Leave your new car at home if the roads are icy.>>
Why?
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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RWD cars vary so considerable, you can't really give a single rule of thumb.
You should mainly notice how much more satisfying it it when you pull out of a bend or exit a large roundabout, the car should be far more poised and balanced.
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there's a number of safety related features that it wouldn't hurt to read up on, as you wouldn't hope to cover it on here....
an example is 'on limit handling' with oversteer as opposed to understeer.....(which incidentally you could easily reach at low speed on a wet diesel covered roundabout)
there must be a number of publications you could try.......'Roadcraft', the police drivers one springs to mind, although some find it a bit old fashioned
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Just take it easy for a while till you get used to it. It isn't rocket science. RWD feels a bit different from FWD but it is only really noticeable when you get to the limits of the car's roadholding.
I have a Mazda 323 with FWD and a Ford Falcon RWD with a 4lt twin cam 6 and I don't find any difficulty switching back and forward between them. Mind you I am careful with the throttle on the big car if the road is wet and greasy.
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If you're a bit rusty with the opposite lock skills, you could book some skid pan sessions?
My girlfriend's MX5 is a 1.6 and isn't really powerful enough to get the back end out. But it did once flick out when I wasnt expecting it, at low speed turning right at a junction, not applying much throttle. Must have been some diesel on the already damp road like westpig says.
Last winter we had subzero temps. for a couple of days and lots of the ungritted roads round us were sheet ice. I took it on a deserted car park and it was *very* easy to go sideways, and have very little grip and traction, but they were extreme conditions!
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Any advantage to popping a 25kg bag (or two) of builders' sand in the boot for the winter?
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Any advantage to popping a 25kg bag (or two) of builders' sand in the boot for the winter?
Maybe I am wrong, but IMHO that would only make it worse, when the back end did go it would go with more gusto and be harder to catch due to the extra weight giving more momentum to the back end.
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Would you be able to fit that in an MX5 boot????
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1.6 Capri Lazer (white). In the dry it was ok, cos it was underpowered, no chance of any excitement, in the wet it was absolutley fantastic, an absolute hoot. Until one time it all went wrong and the backend swang like a pendulem...
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One paster has mentioned it further up. THe weather is just getting right for it,
Frosty car park, frosty empty car park, early on a sunday morning. Practise your "oposite lock - hanging out the back end" skills.
Its not the intial loosing the back end that catches most people, they correct that naturally, but its the imediately tank slapping the other way when you do correct it that suprises! very waggy dog tail for a while!
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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The problem these days is finding an empty car park on a Sunday with so much 24 hour opening of stores.
The youngsters around here used to practice on the beach when it was wet but the shore rangers eventually put a stop to the practice, claiming it was damaging the sand surface as well as being dangerous to people walking in the area.
As thousands of cars park on the beach every day during the summer and, in any case, the tide quickly restores the status quo, it was mean to say the least; the improved handling skills of such youngsters would seem to be more important than temporarily stirring up a few inches of sand in a comparatively small area.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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The MX-5 should be available on prescription to those wanting to learn how a RWD car behaves. It's about as friendly and forgiving as RWD cars get, with just enough power and just too little grip to be dull, but not so much that you wrap it round a tree if you sneeze when negotiating a corner.
My advice after a year and 12,000 miles with one would be:
Watch your throttle inputs when pulling out of tight junctions or negotiating roundabouts, particularly in the wet. The tail can snap out under power in low grip conditions, particularly on the LSD equipped models (all Sport and Sport-based special editions). Apply the power progressively, and smoothly and never give it a big sudden bootful, and just feel what it's doing. The MX-5 communicates through the seat as much as the steering, and it's surprising what it can tell you about what the rear end is about to do.
The MX-5 doesn't have the power, even as a 1.8 to break traction in fast (3rd gear+) bends, particularly in dry conditions unless you are really consciously provoking it with sharp steering inputs and deliberate lifts to get the back sliding. You'd never do it unwittingly anyway.
