouse tried to use the Mk1’s as a self-destruct sieve a long way from home…at “enthusiastic” velocities. I’ve never had such an issue with either.
The one on our Sport has a dent in it…so go figure what that stopped. A loose stone on the motoray I think. Some say they affect cooling. I’d say get the cooling checked out, as it may just be the last straw of a weakend system.
As far as I’m concerned, after 11 years and a collective 110,000 miles between them they have saved catastrophic loss of coolant and perhaps worse on at least two occasions.
Agreed with the above.
On my third MX5 and have added a grille to everyone of them. IMO, looks better and adds protection.
Ended up with a spare along the way.
Apologies for duplicate
Mazda offered an optional plastic grill for the Mk2.5, at least in Europe. With it fitted, you couldn’t see it (a good thing).
I had a Brainstorm grill for a while, around 2000-2002. Ditched it after linearizing the temperature gauge, and noticing the car ran hot with it fitted (that car had new rad, high quality HOAT antifreeze, I only ever used battery water, so the coolant system was not on its last legs), which backed up observations from the IOM 2000 event, at Jurby, with the cars running grills coming off overheating. Some grills are higher flowing that others it seems. In 150k miles of driving Mk1s over a variety of roads, I’ve been really lucky and never suffered radiator failure due to debris damage. Possibly because I try and not get too close to a car in front, and look out for wildlife (a trait I learnt after smashing into an Armadillo in 1996, the Armadillo was ok after, the car wasn’t)
Many owners buy the grill principally for the looks, and never think of the flow characteristics. I personally feel the grill ruins the look of the car, unless its painted black to make it more discrete. Unless you have a proper temperature gauge fitted, or linearize the factory gauge, you won’t know you have an overheating problem. there is a dampener on the gauge, meaning it won’t really drift the right unless the engine is about to grenade. A failed cooling fan motor is a sign of a car running too hot regularly.
Additionally, if y’all concerned about sudden loss of coolant, switch to a waterless coolant when you fit the grill. Your cooling system will no longer be under pressure, and most leaks will result in just a bit of a dribble, giving you capacity to seek help, or effect running repairs. If the system is under pressure, then on a water system, more coolant is lost as steam. I switched my 160k miler 96 car to this. More efficient cooling, no risk whatsoever of the galleries furring up, extended hose life. It will probably compensate for the (slight) increase in running temperature with the grill fitted, and extend engine life.
Damn! I though this was a thread with tips for a barbecue!
Still trying to work this one out - seems my post was ‘Auto’ registered last night despite me not pressing POST? I even tried my own tip to see if it was registered, and nothing showed.
Referring toScottish Fiver’s post above, before I went across to Derby to buy my grille from Moss, because it was a stainless perforated sheet, I did wonder abut restriction to air flow, so Rang Mazda and asked what restriction was suitable? The answer (dragging deep into old memories) I think they said “Not more than 38%” so I then rang Moss and asked if they knew what restriction that grille had. The answer was “This grille is widely used in the States, and we’ve never had any problems reported as to that possibility” I took their word on that, and it’s been on my car ever since. No problems with cooling at all despite driving in France in warmer air than we have occasion to enjoy in this country, excluding those two infrequent days when our temperature rises above 26 c - gone in a flash!
The more suitable mesh grilles now available are no problem at all, though my stainless one had all kinds of air borne abuse, and never shows it, including at least one bird (not grouse sized though) and possibly a cat, though it may have hit the lower nose cone, but no damage - or blood showed after. - For cat lovers (I’m a dog man myself) I would normally stop, but driving at 40 on a busy dual carriage-way makes stopping s bit risky.
In the long gone days when I joined area drives, all carefully arranged on ‘B’ roads, I did suffer lots of hits from stones etc, the evidence often available after, when it stayed inside the inviting grille opening, apart from ‘high flyers’ that hit the bonnet, windscreen and hard top. One of many reasons why I eventually opted out. Convoy driving (accept if you drive a HGV) is for idiots IMHO, and it showed - - - -
The roads around my home location (north Notts, Derbyshire & South Yorks) are so bad that there’s no guarantee your car isn’t going to get hit by a rock thrown up by traffic driving the opposite way, let alone in front. Our family fleet suffered three windscreen breakages the winter before last and the roads are now even worse; the A57 south of M1 J31 has large chunks missing and hundreds of potholes. It’s got so bad that I’ve said I’ll avoid buying cars with low profile tyres in future.
A grille was one of the first things I bought for my NB. The car doesn’t overheat, in fact the radiator fan only ever seems to switch on if the car is stationary.
Sved my NA’s radiator when a big piece of metal fell off the top of a lorry in front. Scuffed up the nose, made a huge ding in the grille and then bent the sill seam on its way under the car, being flicked up by the RH front wheel. I thought it was coming through the windscreen and actually ducked.
The Mk3.75 has a nice honeycomb grille as standard.