SR20DE P10 Primera - reunited again!

[a112]

Polished the car roughly, mounted the wheels for test purposes with some 205/40 that I had laying around. The car needs lowering, some camber and 195/40 to pull it off. Need to sort the hood and the bumper next.

And after all, I'm probably going to sell the wheels as I don't see myself in this stance/euro look anymore. Doesn't suit my personality and the car is sending wrong vibes.

 

[a112]

The car is back better than ever! No more unnecessary things, not ever.

 

[Ibonibo]

What will happen with all your rims then?

I fully endorse your move from stance. While your cars always looked really good and not stanced to undrivability , I am not a huge fan of stance (and less of the connotation Euro with stance), because function (it does look good on photos though).

What is the next move then? Trackmods ?

 

[a112]

Rough ideas:

- Performance rotors and pads, brake bias regulator (first on the list)
- Strut bracing F/R
- Tomei Poncams, SA ECU Single TB + MAP conversion (Not priority)
- Limited Slip
- Desmond Regamaster 7x15 if/when I sell Futuras ( RS Watanabe or something would do also, but not a huge priority at the moment)

 

[a112]

Forgot to mention, DS2500 arrived with 280mm S13/P12 rotors.

Tomorrow I'm going to pick up the caliper mounts for the conversion

 

[niky]

It makes me sad that this is the first time I've heard the term "P12 rotors" in over a decade.

I miss tuning my Nissan.

 

[a112]

P11* actually, typo. I feel You about the Nissan though!

 

[a112]

P11 rotors failed, the pads are for smaller rotors and only available DS2500 on the market here. Bought Brembo HC standard size to try that stuff, if that fails i'm going for some high performance ones. This is the fourth set of rotors on the car within 2 years. Also my ATE pads were cracked inside due to brake fade and hard braking.

Ferodos are really great from the start, can't wait to test them in more extreme conditions.

Tyre impression: Wouldn't buy again for daily driving, great hassle with ambient weather and greasy roads. The car is unpredictable on day to day basis without frequent pressure adjustments. Also they tend to dislike big ambient temperatures. It's 40°C here now for the most of the time and it's far from good on the tires. Could be I killed them with heating cycles but I believe it's the treadwear rating.

When the ambient temp is about 20-30°C they are beyond real with the amounts of grip they offer. Heavy rain on the other hand is bad as expected. Steering response is better than anything else in every type of conditions also as expected.

 

[eiriksmil]

I thought the Primers looked bomb on the Futuras P10s are underated though, I love that chassis, so timeless!

 

[a112]

Thanks, but I didn't wanted to sacrifice everything to pull it off properly. (slamming, cambering, lower profile etc.)
I'm much happier with it as it sits now.

 

[a112]

So, this happened finally.

After test driving an NB i fell in love with the ideology of a Roadster. I drove an NC earlier and a couple of Fiat Barchettas but never an NB and I really liked the car. From my understanding an NA was even a purest thing for me but it was really hard to find that car in Croatia, especially in good condition for a reasonable amount of cash. Then this came along and I had to do it.

Everything I ever wanted from a car is contained here and I will really try not to mess it up like i do everything with unreasonable modification and desire for grip and speed.

The thing with Primera is that it has gotten really dangerous on public roads as the car was rewarding only at full speed. It was really dull to drive at regular speeds. Some people will get it and some won't but I believe that 150-200HP per tonne is enough or even too much on the road. I understand and support the desire for more, but numbers never end. They only end when are close to zero and weight reduction was the way to go.

I will post some photos when i Inspect the car properly, did a 500km trip without issues. It's a 1991. NA, German import base model with some goodies and without ABS. The rust was repaired and the car was repainted 2-3 years ago, the car is not restored but is nicely done.

 

[a112]

On my trip to home

After I removed the original Mazda horn button cover i was happy to find a Momo button

Cleaned it a bit inside and removed the top for a test drive.

 

[Heldenzeit]

Looks good. I suggest getting rid of the mousetrap chrome bar in the back though. Those are known to fold over in a rollover and will not protect you.

 

[a112]

"Style bar"

 

[Heldenzeit]

Exactly.

 

[a112]

Style bar and rack removed, cleaned the car a bit. Sorry for the quality.