If you go into a corner or roundabout too quickly and lift, it will also oversteer, but tends to scrub off speed and regain grip pretty quickly unless you've really overdone it. You can feel this in action without actually sliding it to give yourself some familarisation though. Find a nice long sweeping bend with good visibility, or better still, a wide, smooth, deserted roundabout and have a play. Don't chuck it in at silly speeds, but gently build up speed on a steady throttle until you're not at the limit, but just starting to really lean on the grip, and then very gently ease off (don't lift sharply) the throttle. You'll feel the nose tuck in and you'll need to appreciably reduce steering lock to keep the car on course. When you get used to this, try "feathering" the throttle and you'll see how throttle input affects the attitude of the car.
When you're really pressing on, the reaction remains the same, but is exaggerated. The nose still tucks as before, but the tail will actually break grip and start to slide, requiring opposite lock to catch instead of just winding lock off. If you get the hang of this reaction at slower speeds where grip isn't actually overcome, it will feel much less alien if you accidentally overcook it one day.
It is a brilliant little car though. Classic RWD behaviour at sensible-ish speeds and as much feel as you could want for.
My final piece of advice would be get out and enjoy it. Oh, and flash and wave at other MX-5's. You'll get about a 50% response rate, slightly more when the roof is down.
Cheers
DP
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Thanks to all who've replied, some good advice except the first one.... !
DP - your post is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for, many thanks for taking the time to write such a long informative reply. Hadn't thought of flashing & waving, but I'll give it a go. We're always waving (and being waved at) in our '85 Mini. There's also a lady in town with a gold Fabia the same as ours that always waves. I think, as you suggest, the trick is gentle throttle, brake and steering inputs with a bit of extra planning and considerdation of the road surface/conditions.
I've got Roadcraft upstairs I'll have another read before I collect the car. Like the idea of learning about the car in a controlled environment - might have to be Tesco's on a Sunday night when they're closed!
The skid pan is another good suggestion - has anyone tried one that they can recommend?
The final thought I have is to see through the advanced driving test, studied for it a few years back but couldn't take it. Might pick it up again. Still as excited as I am nervous about the car...
Thanks again for the ideas - this forum is great, where else could one get such informed and reasonable opinions?!
-- You know, it\'s not like changing toothpaste
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You know, it's not like changing toothpaste
Your signature has it in a nutshell. Nothing to worry about, more to enjoy. Steering with proper feel, It shouldn't be aproblem after all cars were meant to be pushed along not dragged ;-).
The original three series went through an ASBO phase when they shoehorned the mighty sixes into them in the late eighties and were to be approached with caution and respect in the wet and even in the dry with tyre wear. Since the advent of ASC and DSC and all the other letters of the alphabet, RWD is not a problem. I have a friend (female quick and can change her own wheel) who has a 1.8 MX5 and she has never reported any trouble with the rear end of the car. Yuo can have fun in RWD, nothing more than hanging the tail out with 272 bhp of bi-turboed power, even with DSC de-activated - totally safe; what this immense power and rwd does is give you the ability to steer by throttle, briliant, just brilliant on the right roads.
"might have to be Tesco's on a Sunday night when they're closed! "
Watch you don't get a S59 notice !
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I was gutted when I found out all the big non-BMW saloons weren't RWD. :o(
Well I could have got a Vauxhall I guess.
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"> I was gutted when I found out all the big non-BMW saloons weren't RWD. :o( <"
I'll start: Jagwah
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Can't buy and insure and 02 plate Jag that does 50mpg for 5 grand though. ;o)
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">Can't buy and insure and 02 plate Jag that does 50mpg for 5 grand though. ;o)<"
Fortunately, proper Jagwahs are not for the hoi polloi who worry about such things as "50 mpg". Is there any car that does 50 mpg? Of course, I use the word car in the context of something that's worth driving ;-)
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Define worth driving. ;o)
The bike is for fun. Car is purely for A-B as cheaply, comfortably and easily as possibly. A re-badged, luxurious by my standards car fits the bill quite I think.
Shame the wrong wheels are driven though...
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">The bike is for fun. Car is purely for A-B as cheaply, comfortably and easily as possibly.<"
7
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">The bike is for fun. Car is purely for A-B as cheaply, comfortably and easily as possibly.<" 7
?!?
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and simplicate.............
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Oh yes. I believe that the Great Colin's offering has recently posted a decent time on the Top Gear test track.
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