First Drive! Complete Transformation With Suspension, Tires & Alignment - Project MX-5 ND Part 3
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 тра 2021
- The OLH recipe is now complete! We mount fresh tires, we adjust cornerweights and compliment everything with a fast road alignment with help of our friends at TTC. So after a couple of weeks of wrenching it is now time for Gab to take his ND for the first real test drive! With the beautiful Eifel roads as a backdrop we get to evaluate if all the goodies from I.L.Motorsport made a difference and if that difference is great enough to transform the character of the ND! Do you think we managed to succeed on this one?
Join us next Friday, for the final episode of Project ND!
Watch all previous #ProjectND episodes:
• Gab's 2017 Mazda MX-5 ND
A big thanks to our friends at TTC for finding time to fit our car in their busy schedule. If you need any kind of tires in the Nurburgring area, or an alignment, they are the place to visit:
www.tyre-trade-center.de/
Buy your Nankang AR-1 tires here:
www.nankang.eu/index.php
Support companies that support OLH and get your MX-5 parts through I.L. Motorsport:
www.ilmotorsport.de/en/ - Авто та транспорт
Nice to see a 1.5 taken more seriously, everything always seems to be focused on the 2L. Well done and thank you.
Hi Chris! Thanks for reaching out! Yeah look, in hindsight given the small price difference between 2l and 1.5l I understand why most go for the 2.0l. The performance I believe is also on a different level as far as straight line speed.
But I wanted a 1.5 since the MX5 is supposed to be slow!
The 1.5 has the best character of all the ND options, including the ND2 2.0l. Loves to rev and sounds the best! Just need a reflash to get it revving to 7800k 👌🏽
@@pureroadster59 I agree that the 1.5 is more in tune with the spirit. I cannot compare engines as I never drove the 2.0
I’m thinking of getting the bbr super 160 ecutek but I love the way it sounds revs and that you need to engage with it, gear changes and giving it a push really makes it fun. Cheers!
@@cristaplesthe super 160 reflash is a must have on the 1.5! also try the downshift auto blip option, i love it
Man all those exterior shots are amazing. Professional tier quality
Can't wait for the lap that will inspire the next generation of 'stock' mx5s to chase a specific laptime 😆🤌🤌
Tim! I doubt the lap will be as influential as the Banana one, but we will give it a good shot. I think it will either go two ways, if I like how the car drives on track/road I will probably get my head down and try to go quick (which is what happened with the NA). If the car is not so good and I dont like it as much, I think I will do 1,2 laps max and call it a day before selling it, no matter the performance.
I need to see this 1.5 on the track
One more week! :D
Perhaps THIS is how the ND should have come from the factory? (Maybe a little softer...). I don't think the steering feel will be much better though, perhaps a little sharper on turn-in but not so much in longer faster corner. But we'll see next time though....
Also congratulations on the quality of the outside shots of the car - great lighting, perspective and atmosphere - right up there with the likes of Carfection!!
Hi Phil,
Well, for the steering feel... you‘ll have to wait to until next Friday but... well...
I think these are unrealistic spring rates but I cannot fathom how Mazda thought the stock coilovers would be acceptable for anything bar city driving. I guess their target audience really is 50-60yo guys? 😂
Great videos and very informative!
Big difference 👍
I see you were planning a 3 part video all along, clever. Subbed for clear and passionate elaborations, professional knowledge and beautiful filming!
Now that is better. Much more neutral than the stock suspension. Well done.
Does the romantic piano music starting at 8:30 means Gab is now finally in love with his ND? :)
Hi Vincent! ahahah, well, maybe? Maybe not?
Tune in next Friday! :D
Great drone work, next level production quality. And you get to finally enjoy your car.
Hi David!
Thanks for the kind words! Crazy to think this is an unpaid hobby project with such quality. There are fully produced TV shows that cannot nail an edit to the level Kostas does! If only his driving skills were remotely comparable to his editing skills! :D
As for the car, well we are still undecided, in the next video we will get all the answers I guess!
Different to the old (but great!) JDM/Gran Turismo inspired style. The new production is very good! Great episode, looking forward the next one!
Hi Alex! Some JDM vibes coming back this Friday! :D
Really enjoying this series guys! Totally agree with the under-tired philosophy.
Thanks for the kind words! I would have gone with 205 but Kostas disagreed
Good luck man!
Thanks! 🙏🏻🤟🏻
Wicked!
Thanks for the good vibes Graham!
