Pontiac Solstice Outselling Mazda MX-5 Miata

* Air ooooooh's
 
Need more umph in a MX-5? Shoe horn a LS7 into it. That should sort it, right?

Oh, absolutely. You just go ahead and give GM a call and suggest putting their most powerful engine in to their competitor's car. Lemme know how that turns out. :p
 
Putting that big of an engine in a Miata is a big mistake. Even with it being all aluminium it is much to heavy and destroys the balance of the car. That is like the stupid people who put 5.0 and 5.8 liter Ford motors in Miatas.

Better off either turbocharging the stock miata motor or doing a rotary swap.
 
you'd think so, but you're pretty wrong.

the LS series of engines is actually pretty light and keeps the weight way down low. This has been debated thousands upon thousands of times in the RX-7 community when guys do V8 swaps, there are definate advantages and not just for drag racing. a lot of autocrossers, road racers and even drifters do LS swaps with very good results. I'm only against it because I'm in love with the rotary, so I consider it blasphemy to speak of such a swap.

Hot Rod magazine did a swap into a solstice and it still goes around corners just fine.
 
you'd think so, but you're pretty wrong.

the LS series of engines is actually pretty light and keeps the weight way down low. This has been debated thousands upon thousands of times in the RX-7 community when guys do V8 swaps, there are definate advantages and not just for drag racing. a lot of autocrossers, road racers and even drifters do LS swaps with very good results. I'm only against it because I'm in love with the rotary, so I consider it blasphemy to speak of such a swap.

Hot Rod magazine did a swap into a solstice and it still goes around corners just fine.

I said Miata not Sky/Solctice.

The Kappa Twins are heavier cars and since the LS7 is all aluminium it is somewhat lighter and will be ok in that car.

It would be bad for a miata.
 
and again, you're wrong. I know exactly what you're talking about, but the actual results vary from the various bits of internet bench racing people do.

The few V8 Miata swaps I have seen were horible hack jobs. Granted I have never seen a LS Miata swap but I can't imagine it would be that much better. I guess with enough money you can make anything right though.
 
Putting that big of an engine in a Miata is a big mistake. Even with it being all aluminium it is much to heavy and destroys the balance of the car. That is like the stupid people who put 5.0 and 5.8 liter Ford motors in Miatas.

Better off either turbocharging the stock miata motor or doing a rotary swap.

Well, imagine the Corvette driver on the line with a MX-5, my friend. That would be such a laugh. I'd make it a ricer, with many distastefull addons, like fake exhausts on the side, maybe put some of them on the bonnet, and paint it with a roller.

Would be so fu***** fun.
 
The few V8 Miata swaps I have seen were horible hack jobs. Granted I have never seen a LS Miata swap but I can't imagine it would be that much better. I guess with enough money you can make anything right though.
Educate yourself. The LSx series of engines weight LESS than 1.8 lt cast iron block used in the previous generation miata/mx-5. Almost ever LS Miata swap keep the car's 50/50 weight distribution. LS1TECH forums: Miata LS1 swap , LS1TECH forums: Miata LS1 swap post #28

This was the first shake-down of the car at a Auto-Cross, so it doesn't show the true potiential of the car, imho, you would need a proper track curcuit for that. Also the car seems to be a little under tired, but iirc he has since put 245/45R16's on the rears.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxFDtDwBVN0[/YOUTUBE]

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GM Slave cylinder with a home made adapter to get the hydraulics working.
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I have no idea why these images, that I coded as images, are showing up as url links.
 
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It makes me laugh in that first YouTube review that he describes the Solstice as 'lightweight'. It's 1337kg (kind of amusing yes!) which is more thank a Saab 9-3 Sedan! That's not lightweight.

Basically, every European review of it I read said it had terrible NVH, handled terribly and had a crap engine. Every state-side mag I read loved it! Does motor trend do bribery often?
 
