MX5/Miata Thread

MX5/Miata Thread


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Well, there goes my tax refund + bonus.

1992 NA, here I come.

More detail later, but its very clean. Went over ever inch of it last night. Drove it. Fell in love.
 
+1

Congratulations! And now for the immediate future, you shall be cursed with my constant pestering to drive the thing. When can I see it? :p
 
The Onion: Man With Strong Brand Loyalty Willing To Kill For Mazda

LONGMONT, CO?In a stern warning aimed at critics of Mazdas everywhere, area man Matthew Hunker, a longtime Mazda driver with two Mazdas in his garage at home, said Thursday his loyalty to the car manufacturer was so strong that he would be willing to kill in its name. ?If I catch you or anyone else talking rudely or disrespectfully about Mazda or the Mazda family of automobiles, then God help you, because I?ll break into your house at night and snap your fucking neck,? said Hunker, raising a clenched fist and adding that the Japanese company?s ability to deliver style, affordability, and fuel efficiency, as well as top-of-the-line features like dual-zone automatic climate control, put it in a class all by itself. ?I am not afraid of prison. You say one word against the MX-5 Miata, and I?ll kill you in cold blood like the sick infidel you are. I was born a Mazda man, and I?ll die one. Watch your fucking back.? Sources later confirmed Hunker was on the trail of a local consumer who allegedly questioned whether the subcompact Mazda2 was a better value than the Honda Fit.
 
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I know the feels, man.
 
Sat in the NA I might be buying in a month or two. Driving position is glorious, shifter is excellent, interior is less dated than I thought it would be but still not ideal, and it has pop-up headlights. Interior is in perfect condition, exterior is dirty but seems fine, wheels are a bit beaten. No mechanical issues, starts up immediately. 82k miles. A family friend is selling it for $5k but will go down to $4k if I'm interested.

I need to give it a drive but I'm pretty sure I love the car already, which is a problem. As a stock NA it's not exactly a track attacker but it should be great for the daily 15 mile commute which is all low speed roads. I figure I can sell it after a year or two without losing much.

Now to figure out if it works with insurance...
 
Slam some nice tires, suspension and a great stereo face-plate, and you'll have a great commuter!
 
As a stock NA it's not exactly a track attacker but it should be great for the daily 15 mile commute which is all low speed roads. I figure I can sell it after a year or two without losing much.

Now to figure out if it works with insurance...
Tires will make it an autocross monster. Add suspension and go hunt Corvettes at the track (in low-speed turns :p) Insurance will be dirt cheap.
 
A nice haul from Ikea!

http://img534.imageshack.**/img534/9048/wp000158o.jpg
 
Slam some nice tires, suspension and a great stereo face-plate, and you'll have a great commuter!

Tires will make it an autocross monster. Add suspension and go hunt Corvettes at the track (in low-speed turns :p) Insurance will be dirt cheap.

I'm sure it has some great potential, and may even surprise me, but currently the plan is that if I want to bring something to the track, I've already got that covered. The RX-8 really needs a chance to stretch its legs.
 
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PYC thread coming soon.
 
One of us...one of us...
 
I'd rather track a $4k car than a $20k car :p

"Track" was a bit of a stretch, the most I can see myself doing in the near future is autocross. Which still will require me to stop being a damn pussy. But still, I have a car sitting there with Recaro seats, 19" wheels, a transmission that is geared way too short and a 9k rpm redline. That will be the one that sees motorsport.
 
"Track" was a bit of a stretch, the most I can see myself doing in the near future is autocross. Which still will require me to stop being a damn pussy. But still, I have a car sitting there with Recaro seats, 19" wheels, a transmission that is geared way too short and a 9k rpm redline. That will be the one that sees motorsport.
19" wheels aren't an advantage (at least, not on their own) for either track or autocross. The Miata is also geared extremely short (in fact, I bet your RX-8 can reach higher speeds in each gear than my MX-5...). Oh, and you can bump the NA's redline to 8,000 rpm, maybe even 8500 rpm. Of course, that'll mean different classing at autocross...

Don't get me wrong, take the car you want to take. But, "I want to run this car," is enough reason. :p
 
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I know, I know. 19" wheels mean low sidewall, and the R3 rims are very lightweight. Combine with decent tires and it should be quite good.

Just for fun: 1st gear tops out around 30 mph (not sure of this one), 2nd gear right at 60. At 70 mph cruising I am doing 4k rpm. Normal shift points are around 7-15-24-30-42 mph.

And you are all talking about modifications. I have no plans to modify the Miata and the RX-8 is completely stock as well :D

Quick google of gear ratios:
09' RX-8 R3 (3.815 - 2.260 - 1.640 - 1.177 - 1.000 - 0.832 - 4.770)

from http://www.rx8club.com/series-ii-te...-8-transmission-gear-chart-discussion-135710/
 
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All in mph, my 1st goes to 30, second to 53, 3rd is listed as "73" but I think of it as "70", 4th 100, 5th to 120, 6th to 144 (in theory, but I'm power limited around 135). These come from John Stimson.

And ratios borrowed from Miata.net:
? 1st 3.815
? 2nd 2.260
? 3rd 1.640
? 4th 1.177
? 5th 1.000
? 6th 0.787
? Reverse 3.603
? Final drive 4.100

The transmission itself seems very close, and the final drive is basically adjusting for my lower redline, but doesn't quite adjust for it enough, resulting in lower top speeds comparing gear to gear. BTW, this site is fun.
 
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