Mazda MX-5 engine talk! - Mk3 (NC) MX-5 - JDM perfection

Today I talk about the MZR engine in my 2.0 MX-5 Sport. 6800 RPM redline and with 158bhp and 188NM of torque.
Please check out my website: www.carthought.com
Instagram: @carthought
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[@matthewhowell1389]

I have a 2015 Club Edition and I'm learning a lot about my own car just by watching this video

[@drpiv]

Note the factory braces do not allow for installing adjustable coilovers absent modification. Most of the aftermarket ones open the shock tower to remedy this issue.

[@jonathanfowler2932]

Wow, really informative and well presented video. Nice car too. Good colour choice. And I always thought the MK3.0 looked better than the MK3.5. Mine's a 2L PRHT MK3.0. super fun on the B roads and really easy to live with as a daily driver.

[@Brockthedog315]

Coming from owning coopers for 17 years it is so nice to have an engine bay that you can see and get to the parts. Much easier and much less expensive to fix when necessary.

[@CarThought]

I agree. Not had a cooper myself but have seen videos of people working on them, lots of cut hands!

[@Brockthedog315]

Car Thought my most memorable line from a mini mechanic was “well, why we have all this stuff off your car you might as well save money and replace a few parts that don’t need replacement now but will soon!” Hahaha. Car is a swiss watch in complexity. But fun to drive.

[@jamesrayner6926]

Thanks so much for this. Just got an NC 2.0 for track days but I’m a mechanical noob. Really interesting and helpful.

[@Rot05]

Outstanding detail. Subbed!

[@faith1980]

Just bought a 2.0 litre sport 09 plate in metallic grey with folding hard top. Leather interior, heated seats, air con, bose stereo. High milage but full service history. Needs some marks sorting, but a cracking little car! Your videos have been really informative 👌

[@MegaJasonBuck95]

Me too with an 06 plate! Took me ages to find one with air con though. What’s your definition of high miles? Mine’s on 113k

[@davidstorm4015]

Good video, but one thing not accurate, they did not stop this engine in 2011 and did not fit skyactive engines to MX-5's until the 4th generation. The Mk3.5 cars (2009-2015) have the same engine as yours, with a few internal improvements to strengthen it.

[@rezo2599]

Do you know if its non-interference or not??

[@davidstorm4015]

@@rezo2599 I think so, it is chain driven, not timing belt

[@MattTester]

Gorgeous colour. I'm starting to appreciate this car a lot more than I've ever done before.

[@CarThought]

Lots of people saying the same! They’ve been much overlooked until now.

[@MattTester]

@@CarThought I can't even put my finger on why I hadn't considered one, however I now have money down on a 2012 Kuro Roadster. Not quite orange but a bright pearl white.

[@acra89]

I’d be interested to hear more, really love this era MX-5 at the moment!

[@CarThought]

They seem to be getting really popular! Think its because we're on the way to summer!

[@acra89]

Car Thought for me, it helps that I’m now 30 😂

[@arricammarques1955]

Reliable roadster. Wave cheerio as you pass the stranded Porsche driver by the roadside.

[@bombardierboerboels]

I got a 13 plate sport tec few months ago not sure if it has a lsd but I love the look and sound of the bbr225

[@io504]

Excellent review mate, plenty of info here I haven't heard anywhere else! Just bought a '10 sport tech last week and it's fantastic, absolutely brilliant car

[@CarThought]

Thanks very much! Lots more to come on the car!

[@CarThought]

Also congratulations! Love the 3.5 facelift!

[@io504]

Thanks! It's a hard top in grey-silver, love the way it looks. Are you planning on doing any mods to yours?

[@CarThought]

@@io504 Oooh that would look good with some black wheels on! Is it a 1.8 or 2.0? I am indeed! Going to do a video soon about the options.

[@io504]

Good idea! It's the 2.0, the 1.8 only had 1 more bhp than my old Suzuki 😂 Really looking forward to your next video!

[@JJF1973]

One advantage of having port injection is that you won’t get the carbon build up that tends to be a problem in many direct injection engines. Also, I have a 2013 NC and I still have the MZR engine in mine. In the US, I don’t think we got the Skyactiv until the ND.

