ND1.5 to ND2.0 [Revised Engine]

General Discussion Forums MX-5 Chat
21

Thanks Ian!  Very helpful!  The reason I asked was that 2.0l has the same suspension as the 30AE so from what you’ve said I would definitely not need to get mine lowered!  Thanks again!

Roger.

22

I just had my ND2 GT lowered. Looks much better and from the limited driving I have done so far, feels more precise and definitely rolls less.

do it …

 

23

  

Great idea, thanks, but I have arthritis which could/would made the additional “stiffness” in the ride too painful to put up with.  I’ll see how the sports suspension as fitted feels first.

24

It doesn’t feel stiffer at all. But Waiting a bit and getting a feeling for the standard suspension won’t hurt either 

 

 

25

Took my Sport Recaro in to local dealer the other week for MOT and service. They had a 2019 GT Sport nav + demonstrator for sale at £22,500 with only 800 miles on the clock and they asked if I may be interested in p/e as my car was now 3 years old. Went for a test drive and must admit there’s a noticeable difference between the new 184 bhp engine and my 2.0L Recaro. My Recaro has the Mazda 30mm lowering springs but didn’t notice too much difference with standard GT set up. The demonstrator was black which I am not over keen on as have had a black one before and found difficult to keep looking good. With current deals there was not much difference between the demonstrator and a new one. Love the Recaro but due to back problems find the Recaro seats a bit hard on the back after long journeys. There appears still to be 30AE available as was asked if I was interested in placing an order but just don’t like the colour ( had a mini copper in similar colour) and never really liked it and also has Recaro seats. As was offered a good p/e figure on the Recaro although only done 11,000 miles so after some deliberation have placed order for a GT Sport Nav + in Soul Red which is nearly £6k cheaper then a 30AE. I am hopeful due to back problems suspension won’t need lowering on this latest model.

26

I’m just back from a long weekend in Yorkshire for a family event and, taking an indirect route across the Peak District NP and much of the Yorkshire Dales NP, the return journey was c.600 miles. Since 1st of March I’ve clocked up just over 2000 miles and I’ve no complaints with the standard seats.

HTH

27

I’m thinking of the change from a 1.5 sport nav to one of the 184s. I had reserved a 30AE - but not so sure this was a good idea - I am a bit concerned about the views from the US on ride quality. Are all the Bilstein set-ups the same - or is there a difference between the sport nav and the GT sport nav and the 30AE (which I am surmising is set up to the US club spec)?

28

 

I would anticipate they will all be the same, 2.0 engine, LSD and Bilstein shocks.

To be fair in my drive last week I didn’t find it uncomfortable or clashy at all for a sports car, I think it’s an impression that has been perpetuated.

29

Thanks - I think you are probably right - it all ends where you are coming from - and what seems harsh to a US tester may not do to a European. Anyway - we have a test drive on Friday in an auto 184 (all they have in Solihull). We know where the bumpy roads are.

30

  

Please let us know how you get on, I’m very concerned over ride quality.  Thanks.

31

I don’t know if it’s the same with the 184, but the 160 Auto RF doesn’t have the Bilsteins - so you may not get a good impression of how the 184 Manual suspension would behave. 

 

32

I had a 1.5RF sport nav on loan for 6 weeks while a replacement 2.0l was delivered. The 1.5 engine is fantastic in my opinion. Very revvy, engaging, responsive and nippy.  The car was balanced and never felt like it would leave the road. As others have said you do need to work the engine to get the best out of it - but for me that’s the point isnt it?  The redline is there for a reason ??. 

Then I picked up my new 2.0l sport nav  + soft top (slightly off topic but the soft top feels way more open with the roof down than the RF). A week later I took it to Scotland for A 950 mile round trip, mainly on A roads and single track roads. It was magnificent. Waaaay more power, 2nd and 3rd gears are mental round those twisty roads with lots of ‘head bashing the headrest‘ torque on offer.  i don’t drive slowly and honestly the car never moved offline.  I always felt in total control , the body roll is minimal and we have great brakes. And the noise from the engine is better than my previous 2.0l - maybe a bit deeper and mature sounding. 

When I get a minute I’ll post my driving route and overnight stays on the forum.

graham

 

33

[quote=Parker]

I don’t know if it’s the same with the 184, but the 160 Auto RF doesn’t have the Bilsteins - so you may not get a good impression of how the 184 Manual suspension would behave. 

 

[/quote

That’s a really good call - I have checked and the autos still do not have the Bilstein dampers! Thanks

 

34

[quote=Mandoodle]

35

You should be able to get a good deal although you’ve just missed the end of the quarter. If you want the details of the deal I made a few weeks ago on the same model feel free to pm me.

36

Collect my new GT Sport Nav + on Monday. Will be sorry to say goodbye to my Recaro but after the test drive in the GT the new engine made my mind up. Intend to keep this one standard as at my age (and bad back) seats feel more comfortable over the Recaros and suspension just about right over the lowered suspension on the Recaro. Understand Mazdas latest deals must have proved very successful as only 2.0L cars available at present are RF Autos.

37

today I had my first proper drive (140miles) since I lowered the springs - I can confirm the first impressions: more precise, less body roll, no negative impact on ride quality/comfort at all.

38

 

I have had two sport nav 2 litre N.D one being N.D 1 the other just purchased being an N.D 2 sport nav,the power on the nd2 is certainly very different and quite amazing as you wind it up compared to nd 1 ,just like a bullet leaving gun,but the main thing i was going to comment on is the ride,both have been slightly disapointing for the first 1000 miles why they settle and perhaps tyres etc soften a bit,but after that initial settling down the suspension is just right,suspension wise the nd 2 is def overall comfort and handling wise better than the nd1,the exhaust note as you wind the nd 2 up is def far more crisper than the 1,overall all of the some quite small and some very large improvements[ the new amazing engine] they have made to the nd 2,makes it nearly totally different car.

Both cars as happens often were delivered with very wrong tyre pressures,both had approx 36lb all round when it should be 29lb all round,the difference of ride and handling unbelieveable.

 

Anyway the summer is coming enjoy your lovely mazdas whatever you have all best Simon

39

Picked up my new GT Sport Nav yesterday. Only drove it about a mile from Dealer to my garage as getting QTechnic paintwork treatment done by Detailers next week. They had asked me to ask the Dealer not to carry out any cleaning to the car as it makes it easier for the Detailer to carry out the paintwork treatment. Dealer took me at my word as had left all protective tape and was pretty dirty so felt a bit weird driving a brand new car off a forecourt and not being gleaming but roll on next week. Very first impression is clutch much lighter and steering lighter but will check the tyres.

40

Yes, I agree, the two cars are, for practical purposes, as different as chalk and cheese.  As for delivery condition, tyre pressures on both my NDs were spot on so this is likely to be a dealer issue.  I did find, however, that when I took my Z-Sport abroad last June and started hitting higher speeds, that wheel balance was noticeably out and, when checked on my return, all 4 wheels were some way off.  The mileage at this point was just under 7,000.  At the same time I had the wheel alignment checked because, on my first (1.5) ND4, I’d had that checked to try and improve the lack of feeling in the straight ahead position and found that 9 of the many available adjustments were out of range but they were all spot on on the Z-Sport.  Thus far, on this latest car, there is no sign of wheel imbalance nor is there any reason to doubt the accuracy of the wheel alignment.

I’m loving it …