I WAITED FOR SO LONG...but finally...
Just one more week for all the answers! :D
Don't know why but that music in the end hits rights in the feels AND now i also want to see a Norsdchleife lap.
Should i come over this weekend? :)
Yes!
@@GabrielePiana So be it!
That sunset is so romantic but yes please the llllaaaaapppppp
Hi Anthony! It took 5 years to get the Ascari Movie out, this time you have to be patient only for one extra week! :D
@@GabrielePiana I should have been there next week for the Green Hell Driving Days but we cancelled du to the pandemic.
So I need my dose of Nordschleife lol
Success!
HI John!
Well, let's wait for next week for the final answer! It certainly was a step in the right direction!
Was wondering if there were more plans with the ND... Guess not... It is a daily driver... But still would love to see more!
Hi David!
This car now has 87000km! I use it every day, so naturally we will not turn it into a race car, it will always be dual purpose at best. The point was to make it fun on an everyday basis. In the upcoming video next Friday, we will finally answer wether or not we managed to do that and if we want to keep it or not!
Just got a set of the AR1's for my NC. Great tyre, felt fantastic on the car
Hey there!
Thanks for watching the video and commenting too! The AR-1s are quite good tyres, mega loud but good grip! :)
Dances with tires ... Nice!
😂
Just bought back my first Mx5 I had to sell when I was broke while studying. Its a 99 10th Anniversary. Now I just need to upgrade something to make it nice on the road again :)
Fantastic story Matthias! NB don't need much to get good, set of shocks, set of pads, set of tires and you are golden!
@@GabrielePiana Well sadly it needs a bit more "upgrades". The previous owner didnt care so much. Hail damage, roof is trash, Interior covered in mold and yeah, drove without oil. But new engine is already waiting in the garage. Its kind of an OLH project car :D Cant wait to take it to the ring next year.
@@munich_zpeed We are waiting for you!
Nice
Thanks Arif!! One more episode coming next Friday!
AyyyYo! Great to see that you are excited about the changes to the car..Everything is a compromise when modifying a car.. too much of this...too little of that...but is much fun to see what the results will be...I have the same limitations on my car with the alignment numbers.. When close is close enough..for now!
Nice! 👊
Hey Paul!
Yes definitely the blanket is always short, especially since we are trying to cover completely opposite case uses. Nevertheless, yes, I have to say upgrading the shocks was a massive step forward! As for the alignment, 1,5 was the maximum we could get out of the fronts, a bit disappointing to be honest but everything else had to follow this limitation, we would have liked 2,5/3 in front and 2/2,5 rear but we could not even get close to that.
nice, did steering feel improve?
Hi there!
Well... next Friday we will tackle this matter along with wrapping up the series with the Nordschleife lap.
@@GabrielePiana wunderbar!
im also suprised by the "production value" you guys added here.
especially the beautiful slow landscape shots with that beautiful music. really loved it ❤
keep it up boys!
btw. hows serxios mx5 doing 👀
We are working our asses off to get the best quality out there, I am glad you are appreciating! Kostas surprised me too with the video/music combo!
Having ordered a 2.0 ND a week before I saw the part 1 of this serious, I feel relieved (although I was almost certain it would turn out as it did)
Hi there!
Don't worry about my review! My opinion is arguably not the common one because I'm objectively exposed to way more car and way more exotic experiences than 99,99999% of the customer base. The ND might be the best car you ever driven and you'll love it! I'd add that this still does not make it the great car everyone apparently believes but... does it matter? If you like it, that's all that matters!
@@GabrielePiana Yep, pretty much what you said. I also own a track oriented NC, which although it's almost undrivable on the street, it's pretty good on the track. I guess my expectations of the ND were / are that it's better than the previous generation at stock form and that it has potential to become quite good with some work.
Also, I have to say that before ordering I test drove an 1.5 one and I would have to agree with you that the steering feel is not good, not even close to the NC.
Nnnnice. There it is! :-D
Big step into making the car what I want, only one more week to see if it actually all worked or not! :D
So did you keep the stock swaybars and just make the springs harder?
Cool ! Now we expect you to go below 8'20 on the track !! 😉
Hi Fred!