[@mattfinlay7476]

Actually, I don't believe Skyactive technology came on this model at all

[@ketchup5344]

Brilliant look at the engine there. Ive been driving a 2006 nc with sports exhaust and aftermarket motorsport-derived wheels. Its in standard trim but it still excells in all the right places. These are great cars!!

[@RobWhittlestone]

Hi Dom - the GoPro seems not to handle light intensity contrast very well - the bodywork looks orange when brightly lit and red where duller. Would recommend you upgrade your videocamera. Am suspecting this is Mazda True Red (code A4A). Personally I am a big fan of Sony "Exmor" sensors - have a look at the Sony Alpha 6000 or RX-100 which offer stunning video quality for reasonable cost (in my humble opinion). My NCFL has the same engine as yours - my previous MX-5 was a 1.8l NA and I really notice the 30 HP difference. You keep hinting at ideas for more power! Are you going to turbo your engine? I too love the idea of a Rocketeer kit but don't have the skills to do it myself - or the spare cash to have someone else do it. :-) The Jaguar 3.0l V6 sounds wonderful though. Until recently I had a Ford Cougar 2.5l V6 and loved the sound. Please keep the MX-5 videos coming! It's great to see another NC owner and share ideas! All the best, Rob in Switzerland

[@libra42ful]

I noticed that too, I thought at first his paint was faded, but then seen as he was driving that it must of just been his camera...

[@devonsmith5500]

Little late to the comments here, but wanted to touch base on the weight distribution topic. Typically an NC is still slightly nose heavy even with driver. Close to 50/50 is great for a momentum car and steady state cornering, however what is more important with this chassis is that all of the weight is between the front and rear axles, more concentrated near the CG of the car. Having your mass concentrated near the CG greatly reduces the moments of inertia that the car's mass has on the car's motion.

[@ckbun]

So was the NC well designed? Weight distribution wise

[@andrewgillougley8479]

I believe that it's only the NC 3.5s/face list 2009+ onwards models have the forged bit for the engine and increased red-line to 7200rpm

[@CarThought]

Thanks for the comment! I think you’re referring to peak power figures. My understanding is all 2.0 MZR’s are capable of revving to 7200 rpm, only the NC2’s and onwards make peak power at 7200 where as the NC1’s are around 6800. The NC1 is still capable of reviving to 7200rpm before the limiter is reached 👍

[@libra42ful]

It may weigh the same as an Alfa, and the Alfa may be faster....but as far as reliability, and repair costs, the MX5 wins by a mile!....yours is beautiful, I have an 06 touring in sunlight silver with black leather and the "cloth" top like yours, mine has the "chrome" wheels instead of the black-outs like yours does, and I LOVE it, it's my everyday driver and it's been a peach, I've had absolutely no major problems with it, just routine maintenance, and I have it detailed, including the engine compartment, once a month

[@arricammarques1955]

MX 5 reliability surpasses Porsche, Alfa., BMW etc. MIATA perfected the roadster. Built for drivers, not for repairs.

[@Hamburgergammerrr]

Could you make a video there the engine is running? I have a NC too and some noises there I don’t know if it’s normal. it would be nice to compare the sound

[@CarThought]

Hi Ben, what are the noises? Maybe when the car is next running, I can send you a video on Instagram if you follow me on there? Send me a message?

[@waynesimpson2074]

If I recall, the main advantage of the Sport model over the standard 2.0L is the lowered gearing to improve the acceleration figures?

[@CarThought]

Not sure on the ratios, but the sport has a 6th gear, plus Bilsteins and limited slip diff as standard!

[@humbertoochoa1777]

Does the grand touring come with lsd as standard?

[@lukeshepperd6252]

Stupid question, but how do you keep the engine bay so clean?! I’m in the market for an NC to be my weekend pride and joy and will be the first time I own a second car, any tips will be appreciated

[@CarThought]

Simple answer, clean the engine bay once then barely drive the car. When you do drive it, only drive in the dry 😂. Think I averaged 3K miles a year when i owned mine!

[@ct-bq5rs]

As I heard the Nc1 and 2 Generation has Problems with the con rod bearings. They have no stop and when the lubrication film is interrupted they turn around and destroy themselves and the crankshaft. People say this happens when you Rev the car when it's cold, drive crap oil, overdue the oil changes, or get to high oil Temps. That's why they recommend getting an oil cooler. Habe you experienced any of this? What is really nice about the engine is that you really can get some hp with a header and a tune! Sps Motorsport states 180hp with this Mod, which is quite nice for a NA Engine!

