I have PRHT and I love it, definitely get the smart roof thing so you can put it up and down when moving. Looks wise soft top is better, the nc has a flatter rear with a soft top making it look wider and more aggressive but at the end of the day PRHT all day as it makes it a better all round car
Red 2006 MX5 NC 1 Australian owner here. My "personal" opinion is I prefer the NC1 front bar. It looks more OG like the NA/NB. The later front bars look too smiley face for me. The Australian NC1 got the 2.0, 6 speed manuals, and LSD standard. They also got leather as a check box option here, like mine, but not heated, which are not required with our Australian weather. Mine is also a soft top, again, my "personal" opinion is the PRHT looks weird, and to me it doesn't follow the cars lines well, the rear of it looks like a bulbous thing designed around the packaging restraints. My mods: 2.5 MZR JDM "Mazda" engine, triple pass radiator, Exedy Sports Tuff HD clutch, 1.8 headers, Racing Beat resonated mid pipe and rear box with a ECUTek RaceROM, Whiteline sways and BC coils, 17 x 8 Konig Dekagrams with 215/45 17 Michelin PS5's, it also has new DBA calipers and DBA slotted rotors with DBA street series pads all round. Car is a perfect cheap daily and fun little thing for hitting the twisties on the weekend, and with the top down for 95% of the time, yes, even during our Australian winters. As for the detachable hard top, I love the OG look, like the one I had on my old NB, but, hens teeth are easier to find I've found out, I've been looking for a OEM one for months now without any luck, the detachable hard tops are great if you have the storage for one, and are much quieter than when needing the top up when doing really long Hwy drives. To me, long Hwy drives that last days, or multiple days, is the only downside of soft top life. As for the difference between my NC and NB, well the NC is hands down a better car, even when it had the original 2.0 in it, and with the 2.5 in it, the NB paled in comparison, even with typical handling and bolt on mods. As for fitting a 2.5, to me that's a no-brainer, the difference between the 2.5 and 2.0 is like going from a 1.8 NB to the 2.0 NC. As for the ND, nope, whilst it has some good engineering and design in it, "to me"
I bought a 2007 Sport model in August 2023, and I have no regrets with my NC1. Buying a Sport model keeps the upfront price down, and then I get to add the mods that I want, rather than paying for options that are not important to me, e.g., the dreaded Bose stereo system. That allowed me to easily upgrade the head unit to something that allows CarPlay and now the entertainment system feels much more modern. It was cake to add steering wheel controls with a replacement steering wheel, which allows the addition of cruise control. You may be shocked to find out how easy it is to add factory cruise controls to the base models. Variable intermittent wipers are an easy and inexpensive upgrade, too. I upgraded the springs, shocks, and sway bars myself, demonstrating how easy it is to work on and service these Miatas- a great car for learning how to wrench. I prefer the five-speed and soft top, but I would not have rejected this car if it had been a six-speed and/or a PRHT. I feel lucky finding my NC1, because it only had 47,700 miles on it at purchase. It was in good condition and should have a lot of life left in it. Oh, and important to note, while my 2007 Miata does not have forged internal engine parts, when I asked the folks at Flyin’ Miata about durability of my motor with the impending FM turbo kit, they reminded me that no NA or NB has forged internals, either.
Mine is a 2009 black 2.0L nc2 soft top 5 speed with LSD that i brought from germany to france. Trim levels are différant in europe and you can have lsd with the 5 speed here. Love it❤
was just about to say europes trim levels must be different, i have a 2.0litre standard (non sport) soft top nc1 that has a 5 speed and a limited slip diff from factory
NC1 2008, PRHT, limited slip diff, 6 speed stick, Stormy Blue Micah, Grand Touring with leather and heated seats. AND most of all trash the stock suspension (even if you have the bilisteins) An upgraded suspension is the #1 thing to improve your miata. I went with Koni sports and H&R sport lowering springs. Dropped the car 2" on all four corners. Drives insane and looks sick.
