Mx5 – starter drift car, am I mad?

stacky

Family 4door drifter
Long story short, I have been drifting on track for about 4 years now using a mix of (all manual) soarers, altezza’s, skylines and s14’s.
Recently I sold up everything and decided to sort a track only car so I can get a bit more serious. It’s a 1.8 mx5 with a factory LSD.

The plan was – run it for the rest of the year in standard form (plus a ½ cage and coilovers), get used to the car and then run it next year with a turbo in an amateur series.

I havn’t had the car on track yet – but I can tell it’s a lot more snappier, grippy and less forgiving to what I’m used to. I get the impression that linking and transitioning wont be overly easy (well, certainly in comparison to an S14 anyways).

I want to get some opinions from people who currently drift mx5’s….
Should I stick with it, benefit from the low budget approach and high reliability and simplicity from a mechanical point of view…
Or
Should I cut my losses and upgrade to something like a 325 bmw?
 
yea il deffo agree with you that they are more hard work, drifting my girlfriends s13 is soo much easier than my mx5 (1.8 with a welded diff and knuckles) but i find it more rewarding and still loads of fun going into a corner flat out hoping for the best. if i was you id stick with it tbh.
 
You're definitely right, the mx5 is worlds apart from the cars you are used to; but it will encourage/force you to speed up your style, becoming more precise with flicks etc.

I have had a lot of the cars mentioned, and that is what the little mex taught me personally!
 
Simple answer is Yes. Plenty people drift them now.. everyone slated them years ago, now most people tell you to buy one.
 
I have been drifting on track for about 4 years now using a mix of (all manual) soarers, altezza’s, skylines and s14’s.

That doesn't fit with your thread title "MX5 - starter drift car, am I mad?"

I learnt in an R33, bought an R32 and drifted it for about 3 years. I am now on my second Mk2 MX5 and really enjoying myself.

Ian. :)
 
I'm confused. 'Starter' drift car but you been drifting 4 years?
If you been drifting 4 years I'd say you should be pretty fucking decent to be fair.

I hate how they look, but MX5s are my fave drift cars, even with a boggo engine, just coilovers, welder, bucket, lock, you can keep up with most cars with 3+ times the power once you know how to drive them.

My current one is totally fucked, about 50bhp and won't even hot start its got such bad compression, but the ease it keeps up with 'proper' and even 'competition' drift cars has made me seriously reconsider my 'proper' drift car I also own, as frankly I'd feel like a dick in a 'proper' car when a shitbox MX5 with less power than a microwave can keep up.
 
..as frankly I'd feel like a dick in a 'proper' car when a shitbox MX5 with less power than a microwave can keep up.

purple.jpg


:D Loved it.

I was Drifting against a 400hp s14 in a comp with a shitty 80hp MX5 and taking the victory.. was probably one of my proudest moments lmao! :p Ace cars.
 
@blackett & Stavros… lol, ok I will explain further what I meant! – I have been drifting my road cars at tracks like Anglesey, Teesside, Mondello, Pod and a few other DIY drift day tracks for the last 4yrs. It was all good fun and my skill level has defo come on over the years (to a level that I am happy with) – but as it was always in my road car, I never gave 100% commitment on track for fear of getting the bus home!
This MX5 is my first 100% track dedicated car – I just don’t want to sink money into it if it’s the wrong base. I plan on competing next year (Probably superdrift in Ireland – a step below IDC) and I want to get the car choice rite first time.

Couldn’t agree more with the “keeping up” part – that’s one thing that I instantly noticed when I drove an mx5 for the first time last week. With a bit more power, the grip level will still be way better than any s-body, meaning that it will be fast and sideways. It kind of reminds me of the Saturn sky in FD a few years back, kinda of best of both worlds scenario.

Anyways, thanks everyone for the comments. I’m 90% convinced I’ve done the right thing now. I’m taking it to Drift Matsuri so once the car handles well there, then its 100% full steam ahead on the conversion to track car only.
 
Honestly, It wont need more power. Just keep the speed up. Less braking, NO handbrake and plenty clutch kicks. Out of all my MX5's iv never had one with anything more than standard power.. mostly alot less tbh even with mods. Usually run on 3 cylinders up till a certain RPM :p No fluid in the PAS just loads of lock and LOADS of clutch kicks.

Loads of people turbo MX5's .. Bugs the shit out me when people do it 'for drifting'. Then sell the car, break it, or dont drift it. WTF is the point!? Defeats the purpose of a slow NA cheap and reliable drift car.
 
I've wanted to turbo a car for a long long time now - this seems like the best time to do it. I wont be going for mad power or anything.

I'm well used to NA drifting also given the 4 altezza's i have owned!

I'm looking forward to getting to grips with the mx5 now.... who knows, if it preforms really well for me at Anglesey - maybe i'll just leave it as is! The tracks over here are mainly gocart tracks where you'd be lucky to hit 3rd.
 
It's a pretty easy conversion to do, espeically a low boost application as you can run a std ecu and an Aux-FPR (well you can on the 1.6)

but in terms of cost, it's much more economical to just go out and buy a turbo'd one, you can pick up some pretty cheap and don't have to piss about finding parts, finding good parts, finding out parts don't fit and other annoying shit that comes along with a home-brew turbo system.
 
I would say take it to the track and see how it goes, if you don't have fun because you think its too challenging, sell it. Like the other guys say, there is a lot of fun to be had throwing one around IMO!
 
Long story short, I have been drifting on track for about 4 years now using a mix of (all manual) soarers, altezza’s, skylines and s14’s.
Recently I sold up everything and decided to sort a track only car so I can get a bit more serious. It’s a 1.8 mx5 with a factory LSD.