[@CarThought]

Actually making a film about NC1 vs NC2 at the moment, should be out in around 3-4 weeks. The main issue is about the spun bearings I believe. So far in my research, this is due to oil starvation... as in oil levels not being maintained correctly by owners. Never heard of any temp problems or oil quality issues. Overdue oil changes and revving a car cold won’t do any car any good. Not just an MX-5. The NC1 doesn’t come with an oil cooler no. But having done multiple track days in mine, and knowing lots of NC1 owners who regularly track their cars, oil temperatures aren’t a problem. I can guarantee that for most people your neck and/or brakes will go long before the oil gets too hot 👍

[@ct-bq5rs]

@@CarThought that's a nice amount of information. The NC is a car I'm interested in a lot, but here in Germany the nc3 face-lift cost almost as much as a nd while the pre-facelift models cost half the price. The later Motor generations have a mechanical stop, so the bearings can't spin. I'm only scared off buying a nc1 by this bearing spinning issue, because I also want to take it on Trackdays. The information is from a buying advice video from sps motorsports (unfortunately in german only I think) , they do engine rebuilds a lot, so I kind of thrust them. But it's always nice to get some first hand informations by owners 👍🏼 I think the temperatures might also play a role, because with high oil Temps the oil loses its lubrification capacity. I would go for a 5-50 oil if I would track the car. Anyways I enjoy your channel a lot, it's quite a good amount of information you share, and I like how you do your Videos! Keep up the good work 👍🏼

[@CarThought]

Could you send me a link to the video please? 😊

[@ct-bq5rs]

@@CarThought I will try to find it ☝🏽

[@ct-bq5rs]

@@CarThought kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4G2dXyHoryhmMU Here he Talks about Engines at about 09:55 but I can remember some more detailed informations. Here he says the engine generation until 2008 is the worst. If I find the video with the better information I will post it.

[@lassydogpie5390]

Manifold and map yet?

[@SpiderwebRob]

What octane petrol do you use in your NC? Im looking for lower running costs. My corvette needs premium gas(17% more expensive) or it knocks under load, ill be importing a JDM NC soon and after looking online, everyone says to use premium. Most of what people say on car forums is uninformed opinion so i dont believe it.

[@CarThought]

Hi thanks for the comment, all UK petrol is minimum 95RON which I think would be classed as ‘premium’ in the USA anyway? So minimum I can put in the car every day Is 95. On track days I use 99RON. As the NC isn’t a performance engine and therefore doesn’t have a particularly high compression ratio I would have thought 95 is perfectly fine 🤷‍♂️ although it should state in the owners manual the minimum RON required☕️

[@SpiderwebRob]

@@CarThought "the MON rating is typically eight to ten points lower than the equivalent RON figure. In Europe, the octane rating on the pump is simply the RON figure. America, by contrast, uses the average of the RON and the MON figures, called the AKI (anti-knock index). Thus, 97 octane “super unleaded” in Britain is roughly equivalent to 91 octane premium in the United States" Thanks for the reply. It looks like I'll be good using 87 aki which is a relief. At my local gas station I can get it for 0.57 GBP/L (less in other provinces with lower tax).

[@paulhughes3961]

I'm curious what year is your car. I have a 2006 NC MX5 Grand Touring and mine has the 2.0 liter 171 HP.

[@CarThought]

Hi Paul, where is that figure from? I haven’t heard of any 171 bhp mx5 NC’s from factory but I could be mistaken

[@kwl189]

@@CarThought My NC is confusing. The V5 says its 150hp but every service I use to check the reg claims 170bhp

[@boofy33]

Have you ever thought upgrading the engine with the BBR compressor kit? They do a pretty good job and you litterally get another car.

[@stevenvicino8687]

Got an '06 with 100,000 miles plus. Cant find any resource on recommended maintenance. Timing belts? Injector maintenance? Cables? I LOVE this car.

[@CarThought]

Thanks for the comment: owners-manual.mazda.com/gen/en/mx-5/mx-5_8fl9ee16j/contents/07020100.html No timing belt, it’s chain. Wouldn’t bother touching injectors unless you suspect they’re not flowing? Not sure what you mean by cables? Glad to hear you are enjoying it.

