by "JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
Published 04/03/2017 at 23:30
by "JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
Published 04/03/2017 at 23:30
No Tags
STARS: 4
He drives an automatic NC1 soft-top Miata that he bought almost 5 years back. It’s been trouble free aside from somewhat extra-routine mainenance and was kept stock aside from an adrenaline-inducing K&N air filter for the first few years. His longtime friend and mechanic works on a manual NC2 from next door to the shop, and one day I happened upon four discarded Bilsteins w/ sport springs sitting in the back of the shop. A very reasonable price for the struts was agreed upon and my dad had them installed in place of the old and soft, yet viable stock units. However, the aforementioned other Miata owner beats on the car and the sport package pieces he ditched for coilovers were worse for the wear. While the car handled sufficiently well afterwards with the still-mild struts and Potenza S-04s, the rear shocks leaked and chronic clunking ensued.
Fortunes changed a few months ago, I found what is usually a $1,200 suspension kit comprising of shock mounts, Koni shocks, and H&R sport lowering springs on Tire Rack for about $300 with free shipping. My dad was eager to get some fresher suspension in the car and he was thinking of trying autocross, so this was a perfect opportunity to prepare the car and eliminate an irritant.
But that obviously can’t be the only thing. Anyone who is anybody knows that the sway bars on a 2006 to 2015 MX-5 are puny and almost useless boulevard-cruiser-grade hardware; while good replacements can be found in a sporting version of the NC’s chassis-sharing sister, the RX-8, some thicker adjustable ones were sourced new from Flyin’ Miata for convenience and adjustability. I managed to score some high quality Sankei 555 front end links at my then-current job for 10 bucks apiece and sourced some Moogs (Thai-made but more than serviceable) for the rear on Rock Auto. I didn’t see a need to splurge on end-links which were mostly cheap insurance. Lastly, I picked up some Bosch Icons, Pentofrost A2 coolant to replace the original stuff, a bit of correct Aisin 0T4 for a rolling ATF change to ensure that the slushbox doesn’t seppuku-ize from my workplace to use every last bit of employee discount. That was rounded off by three 5qt jugs of M1 EP bundled with M1 filters for just $90 at Advance.
Of course, there will be complications, though the ones this car suffers can hardly be termed as such. Yesterday, we were going to take the car out to some windy roads to get a “before” impression as a reference point for the feel of the car after the work was completed. Traffic was a predictably harrowing sight and, upon turning home, we were greeted with a tire pressure warning light. A quick walk-around betrayed nothing. A quick 75-mph return down the express lane produced an unusual ride, and a neighbor notified us that the tire was flat-as-could-be pulling up to the house. For the second time on this car, a valve stem had sheared right off for no good reason and took the Schrader valve and most air in the tire with it. The jack was deployed, the wheel removed, and a VDO clamp-style TPMS ordered quickly. I took it in today to be fit on the car and the tire seemed structurally fine. Maybe the car just senses that it’s being given amounts of attention and feels too free to act out.
I have to wonder: does anyone else live vicariously through someone whose car (despite being the subject of some fun-making) leaves actual room in the budget for modifications by requiring so little in repairs?
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
04/04/2017 at 00:06, STARS: 6
I am that friend. All the car guys in my group financed wrx’s, Fiesta ST’s, G35's, Audi TT’s, etc. And none of them do anything to their cars because they’re college age and stuck with payments on vehicles that are moderately pricey to keep running, and they make many excuses but really they’re just scared of the MOD LIFE. Yo.
Prepping for rollbar, coilovers and removing some things from my engine bay for a cleaner, simpler look
"Out, but with a W - has found the answer" (belg)
04/04/2017 at 01:01, STARS: 1
You know what to do: http://www.bbrgti.com/product/bbr-mx-5-nc-super-225/ (yes, ITBs)
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
04/04/2017 at 01:17, STARS: 0
I am moving away from mods on any car I drive every day. It doesn’t seem to end well.
"Funktheduck" (funktheduck)
04/04/2017 at 09:03, STARS: 1
I’m in the same boat as you. I use my car for work so reliability is paramount. The only thing I’ll do to it is the Hella horns I’ll be installing this week.
