The Official MX-5 Miata Thread

Started by Onslaught, September 09, 2010, 01:35:50 PM

AutobahnSHO

Quote from: Laconian on April 19, 2020, 07:32:19 PM
Had a nice 60mi romp. Average consumption: 38mpg. Hooray for summer gas!

woot!
Will

Rich

2003 Mazda Miata 5MT; 2005 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport 4AT

AutobahnSHO

Quote from: Rich on May 21, 2020, 02:19:59 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziuesosN-eU

Love Fiata references and the difference between my stock NA and Scrappy in terms of floppy back end is AMAZING..

And hope your ND is ripping up the roads! 
Will

shp4man


shp4man

Cleaned it up and went for a nice ride in the mountains east of town. Notice intact right foglamp!  ;)


SJ_GTI


FoMoJo

Quote from: shp4man on May 25, 2020, 01:12:44 PM
Cleaned it up and went for a nice ride in the mountains east of town. Notice intact right foglamp!  ;)


Your wife drive it yet?
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

shp4man


mzziaz

Cuore Sportivo

CaminoRacer

So I'm looking at NC2 and NC3. Probably a Grand Touring? Seems like there's a decent selection in the $12-15k range. Maybe I'll hold out for a good Club model.

For a DD in an area that snows, would the soft top be fine? I prefer it to the PRHT but don't want trouble if the soft top is bad in the winter.
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

shp4man

Quote from: FoMoJo on May 25, 2020, 07:03:46 PM
Your wife drive it yet?

She's been in it for a ride, but hasn't driven it. I went slow.  ;)

shp4man

Quote from: mzziaz on May 27, 2020, 12:17:08 PM
Nice car, sweet color!

Thank you! Color name is Copper Red Mica.

shp4man

Quote from: CaminoRacer on May 27, 2020, 01:40:07 PM
So I'm looking at NC2 and NC3. Probably a Grand Touring? Seems like there's a decent selection in the $12-15k range. Maybe I'll hold out for a good Club model.

For a DD in an area that snows, would the soft top be fine? I prefer it to the PRHT but don't want trouble if the soft top is bad in the winter.

The hardtop itself is made of composite and from what i've read, they don't break very much. It's a programmed procedure to raise and lower the top. The ECU lowers both windows about an inch, activates the top motor and raises the boot. It beeps when the procedure is finished. You have to be stopped, but you can buy a module that bypasses that. I don't know anything about the softtop.
NC's coolant tanks will leak, and some inattentive people have lost engines because of it.
Some people don't like the Bose sound system- I'm OK with it, personally.
The GT car has some options that are nice if you drive the car a lot for example, the heated seats are faster than waiting for the heater to work.
It's a very solid car- no rattles at 65K miles, and it has a really stiff suspension.
The AT6 car (automatic) isn't available with an LSD (limited slip diff) does not have a forged crank like the manual model and has 3 less horsepower.  ;)

AutobahnSHO

Quote from: CaminoRacer on May 27, 2020, 01:40:07 PM
So I'm looking at NC2 and NC3. Probably a Grand Touring? Seems like there's a decent selection in the $12-15k range. Maybe I'll hold out for a good Club model.

For a DD in an area that snows, would the soft top be fine? I prefer it to the PRHT but don't want trouble if the soft top is bad in the winter.

I had my NA in Clarksville, TN. It had a cheap vinyl soft top, which was very hard to close when cold. That could be adjusted but I never bothered.

Miatas aren't good in rain, you have to take it easy with the RWD and I imagine snow/ice are even worse. 

The extra weight for PRHT I think would be worth it in your area.
Will

CaminoRacer

Quote from: AutobahnSHO on June 03, 2020, 10:20:31 AM
I had my NA in Clarksville, TN. It had a cheap vinyl soft top, which was very hard to close when cold. That could be adjusted but I never bothered.

Miatas aren't good in rain, you have to take it easy with the RWD and I imagine snow/ice are even worse. 

The extra weight for PRHT I think would be worth it in your area.

I've driven my RWD torquey El Camino in snow and rain so I'm not too worried about that aspect. I have garage space now so I could probably get a set of snow tires too.

Does PRHT cut into the trunk space more than the soft tops?
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

Laconian

Nope, the Miata PRHT stacks in the same space that's used by the softtop.
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

MX793

#2506
I don't understand this notion that RWD is "bad" in the rain.  At least half the miles I've accumulated in my lifetime have been in RWD cars, some of them pretty powerful, in a part of the world where water falls from the sky at least 1 out of every 3 days during spring, summer, and fall and have never so much as had a pucker moment.  I don't even really adjust my driving style on the street unless it's raining so hard that visibility is poor or there is significant standing water pooled in the road.  I do back down the intensity when driving on a track, and even then I'm driving harder and faster than any sane person should be driving on the street.  I also will slow down around curves on the bike, but that's because oil spots become very slick when wet and I only have two very small contact patches.