Well, given the 8:50 stock, it's quite an ask to go sub 20 but I promise I will try :D
@@GabrielePiana yes very challenging. Here is an example of what's possible with the 1.5.
ua-cam.com/video/0vzAFpsWw04/v-deo.html
Great video guys, love it 👍🏻. Kostas- they’re 195/50/16, not 185’s aren’t they? Gab, interested that you didn’t choose to ballast your bodyweight in the drivers seat so you could get the car totally balanced (as I suspect you’re usually the only one in the car). I know it’s minor gains but it was certainly something they did when I had my setup done. Can’t wait to see the difference it makes in the final episode 🙌
Hi Richard!
Yes, on this car we run 195s, Kostas mentioned the 185s as those were the tires we ran on the RingBanana. Well, would have been quite pointless to corner weight the car without the driver, 70kgs over 999 is almost 10% difference! :D
Did you managed to improve the feeling and weight of the stearing? I was about to buy an nd 2.0 but your review completely shattered my idea of this car, I need to know if you can fix it even with a couple of mods
most people loved the nd. i wouldnt worry too much go out (errrr maybe if its allowed) and get one for a test drive.
Hi there!
Well, I guess you will have to be patient for one more week, since we will discuss steering feel and generally wether or not I now like the car in the next and final episode.
With regards to my review and your feelings, please understand that my main issue was that every single review I could get my hands on was completely off target from my personal experience, and this is what I wanted to share initially. I want to keep perspective on the matter so it can very much be the case that my review would be completely off target for your own personal experience.
My opinion is inevitably built on the grounds of my professional experience in the automotive world, my expectations of the car and my knowledge of what a "driver's" car should do. As you might have seen in the comments, many disagree with my views. In the video itself, I say that I can see how people like this car.
You might love it to bits. Heck, the car might be bad objectively but you could still absolutely adore it! Long story short, keep in mind both the raving reviews and my opinion of course, but eventually just go and drive the car for yourself.
What's important to me, in a car, might be totally irrelevant to you. To me, the dead artificial steering is so obnoxiously obvious it clouds the whole experience, to the point I feel the car is pointless. You might not even notice the steering problem because maybe this will be the best car you ever got your hands on, and you'll love it!
@@99Lezard99 this, 1.000.000 times. But realize that you loving it does not make it "the best car ever" :D
@@GabrielePiana of course. because there is no such thing as the best car ever anyway. 😜
its fine to be looking for reviews and others opinions but in the end, testing it for yourself is the only way to really know.
i ve driven a few cars over the years and there where a few i also found a bit disapointing wich are universaly loved. s2000 and e92 m3 for example. others where as crapy as i suspected. audi rs6 or a dacia sandero 😆.
long story short, everyone has a slighy different butt. so try the pants before buying.
@@GabrielePiana The thing is that I trust you more than 90% of the so called reviewers here on UA-cam, most of them have no idea of what they are talking about, they lack experience and just repeat what they have heard or are afraid to say the truth because they're are scared to lose the partnership with "X" brand. I believe that the steering feel in a car like this should be a top priority and won't buy a car that's not comunicative like it should be. That being said I'm looking for a 2018 model with the 2.0 which should have a different calibration of the steering and the LSD; I hope that those changes will be enough to fix what you felt in your 2016 model. I'll wait for your next video, thanks for finding the time to respond!
which mod do you think is the most important for the car?
I added a chip from Vtune in Nederland to my 1.5 ,now it feels more torquier (like a 1.8) ,I think it does something to the throttle body, they claim 147hp
Hi Daniel!
Yes, chiptuning seems to make good gains on the 1.5 but for the moment we are keeping it stock as far as the engine goes to avoid warranty claims
Great video! I too have a 1.5 ND and suspension upgrades are high on my priority list for the car; the stock suspension is complete garbage.
Hi Nick!
Next Friday we will publish the Nordschleife lap and we will wrap up our thoughts about the car, wether or not I'd like to keep it and modify further and if the mods really transformed the car into what I wanted, so you will have to be patient for one more week to get all the answers.
Having said all this, one thing is clear. The stock shocks are ABSOLUTELY SHIT!
I walked up those steps in 2018.
HI Paul!
Those are famous steps! The place is a Nurburgring institution and we are so glad to be still able to all meet together there and enjoy such a special place!
what is that car on the left? with the black wheels
what about caster?
what settings did you use to make the steering wheel self center? :D
Hi Haris!
We got the maximum caster we could, 7,5. The steering wheel.... well you will have to wait for next week, all questions will be answered then!
8:49 looks when he take both hands out of steering wheels and how many small correction he has to do.... and you already have your answer ;D
Looking forward to Nordschleife lap.
Next Friday all questions will be answered. We will know how much quicker the car is, we will give a final answer about steering feel and we will decide wether to keep it or sell it!