 

[Heldenzeit]

Looking nice! Happy motoring.

 

[a112]

Bought these Limited Line ATS Cups 7x15 ET38, forged.

These are a special set of Cups that I wanted for a long time. 1200-1500 sets were made.

For a reference, they are 5.59kg

Real weight on the same scale:

OZ Ultraleggera 7x15 - 5.95kg
ATS DTC Motorsport 7x15 - 6.11kg

 

[a112]

After a period of MX5 ownership, did a full service and 5000km without issues. Half of that was full throttle.

I finally understand the importance of a balanced car. I can go as fast or faster than with Primera with half of the drama anywhere, including fast long corners despite the shorter wheelbase and less power.

Buying this car was the best decision of my life as a car/driving enthusiast.

Plans are to keep it stock(ish). I would like a set of Bilstein B6 since I have Eibach Pro Kit on the car. Would like to do Ferodo DS2500 allround with new rotors,braided lines and Motul Racing oil and maybe add a 3 point strut bar some day.

Plans for now are to remove the soft top from the car and fit ATS wheels, that woud shave about 40kg from the car. I weighed the car as is now and it sits at 1000kg with both soft and hardtop on those heavy ass MAS wheels and some fluids.

All in all I'm pretty happy.

Also, here is a photo for attention

Also, test fitted some RS and decided I don't want the car to look like this. It changes the feminine character of the car and becomes every other Miata from the scene.

 

[MidnightRun85]

After a period of MX5 ownership, did a full service and 5000km without issues. Half of that was full throttle.

I finally understand the importance of a balanced car. I can go as fast or faster than with Primera with half of the drama anywhere, including fast long corners despite the shorter wheelbase and less power.

Buying this car was the best decision of my life as a car/driving enthusiast.

Plans are to keep it stock(ish). I would like a set of Bilstein B6 since I have Eibach Pro Kit on the car. Would like to do Ferodo DS2500 allround with new rotors,braided lines and Motul Racing oil and maybe add a 3 point strut bar some day.

Plans for now are to remove the soft top from the car and fit ATS wheels, that woud shave about 40kg from the car. I weighed the car as is now and it sits at 1000kg with both soft and hardtop on those heavy ass MAS wheels and some fluids.

All in all I'm pretty happy.

Also, here is a photo for attention View attachment 635147


Also, test fitted some RS and decided I don't want the car to look like this. It changes the feminine character of the car and becomes every other Miata from the scene.

View attachment 635150 View attachment 635149 View attachment 635148

Good choice of car there! The MX-5 is a brilliant little car. My dad's friend had one way back in the day (nicknamed it the Little Red Rooster) and it had such a lively little chassis. If I wasn't such a BMW fan I'd consider one, but I'm looking for a Z3 instead...

 

[a112]

I'm currently driving on 205/50-15" Kumho Ecsta that came with the car due to cash issues. Tires ruined the car completely to the point I'm not sure what I'm going to do next. I think I will fit ATS and try to get some good tires in 195/50-15" as I'm out of options for now. Although I'm not keen on the look and offset with those wheels, weight are their asset in this situation.

 

[homeforsummer]

Late to this, but congrats on the MX-5 purchase - looks like you've got a really nice example.

Would agree on getting some smaller tyres on there. Part of the appeal of this car is feeling it move about a little and not having too much grip.

Incidentally, thought this was worth quoting:

The thing with Primera is that it has gotten really dangerous on public roads as the car was rewarding only at full speed. It was really dull to drive at regular speeds. Some people will get it and some won't but I believe that 150-200HP per tonne is enough or even too much on the road. I understand and support the desire for more, but numbers never end. They only end when are close to zero and weight reduction was the way to go.

I completely agree. Don't get me wrong - I love driving fast cars, and some of the stuff I get to drive is incredible driven quickly, but the trouble with almost everything is that they're only really fun to drive very fast. So fast that the only real enjoyment is possible above the speed limits, and driving in a way that I don't feel comfortable driving on the road.

I always, always enjoy getting back into my MX-5 for that reason. By the standards of most older cars it's fairly civilised really - power steering, a tractable engine etc. But by the standards of modern cars it feels so much more interactive, enough so that just driving around with the roof down at 30mph is fun.

