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Post by longun on Nov 18, 2011 21:14:46 GMT
Hi was wondering if anyone could answer the following queries/concerns.
Is there any real performance difference between using the 1.6 or 1.8 donor? There appears to be a lot more 1.6 MX5's available and they appear cheaper.
Would a 6' 4" average sized male fit in an exocet?
With the lack of windscreen, I am concerned about road debris/insects hitting me whilst driving.Do current owners wear sunglasses or eye protection or does this thing not happen?
After looking at the build threads,several people use wheels spacers. Are these essential with standard MX5 wheels or are they only required for aftermarket/larger diameter wheels?
One last concern is buying and preparing the donor then whilst sorting kit funds MEV stop making the kit and I'm left with the remains of an MX5. Anyone know how long this kit will stay in production for?
Sorry for asking anything that may seem obvious.
Cheers Mick.
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Post by red5 on Nov 18, 2011 22:03:08 GMT
hey buddy
No idea of the performance differances - not a lot from what ive seen though, a lot of threads detail the differance.
Im 6' and my seat is nearly all the way forward - i dont think 6,4 would be a snag.
Most guys go for the helmet option or at least good goggles - your quite low down , and although the fly screen does cut the mustard gravity works against.
Wheel spacers are a required part of the build - they come in at around £30 per pair for the cheapest , and there are a few threads detailing upmarket ones available.
The exocet is here to stay for a good while - exocet racing is about to take off big time and a new lightweight version is coming on line adding to the buzz , it is still a relatively fresh product and is about to take off in the USA , shelf life is a long one.
good luck -
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2011 12:19:18 GMT
Red5s's right, the kits going to be around for a long time yet. I'm on number 2 now, the first on I built was a 1.6 eunos import with 115bhp (ish) but as it was 20 years old it was probably a bit down on power.
I think I'm correct in saying that the 1.6 and the 1.8 share the same block and the same bore size. The stroke length is extended over the 1.6 to get the 1.8displacement. The 1.6 revs a lot more freely as its a shorter stroke an smaller crank but the 1.8 offers more torque at lower revs. Performance wise I don't think it's a massive amount, but I'm trying a 1.8 in build 2 so I'll know soon enough.
I believe it's a 6-8 week wait in the kit so plan that into the stripping of the Mazda too.
I'm 6"2 and also have the seat fairly far forward so you won't have any issues!
Good luck with the build and keep us posted!
Alex
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Post by sspogman on Nov 19, 2011 17:53:42 GMT
Hi Mick,
I'm 6'5" and anticipated having to put the seat all the way back but, in fact, I have it a good few notches forward. I think that the runners must sit further back in the Exocet than they do in a 5 as my wife says the seat doesn't go far enough forward for her even though she was okay to drive the donor (mind you, she is only 5'2").
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Post by longun on Nov 19, 2011 20:23:48 GMT
Sorry to rant on but what do you wear eye protection wise whilst driving?
I have a real concern driving the car with one of my kids as passenger and something getting flicked up by a passing vehicle and hitting me/passenger.
Or am I just worrying for nothing?
Cheers Mick.
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Post by h5ngs on Nov 19, 2011 20:45:01 GMT
I plan on buying some full face motorbike helmets and painted them to match the car, can pick them up cheap as if you drop them or slightly damage them for a motorbike then they should be binned, so often come up cheap, however for use in a car to stop the bugs and stones will be fine.
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Post by Stewart on Nov 20, 2011 18:20:34 GMT
+1 on the helmet. I wouldn't drive any car without a proper windscreen without a full face lid. Too many times has that car in front flicked up a stone and ducked as it hit the screen!
We picked up 2 matching bike helmets from Aldi of all places a few months ago. They've got all the kite marks and BS requirements so I'm happy. Think they were around £25 each.
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Post by smokemare on Nov 21, 2011 17:24:23 GMT
Hi was wondering if anyone could answer the following queries/concerns. Is there any real performance difference between using the 1.6 or 1.8 donor? There appears to be a lot more 1.6 MX5's available and they appear cheaper. Would a 6' 4" average sized male fit in an exocet? With the lack of windscreen, I am concerned about road debris/insects hitting me whilst driving.Do current owners wear sunglasses or eye protection or does this thing not happen? After looking at the build threads,several people use wheels spacers. Are these essential with standard MX5 wheels or are they only required for aftermarket/larger diameter wheels? One last concern is buying and preparing the donor then whilst sorting kit funds MEV stop making the kit and I'm left with the remains of an MX5. Anyone know how long this kit will stay in production for? Sorry for asking anything that may seem obvious. Cheers Mick. Performance difference between the two is pretty minimal, I would always buy a 1.8i if I had the choice though - reasons? 1. Brakes are slightly better (Doesn't matter if you are upgrading.) 2. More headroom - ultimately you can tune a 1.8i up far higher. 3. Availability of Turbo / Supercharger kits - there is more choice for the 1.8i. The 1.6i Mk1 has some good kits on the shelf - but your headroom will be a lot less. The best engine for FI is probably the Mk2 1.8i if it's a DIY job, or maybe the Mk2.5 1.8i if you're aiming for over 260 BHP and you're doing a top spec installation. The Mk2.5 has variable valve timing which makes tuning trickier. The Mk1 1.8i is probably the best cost effective choice for a donor. Height wise, you should find the Exocet fine, the Mk1 would accomodate over 6'2" drivers with no problem and floor pan on the Exocet seems longer. The worse car is the Mk2 and 2.5 - they are probably too cramped for 6' + drivers. I've never driven a car without a windscreen, I would have reservations about wearing a full face helmet, I used to own a bike and generally thought I wouldn't want to drive a car in it - because they restrict your vision a little. I suppose in an exo car like this it might not be so much of a problem as your head has more room and there are less pillars and things in the way - I'd have to bow to others judgement on this one. I did have a mate with a Jago Jeep which had a terrible windscreen. Every journey was punctuated with a ten minute - fly, bug and debris removing from your mouth and eyes session - not pleasant. Given the popularity of the Exocet Kit, and the fact as a platform the MX5 seems to be a very good choice (Have you seen the MEVX5?) I suspect there will be something useful to be done with a stripped MX5 for several years... Plus it's allegedly a very quick and easy kit to build compared to most so... |
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Post by Stewart on Nov 21, 2011 19:08:06 GMT
I take the MX5 on track regularly with a full face lid and the visibility is fine, especially with the roof down, so I dont think the Exocet would have any problems with the visibility. Mind you the car will be on the track 99% of the time anyway, so a lid is required.
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