Hi , im a prospective ND purchaser who’s been lurking on here a while now. Im looking to tap into the collective knowledge of the members to help me decide what to buy. This will be my first MX5. What’s the appropriate sub forum for such enquiries ?
Welcome! A mod can correct me if I’m wrong but you could a) just ask in this thread b) try this area MX-5 Chat - MX-5 Owners Club Forum or c) if you have specific technical questions then there are subforums of the Technical Area - MX-5 Owners Club Forum for different parts of the MX-5. When you start a post in one of those you get a bit of a template to begin with.
Another option is to join the club as a full member and go to one of your local meets where members are very likely to want to chat to you about their cars.
I’m an ND owner - I have a 2016 2.0 Sport Recaro with some aftermarket modifications.
I moved from a 2.0 Sport NC 2008 vintage, to a 1.5 Sport ND (2023) in May this year. Whilst I really enjoyed the old car, I do not regret making the change. The difference in performance is negligible, whilst the extra 15mpg is a bonus. As advised to me on this forum, test one, but be prepared to give in and buy one.
Hi ,
I am very much a newbie – to the Forum and the MX5.
I am looking to purchase a 2.0 ND and I would like some advice in order to narrow down my choice of car and what to look out for. From what I’ve read over the last few months you seem a knowledgable and helpful bunch and any help would be appreciated.
I’m looking at a roadster rather than an RF. The spec I want is the Sport Nav+ and my budget will allow for a late ND1 or early ND2.
The car will be a weekend/fun car not a daily driver - probably about 5000mls per year.
The car wont be modified or used for trackdays.
I have been reading various threads on the forum but I still have some questions. In fact the more ive read about some issues the more confused I am !
So lets start with that gearbox ! I had never heard about this problem until I started reading this forum and other forums- it doesn’t seem to merit a mention on mainstream sources such as HonestJohn. As I understand it the ND1 gearbox is fragile because it was designed for the 1.5 not the 2.0 and Mazda upgraded it 5? times throughout the life of the ND1 and carried over the final variant to the ND2 – so both ND1 & ND2 have the same gearbox ?
Also as I understand it Mazda never did any recalls about the gearbox – they just replaced those that broke ?
If both models have the same ‘box is the ND2 actually that much less of a risk than the ND1 ?
Is there a date/chassis number after which the ND1 cars were fitted with a reliable gearbox ?
Is the gearbox issue serious enough to warrant paying the extra money to buy an ND2 ?
Is it obvious when driving an affected car if the gearbox is failing ?
Can the gearbox failure occur at any mileage ?
Moving onto the related matter of the power and torque of the ND1 & ND2 2.0 engines ….
Ive driven an ND1 but not an ND2.
I have read that the ND2 has less torque below 5000rpm but only develops more power above 5000rpm so unless your caning it the ND1 would be better in real world road car use. However ive also seen torque/power curves that show that torque curves are almost the same.
Does the ND2 really have less torque in the lower rev range ?
Suspension……
Ive read alarming stories about the handling being poor because of the standard suspension – Is this true ? As I understand it the ND1&2 Sport Nav both have uprated Bilstein dampers and strut braces – does this cure the handling ?
ND1 vs ND2…
It seems the main difference is the modified engine … so, all other things being equal, is the ND2 worth the extra money ?
I apologise that these are all topics that have been discussed before but I am just trying to consolidate all that I have read and arrive at some conclusions.
Hello and Welcome.
I have merged your two threads together as essentially they will both go in the same direction.
I’m on my 7th MX-5 and 4th ND, gearbox issues are not that common, if a car has been maintained in the Mazda network then there will likely be some goodwill if something does happen, if not there are replacement aftermarket solutions, around £2K if I remember correctly. The chances of needing one are statistically low.
Have you tried the 1.5? I’ve gone ND1 1.5, ND 2 2.0, ND2 1.5 and ND2 1.5. In my opinion in real world driving you can enjoy more of the car more of the time with the 1.5. Yes the 2.0 is quicker though you’ll find yourself having to back off much sooner than with the 1.5.