The plan was – run it for the rest of the year in standard form (plus a ½ cage and coilovers), get used to the car and then run it next year with a turbo in an amateur series.

I havn’t had the car on track yet – but I can tell it’s a lot more snappier, grippy and less forgiving to what I’m used to. I get the impression that linking and transitioning wont be overly easy (well, certainly in comparison to an S14 anyways).

I want to get some opinions from people who currently drift mx5’s….
Should I stick with it, benefit from the low budget approach and high reliability and simplicity from a mechanical point of view…
Or
Should I cut my losses and upgrade to something like a 325 bmw?

If your going to use a mx5 on a wet track then it will be ok But IMO that is not drifting, its just sliding about, if you want to do a amateur series in it you will find that in the dry they just dont have the power and iv seen alot of people use them on the wet track's thought they where good and try'd the amateur series then sell it as it made them look like they could't steer and end up with a bmw, anyone that think's one can sit with a proper drift car is so full of shit its not even funny and show's they know nothing about drifting and probably think use a track that is keep't wet is drifting LOL
Hope this help :)
 
If your going to use a mx5 on a wet track then it will be ok But IMO that is not drifting, its just sliding about, if you want to do a amateur series in it you will find that in the dry they just dont have the power and iv seen alot of people use them on the wet track's thought they where good and try'd the amateur series then sell it as it made them look like they could't steer and end up with a bmw, anyone that think's one can sit with a proper drift car is so full of shit its not even funny and show's they know nothing about drifting and probably think use a track that is keep't wet is drifting LOL
Hope this help :)

You sound like a man, who has never even drifted an MX5.. But please, why dont you continue, tell me how MX5' cant drift in the dry.. and how they cant keep up with 300+ hp Sbodies.. please, because over the last 10 years, I must of been asleep behind those steering wheels :p LMAO!

So no, it does not help. Its just internet horseshit. People who ditch MX5's and buy BMW's because of lack of power for the dry, need their head looked at. Not the car.. :)

I used mine in the Northern Drift Championship. One round I was against a 400hp s14. I had a fucked engine and no ARBs and a smashed non working PAS pump.. I took the win that round. His car was fully comp spec, turned up on a fucking space ship trailer, all the toys.. I drove my thing 6 hours each way, clutch kicked the shit out of it all weekend and drove it home with a trophy.

but yeah.. they dont work in the dry.. or something? :p
 
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As fun as reading over and over about how much of a hero you are in an mx5 mint it doesnt change the fact that the other driver could have been having a nightmare or just have all the gear and no idea.

Regardless...

Mx5s work in the dry absolutely fine. They are super capable chassis, take a hell of a beating, are easy to work on and replacement parts are cheap. It does take speed and commitment to do bigger stuff which not only teaches you more, its fun as hell to do. Thats why there are loads and loads of them used as dedicated track cars, for grip and increasingly in drifting.

Can they keep up with 'competition spec mega power' cars? Yeah. But taking into account driver ability, if you're fully decent in an mx5 and you start pedalling something with more power you will still be fully decent and have the ability to put all the extra power (and presumably grip) to use to go faster when your right foot is down.

3rd gear on a sizeable corner in a standard mx5 is totally within the cars capabilities.
3rd gear on the same corner in a more powerful car is just the same, only its further within the cars capabilities and doesn't require the same level of attack as in a standard mx5.

More power should equate to more grip and more speed, or at least the potential for. Your level of attack and commitment is totally personal and thats what makes the difference between being able to 'keep up' with more powerful cars in something technically slower.

It will be fine and fun and definitely able to do all you want it to, and if it doesnt? not exactly difficult to move on and shouldn't have cost you and arm and a leg.
 
purple.jpg


:D Loved it.

I was Drifting against a 400hp s14 in a comp with a shitty 80hp MX5 and taking the victory.. was probably one of my proudest moments lmao! :p Ace cars.

Going buy this pic your not keeping up to well, if you won a battle with a 400hp s14 the guy driving the s14 must be the shitest driver about, all the gear no ider.
Do you mean to till men that if your on a fast track that the mx5 will keep up with a s14 400bhp or not, if the skill set is the same on the 2 drivers the s14 will walk away in style when the mx5 gets boged down on the 2nd or 3rd slow entry corner etc there are so many scenario's where the mx5 will be under powered. yes if you have a fast track where you can keep the momentum up it will drift in the dry but at a comp its not made easy thats the hole point of the comp :)
PS i have drifted a mx5, it was on a small track and was fine, i liked it, i then had a go at a big track with big entrys and then some slow entry corners and it did't have the power in the slow entry cornners for me, im not the best drifter out there thats for sure :)
 
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Simple fact is, in the UK the level of drifting isn't high enough that engine power is the biggest factor.

I'm no great drifter, and in wankbox stock MX5s with minor mods I've happily kept up with or been held up by big engine cars, even 'proper' comp cars. Mint has done comps at Teeside and in Scotland, he isn't a dreamer, or an MX5 fanboy as he got the JZX too, he knows what he's on about, and I agree totally.

I can't stand MX5s (or their owners!) on the whole, but I keep buying them, as simple fact is, they're massive massive giant killers, amazing cars once you know how to drive em, like it, or believe it, or not.
 
The increase in power that a lot of these drift cars have doesn't always reach the tarmac. As in the car setup isn't always fantastic. The great thing about MX5s is as standard they have a very good set up, and because you're not forcing too much power through the good setup it all works as it should. Stick with it, it will make you a much better driver then the BMW will. Then once you've perfected the MX5, skid something with a bit more power and the grip to go with it and you will be much better than you have ever been in the past 4 years.

And if you're worried about looking silly in it.. you can always add ALL DOWNFORCE

Rob Godwin Aero MX5 | Speedhunters
 
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