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80 miles/day commute. You want a fun car that gets good gas mileage and can participate in SCCA events on the weekend. What do you choose?

Miata pros:
- better MPG
- Edelbrock supercharger available
- better throttle calibration

BRZ pros:
- has a "backseat"
- more options on the used market
- more HP

Theoretically I'd have money for a brand new car so I'd go ND.

The Toyota Twins. They're quieter, and have a more forgiving ride. (Not like the ND has a bad ride, but the FRS is more comfortable)

Quote from: AutobahnSHO on November 29, 2017, 01:26:49 PM
Theoretically I'd have money for a brand new car so I'd go ND.

Yeah, can be either new or gently used.

I'd go for the Freeze Breeze. My RF is still pretty deafening at 70mph, the soft top is probably even worse. Seriously, my ears ring after extended highway trips.

Tough one, but probably BRZ.  Both vehicles would be fairly useless in the winter, but I've seen plenty of BRZs around with snows...pretty rare to see a Miater out in the winter. :lol:

ND

ND, hands down.  Most cars are more comfortable than mine, and I'm fine with how comfortable mine is.  I'm sure the MX-5 is more comfortable.  And why give up the ability to go top down at a moment's notice, just so you can have a slightly quieter commute?  Enjoy the drive.

Yikes, that commute sounds horrible.  But of the two, BRZ easy.

Quote from: 2o6 on November 29, 2017, 01:28:41 PM
The Toyota Twins. They're quieter, and have a more forgiving ride. (Not like the ND has a bad ride, but the FRS is more comfortable)

I'd imagine the BRZ would have better road noise control too, which would be key for driving 80 miles a day

It was warm-ish and dry out tonight so I drove my ND and knocked the tail out a lot. So much fun.

Comfortable, too - the HVAC puts out EXTREMELY hot air and the seat heaters are very toasty.

So I change my vote to ND, because that car is fun as hell.

Both.

Quote from: Laconian on November 29, 2017, 10:44:03 PM
It was warm-ish and dry out tonight so I drove my ND and knocked the tail out a lot. So much fun.

Comfortable, too - the HVAC puts out EXTREMELY hot air and the seat heaters are very toasty.

So I change my vote to ND, because that car is fun as hell.

:lol:

I was surprised at how loud the stock exhaust was on Rich's 86.  Could hear it very well with the radio off and windows up. I prefer stealthier driving....

Quote from: AutobahnSHO on November 30, 2017, 01:22:01 PM
I was surprised at how loud the stock exhaust was on Rich's 86.  Could hear it very well with the radio off and windows up. I prefer stealthier driving....

That's not the exhaust.  That's intake noise being piped through the firewall via a sound tube (I don't think the FRZBRS has a synthesizer system that plays fake noise through the speakers...).  On the outside, those cars are very quiet when stock.  I see a ton of them at the auto-x and stock ones are barely audible from 100 yards away at WOT.  You hear more tire squeal than engine noise.

Miata (after CRV of course).

Quote from: MX793 on November 30, 2017, 03:46:30 PM
That's not the exhaust.  That's intake noise being piped through the firewall via a sound tube (I don't think the FRZBRS has a synthesizer system that plays fake noise through the speakers...).  On the outside, those cars are very quiet when stock.  I see a ton of them at the auto-x and stock ones are barely audible from 100 yards away at WOT.  You hear more tire squeal than engine noise.

I was gonna say, Mike's BRZ wasn't very loud.

Quote from: Raza  on November 29, 2017, 03:46:02 PM
ND, hands down.  Most cars are more comfortable than mine, and I'm fine with how comfortable mine is.  I'm sure the MX-5 is more comfortable.  And why give up the ability to go top down at a moment's notice, just so you can have a slightly quieter commute?  Enjoy the drive.

And your car is more comfortable than mine. :lol: Shippy's truck and Rags' Miata are probably the only cars here that approach mine wrt noise and ride.

