P5 is proud to announce the PureDrive range – a set of new products designed to enhance the driving pleasure of your MX-5. We each bought our car for different reasons, but we agree on one thing: the MX-5 is great fun to drive. The PureDrive program is designed to build on the critically-acclaimed chassis that makes man and machine ‘feel as one’. The products in development will raise the power and handling of your MX-5 to a new level – and if we think some of our current product range qualify, they’ll get the PureDrive stamp of approval, too.

Update - July 2007

We've been very busy over the last few months testing very different suspension set-ups. Some of our testing has taken us to Millbrook to investigate the finer details, such as how different spring rates change the balance of the car and what happens when your springs are too stiff or run a very close front/rear bias. But this hasn't just been an exercise to file in the bottom drawer, we've use the information to develop our own suspension package, the PureDrive Sport Suspension Pack.

The first major difference you'll notice is the weight. Unlike most other shock absorbers out there weighting in at over 2kg, each of the PureDrive shocks will be half the weight. Light aluminium bodies will be wrapped with custom springs made to our specification which will be adjustable for ride height and corner weighting. Damping will adjust in both bump and rebound together, although independent adjustment is available at extra cost. To top that all off, the units will have a 3 year warranty. There'll be a couple of extra features not seen before, which we'll announce when the production is complete.

So what are they like? Well, we enlisted a respected suspension designer of 15 years to give us his feedback on a long term test. Firstly, he tested a well known brand with adjustable ride height both at Millbrook and then out in the real world He very was impressed, despite his initial reservations. A high benchmark to work to then. We changed the shocks to the PD units and left the springs, ride height and alignment/stock bushes as it was. His comments now?

The bump:rebound ratio is a hell of a lot better than the other shocks, so you can get a decent amount of rebound on without destroying ride quality.
Where before I was happy to pull 0.5g in the corners on road, the new car is pulling up to 0.7g and is perfectly happy - I'm only being limited by the distance I can see to be clear rather than any handling behaviour.
I let a few 'ordinary Joe' drivers loose on the car yesterday and they were stunned by its behaviour. One had just stepped out of a Porsche 968CS and preferred the handling of the Mazda, particularly the complete absence of slop in the response, despite being on narrow tall section tyres.

High praise indeed!

Now available for M1 and M2/M2.5 models and priced at £485.00 inc VAT. Full details to follow shortly.

Another shock absorber that we've paid some attention to is the Koni Sport Shocks. They are adjustable only for rebound, which on the face of it seems not a good thing. However, matched with stock or mildly uprated springs, these allow precision adjustment of damping to transform the handling of your MX-5. The quality of damping is excellent and the control the shocks have in bumpy mid-corners is outstanding. Available for M1 and M2/M2.5 models.

Whilst paying attention to all things shocks and springs, we have been testing Flyin' Miata's Frame Rails and Butterfly Brace. Have you ever noticed aftershocks through the chassis when on rough road surfaces? This is the result of the body of the car acting like a spring to the forces imposed on it, but without having any form of damping. If the chassis is acting like a spring, then the shocks and springs aren't being put to full use resulting in poor ride quality and poor handling. The solution is to increase the torsional rigidity of the chassis and stop the chassis flexing and allowing the shocks and spring do their job. The Hard Dog Roll Bars have already gained PureDrive status because of their effect on the chassis but the Frame Rails and Butterfly Brace adds another dimension to this process by strengthening the lower mid section of the chassis. FM Frame Rails & Butterfly Brace

Engine tuning

We have completed the prototype of our PureDrive Supercharger System, and we're testing it on our 99 Sport. There's some way to go before production, but the design and results are very promising. Sorry, but at this time we don't have any further information we can make public, other than it is based on a Positive Displacement supercharger and mounted on a custom intake manifold (Coldside mounting).

Chassis tuning

This is the main focus of the PureDrive program. Someone once said, ‘If you can't go fast with 90 horsepower, 900's not going to help’. We'd all like to feel the rush of extra torque, but if that can only be used in a straight line, it has limited benefit. A refined chassis will have you truly in touch with the tarmac, you'll feel every subtle input and adjustment you make as you drive.

If the original chassis was ‘A’ grade material, then the PureDrive version will pass with distinction. Shocks and springs are going to be important in this range, so we'll be testing our new PureDrive set-up at Millbrook Proving Ground in the next few weeks and then onto the Nurburgring. It will tackle the issues that have been overlooked in other kits and we believe we’ll deliver the most versatile product set on the market.

Of course, with the best suspension components in the world, if the car’s body is flexing, the PureDrive experience will be lost. There are inexpensive braces out there that add some benefit, but in our experience they only do half a job. Our first product to get the PureDrive stamp of approval is the Hard Dog range of rollbars. This might seem a strange choice, given that they are built to provide protection in a rollover, but their very function demands that the bar is bolted directly to the chassis. We've had numerous emails from P5 customers delighted with the transformation in the handling of their car after a Hard Dog installation. The rear end is much more settled and stable through the corners and scuttle shake is virtually eliminated.

Renewing suspension bushes is a frequently forgotten or missed opportunity. Mazda used rubber bushes, but over time these deteriorate and become sloppy. The sharpness of a new car is soon lost, but by changing the bushes for polyurethane you can regain that sharpness; and because polyurethane doesn’t deteriorate like rubber, this sharpness will become a permanent feature of your car. We will be introducing the superior design of SuperPro bushes from Australia.

So what else will enhance your chassis? It's likely that the FM Butterfly Brace will get the PureDrive stamp of approval, too, but we need to complete some more testing. We also have a couple of new exciting products in development which we’ll release news on when we’re happy that they make the grade.

Engine tuning

We've been driving our M2 Sport normally aspirated for some time now (bar the Flyin' Miata turbo dual exhaust!). Although not much more powerful than stock, it's a real hoot to drive. With the right amount of throttle and steering input, provoking and controlling the rear end is a breeze. The engine just loves running to the redline and the exhaust barks in unison. It would be nice to have more grunt – but with the same pure power delivery. We've been busy investigating normally aspirated tuning and have conducted a number of tests that we’ll publish soon. This will allow you to see exactly what is available tuning your car in the traditional way.

For those drivers that crave something more powerful, our PureDrive Supercharger System should fit the bill. Think of it as individual throttle bodies – on steroids. This new supercharger will be mounted on the intake side of the engine – the stock intake manifold replaced with a custom casting. In order to retain the purity of the driving experience, the throttled intake volume will be kept to a minimum. We've completed the prototype manifold and the supercharger has now been mounted. We're just putting all the components together for it’s first drive fitment. Check back soon for more details...