The Official MX-5 Miata Thread

[SJ_GTI]

Looks great. I really dig the ND's looks. Other (more expensive) cars might be faster, but it is the best looking sports car on the market today IMHO.

[CaminoRacer]

Controversial take: it's basically a more refined El Camino, just a smaller and without the truck bed. It's got a stiffer chassis so it's less crashy over bumps, but still a firm suspension and connected to the road. Transmission is smoother and more refined. With the low gearing it's plenty fast off the line for driving around town, fairly similar 0-60 as the El Camino. It's just missing the torque for speedy freeway passing in top gear.

Maybe once I get to 50k miles I'll buy the Edelbrock supercharger kit

[Laconian]

Controversial take: it's basically a more refined El Camino, just a smaller and without the truck bed.

That's just as nonsensical as "that could be a good deal, depending on the price".

[CaminoRacer]

That's just as nonsensical as "that could be a good deal, depending on the price".

Road and chassis feel. The rawness of it.

[shp4man]

Aside from the cornering ability, as a DD, the car is small, easy to park and will turn around without the back and forth exercise in an average residential street. It also gets 30mpg.
One of these days I want to see how fast the NC will go flat out.

[AutobahnSHO]

The fastest color!

I prefer the 30th anniversary orange myself, but that red is #2.

wife and I have discussed paying (texa$) to get scrappy rust fixed and whole car painted- and literally those are the two colors we consider.

I think it would be super sexy to see either one on a 20yr old car.

[AutobahnSHO]

Aside from the cornering ability, as a DD, the car is small, easy to park and will turn around without the back and forth exercise in an average residential street. It also gets 30mpg.
One of these days I want to see how fast the NC will go flat out.

I get 30mpg also, using cruise up to about 72mph (limit is 55 then 65mph for some of the drive).

And my rule is "top down unless raining". :) I had to use hat and gloves going to work a day this week. Later I'll also wear a light jacket, but windows up and heater on floor/vent keeps the cabin mostly cozy.

[CaminoRacer]

Club suspension is a bit firm for the roads around here. Good thing I'm young & used to it with the El Camino.

My airbag light is blinking. 3 blinks, then 9 blinks? I can't find a code 39. I'm guessing a wire under the dash or under one of the seats got jostled during shipping. I'm gonna dig around before taking it in, don't wanna pay $100+ for them to click a wiring connection together if I can find it myself.

[Rich]

I'd have recommended a non club. The transient response and traction isn't worth the ride penalty or the high g penalty.

[CaminoRacer]

https://youtu.be/AEMd4VVJVus

[CaminoRacer]

It's nice to have a car that I don't feel the need to upgrade at all. Other than maybe a supercharger in a few years, but honestly 155 hp is "enough" thanks to the aggressive gearing.

I don't even want to change the wheels, although I'll probably end up getting a 2nd set for all-seasons and use the BBS for some RE-71Rs.

[Laconian]

It's nice to have a car that I don't feel the need to upgrade at all. Other than maybe a supercharger in a few years, but honestly 155 hp is "enough" thanks to the aggressive gearing.

I don't even want to change the wheels, although I'll probably end up getting a 2nd set for all-seasons and use the BBS for some RE-71Rs.

The headrest speakers really suck. I want to upgrade those.

[CaminoRacer]

The headrest speakers really suck. I want to upgrade those.

OK, that's true. All the speakers could use an upgrade, even though they're Bose.

[Laconian]

OK, that's true. All the speakers could use an upgrade, even though they're Bose.

No highs, no lows, gotta be Bose

[Eye of the Tiger]

No highs, no lows, gotta be Bose

HiFi

[AutobahnSHO]

I needz headrest speakers!! But sub really thumps!!

[CaminoRacer]

I needz headrest speakers!! But sub really thumps!!

I wonder if I could fit a small sub behind the passenger seat? To save the trunk space

[AutobahnSHO]

I wonder if I could fit a small sub behind the passenger seat? To save the trunk space

So I have an older version of this one. https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/Subwoofers/Powered+Subwoofer/TS-WH500A

It doesn't fit under the seat (without modification?) but it's only about 2.5inches thick. I put it under the passenger footwell floormat (for now, was going to actually screw it down and maybe cut the floormat to allow better sound through) leaned up against the firewall.