Looking good....can't wait till you put it around the ring...........ok have to ask, what sort of kms (distance) do you expect to get out of the AR1's ?
We look forward too! Exciting times!
I have no idea what to expect from the AR1s, for reference slick tires are pretty much gone after 180-200kms (2/3s off pace over 1m45s lap with average tarmac) so I expect the AR1s to peak for the first 5-10 NS laps and then be driveable for 750/1000 track kilometers? On the streets, 5/7500 km should be no problem. But I may be completely off as I have no frame of reference.
Tire life itself is also somewhat debatable, some consider the tire gone when it’s visibly showing the cords but for pure performance driving the cutoff is much sooner.
@@GabrielePiana They are semi slicks but road usable right......I thought you did lots of highway long distance stuff too.....maybe 2 sets wheels needed ?
@@motamark usable but very loud rolling and pick up a lot of debris, so the cabin gets very loud. You need to be a very keen enthusiast to enjoy that on a daily basis 😂.
2 sets of wheels without a doubt.
hey, so is the steering any better in hinsight of the self-aligning torque?
Hi Max!
Next Friday all questions will be finally answered!
Ciao Gabriele, ci potresti dire anche gli angoli che avete messo al posteriore ? Non è un po troppo gommata con la semislick ? Le vorrei montare anche sulla mia ma ho paura di perdere tanto divertimento su strada. Grandi!
Ciao Andrea!
I posteriore naturalmente dipende dall’anteriore, essendo limitati a -1,5 davanti abbiamo messo -1.5 anche dietro. Le AR1 sono certamente “troppo” per andare per strada, anche perché la temperature target sono praticamente impossibili da raggiungere per strada in sicurezza. Potrei persino dire che le AR1 potrebbero avere meno grip di gomme meno estreme in strada per via delle temperature d’utilizzo.
Nota che montando le AR1 aumenta la rumorosità in modo sostanziale. Non solo rotolamento ma anche per tutti i detriti che vengono sparati nei passa ruota (isteresi eccetera).
I was quite surprised to see you using the AR1's. I was looking at NS2R's for my daily (they're cheap and I dont have a lot of options in 185/60R14), so how do you think they compare as this is, I presume, primarily a street car?
Hi Snape!
Well, of course we decided to get the AR1s to make the car grip as much as we can on track and on road. Those are obviously not the best choice to daily drive. We have another set of wheels for daily driving!
On our NA we daily drove Kumhos V70 no problem as well, bit hardcore but can be done.
@@GabrielePiana thanks for the reply!
Nice job! Do you have in mind bbr gti kits for next steps? Something I would like for my own
Hi Gerardo!
Since we are still undecided wether to keep it or sell it, depending on how fun it will be on track, we don't plan further upgrades until we have a couple of laps in, then we will decide.
If we keep it, we might go for more!
The reflash really frees the engine up! It would be my first mod IMO!
My friend I am closely following your upgrades as I have the same car myself however I felt you mostly criticized the car originally because the steering was lifeless in the centre position with no return to centre after turning a corner. Has this changed at all and if not do you have any suggestions as what could be done to fix it?
Hi Mike!
The car feels a lot more like what I wanted with these mods but you are right, my gripe was with steering feel.
The answer to this will be in the next episode!
Thanks for the update!
Has the feel on the steering wheel improved at all? I remember vividly that it offered minimal self-centering torque!
Would you now recommend the ND now including these improvements?
Hi Diver,
Next Friday we will answer both those questions! You will have to be patient until then! One thing is for sure, if you OWN and ND.... change the shocks RIGHT NOW!
@@GabrielePiana can't wait :)
Keep it up guys! Say hi to Kostas from Diver.
Tell us more about the steering feel and ride quality
Hey there!
Ride quality is a bit compromised, I'd go as far as call it hardcore with 14/8, but it's fine for me once we sorted out the damping. As for the steering feel... well I think you will have to tune back in next Friday when we will wrap everything up!
@@GabrielePiana 14/8 🤯. That's some stiff springs!
Hello ! New personnal record this day.. 08'.26".. Video coming soon.
I'm waiting for your time! 😂😂😂
Well done! Another good time! Congrats!
Tomorrow you will have all answers! :)
Siete andati full caster all’anteriore giusto? Questo dovrebbe aver risolto il discorso che facevi sullo sterzo. ;)
Ciao Andrea,
Max caster possibile con max camber possibile (1,5 camber, 7,5 caster).... Per quanto riguarda lo sterzo.... nel prossimo episodio ci saranno tutte le risposte!
hi there are 16 or 17 rims?