Now, if you live someplace in the southwest where it only rains once a month, the roads do get pretty greasy, especially in the opening minutes of a rain shower.
Needs more Jiggawatts

2016 Ford Mustang GTPP / 2011 Toyota Rav4 Base AWD / 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS
1992 Nissan 240SX Fastback / 2004 Mazda Mazda3s / 2011 Ford Mustang V6 Premium / 2007 Suzuki GSF1250SA Bandit / 2006 VW Jetta 2.5

Laconian

#2507
:hesaid: Also: when you break traction in RWD, you don't lose steering and scrub wide. Ease off the throttle and the oversteer disappears. IMO, this is a safer (and more fun!) failure mode for folks who know how to drive.
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

r0tor

Quote from: Laconian on June 03, 2020, 11:40:15 AM
:hesaid: Also: when you break traction in RWD, you don't lose steering and scrub wide. Ease off the throttle and the oversteer disappears. IMO, this is a safer (and more fun!) failure mode for folks who know how to drive.

That's true unless you have an lsd in the rear... Things can come around very quickly and requires a significant amount of skill to control
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee No Speed -- 2004 Mazda RX8 6 speed -- 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia All Speed

FoMoJo

Quote from: r0tor on June 03, 2020, 12:37:41 PM
That's true unless you have an lsd in the rear... Things can come around very quickly and requires a significant amount of skill to control
I had this experience in my '57 Studebaker Silver Hawk.  Took a 130 degree angle turn at an intersection too quickly in the rain.  I was lucky to catch it, but was very close to spinning out.  The over steer was bad enough but the first correction caused an even bigger opposite over steer.  Showing off to a friend, but it taught me a lesson.
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

AutobahnSHO

Quote from: MX793 on June 03, 2020, 11:37:04 AM
I don't understand this notion that RWD is "bad" in the rain.  At least half the miles I've accumulated in my lifetime have been in RWD cars, some of them pretty powerful, in a part of the world where water falls from the sky at least 1 out of every 3 days during spring, summer, and fall and have never so much as had a pucker moment.  I don't even really adjust my driving style on the street unless it's raining so hard that visibility is poor or there is significant standing water pooled in the road.  I do back down the intensity when driving on a track, and even then I'm driving harder and faster than any sane person should be driving on the street.  I also will slow down around curves on the bike, but that's because oil spots become very slick when wet and I only have two very small contact patches.

Now, if you live someplace in the southwest where it only rains once a month, the roads do get pretty greasy, especially in the opening minutes of a rain shower.

Not saying you can't drive RWD in the rain. I do and have.

It's night and day though Subaru to Miata. I drive the Miata hard almost every corner and get pretty bad gas mileage...    But in the rain have to drive much nicer.

Subaru I can beat absolutely anyone from a light when it's wet out because they're a little more careful on the gas but I can mash 100% and not have any slipping (except for corners and braking of course).
Will

Laconian

Quote from: AutobahnSHO on June 03, 2020, 01:29:34 PM
But in the rain have to drive much nicer.

I strongly suspect that the issue has more to do with the tires than the driven wheels.
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

MX793

Quote from: AutobahnSHO on June 03, 2020, 01:29:34 PM
Not saying you can't drive RWD in the rain. I do and have.

It's night and day though Subaru to Miata. I drive the Miata hard almost every corner and get pretty bad gas mileage...    But in the rain have to drive much nicer.

Subaru I can beat absolutely anyone from a light when it's wet out because they're a little more careful on the gas but I can mash 100% and not have any slipping (except for corners and braking of course).

Like I said, I do not adjust my normal street driving style for light or moderate rain.  I take corners and ramps at the same speed.  I accelerate from a stop with the same amount of throttle application.  I think the only change I make in those conditions is that I do increase my following distance relative to the car in front of me.

There are things I'm willing to do in the dry that I won't in the rain, like a full throttle romp from a stoplight or really hucking it into a ramp or down a twisty gorge road, but I don't do those things routinely as part of my normal driving style.