Well, you brits actually bought the Rover Street Rover, no one else in Europe did. (joke)

But let's face it, many British cars are probably overrated by people who love British cars - me for instance.

A Norwegian motor journalist once talked with an American journalist, which used to price American cars, as he got drunk, he whispered an admition that the only good American car in production was the CTS.

But then again, the Norwegian motoring press went beserk when the Th!nk came along, and that was rubbish too. Still, the last time someone tried making a car in Norway was in the 40s, it was a sports car called "Troll", and it had a body made of glass fibre. Like the 'Vette. So you yanks stole that from us! :tease:
 
Well, you brits actually bought the Rover Street Rover, no one else in Europe did. (joke)

Yeah...all the Longbridge Rover employees :p I only ever see them around in Birmingham whilst I'm at Uni and have never spotted one outside the city! Haha. Perhaps they actually meant to name it the (Birmingham) City Rover ;)

Seriously..yes in the past I think the British motoring press did used to keep the UK car industry afloat, but I think the Maestro was the final straw! :lol: Any of the good magazines like EVO will tell it like it is. Really they should love the new Lotus Europa, but they were honest and expressed their views that it's a car without a market really and isn't particularly special. It appears to be a more comfortable Elise that doesn't handle as well.......commonly known as a Vauxhaul VX220/Opel Speedster (actually that's being a bit cruel on the Vauxhaul/Opel :p).
 
Basically, every European review of it I read said it had terrible NVH, handled terribly and had a crap engine. Every state-side mag I read loved it! Does motor trend do bribery often?
or on the flip side, perhaps the europeans just want to bag on US cars.

Best Motoring of all video series came out in favor of the Solstice over the Miata, and that's quite something. BM isn't exactly know for being fair, balanced and objective, they have a clear bias towards japanese cars. Still a great series tho.
 
Hmm..Top Gear...yes I'd agree that they don't like US cars very much, but EVO and most of the quality motoring press don't have anything against them really. They test the car for what it is, and hence love the Z06 and Mustang. They're fundamentally great cars.

Yes Best Motoring may like it, but then that show is soley about track driving. You've only got to listen to the gap between 2nd and 3rd to realise that GM let the work experience kid choose the gear ratios. I'm sure it handles ok, but it's NVH and various other things about it are apparently pretty terrible. I'm not saying the Miata/MX5 is any good either. From what I've read the new one has no steering feel at all and is terribly unpredictable.
 
Really? Haven't heard a bad word about it from any angle. :)

But if that's true, that's bad.
 
Educate yourself. The LSx series of engines weight LESS than 1.8 lt cast iron block used in the previous generation miata/mx-5. Almost ever LS Miata swap keep the car's 50/50 weight distribution. LS1TECH forums: Miata LS1 swap , LS1TECH forums: Miata LS1 swap post #28

This was the first shake-down of the car at a Auto-Cross, so it doesn't show the true potiential of the car, imho, you would need a proper track curcuit for that. Also the car seems to be a little under tired, but iirc he has since put 245/45R16's on the rears.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxFDtDwBVN0[/YOUTUBE]

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GM Slave cylinder with a home made adapter to get the hydraulics working.
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I have no idea why these images, that I coded as images, are showing up as url links.

Thank You. I was wondering when this post would show up.
 
How can you say putting a 500hp engine in a small, nimble and light car is a mistake?
Its the ultimate way to heaven. (Well yeah, and it will bring you there pretty soon, but you will have a hell lot of fun getting there)
I love these RX-7s with Chevy V8s, or the Pontiac Solstices. If I had the money maybe that would be my cars of choice. Sadly i think it would be very hard to do safe enough to meet all T?V requirements.
 
Oh, absolutely. You just go ahead and give GM a call and suggest putting their most powerful engine in to their competitor's car. Lemme know how that turns out. :p

They do sell crate motors, you know, and they don't care if you throw them in a river once they have the sale. In fact, I'm sure it puts a smile on their face when they see someone stuffing one of their motors in a non-GM car.
 
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