2006 Mazda MX-5 Chassis Details
Front Suspension: The new MX-5’s front suspension is a double-wishbone (also known as unequal-length control arm) design similar to what has been used before but with revised geometry. In the interests of controllability, these control arms are long to provide linear toe, caster, and camber changes as the wheels travel up and down. Anchor points are reinforced to provide the desired lateral stiffness. Special rubber bushings with a zero-clearance-stopper-structure and internal metal sleeves provide the desired amount of road isolation while limiting the fore-and-aft wheel movement, an aid to linearity. Control arms are aluminum to provide the necessary strength and stiffness with minimal unsprung weight. Upper arms are made using a semi-solid die-casting method called rheo-die-casting. The more heavily loaded lower arms are forgings.
The dampers are a gas-filled monotube design with a 45 mm (1.77 in) piston diameter in place of the twin-tube design used previously. As a result, damping is more effective and consistent especially during small wheel movements. The damper attachment point is much closer to the wheel than in the second-generation MX-5 to provide more damping for each increment of wheel movement. The strut towers directly connected to upper anchor point for each coil-damper unit are braced to the cowl structure for utmost handling stability and judder-free ride motions. An optional package replaces the standard dampers with Bilstein units that have their own Dynamic Stability Control calibrations.
Rear Suspension: On the new multilink rear suspension, the five links that locate each rear wheel are also long in the interests of highly linear geometry. The layout is designed in consideration of compliance control, to insure that the reaction force of spring and damper is continuously applied to the links. The bottom end of the gas monotube shock absorbers are anchored directly to the aluminum wheel spindle carrier to provide maximum damping efficiency. The hydroformed steel subframe to which the suspension links attach is bolted directly to the unibody at six points to enhance overall chassis stiffness.
Steering: The power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering system is an improved version of the second-generation MX-5 design. Notable changes are 0.6 kg (1.3 lb) less weight and higher rigidity thanks to a 1 mm (0.04 in) increase in rack height. Special features are a non-return pump design with a one-way outlet port that prevents kick back from bumps in the road to the steering wheel. Power assist is engine-speed sensitive.
Brakes : Improvements with respect to the out going MX-5’s four-wheel disc system are greater linearity, quicker response, and better controllability. The amount of pedal stroke needed to produce a given amount of deceleration and the play in the linkage are both reduced. The pedal ratio is changed from 4.1 to 2.9 for a more direct feel. Front rotors are ventilated and increased in diameter by 20 mm (0.78 in) to 290 mm (11.4 in). Rear rotors are solid and increased in diameter by 4 mm (0.16 in) to 280 mm (11.0 in). The vented front rotors are 22 mm (0.87 in) thick while the rear solid discs are 10 mm (0.40 in) thick. The cylinders that activate the rear brake calipers are 3.3 mm (0.13 in) larger in diameter to shift overall braking balance more toward the rear wheels. Thanks to a new electronic brake force distribution algorithm, the rear brakes work harder with little danger of lock up. The vacuum booster is 25 mm (1.0 in) larger in diameter to provide the assistance needed during very hard brake applications. Response and linearity are both improved over the past design. Front and rear caliper rigidity is 25-percent higher, also for linear response. A stiffer material for the reinforcement braid used in the brake hoses results in far less swelling and loss of linearity at high temperature. These improvements yield a braking distance of 38.4 m (126 ft) from 100 km/h (Mazda measurement, cold conditions), which is one of the best measurements in the class.
Thanks to the new combination of increased braking power, larger tire sizes, minimal increase in weight, and better suspension geometry, overall stopping performance is significantly improved.
Wheels : Aluminum wheels are available in 6.5x16 and 7.0x17 sizes. Two different designs are offered: 16-inch with five spokes and 17-inch with ten spokes. The 1.8-liter model for the EU market has 16-inch steel wheels fitted as standard.
Tires: Models with 16-inch wheels come with 205/50R-16 tires and those with 17-inch wheels 205/45R-17 tires. No spare wheel is included with any MX-5 as a weight-saving measure. Instead, a puncture repair kit is provided. Run-flat tires are optionally available for models with 17-inch wheels sold in Australia and North America . To alert the driver of low inflation, a warning light is provided with the run-flat tires.
Note: Puncture repair kit is not available on models with run-flat tires.
2006 Mazda MX-5 Overview2006 Mazda MX-5 Chassis Details
2006 Mazda MX-5 Exterior/Interior Details
2006 Mazda MX-5 Safety, Security Environmental Details
2006 Mazda MX-5 Special Features
2006 Mazda MX-5 Specifications