Midas Cars Forum - www.midascarsforum.com

I've made myself what I class as a lovely rear beam with toe and camber adjustment along with fully adjustable coilovers and suddenly realised that the backend may be a little too lively because there's practically no weight over the back....you can pick the back end up with fuel tank suspension etc all bolted on! I'm thinking I may have to do some weight loss at the front to equal things out and mess around with the brake bias. Any thoughts much appreciated as the missus will be driving it and I don't want her losing the backend on her first journey in it.
On another point has anyone ever thought of getting a gold coupe and using an early MX5 as a donor? I may try it in the future if I ever finish the convertible and have the funds to get a coupe

The brake bias is in standard form already pretty light for the rear, so I don't expect problems. Just make sure there is enough thread on the tyres. I have experience that the coupe will get very nervous if the tyres are reaching their end. And the rear undertray makes a huge difference at high speeds, so that's an important item to have on the coupe. Once I had to do a violent left right manoevre at 130km/h on the highway to avoid debris and it was amazing how good the roadholding was. It just stuck to the road like glue and I think it was because of the undertrays.
Using a MX5 as a donor is not a good idea. The tunnel needs to be enlarged for the prop shaft, so there won't be enough space for the seats anymore. Also RWD is less stable than FWD on slippery surfaces.

I've got an MX5 on the drive as well as the Midas, to be honest I think you'd struggle. You'd need a comparatively huge tunnel for the gear box, I have more room in my Midas than there is in Trish's MX5. Add the tunnel and you'd be leaning out of the window.

As far as weight distribution goes it might be worth relocating the battery into the boot. It's not going to make a huge difference, but "every little helps", as they say in the ads.

wolfie wrote:....you can pick the back end up with fuel tank suspension etc all bolted on!

I just tried lifting the back of my Mk3...got one wheel arch up about an inch or two...it must be the weight of the back window!