I frequently toy with the idea of getting something even slower, even less sophisticated, just to get the sensation of actually driving at even lower, more attainable speeds.

 

[a112]

Actually while we're on the subject, MX-5 is faster than the Primera in all conditions besides uphill.
I would say it's not easier to drive balanced RWD fast for a begginer, but it's far easier for someone who is skilled. You can drive fast without a cramp in your face. And despide the wheelbase, it's equally fast in fast corners.

Removed the soft top from the car and used some hardware to repair leaks on my snugtop.

 

[a112]

There are stuff I don't mention since it's a regular service, but I would like to share. As I knew car was mostly parked for a couple of years before I started driving it, I knew once I started driving it it would leak everywhere. So this winter my waterpump started first, and there was oil everywhere due to bad seals and everything.

So we did a cambelt (that was done 5000km ago by an unprofessional), all seals on the front plus CAS o-ring and few days ago did the rear side crank seal plus driveshaft seal on the gearbox. Changed oil to Motul Gear 300 75W80 in the box, turret and diff. Washed everything properly also and refitted.

Most stuff on the car we touched is OE first install and in operating condition. I'm very pleased for now.

Also, ever since the 128 I wanted a car that could pull of Vitaloni Californians, so I ordered a set in Piano black that would match the hardtop. Also found a used set of OEM front markers to replace these black aftermarket ones. Will post photos when i get the parts.

 

[a112]

Few decent photos of the car while my friend with NB and I were at my other friend with a pair of corollas. Also, finally got OEM front markers on the car today.

 

[a112]

Californian on the car, I'm very pleased.

 

[a112]

My friend with the NB was here again for the weekend. We did some Enkei wheels for him and installed new hood on my car as I wanted to lower the hooning with the car for a while.

Plus some good news, ordered some used Watanabes Type B 6.5x14 ET14.5 from Japan that will be shipped here within 2 months. They are for restoration as I always wanted to do a set for myself.

 

[a112]

My friend that now resides in Germany bought a nice NA after I gave him a nice ride. It's a nice example of unmolested car.

I did a full throttle 20km downhill run recently and experienced nasty brake fade on the bottom, so I ordered Ferodo DS Performance pads, ATE rotors and Motul Racing oil plus new hoses that will be fitted within two weeks. Also managed to find a cabin brace for a resonable amount, and ordered OEM NBFL shock tower brace that will be modified to include the brake master cylinder brace to reduce NVH and enhance the pedal feel.

My friend was kind enough to give me new OEM catback exhaust he won't use, that came with his car, as my muffler and cat burned inside due to full throttle and fatigue.

I test drove his car with different geometry/alignment with OEM springs and found it really dangerous and too playful. My car is on rails in comparison to stock and I'm only on entry level parts.

Summary is that I did 10000Km (6000 miles) in six months, most of that was again full throttle. The car never stops to amaze me.

I laid my eyes on a Cusco 1-way LSD diff, but that will wait for a while. I need to buy tires for the Watanabes. I opted for Toyo T1Rs as they are the only tire available in 195/55-14" here. Reviews are mixed, but we'll see.

 

[a112]

Some stuff happened, like brakes finally. Car now stops as I want to, although I'm not finished with them as I'm missing a matching set of rear Ferodo pads.

Also bought a cabin brace that helps with the cowl shake as my car doesn't have any of the factory bracing. I will add a OEM NBFL front tower brace when I get it from UK and I will probably make some minimal underside bracing in the front.

Sad thing is that my friend totaled his NB beyond resonable repair. Good news are that he is OK and Primera is going to live on the road once again at his hands and I will have the chance to drive that car again. I'm really looking forward to that because the car was sad sitting in a garage for 6 months. It needs to be driven and driven really hard.

Now that my car is a bit better at braking and chassis impression, I now find that I'm lacking power. Also, I probably killed some power with OEM new catback exhaust that will be replaced with something better when I recover with the cash since I moved to a new apartment and I'm broke as hell once again.

Life's good nonetheless despite the bad stuff, here are some photos.

 

[a112]

After two months of waiting, RS Watanabe Type B 6.5x14 ET14.5 4x100

I'm dreaming about these for about 10 years, and finally have a car to pull it off. I bought a set for restoration on purpose. They are oxidized but in good condition.