PRHT release notes

Technical Area Body, Interior & Styling
1

Stumbled across this article, which some may find interesting if you have not already seen it. Pasted a section from if below for flavour:

"
To keep the PRHT both light and compact, it’s constructed of advanced high-strength materials. The front and middle section exterior panels are made of sheet molding compound. Interior panels are glass-fiber-reinforced polypropylene. The assembled panels are barely three-quarters of an inch thick yet they provide an attractive appearance and do an excellent job of blocking wind and road noise. The rear window is glass imprinted with an electric defroster grid. To maintain body rigidity with an opening that’s 1.8-inches wider and 3.2-inches longer than the soft-top’s aperture, material thicknesses of the body panels surrounding the opening have been increased and two corner-reinforcing brackets have been added. Closedsection reinforcements also extend from the rear deck along the outer edges of the top storage well. The deck lid changes from aluminum in the MX-5 soft-top to steel for the PRHT to accommodate contours added for an attractive appearance. Altogether, the net weight increase over the soft-top model is only approximately 80 pounds (depending on trim levels), quite reasonable considering the benefits delivered. Minor suspension adjustments were in order to maintain the quick steering response and predictable handling expected of MX-5. Dampers are firmer, rear spring rates are higher, and the front anti-roll bar has been increased from 0.83-in. to 0.87-in. in diameter. Like the soft-top MX-5, the PRHT edition has a wind deflector to block cockpit drafts. A 1.3-inch-high air guide runs the full width of the deflector to reduce the energy of the back draft impinging the driver and passenger. With the top raised, interior noise level with the PRHT is reduced in comparison with the soft-top MX-5. Design changes to accommodate the MX-5’s PRHT are especially gentle brush strokes. To integrate the appearance of the deck cover, an accent crease flows from each door over and around the width of the panel. Longitudinal contours molded into the outer edges of the two roof sections add tension at the top of the car. The rear window is larger than that provided in the soft top for a balanced look. Overall height is only 0.39-in. greater than the soft-top MX-5. MX-5 PRHT models wear a fine chrome ring around the grille opening, bright bezels inside the headlamps and a chrome band in each door handle. A white-lens CHMSL is another - more - distinctive touch.
"

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:8250ea8a-5579-4295-bcbe-c57993b49716

5 Likes
2

Interesting and thanks for that. :+1:
Did I not read some where the other day someone talking about getting the deck painted?
(Sure it was the deck on a PRHT, may be wrong).
Because it was chipped and a specialised paint job from memory.
The fact Mazda said it was some form of composite material etc etc.
Reading this article and it states steel.
Just checked my deck lid with a magnet and it is steel.

A thread from some time ago, but just found this link where people talk about the deck being plastic, other material etc, so rather strange.

3

thats exactly what I thought! :rofl::rofl::rofl:
Barrie

4

Hmm, a quick magnet test on my NC PRHT suggests to me that the three mobile parts of roof and deck are not steel, but the boot lid is steel. There are some steel brackets on them, but the body of each of those three panels is not steel.

5

Hmm, a quick magnet test suggests to me that the three mobile parts of roof and deck are not steel, but the boot lid is steel. There are some steel brackets, but the body of each of those three panels is not steel.

I have just been out to the garage to do the same :slight_smile:

A couple of weeks ago I had my deck re-sprayed by a local bodyshop due to the bubbling issue. I didn’t discuss the composition of the deck and they made no comments when I collected it, so I guess that they treated it as if were a standard paint job.

6

Looks like a magnet day! :laughing:
My boot lid is steel.
The roof is other.

Now the interesting part.
I raised the deck up.
The deck frame support is steel.
The SKIN is other.
Therefore, the 2 are bonded together.
Hence when you use a magnet it detects the steel.
If you put a magnet on just the skin underneath you will see what I mean.
So it looks like both materials are used and not just steel as the original post.

1 Like
7

i had mine repainted because of the bubbling issue it didn’t last long before it came back the body-shop then redid it and it came back
so after a bit of asking around he found out that its a composite and hold water for fun so when you strip it back you need to dry it out in an oven for 48 hours then respray it or the bubble will come back

1 Like
8

Noticed with early morning dew that a large grid appears on the deck. I assume this is a steel frame that the composite (ar is it aluminium?) is bonded to, and there are different rates of evaporation due to the parts warming up at a different rate.