Quote from: CaminoRacer on December 01, 2017, 11:39:54 AM
And your car is more comfortable than mine. :lol: Shippy's truck and Rags' Miata are probably the only cars here that approach mine wrt noise and ride.

I'd bet Shippy's truck is quite a bit quieter and smoother than your El Camino. My '66 Chevy is pretty quiet and rides smooth.

Probably. Until I buy it from him and give it a makeover.

Quote from: CaminoRacer on November 30, 2017, 05:37:18 PM
I was gonna say, Mike's BRZ wasn't very loud.

Tire noise was out of control when I went to wider tires.

I pick the ND. Comfort levels aren't all that different between the two. The ND is a much better car overall.

I vote S2000 actually. I swear if I wasn't worried about rust and if there was an abundance of S2000s on the market, I'd be down to DD this one. I think it's fine.

I DD my Miata, often more than 80 miles. The lined top on the GT trim is fine for highway duty, and you find yourself looking for any excuse to take the top down, so it really doesn't even matter. The ride is better in the Miata. BRZ if you need to cart along gear.

I just drove to work with the top down in 41 degree weather. The heater is amazing.

Quote from: Laconian on December 07, 2017, 02:49:00 PM
I just drove to work with the top down in 41 degree weather. The heater is amazing.

:rockon: #metoo

Fiata. I dislike the looks of the ND, but there are great deals to be had on the Fiat 124, so you can have the same interior in an Italian styled package for less money and still have the top down ability for fun days and comfyness on the commute.

Quote from: ChrisV on December 08, 2017, 09:01:21 AM
Fiata. I dislike the looks of the ND, but there are great deals to be had on the Fiat 124, so you can have the same interior in an Italian styled package for less money and still have the top down ability for fun days and comfyness on the commute.

Hard pass. That engine is a turd.

It has a strange lumpy powerband.

it's also quite tunable, but I didn't find it objectionable in stock form.

Fiata has less body roll, no?

It runs 22 lbs of boost to make shit for power. Woof.

Quote from: Laconian on December 08, 2017, 11:29:37 AM
Fiata has less body roll, no?

A little less, but it rides better, too. Which is a consideration on a long commute.

Quote from: Laconian on December 07, 2017, 02:49:00 PM
I just drove to work with the top down in 41 degree weather. The heater is amazing.

I love the looks you get.  Some people talk to you too, which is also fun.

Quote from: Raza  on December 29, 2017, 01:34:06 PM
I love the looks you get.  Some people talk to you too, which is also fun.

So you wear earmuffs, ski mask, toque?  How do you keep your head warm?

Quote from: MrH on December 08, 2017, 01:11:50 PM
It runs 22 lbs of boost to make shit for power. Woof.

Uh, oh wow, you're not kidding. 22psi for 160hp? Yeow

Quote from: ChrisV on December 08, 2017, 02:22:34 PM
A little less, but it rides better, too. Which is a consideration on a long commute.

A stock Miata rides 10x better than my current car, so it wouldn't be a big deal.

Quote from: Laconian on December 29, 2017, 05:06:04 PM
Uh, oh wow, you're not kidding. 22psi for 160hp? Yeow

Yeah, it's incredible how bad that engine is. It's laggy, but makes bad top end too. You can chip it, but the gains aren't all that big and then the turbo runs out of steam. An ND running super low boost absolutely smokes the thing.

It looks like tuners are starting to find top end for the Fiata motor. Doesn't matter though. A bolt on + tuned ND hits that magic 200HP/ton mark with perfect response and less weight.

I didn't realize there were superchargers available for the BRZ. :hmm:

http://www.turnology.com/news/mcleod-tuner-series-clutch-survives-big-supercharger-upgrade/

Quote from: CaminoRacer on January 05, 2018, 09:49:18 AM
I didn't realize there were superchargers available for the BRZ. :hmm:

http://www.turnology.com/news/mcleod-tuner-series-clutch-survives-big-supercharger-upgrade/

Maybe the other kits are better but I would stay NA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT717HBSSNE

The Miata seems more fun to mod