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MX5/Miata Thread

MX5/Miata Thread

  • Total voters
    191
I would be happy to let any finalgear peeps in south florida test-drive my NA if you arent sure.

Its a stripper model with the "power steering pack", which comes with P/S and A/C, but the Previous owner converted it back to manual (And i dont mean Depowered, i mean removed and replaced the steering rack). So other than Air conditioning and a stereo (left AND right speakers!!!) i dont have any features, its a proper old roadster. Sitting on M edition 6 inch wide wheels on the best summer tires i could find. Free test drives if you want it and your in the area.
 
HansGruber said:
What do all you Miata fans think of forced induction? I've been reading a few articles. Some people like it, some don't.
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I like FI on Miatas and I don't. It depends on the desires of the owner, the intended use, and the setup. The distinction between supercharger and turbocharger is important, as is the distinction between systems. Honestly, I think forced induction on a Miata is best for the street and perhaps autocross. On the track, I prefer naturally aspirated (with an engine swap instead of FI if more power is desired). This is because FI produces a lot of heat (at least when tuned to provide a lot of power), and heat can be a real problem on the track. While a V8 swapped Miata will produce more heat than an OEM Miata, the larger engine handles the added heat better, and cooling is slightly less of a problem. I loved the supercharger on my NA, on the street. I also loved the turbo '94 a friend had, also on the street. The supercharged car hada huge powerband, while the turbo car had a jump in torque that gave a hard kick. Take your pick as to which you want in your car.

thedguy said:
The NB may be the superior car, but the NA is the better Miata :p
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That is, roughly, a quote from Bob Hall, who was one of the people who worked on the original NA. Many call him the Father of the Miata. :) He has since said he prefers the NC to the NB for Miata-ness - the NC is heavier, but it has more safety regulations to handle. It does a good job bringing the LWS idea to a newer time.
 
Might I say, that was a great read there equiraptor!

Perhaps I should give one of these things a drive... but I still can't see myself ever owning one.
 
JipJopJones said:
Might I say, that was a great read there equiraptor!

Perhaps I should give one of these things a drive... but I still can't see myself ever owning one.
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I used to think Miatas were little toy cars for girls. Then I read up on them and my curiosity peaked. Drove one and knew I had to buy one. Try it!
 
I don't really see them as toy cars. I think they can be really cool actually. It's just not the type of car that I would ever buy... i don't think. But hey, never say never.
 
JJJ you know my car history, maybe have a little insight into my taste in cars. Everyone needs to own a miata at some point, its one of those "bucketlist" cars...


Equiraptor, as far as coolant problems go at the track, have you ever heard of the "coolant reroute" mod many do on the 1.6 and 1.8 motors? Does it seem to have any effect? A turbo is certainly in my future and florida gets quite warm.
 
We didn't discuss the coolant reroute when we discussed cooling options for my car. I'm not sure if it was available at that point. For what I was doing, it wasn't an issue. I can't honestly answer your question, as I don't have the experience. I could make some semi-educated guesses, but I suspect you could get first-hand experience on miata.net. ;)
 
MattD1zzl3 said:
JJJ you know my car history, maybe have a little insight into my taste in cars. Everyone needs to own a miata at some point, its one of those "bucketlist" cars...


Equiraptor, as far as coolant problems go at the track, have you ever heard of the "coolant reroute" mod many do on the 1.6 and 1.8 motors? Does it seem to have any effect? A turbo is certainly in my future and florida gets quite warm.
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Several friends have done it. One has a 250whp/250wtq MSM track/street car that even with it still had cooling issues with his 37mm radiator. IIRC though he said it did help but he knew from day one he was held back by the small radiator. 100+degree dry heat and long wide tracks = lots of heat getting dumped into the cooling system.

I've been hesitant to do much for power mods on my car largely because I know it's going to open up the can of worms with the cooling system.
 
JipJopJones said:
Might I say, that was a great read there equiraptor!

Perhaps I should give one of these things a drive... but I still can't see myself ever owning one.
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Thanks, JipJopJones. You should take a Miata for a spin, at some point, and if you can, drive one at autocross or on the track. They're a lot of fun, and they really shine at autocross. That said, you shouldn't feel pressured to own one (despite the comments of the MX-5 crowd here). Not everyone wants to own a Miata (just as I don't want to own a Mustang).

thedguy said:
I've been hesitant to do much for power mods on my car largely because I know it's going to open up the can of worms with the cooling system.
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This is one of the reasons I'm more interested in weight reduction than power mods. The other is that power doesn't help braking or handling. ;)

Mr. Nice said:
Cosworth, it's what MX-5 owners crave
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No thanks. I have experience with both Cosworth NCs and BEGi Turbo NCs. If I were to add FI, it'd be the BEGi solution. It was later to market than the Cosworth, but it produces more power from the same PSI and is more flexible. Plus BEGi is right in my backyard and I already have good connections with them.

I'd like to note, as well, that a forced induction NC (either system) on the OEM suspension, even on R-compounds, cannot outrun my OEM powered NC on street tires with mild coilovers at Harris Hill Road. Fix that suspension, guys!
 
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I never buy aftermarket stuff, but everything I look at is the mainstream stuff everyone talks about. That is my explanation for Cosworth, which has a lot of interesting engine mods if you don't want forced induction. It is also my explanation for what I will post now.

http://www.hotchkis.net/mx5_sport_sway_bar_set.html

Edit: Hotchkis has a link to an interesting MX-5 buildup at the bottom of that page.
 
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They're supposed to help with understeer, but the other reason for that link is that it has a link to an MX-5 buildup.
 
equi, what all have you done to your suspension?
 
Currently the NC just has JIC FLT-A2 coilovers. It's not properly corner weighted and it's not even properly aligned anymore. I'm using the OEM sway bar up front and the rear sway bar is currently detached (with the OEM sway bar hanging there, ready to be attached if I want a bit more oversteer).

In the past, it has been properly corner weighted, and at one point in had the OEM sway bar up front with the Eibach one on the rear. This is when it was running 245/45R16 Hoosier A6 up front and 285/30R18 Hoosier A6 on the rear. This was for autocross. 285s on all four would have been better, but were outside of my budget (the rears were free, the fronts weren't). Had it worn 285s on all four it would have used the OEM sways, front and rear.
 
equiraptor said:
Thanks, JipJopJones. You should take a Miata for a spin, at some point, and if you can, drive one at autocross or on the track. They're a lot of fun, and they really shine at autocross. That said, you shouldn't feel pressured to own one (despite the comments of the MX-5 crowd here). Not everyone wants to own a Miata (just as I don't want to own a Mustang).
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I can't agree more to this statement. I do think any car enthusiast that likes cars that handle at all should at least give one (in well kept condition) a try.

This is one of the reasons I'm more interested in weight reduction than power mods. The other is that power doesn't help braking or handling. ;)
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If you've dug through my thread you'll know the only things I have been doing to my car is suspension, tires, brakes, and I got poly bushings going in place.

My lowly automatic-conversion 1.6 generally gets the wave by at SOW by any year evo unless it's extremely well driven or on r-comps and I'm not a good driver!
 
thedguy said:
If you've dug through my thread you'll know the only things I have been doing to my car is suspension, tires, brakes, JDM 12A engine swap, and I got poly bushings going in place.

My lowly automatic-conversion 1.6 is slow as hell. Going through a long ordeal of an engine swap to get 20 or so more hp would definably be worth it.
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:p
 
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