Great content! I own an ND2 (full bolt on) and it’s definitely a blast to drive. Was able to buy recently an NC1 08 sport 5 speed and prior to buying the car I was never a fun of the NC because it’s bigger, heavier, etc etc. Now, as an actual NC owner I can say that yes! It’s a blast to drive, more comfortable, still makes you smile and the NC transmission is definitely the best trans of all Miata’s. No wonder when ND’s transmissions break, majority of people put NC’s transmissions on their ND’s.
I've got a 2012 SE - essentially a Grand Touring with the performance package, the premium package, the PRHT, and special colors. The colors were a white or velocity red body and a black PRHT. Somewhat similar to the 25th Anniversary edition but the windshield frame is body colored instead of black. The engine upgrade from the NC1 to the NC2 increased the redline, but the published horsepower was the same. But dyno tests of NC1 and NC2/NC3 cars indicate that there was usually about a 6 hp increase - nice but not really that noticeable.
Fab vid-prht offers this.. 1. Safety kinda? 2. Lower decibels kinda? 3. TVR looks kinda? 4. Real life??! Oh hell ya- had 9 convertibles in sf Bay Area and a 5cent razor blade can do $$$ of damage to a soft top. I know!! Goofy looks ok but roi? Def🎉🎉🎉
Please validate decisions I've already made... Please validate decisions I've already made. 🤞 Also: One thing that surprised me with the soft top... there are no rain gutters. When it's raining and you open your doors, a lot of water can end up right on your lap. (I think that's a soft top thing rather than an NC thing though)
Major drawback of PRHT is limited roll bar options for tall guys and probably the number 1 drawback for PRHT. I'm 6'1 and I can't fit in my PRHT with a helmet on with the top up.
I have leather seats. Another in compared to cloth seats is that leather sit slightly higher and I feel leather have less support in them compared to cloth.
I absolutely love my 06 PRHT! Though I do have the dreaded clear coat fail in the galaxy grey colour shown in this vid... any idea if a re-spray will fix it long term?
My 5 speed soft top came with LSD as standard and performs and handles slightly better than the PRHT due to less weight but the PRHT is more practical with the roof, also the 16 inch wheels on the soft top seem to give a more responsive steering and more compliancy to the suspension than the PRHT which is slightly less responsive but not much in it, cant beat the look of the PRHT with its top up though. The trunk lid on the PRHT is steel, whereas the soft top is alloy, absolutely no idea why Mazda made that decision, maybe someone does? Clutches are cheaper for the five speed. My clutch was set too low from factory and after a couple of turns on the pushrod to raise the bite point gearchanges are vastly better, quite common apparently.
1. The bose is garbage anyways. 2. The 6speed is a PITA in heavy traffic. 3. No one really needs an LSD 4. The leather is a joke, it's as hard as cardboard. 5. Yeah, The PRHT is really nice to have. I prefer NC1, I hate a car that smiles back at me. Personally, I think you got the right car. Our 2007 prht is sunlight silver.
Wrong maybe it wasn’t avalable in the land of the free. But in the uk there was a 5 speed with LSD but it’s fairly uncommon. I know this because I wanted the option of a a different ratio final drive because the 5 speed had a more punchy final drive. Also note the seats are not leather they are simulated leather. If you can there is Recaro stock seat but it’s extremely hard to find.
@Flywheel Films, are all NC generations have a direct injection or a port injection fuel injection? As for fuel, the ND is able to run on 87 fuel and 91 octane. Is the NC the same or 91/93 octane fuel only? Thanks.
NC1, PRHT, Grand Touring, leather. Owned for 2 years now. I've upgraded/updated a lot already. In no particular order, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Moroso coolant expansion tank, MX5 things, smarttop module, 3rd brake light flasher, DRL foglight mod, NC2 door panels, fabric door pulls, heater core bypass valve, cloth seat covers, Clearwater speakers, upgraded HU with apple carplay/Android auto, Koni sport shocks and lowering springs, flyin Miata front and rear sway bars, Konig sport 17x8 wheels, cipher steering wheel, leather shift boot, handbrake boot, and shift knob. Probably other stuff too. I should keep a list. This winter it's going under the knife for a header and midpipe change paired with a super Q muffler and a tune. Then I'm done, probably. Maybe. The NC platform is an excellent blank canvas to build exactly what you want. It's a great car and I thoroughly enjoy having one to call my own.