[@stevenvicino8687]

@@CarThought Chain, not belt. I remember. I'm old school. Chains wear out too don't they? Cables, I was told when trying to replace my thermostat that MX-5s have a throttle body cable in front of the housing. It is badly worn. Dealer item only. I just want to keep the best car I've ever owned on the road.

[@walkenhorst84]

nc1 is only 1055kg with 75kg driver. nc2 is much heavier. i have one with track suspension (eibach -30mm) and 4-1 full decat exhaust system and CAI, thats a very fast car. one of my friend who have a stock s2k drove it and said he felt more agile in corners and same fast till cca 180kmh. 2 things are very important to upgrade: suspension and exhaust. factory header a big piece of shit. cheers

[@JP.708]

How is the NC2 much heavier?

[@barrycomer3688]

Agree on the exhaust 👍🏻 That piece of shit is worth money to a scrapper for the converter.

[@daveo318]

Got the same model ! Question best tyres ? GO

[@CarThought]

Great question but impossible to advise without more information: - Road or track car? - Daily or weekend car? - Stock or aftermarket suspension - Changing all 4 tyres? If so, budget per tyre? - Do you drive in dry/wet/both conditions? After all these are answered then you can look at what width are you after. GO

[@daveo318]

Car Thought road weekend stock

[@MrDieselakias]

i have an NC, but believe me the 4c is much lighter and much much faster

[@walkenhorst84]

But the most important part is missing. The LSD.

[@RacketBlue]

anyone know? is 1.8 too slow for this car?

[@CarThought]

I’ve heard lots of people saying they love the 1.8’s because you have to rev the nuts off to get a shift on. Personally I think you’d get used to the speed quite quickly. There are scenarios where I wish the 2.0 had more pace... but that’s just me!

[@kwl189]

I own one with a 2.0 engine and I agree. It could do with more power. There is however a strong community for the 1.8 as they appreciate the extra economy in it and that you have to rev the car hard to get it to shift.

[@Sho-np2qz]

stock gap is just

[@Sho-np2qz]

55 45

[@rezo2599]

Do you know if this engine is interference or not?

[@user-kx5ir7vk2s]

4C is max 900kg

[@CarThought]

Dimitris Raptis that's Italian kg though, they're much heavier than Japanese kg!

[@user-kx5ir7vk2s]

@@CarThought kg is the same word wide as a SI (Système International).

[@CarThought]

@@user-kx5ir7vk2s I know, just messing :) !

[@user-kx5ir7vk2s]

@@CarThought haha nice one!! Please keep making videos about the mx5 nc!! 👍

[@CarThought]

Dimitris Raptis thanks bud! Been filming with it today prepping for the track. Video coming soon..

[@arricammarques1955]

Peerless engine bay! Shame its not PRHT edition.

[@CarThought]

James Byron Dean for me mx5 should always be soft top. Lots of benefits to the hard top though!

[@neiljeffs6233]

You would be better off with a straight-six engine

[@CarThought]

Neil Jeffs would love a 2j in it, what would you suggest?

[@fivedotsdave9723]

This is the worst engine Mazda could have used, unless they are properly serviced they will be knackered at between 70 to 100 thousand miles and they a terrible engine to repair. I have had to rebuild several of these and when you remove the engine the first thing you see is the ford stamp, the chain timing is the biggest pain in the bum to change,. Mk 1 and 2 models had great rear suspension, but a mk3 has the most complicated rear setup, if you ever need to change any of the components you will see what I mean.....

[@CarThought]

Let’s sell ours, pool our money together and buy a supra! 🤘 you drive it in the week I’ll take weekends.

[@mikeb9569]

I just noticed you said "unless they're properly serviced", I suppose that's true, but oil changes are easy. What engine would last if improperly serviced? Mine has been trouble free for 150,000 miles, and no one in my club with an NC has had issues either. I just dropped my differential and the rear was not so complicated. It has 5 links, but was easily removed without breaking apart any ball joints. I removed the hubs, axles, midpipe, driveshaft, and PPF to replace my differential mount. I'm not a youngster, so I took a week to do it. It looked intimidating at first, but I found it very easy to understand and work on once you get into it. I installed coil-overs while I was in there.

[@iscraper6008]

My 1.8 NC has covered 128,000 miles and the car still feels solid as a rock.