I posted a video a while back of me racing in the rain.  It was before I had dedicated race tires, so I was running my normal street tires.  The g forces were also displayed.  I was pulling .7-.8g lateral in the corners.  I saw .4-.5g in forward acceleration.  These numbers are significant.  Cornering in particular.
Needs more Jiggawatts

2016 Ford Mustang GTPP / 2011 Toyota Rav4 Base AWD / 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS
1992 Nissan 240SX Fastback / 2004 Mazda Mazda3s / 2011 Ford Mustang V6 Premium / 2007 Suzuki GSF1250SA Bandit / 2006 VW Jetta 2.5

AutobahnSHO

Quote from: MX793 on June 03, 2020, 03:05:30 PM
Like I said, I do not adjust my normal street driving style for light or moderate rain.  I take corners and ramps at the same speed.  I accelerate from a stop with the same amount of throttle application.  I think the only change I make in those conditions is that I do increase my following distance relative to the car in front of me.

There are things I'm willing to do in the dry that I won't in the rain, like a full throttle romp from a stoplight or really hucking it into a ramp or down a twisty gorge road, but I don't do those things routinely as part of my normal driving style.

I posted a video a while back of me racing in the rain.  It was before I had dedicated race tires, so I was running my normal street tires.  The g forces were also displayed.  I was pulling .7-.8g lateral in the corners.  I saw .4-.5g in forward acceleration.  These numbers are significant.  Cornering in particular.

I romp quite a lot, Miata can do so safely and within speed limits. Legal go-kart as it were.

Yes my car has economy tires but they have totally safe/ healthy tread on them. But I can't drive it in the rain like I do when it's dry. Even though when it's wet I still catch people on corners- but those are people who are scared of going more than 10mph around a regular corner.
Will

AutobahnSHO

Quote from: Laconian on June 03, 2020, 02:22:02 PM
I strongly suspect that the issue has more to do with the tires than the driven wheels.

My tires are economy tires with not super grip but they have healthy tread and pattern.

I just drive the car hard cornering- can't do the same in rain. Rich did put on the crossbar under the hood and some goodies under the rear which almost totally eliminate body roll. Adds a bit of oversteer I suspect.
Will

r0tor

I did //M School in a downpour and actually half of tradition training there is in the wet to teach car control at safer speeds... You can definitely achieve what to normal driver are "brown stain" levels of cornering acceleration in the rain.
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee No Speed -- 2004 Mazda RX8 6 speed -- 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia All Speed

MX793

Quote from: r0tor on June 04, 2020, 01:28:13 PM
I did //M School in a downpour and actually half of tradition training there is in the wet to teach car control at safer speeds... You can definitely achieve what to normal driver are "brown stain" levels of cornering acceleration in the rain.

Unless you are on exceptionally bad tires.  Though even on the garbage economy tires that came on my last Mustang (which I could break loose in 3rd gear in the rain), I didn't have to slow down from my normal driving in the rain.
Needs more Jiggawatts

2016 Ford Mustang GTPP / 2011 Toyota Rav4 Base AWD / 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS
1992 Nissan 240SX Fastback / 2004 Mazda Mazda3s / 2011 Ford Mustang V6 Premium / 2007 Suzuki GSF1250SA Bandit / 2006 VW Jetta 2.5

Laconian

I want to upgrade my Miata's tires, but I barely drove my car pre-'rona, and I almost never drive it now. My mechanicals were bone dry when I fired it up yesterday - the car had been idle for almost three weeks. The lifter ticking noise took almost ten minutes to disappear.
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

MX793

#2518
Quote from: Laconian on June 04, 2020, 02:01:35 PM
I want to upgrade my Miata's tires, but I barely drove my car pre-'rona, and I almost never drive it now. My mechanicals were bone dry when I fired it up yesterday - the car had been idle for almost three weeks. The lifter ticking noise took almost ten minutes to disappear.

Was it lifter tick or injector noise?  DI motors have a fair bit of clatter from the injectors.

Edit:  do recent Miatas even have hydraulic lifters?  IIRC, the NCs had solid lifters.  I would assume NDs retained that.  NAs and NBs had hydraulic lifters.
Needs more Jiggawatts

2016 Ford Mustang GTPP / 2011 Toyota Rav4 Base AWD / 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS
1992 Nissan 240SX Fastback / 2004 Mazda Mazda3s / 2011 Ford Mustang V6 Premium / 2007 Suzuki GSF1250SA Bandit / 2006 VW Jetta 2.5

FoMoJo

Quote from: Laconian on June 04, 2020, 02:01:35 PM
I want to upgrade my Miata's tires, but I barely drove my car pre-'rona, and I almost never drive it now. My mechanicals were bone dry when I fired it up yesterday - the car had been idle for almost three weeks. The lifter ticking noise took almost ten minutes to disappear.
Mazda motors have a history of valve lash noise/racket.
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."