These Are The Essential Mods For Your MX-5 Miata Track Car

Our Top Recommended Track Day Modifications

One of the most common questions we get asked is “What are the essential mods for my Mazda MX-5 Miata track car?”. In this video, we give you all the answers. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert we list all the important modifications that you need to drive faster on track.

Your first track day

The first thing we would definitely recommend to anyone would be to get a good alignment. Having a good alignment dramatically changes the way your car feels on track. It will be predictable, progressive, and you will have the most amount of fun. An MX-5 with a bad alignment it sketchy, dangerous and unpredictable. Not attributes you want on the track.

Click here to check our blog for good alignment specs that match how you intend to use your car.

2-3 track days

With your first track day out of the way, and you’re chomping at the bit for more, we would recommend getting yourself a dedicated set of track day tyres. Track day tyres operate in a different league compared to road tyres and they wear far less. Whilst they may seem expensive upfront you could get five or six track days out of a set, making them a really good investment.

To take advantage of all that extra grip, you should sort out your braking system. Get a good set of brake pads that can operate at higher temperatures, change to a quality brake fluid that can handle the heat, and upgrade to braided brake lines for far better pedal feel. That will give you confidence going into the corners and you will find seconds where you didn’t even know there were any.

With your grip and braking sorted you should improve your cooling system. No one wants to go out on track to come back in after just a couple of laps because they’re overheating. Change your radiator and radiator cap. A good radiator cap keeps the coolant in the cooling system and prevents it from overflowing into the expansion tank. You might think your MX-5 is overheating, but oftentimes it is a weak radiator cap letting the coolant out. To compliment your new radiator, a slam panel keeps air flowing through the radiator which helps it work more efficiently.

Now you’re able to push your car to the limit, you should think about safety. Fitting a half-cage or a roll-bar will ensure that you are safe if the worst happens. We have had a rollover within the BOFI ranks. We wouldn’t want that to happen to you, but if it does we want you to be safe.

4-5 track days

Now you’ve experienced the thrill of pushing your MX-5 to its very limit, we want to increase the performance of your Mazda MX-5. The first area for improvement is your suspension. Fitting adjustable coilovers lowers your centre of gravity, improving the way your car handles. Many models come with adjustable damping, allowing you to tune your suspension to your preference. Then, fitting anti-roll bars dramatically increases the turn-in response of your MX-5.

Now you’re building confidence, you want to be able to exploit your car to its full potential. In order to do that, we’re going to need to fit a set of seats and harnesses to your MX-5. When your not focusing on holding yourself in you’re able to put all your attention into driving as fast as you can. A good seat will hug you around the hips and shoulders, holding you in place. Harnesses will keep you safe in the event of an accident. 6 point harnesses with anti-submarining straps prevent internal organ damage where a 4 point harness will let you down.

When pushing it to the limit we want that soundtrack to match so that it sounds as fast as it feels. A good intake and exhaust add to the whole experience of a track day.

Now you can push the car harder than ever before, not only should you be looking after the temperature of your coolant, you should be looking after the temperature of your oil. A good quality oil cooler will help keep your engine oil down to safe operating temperatures. Along with that oil cooler, we would recommend fitting an oil pressure gauge and an oil temperature gauge to keep an eye on the health of your engine. You want to make sure your MX-5 isn’t running too hot, or that oil pressure gets too low as both of these can have detrimental, long-lasting effects on your engine.

Over 5 track days

Now you’re an experienced track day goer, you will be searching for every last little bit of performance you can extract out of your car. Fitting a set of poly bushes can make the world of difference to the way your MX-5 handles and feels on track. Your car is able to maintain its alignment far better, giving you predictable handling all the time.

If your Mx-5 is a dedicated track car, maybe now is the time to start stripping weight. Remove all the unwanted interior and all other unnecessary parts so that you can maximise your power to weight ratio. If your car hasn’t already got one fitted, a limited-slip differential can make a dramatic difference to the way you MX-5 powers out of corners. Corner exits will be far more predictable as you will no longer be second-guessing when it is going to grip.