Yes please, because as a ND owner anything wrong with it could affect me! Does The stability problem affect both the 2.0l and 1.5l, and standard and sports models? Thanks Paul!
Roadie I agree with what your saying. The point I was trying to make, as “Devil’s Advocate”, is that whatever we THINK Mazda should do we are bound by their terms and conditions. Consumer pressure will hopefully induce them to go back to the drawing board and design and then build a gearbox/car that will meet the needs of the large number of owners who want to enjoy their cars, not only as a daily “fun” car, but as a “Sports Car” that they can use safely on the track.
Thought you had gone into grumpy old man mode for a minute Countryboy! Devil’s advocate with a sly grin is fine.
I too will be very interested to hear about the stability issues.
It’s taken 27 years and three Mks to build the reputation of the 5 to be not only a great car for top down cruising but also reliable and predictable close to the limit. Would be such a shame if the ND was to get a reputation that killed the model.
I wonder whether the regular Mk4 was never intended for track or race use as Mazda has a seperate program with the Global Cup MX-5 cars which use very different running gear to the road car and are available to buy off the shelf.
I don’t believe they would purposely design a road gearbox that can’t handle track action in an attempt to sell more of the Cup MX-5, but does make me think.
A good point Andy, one that’s been lurking at the back of my mind!
Re stability
some of you will remember my first mk4 getting backed into the pit wall at Anglesey November 2015. I thought I was just having a bad day…so purchased another mk4 January 2016 this also ended in very similar damage…now even I’m not that unlucky!!!
so fast forward a bit and at Donington I was pushing the car through old hairpin when again it fired me off, this time luckily no damage and I was been followed by a mk3 with video footage that shows the car stepping out and leaving massive black rubber marks where the rear wheels had ‘braked’ trying to bring the car back straight. Unfortunately at 60-70 mph the car rotated.
so we then went back and looked at the footage from my car on previous occasions…yes VERY SIMULAR
this footage was sent to Mazda (owners club aware) and also shown to the accident investigation guys at SYP. Between SYP and BTCC driver Dan Welch we managed to find a solution. No thanks to Mazda. Mazda don’t see an issue…
now only last week (I must find out how to post pics) I was contacted by a salvage company asking if I wanted to buy any mk4 parts…when I saw the pics guess where the damage was???
yes you got it…the rear!!!
now remember this is a road car that someone just like YOU have purchased from Mazda and are using on the road, damaged on the road not on track.
would I let my wife drive one…I sold my road car!!!
IF Mazda or anyone on here are brave enough to lend me a car I will happily demonstrate this in a safe and controlled environment.
if Mazda want to know what we have done to cure the problem all they have to do is turn up at my workshop with a new car to replace the first one and £5k to re emburse the cost of repair to the 2nd one and I’ll happily give a solution.
paul
Thanks Paul. Could you say which models they were as the difference between the engine size and suspension etc. could be an important factor. Thanks.
2.0 sel/2.0 sport nav didn’t try it with a 1.5 decided I had better things to spend my money on…#gearboxes
Which begs the question, which has been aired quite often; was the ND which was designed round the 1.5l engine and the gearbox meant to be the only version of a purely road going “roadster”? As nearly(?) all the serious problems have arisen in the 2.0l variants it makes you wonder whether that was a rushed “bodge” job, when in fact Mazda should have spent more time building a proper version around the 2.0l engine and a different gearbox and running gear!
PS: Paul, were the rear end “step outs” caused by the LSD locking-up?
The states is the biggest market for the car and Mazda were never going to sell the 1.5 there.
Therefore never an add on always part of the range.
That’s the point, the 2.0l with it’s higher torque required a gearbox of higher spec than the 1.5l, especially as you rightly pointed out the largest sales would be in the USA, and that the larger engined model with its LSD would be THE choice of “modders” and “racers” in the UK and elsewhere. As I said the 2.0l was a bodge job when more time was needed to develop the RIGHT gearbox etc for that engine.
God help anyone who decides to go forced induction
^^^^^^^ My thoughts exactly!
http://www.bbrgti.com/news/bbr-launches-stunning-mazda-mx-5-miata-nd-stage-1-turbo-upgrade/
I hope they are aware of the possible gearbox problems
Late (very) post on this to Rodders -
Have you thought about using a g/box, prop shaft and diff from a mk3 - or aren’t they compatible? The prop shaft may not matter, but it was just a thought. I appreciate you’ve obviously reached the end of your tether, and maybe it’s too late anyway - but I just wondered.
As both box and diff seem to be the route cause, my thought would be that as racing pushes a car to the limit, - which obviously is beyond it in this case, why not try components from a more reliable and trusted Mk?
As for road users, I doubt that most Mk 4 drivers will ever suffer these problems, as long as they don’t track them, and even then, I doubt they will push the car as a race driver would. Vive le difference!
All things considered, in the States there are far more drivers using their car for both race, sprint and Autocross events than in the UK, so there’s obviously a strong affinity between Mazda NA and US drivers. Pity that Mazda UK don’t see it that clearly. How about Europe - what’s the feeling over there? (Probably similar) - as there may be more cars here than there, France Club membership considered - 398 members.
All up - a sad sad story.
As I have said the issue starts with the diff ratio 2.8-1 this is moving the torque into the box, a mk3 box will not mount on this engine and even if we made a mounting plate it would give something rediculous like 85 mph in 1st gear with a top speed of 196 or something when we did the maths…lol
as another post today, Mazda today posted on Facebook trackday Tuesday come on Mazda are thiese cars for track or not???
Understood - thank you for the reply. Best wishes for the future Paul.
There have been 5 to 10 gearbox failures of non trackday cars in the US and 1 or 2 gearbox failures in the UK again non trackday cars.
How do you know these figures?
I guess by reading Miataforum.