Wrong maybe it wasn’t avalable in the land of the free. But in the uk there was a 5 speed with LSD but it’s fairly uncommon. I know this because I wanted the option of a a different ratio final drive because the 5 speed had a more punchy final drive.
Great video! Any thoughts on excessive oil consumption? 🛢️ Here in the EU most NC's are the 1.8.. not sure if that's comparable with the 2.0 in terms of build quality. I see quite some engine rebuild / replacements with only 100k.miles Makes me hesitate badly on purchasing an NC.
NC1 1.8 is more common for for oil consumption problem becasue 1.8 is more common than 2.0 in EU. 2.0 also can burn oil and spin crank bearings. This is becasue of car abuse and improper maintenence. Also NC1 1.8 piston has not enough drain holes which can contribute to stuck oil rings. Mazda added more oil drain holes in NC2 1.8 piston so this issue is less common. I have no idea if there were changes to 2.0 NC1 to NC2 piston design. I have ~157kkm 2006 NC1 1.8 from a month now and did almost 3000km with it with zero oil loss - so that was a relief for me. Seller said that car doesnt consume oil - but you can only take his word for it. I dont know any other way of verifying it beside driving the car at least 1000km. 2.0 engine I think had some forged internal parts from the start. 1.8 had them added from NC2 if I remember correctly.
![[UNCUT] บอสพอล แผลงฤทธิ์ บอสพระ-นักร้อง ก. โดนแฉยับ! I คนดังนั่งเคลียร์ I 21 ต.ค. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XKf6HeftoPI/mqdefault.jpg)
I have PRHT and I love it, definitely get the smart roof thing so you can put it up and down when moving. Looks wise soft top is better, the nc has a flatter rear with a soft top making it look wider and more aggressive but at the end of the day PRHT all day as it makes it a better all round car
I love my NC1 five speed - great for country roads 2nd and 3rd are all you need.
Enjoying your content.
Cheers
EXACTLY! 5 gears is enough.
Just picked up my 08 nc yesterday!! It’s got a bad engine knock so I’m already looking for a 2.5 engine swap to drop into it! I’m so excited!
Red 2006 MX5 NC 1 Australian owner here.
My "personal" opinion is I prefer the NC1 front bar. It looks more OG like the NA/NB. The later front bars look too smiley face for me. The Australian NC1 got the 2.0, 6 speed manuals, and LSD standard. They also got leather as a check box option here, like mine, but not heated, which are not required with our Australian weather.
Mine is also a soft top, again, my "personal" opinion is the PRHT looks weird, and to me it doesn't follow the cars lines well, the rear of it looks like a bulbous thing designed around the packaging restraints.
My mods: 2.5 MZR JDM "Mazda" engine, triple pass radiator, Exedy Sports Tuff HD clutch, 1.8 headers, Racing Beat resonated mid pipe and rear box with a ECUTek RaceROM, Whiteline sways and BC coils, 17 x 8 Konig Dekagrams with 215/45 17 Michelin PS5's, it also has new DBA calipers and DBA slotted rotors with DBA street series pads all round.
Car is a perfect cheap daily and fun little thing for hitting the twisties on the weekend, and with the top down for 95% of the time, yes, even during our Australian winters.
As for the detachable hard top, I love the OG look, like the one I had on my old NB, but, hens teeth are easier to find I've found out, I've been looking for a OEM one for months now without any luck, the detachable hard tops are great if you have the storage for one, and are much quieter than when needing the top up when doing really long Hwy drives.
To me, long Hwy drives that last days, or multiple days, is the only downside of soft top life.
As for the difference between my NC and NB, well the NC is hands down a better car, even when it had the original 2.0 in it, and with the 2.5 in it, the NB paled in comparison, even with typical handling and bolt on mods.
As for fitting a 2.5, to me that's a no-brainer, the difference between the 2.5 and 2.0 is like going from a 1.8 NB to the 2.0 NC.
As for the ND, nope, whilst it has some good engineering and design in it, "to me"
2008 Highland Green PRHT with cammed 2.5L
Austin, great job explaining the NC generation in detail!
