- My model of MX-5 is: NC
- I’m based near:
- I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on:
Took my NC to Anglesey today on some fresh AR1’s after running PS4 in February at a cold Donington.
It was going well until I had a shudder when I loaded up the left side of the car and then the next corner the wheel sheered off, flew through the air, over the track and in to the sea!
I’m not back home until Wednesday but I’m hoping for not much damage on the underside. Looks like the wing, sill and door have bent a little and the car scraped along on either the brake disc or a suspension arm!
Anyone seen anything like this before on an NC? I’ve had a few suggestions of the wheels being weakened if they’ve been powder coated in their life time but the track recovery guy thinks they may have corroded internally as the metal was different shades where it has sheered.
Or someone straightened a buckled wheel.
First thought is powdercoating. Possibly been fractured a while, hence corrosion.
1 Like
Yeah there’s definitely an underlying issue with them. The other 3 will be going in the bin.
Just hoping there isn’t much damage to other components, bodywork I’m not fussed about as the car is hopefully going to be used to race with.
My first thought was “have they been powder coated”?
I had similar with a NB 16" after powdercoating, but saw the cracks before failure.
thread on here
1 Like
It perhaps had a knock some time back and caused a hairline crack.
Once corrosives get into it, the metal can fatigue/erode at an alarming rate.
I think you’re right to skip them all.
Your disc will be most likely shot, judging by the score mark in the tarmac.
1 Like
Yeah the disc, 2 track days old, had a nice scrape. I’m just hoping it hasn’t damaged the MeisterR ClubRace! Everything else is cheap!
I haven’t experienced such a problem on an MX5 but did have a similar experience with a Peugeot Boxer camper van conversion.
Fortunately (if there is any sort of fortunate in these circumstances) it was a back wheel.The conclusion of the technicians who inspected the damage and the remaining wheels etc was that it was a very unusual one-off problem not likely to affect the others.I had the damage repaired and drove the vehicle with no further problems for several years.
The funniest part of the whole episode as we watched the wheel overtake us and disappear over the horizon was from my wife,who piped up “Shall I get out and retrieve the wheel!”
Driving an Alfa Romeo 33 Veloce, when I felt a rear wobble that caused me to pull in and investigate, Jacking up the rear wheel, it fell off complete with the brake drum. Rust and stiction was holding the wheel on, when I was flying down the M11.
I seem to recall…an Mx5 recall happening many moons back.
Back in the day, Mx5Scotland had a great relationship with one dealership .
Dealer defunct or absorbed now I believe
Anyhow, he had skips full of alloys that were to be scrapped on warranty exchange and let a few of them…sort of…get saved from the scrapper. A lot of them were ok looking…but really you’d never totally know what lay beneath the paint.
I got two sets one of which is still in the loft after matching undamaged ones.
Probably time to flog them.
I do clearly recall the number of alloys ( Enkie maybe?) which had very visible cracks around the spokes. I too got rid of mine fitted Rota RBs.
Don’t think it’s an issue now.
I recently saw ultrasound scans of a half-baked bun in the oven, even licking its fingers, and everything in amazing detail.
It seems an ideal way of checking for fractures in wheels, ask the clinic for a quick borrow of the gear!
1 Like