Hi there!
The car is on 16“ 195 wheels
Hello. What do you think about light flyweel?
It made a bigger difference than I could imagine. I think it has basically no effect on performance but the engine feels more alive, which is fun!
@@GabrielePiana yes, i feel just to lose a little bit torque. But the car is different in corner. Happy to see your time with your set up. Close that mine but siffer springs for you. And i don't have upperbar front and rear. Stok set for front camber is too low. I'm waiting uppre arm suspension with set up possibilities. To put 3.5°
@@MX5LOVESNURBURGBS Im not sure how the flywheel can take torque away but maybe it's just a feeling? You are driving the car a lot on the track so it makes sense to do more work to it, I think just with ECU flash you can find 3/4 seconds easily, maybe more.
We are not going too wild with mods because I still am not sure if I like the car or not, I have to do a few laps to see if I enjoy it. If I like it, we will keep it and do more stuff, if I dont like it, I will do 1/2 laps max and sell it.
@@GabrielePiana be carefull with oem pads and front disc. I have a few bad suprises in hight speed breaking. Fading...
How Many power ?
Hi Arnaud!
The car is a stock 1.5 ND, 130hp
Hi Gabriele, how's the steering force off center now? As i said in my last comment i dont remember if it was worse on my 1.5 compared to the ND2 2.0 but i can't tell that i was annoyed by the steering feel in the 1.5 either. I was running around 8° of Caster on both Cars.
Hi there!
We maxed the camber and caster on this car. 1,5 camber and 7.5 caster.
The answer about the steering will come next Friday, with the final episode and a wrap up on wether or not I now like the car.
I want to be completely open and honest now for a second. I genuinely cannot comprehend how anybody can like or even not notice how bad the steering feel is in the 1.5 ND. Really, I'm not exaggerating now. I think it's the WORST I EVER come across in my life.
Nevertheless, I think this is also connected to at least two factors:
1- what cars one has driven before
2- the level of importance the steering feel has for the driver
In my case 1 I drive a lot of fantastic cars and I have owned arguably the best driving car that was ever built (Lotus S1) as far as steering feel and 2 I genuinely believe that 90% of the customers don't even know how a good steering SHOULD feel since they never had the chance to experience it, hence making my main gripe completely mute.
@@GabrielePiana I have an fd3s and a s13 next to the nd2 and i'd say both are worse but in the other hand they're from 1993 and the nd2 is now 12 months old 😂
PS: how did you max out the camber at 1.5°? When I lowered mine I had to take 1.5° back out to get to -1.8° up front.
I have no idea, we could not get more than 1,5 in our car at the target ride height
@@GabrielePiana Ok especially my 1.5 was very low and scraping the lip at spiegelkurve a lot 😜. The 2.0 is higher because my wife complained about it everytime she wanted to get in an underground parking lot. Still 1.8° front and rear.
@@run_stop_restore there probably lies the answer!
Don't you do the balance of the car with someone at the wheel...?
No ARB???
Hi Balazs! Car is on stock ARB!
@@GabrielePiana I have the same car and the very best modification is the ARB!!! DON'T hit the ring without it. Also the door stop rubber bush needs to be swapped to a uprated plastic material it increases the chassis rigidity significantly. Take my words for it I have had 2 ND mx5 nd1 with BBR S190 with maisterR suspension and now I have a ND2 with lots of suspension mods! ARB is a MUST ;) Good luck
Can i take the one in the corner? Thanks
The never ending project car? That will take longer than the Ascari video to be done? To be honest, I think Serxio secretly HATES the thing, so you might be able to get it :D
@@GabrielePiana actually.... talking about the start of the video... the miata on steroids 😂
@@Joao_Filipe AH! Well that one is straight up for sale, so....
Tricked into wearing masks.... guess we all were.
i think the beard could be should be banned for health and safety reasons,,,,,,
I can testify he showers regularly, no health hazard there! The looks tho, those are debatable.
@@GabrielePiana I was thinking cuaght in a machine....
@@alanthecat59 he is not allowed anywhere close to heavy machinery! 👊🏻😂
@@GabrielePiana excellent very wise.stop at electric toothbrush maybe. Have you checked his beard for electric toothbrushes is he missing one or several?
@@alanthecat59 I never checked but I think we might find forgotten treasures of all sorts in there!