Doesn't really steal much room! Fits perfectly in the NB. You could measure your footwell. I think the fact that it doesn't sit flat (so there's curving room under it) allows sound to come out the back and up around the floormat. 

The powerwire is literally half the thickness of a standard speaker wire. So I was SHOCKED at how much sound it puts out- even having the floormat on top of it!!!!!!!! It's not enough to ever rattle the mirror or neighborhood, but it I keep the amp at about +5 sub and the dial on the woofer control at half or less usually. (You can also control the crossover with another dial). Highly recommend!!! 

I've been running it pretty heavy for several years now- before it was on the floor between the front seats of our 2003 Odyssey. Didn't use the controller and filled out the sound very nicely. Wasn't quite as much punch- because the sound wasn't focused in a chamber.

[AutobahnSHO]

Mine is the 100 model, bought around $180? several years ago. I can't speak highly enough of it- within reason remembering it's a tiny package, it will never match a 1000watt amp with two 12" in a box.

[MrH]

Yeah, I've got something similar in the S2000.  One of these:

 

I only have it turned up to about 1/3, and it's plenty of bass.  Tons of power and plenty for a convertible. Paired it with a 600W, 4-channel amp is powering 4, 6.5" speakers.  Sounds great for being something I threw together in my garage and plenty of power for top down, 90+ mph driving.

[AutobahnSHO]

Yeah, I've got something similar in the S2000.  One of these:

I only have it turned up to about 1/3, and it's plenty of bass.  Tons of power and plenty for a convertible. Paired it with a 600W, 4-channel amp is powering 4, 6.5" speakers.  Sounds great for being something I threw together in my garage and plenty of power for top down, 90+ mph driving.

I'd love more sound- honestly just the headrest speakers plus this sub would be fine for me. But I'm not going to worry about it.

I would totally love the sub for Odyssey, but that's probably not going to happen. I like the little cargo space back there for jumper cables, etc...

[AutobahnSHO]

I grinded it going into third going home from work yesterday.

Rare I miss a shift- even if I don't do very well it just kinda sucks itself into the right spot as the clutch goes back in....

[AutobahnSHO]

After work gassed up next to a Z3. We talked a bit, he thinks Miata corners better even though Z3 is faster. He was done right when I was starting, he left, I happened to catch him a few miles down the highway (doing about 7 over 55mph limit and stoplights) and ended up at a red light in front of him before a 270degree cloverleaf. (I didn't cut him off at all but still felt a little weird).  He didn't try to keep up unfortunately- I do it in 4th and end up at 65mph at the end, there isn't a ton of merge space and often people are still doing 40mph but it's a 65mph zone.

[CaminoRacer]

Since I'm like the max height you can be to still fit in an ND, I've been putting the top down basically whenever it's above 40 degrees. Helps not feel claustrophobic.

[shp4man]

I'm off today- working Saturday. I should get my lazy ass out there and wash the MX-5. But maybe later...

[CaminoRacer]

I got the BBS wheels, but I should probably get a second set so I can easily swap between 200TW autox tires and all-seasons. The BBS have the stock summer tires on them right now. I might do the first few autox events with them, just to get a feel for the stock car, then switch to RE-71Rs. The question is, do I make the BBS wheels my autox wheels or street wheels?

I could get some PF01s, which I believe are about 0.5 lbs lighter than the BBS

[MrH]

I would imagine you want to go wider for autoX?

[MX793]

I would imagine you want to go wider for autoX?

If it's SCCA, wider sticks you in a different class with a far less favorable handicap.  Unless you want to invest in other mods, you end up less competitive.

[CaminoRacer]

Yeah, I was gonna stick with the stock width wheel so I stay in CS class. You can change the diameter 1", but not the width. That leaves me with 17x7 or 16x7. The PF01 fits over the Brembo brakes in 17x7, while the RPF1 doesn't (I think only 17x8 fits)

For tires, the RE-71R is easy to get for 17x7 in 205/45R17 (stock size), but BFG Rival S 1.5 only offers 225/45R17, which is beefy on a 7 inch rim. They have a 215/45R16, but I don't know if I want 16s due to the smaller diameter. The 225/45R17 are a bit taller than stock, which could be helpful for increasing the 2nd gear top speed.

[AutobahnSHO]

LOL if your old ones fit the stock NB and you're looking to offload I would consider purchase