I bought a 2007 Sport model in August 2023, and I have no regrets with my NC1. Buying a Sport model keeps the upfront price down, and then I get to add the mods that I want, rather than paying for options that are not important to me, e.g., the dreaded Bose stereo system. That allowed me to easily upgrade the head unit to something that allows CarPlay and now the entertainment system feels much more modern. It was cake to add steering wheel controls with a replacement steering wheel, which allows the addition of cruise control. You may be shocked to find out how easy it is to add factory cruise controls to the base models. Variable intermittent wipers are an easy and inexpensive upgrade, too. I upgraded the springs, shocks, and sway bars myself, demonstrating how easy it is to work on and service these Miatas- a great car for learning how to wrench.
I prefer the five-speed and soft top, but I would not have rejected this car if it had been a six-speed and/or a PRHT. I feel lucky finding my NC1, because it only had 47,700 miles on it at purchase. It was in good condition and should have a lot of life left in it. Oh, and important to note, while my 2007 Miata does not have forged internal engine parts, when I asked the folks at Flyin’ Miata about durability of my motor with the impending FM turbo kit, they reminded me that no NA or NB has forged internals, either.
Mine is a 2009 black 2.0L nc2 soft top 5 speed with LSD that i brought from germany to france. Trim levels are différant in europe and you can have lsd with the 5 speed here.
Love it❤
was just about to say europes trim levels must be different, i have a 2.0litre standard (non sport) soft top nc1 that has a 5 speed and a limited slip diff from factory
NC1 2008, PRHT, limited slip diff, 6 speed stick, Stormy Blue Micah, Grand Touring with leather and heated seats. AND most of all trash the stock suspension (even if you have the bilisteins) An upgraded suspension is the #1 thing to improve your miata. I went with Koni sports and H&R sport lowering springs. Dropped the car 2" on all four corners. Drives insane and looks sick.
Great content! I own an ND2 (full bolt on) and it’s definitely a blast to drive. Was able to buy recently an NC1 08 sport 5 speed and prior to buying the car I was never a fun of the NC because it’s bigger, heavier, etc etc. Now, as an actual NC owner I can say that yes! It’s a blast to drive, more comfortable, still makes you smile and the NC transmission is definitely the best trans of all Miata’s. No wonder when ND’s transmissions break, majority of people put NC’s transmissions on their ND’s.
Great job on the video. I have a 2012 Grand Touring for 8 years. It’s such a fun car period !
Appreciated this informative video, nicely presented 😊👍
I've got a 2012 SE - essentially a Grand Touring with the performance package, the premium package, the PRHT, and special colors. The colors were a white or velocity red body and a black PRHT. Somewhat similar to the 25th Anniversary edition but the windshield frame is body colored instead of black.
The engine upgrade from the NC1 to the NC2 increased the redline, but the published horsepower was the same. But dyno tests of NC1 and NC2/NC3 cars indicate that there was usually about a 6 hp increase - nice but not really that noticeable.
Fab vid-prht offers this..
1. Safety kinda?
2. Lower decibels kinda?
3. TVR looks kinda?
4. Real life??! Oh hell ya- had 9 convertibles in sf Bay Area and a 5cent razor blade can do $$$ of damage to a soft top. I know!!
Goofy looks ok but roi? Def🎉🎉🎉
Please validate decisions I've already made... Please validate decisions I've already made. 🤞
Also: One thing that surprised me with the soft top... there are no rain gutters. When it's raining and you open your doors, a lot of water can end up right on your lap. (I think that's a soft top thing rather than an NC thing though)
So funny, in U.K. Sport is the high trim with 6 speed, Hester leather, Bose stereo and LSD. + winning blue is super common colour
I have an NC 1,2007, sport and put a Quaife LSD from an RX8. Works great.
Major drawback of PRHT is limited roll bar options for tall guys and probably the number 1 drawback for PRHT. I'm 6'1 and I can't fit in my PRHT with a helmet on with the top up.
I have leather seats. Another in compared to cloth seats is that leather sit slightly higher and I feel leather have less support in them compared to cloth.
My 07 has the height adjustable seats.
Where can you find those 3d printed headlight fillers for the NC2 bumper
I absolutely love my 06 PRHT! Though I do have the dreaded clear coat fail in the galaxy grey colour shown in this vid... any idea if a re-spray will fix it long term?