1 Like
I think that the answer to a lot of your questions is, “it depends.” An MX-5 is a car that a lot of people (myself included) customise and personalise to exactly what they want. I knew that I really wanted the Recaro seats and, when I bought my car, I wasn’t willing to pay the extra for a 30AE. I also much preferred Soul Red to the orange of the 30AE, although the latter has grown on me. I came from more powerful cars so knew it was likely I’d add more power. I’ve taken a 2.0 ND1 slightly beyond the power of a 2.0 ND2. My car handled fine on standard sport suspension but it was too willing to swap ends when provoked; think low speed and letting the weight transfer when going around a roundabout, for example. I was provoking it, though. After I had the springs and ARBs changed, and an alignment, it was much more planted. Due to a recently failed Bilstein shock I have a full set of MeisterR ZetaCRD coil overs on their way. That should yield further improvement.
That’s a really long way of asking you how you intend to drive the car and what you would like from it? I know that you said you won’t modify it or track it, but there’s lots of variation in how people drive on the road as well.
Finally, go and do some long test drives of different cars if the differences between the iterations of the ND are of a big enough concern. What matters is which one suits you best, not necessarily what we tell you.
This is sound advice.
2 Likes
This is not true. At lower rev ranges the ND2 has a tiny bit more torque, with the difference growing to 3-4 ft-lb by 4000 rpm. ND2 peaks earlier and does a better job holding on past 5000 rpm, giving it an overall flatter curve.
I drove the 1.5 last week, you need to give it an extra 1000 rpm vs the 2.0 to get it into the fun range.
Re handling - Upgrading the suspension does have a significant impact. There is nothing to cure with the standard suspension it’s just a different experience. For some the soft suspension is fun, they enjoy the weight transfer and having more cushion on rough B roads.
The indicator in the rev counter of my 2 litre ND2 frequently surprises me. I have recently taken to following its advice to change up, and have been amazed that I can drive around town in 4th or even 5th gear, around 2000 rpm. In previous cars I would have stayed in 3rd. Of course, this is when the traffic in front is limiting my acceleration. But it demonstrates that there is sufficient torque even at low rpm.
David
Thanks Ian. Thats reassuring about the gearbox.
I havent considered a 1.5; i was working on the assumption that more power had to be better !
thanks Mike. i’ll try a 1.5 as well.
Thanks Mikey. i want to use the car for fun on the road - whilst i dont intend to have it drifting round roundabouts i want to drive it enthusiastically within the speed limit. Thats what attracts me to the car - its something that if you want to you can have fun going up and down the gears without risking endorsements - thats why i rejected my original ideas of a Z4 or a Boxster
Thanks Ross . re the handling … when you refer to the “standard suspension” do you mean the suspension on the Sport Nav+ or the other models ?
Thanks David. thats helpful.
Things to note:
1.5s do not come with sports suspension, strut brace or LSD.
2.0s have bigger wheels, wider tyres and bigger brakes.
Try before you buy is good advice and as always the newer the car the better it will be in terms of evolution.
By standard I mean without the bilstein shocks, eibach springs, or shock tower brace.
This is somewhat true although even standard cars can easily clear all the speed limits quite quickly if driven hard. I had an E86 Z4 Coupe 3.0 Si Sport for almost ten years and part of the ownership overlapped with my MX-5. The Z4 was quite a bit quicker at the top end but it’s a very different car to the MX-5. Both could be fun at acceptable speeds. The MX-5 is more engaging, IMHO. One day I hope to own a Boxster side-by-side with my MX-5.
thanks for the clarification
I’m with @IanH I’m also ND1 1.5 → ND1 2.0 → ND2 1.5, the 1.5 feels more ‘fun’ when driving but if you want to ‘cruise’ and not worry about changing down too often, on the M-WAY for instance, the 2.0 gives you that extra passing grunt.
thanks Malc