"t0ast" (t0ast217)
04/04/2017 at 11:38, STARS: 1
For a while, it was my younger brother, who managed to find a 240SX and MR2 (both 1st gen.) as his 2nd and 3rd cars while I was off at college. The 240 unfortunately didn’t last long due to (automatic) transmission troubles, but the MR2 actually went so far as to get a pretty hot engine rebuild and some aggressive suspension bits. It’d suffice to say I was pretty jealous, though I did at least get a chance to spend some time in it for the purpose of learning to drive manual, which didn’t take long at all (considering that you feel EVERYTHING so clearly) and the car was just a delight in general. I definitely have it to thank for my disposition towards lightweight cars.
Now among family and friends, it’s probably me and one of my uncles.
My NC accumulated a few minor upgrades while paying it off, but once that was done and I had a 2nd vehicle ready to handle winters and longer road trips, it was go time for mods and autocross not long after. Save for perhaps a better set of coilovers and the ~80 lb weight penalty that is the powered hardtop, it’s basically good to go for competitive SCCA STR-class autocross.
Speaking of NCs, if your dad is interested in a bit more power, a tune alone is a pretty easy and cost-effective step. I’d ballpark 10-12 HP to be gained there for <$500 if going the EcuTek route (which is the most popular at the moment and comes with some extra goodies like map switching and auto-blip downshifts). Adding a midpipe and muffler into the mix is also very easy and would bump the total gains up into the 15-20 HP range (at a cost of $300-600 each), and there actually are some relatively quiet options available too.
Back to the original question, I also have a tendency to make some of my vacations include the rental of interesting cars.
The uncle I mentioned earlier lives out in Middle-Of-Nowhere, Nebraska and has a sizeable garage filled with goodies like a low milesage Grand National, a Porsche 944 which sees some track time, a newish BMW 3 series, and more than a few mid-late 60s Cadillacs in various states of restoration. There’s basically something to drool over for everybody.
It looks like things might be coming back around to my brother as well, since he just picked up an ‘87 300ZX to play around with. That, and I also have a friend that some of us are egging on to do the EJ207 swap for his bugeye WRX wagon that he’s been contemplating for a while now.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
04/04/2017 at 20:51, STARS: 1
That MR-2 must have been a fun platform/go-kart to build on. I’ve really always been too busy with repairs on my car back when it was operable, but I wasn’t exactly finding the limits in many instances. It seems like you’ve gotten your race car for the road fix now and it looks sharp! I think the PRHT is really mostly upside given that those 80 lbs are in the right place.
I dig the rental concept when it comes to impractical/unfeasible cars that are must-drives. It makes a lot of sense to add to an escape from monotony with a car that does the same.
The idea of living somewhere that allows for a nice stable of cars and unclogged roads appeals to me more and more. Your uncle sounds like he has a really diverse collection and a classic Cadillac is never a bad thing (well, gas crises excepted).
If winters are uncharacteristically snowy, I’ll have my atrocious Thunderbird to lend to my dad as a runabout. I doubt that the changes to drivability will be dramatic aside from ride height in some conditions, but the summer tires make it pretty unusable in winter conditions anyways.
In terms of power, I’m sure an ECU remap would be great especially considering that the factory tune is all the more restrictive on automatic cars. Thanks for the pointers; maybe he’ll want to explore these routes in the next year if he gets addicted to track days or autocross!
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
04/04/2017 at 21:16, STARS: 0
Nice! And now I’m wishing I’d gone NA Miata from the beginning. I bet it’s going to be really rewarding.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
04/04/2017 at 21:18, STARS: 0
Oh man, that’s really awesome. I just don’t think the automatic trans will let the engine rev high enough to make use of the top end gains. Still, that’s a pretty great kit to transform the car.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
04/04/2017 at 21:19, STARS: 0
I’m not so familiar with this whole rationality thing.
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
04/04/2017 at 21:24, STARS: 0
Sooner or later you will stop punishing yourself.