My 5 speed soft top came with LSD as standard and performs and handles slightly better than the PRHT due to less weight but the PRHT is more practical with the roof, also the 16 inch wheels on the soft top seem to give a more responsive steering and more compliancy to the suspension than the PRHT which is slightly less responsive but not much in it, cant beat the look of the PRHT with its top up though.
The trunk lid on the PRHT is steel, whereas the soft top is alloy, absolutely no idea why Mazda made that decision, maybe someone does?
Clutches are cheaper for the five speed.
My clutch was set too low from factory and after a couple of turns on the pushrod to raise the bite point gearchanges are vastly better, quite common apparently.
2012 GT PRHT. LOVE
1. The bose is garbage anyways. 2. The 6speed is a PITA in heavy traffic. 3. No one really needs an LSD 4. The leather is a joke, it's as hard as cardboard. 5. Yeah, The PRHT is really nice to have. I prefer NC1, I hate a car that smiles back at me. Personally, I think you got the right car. Our 2007 prht is sunlight silver.
I have a nc3 club prht. Let’s see how it stacks up 😂
Wrong maybe it wasn’t avalable in the land of the free. But in the uk there was a 5 speed with LSD but it’s fairly uncommon. I know this because I wanted the option of a a different ratio final drive because the 5 speed had a more punchy final drive.
Also note the seats are not leather they are simulated leather. If you can there is Recaro stock seat but it’s extremely hard to find.
@Flywheel Films, are all NC generations have a direct injection or a port injection fuel injection? As for fuel, the ND is able to run on 87 fuel and 91 octane. Is the NC the same or 91/93 octane fuel only? Thanks.
6 speed would be nice for cruising and highway. At least in 1.8, dont know if rpms are the same with 2.0
NC1, PRHT, Grand Touring, leather. Owned for 2 years now. I've upgraded/updated a lot already. In no particular order, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something.
Moroso coolant expansion tank, MX5 things, smarttop module, 3rd brake light flasher, DRL foglight mod, NC2 door panels, fabric door pulls, heater core bypass valve, cloth seat covers, Clearwater speakers, upgraded HU with apple carplay/Android auto, Koni sport shocks and lowering springs, flyin Miata front and rear sway bars, Konig sport 17x8 wheels, cipher steering wheel, leather shift boot, handbrake boot, and shift knob. Probably other stuff too. I should keep a list. This winter it's going under the knife for a header and midpipe change paired with a super Q muffler and a tune. Then I'm done, probably. Maybe.
The NC platform is an excellent blank canvas to build exactly what you want. It's a great car and I thoroughly enjoy having one to call my own.
Wrong maybe it wasn’t avalable in the land of the free. But in the uk there was a 5 speed with LSD but it’s fairly uncommon. I know this because I wanted the option of a a different ratio final drive because the 5 speed had a more punchy final drive.
No mention of the club trim, AKA the best trim
but there was . . . @2:48 . . . .
@@ekw555 Missed it
@@MiazdaDude no worries! I'm here to help. 😀
nc2 touring lol
Great video! Any thoughts on excessive oil consumption? 🛢️ Here in the EU most NC's are the 1.8.. not sure if that's comparable with the 2.0 in terms of build quality.
I see quite some engine rebuild / replacements with only 100k.miles Makes me hesitate badly on purchasing an NC.
NC1 1.8 is more common for for oil consumption problem becasue 1.8 is more common than 2.0 in EU. 2.0 also can burn oil and spin crank bearings. This is becasue of car abuse and improper maintenence.
Also NC1 1.8 piston has not enough drain holes which can contribute to stuck oil rings. Mazda added more oil drain holes in NC2 1.8 piston so this issue is less common. I have no idea if there were changes to 2.0 NC1 to NC2 piston design.
I have ~157kkm 2006 NC1 1.8 from a month now and did almost 3000km with it with zero oil loss - so that was a relief for me. Seller said that car doesnt consume oil - but you can only take his word for it. I dont know any other way of verifying it beside driving the car at least 1000km.
2.0 engine I think had some forged internal parts from the start. 1.8 had them added from NC2 if I remember correctly.