Miata annoyances

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
12/10/2015 at 13:18 • Filed to: None

After having a miata for a few months, there are a couple things that stand out to me, the first being the chassis. Holy crap the NA Miata is a floppy dong. Every morning as I back out of my driveway as I put one wheel at a time down the curb I hear and feel the car flex as it whines at me for torquing it slightly. A flyin miata brace is high on the list of things I need to fix this, because its seriously ridiculous. The car feels like a sheet of cardboard on a bumpy road.

The other thing is the transmission. I’m convinced the people singing the praises of this trans have never driven another rwd car because even my friends beat to hell 1989 v6 camaro had a more pleasent manual trans. The left to right positions just aren’t very well defined and it is very easy to hit 5th when going into 3rd or clip 1st when going into 3rd. I might just have worn out bushings, but still. Room for improvement.

DISCUSSION (23)

Grindintosecond > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/10/2015 at 13:25

...

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/10/2015 at 13:27

I think that you’re obviously wrong, the NA Miata is literally perfect. You shouldn’t want anything more. Ever.

daender > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/10/2015 at 13:27

One of these brass shifter bushings to replace the shitty plastic one along with a shifter rebuild kit will solve most of those transmission woes...it could also use a fluids flush if that hasn’t been addressed already. Also, see if you can source the 1.8 NA Miata’s cockpit brace, it’s a cheap upgrade to help give it a little bit more rigidity.

Kinja'd!!!

jariten1781 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/10/2015 at 13:32

Something funky with your transmission. I’ve never had those issues. It’s not the best manual I’ve driven, but it’s very very good.

And yup...the NA is a noodle.

Klaus Schmoll > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/10/2015 at 13:33

How sure are you that those things you described are not just due to the fact that it’s an old car?

Textured Soy Protein > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/10/2015 at 13:37

I owned an NB Miata and I have driven many, many, many rwd cars. The only shifters I’ve experienced that were as good or better were other Miatas, FD RX-7, RX-8, and S2000. If your Miata shifter feels worse than any Camaro, even a brand new one, the Miata’s shifter is probably broken.

Bytemite > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/10/2015 at 13:41

You need to replace your bushings and lube. The Miata should never feel like that. As for the rigidity, yeah you can brace the car and upgrade sway bars but you are also increasing weight.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Klaus Schmoll
12/10/2015 at 13:46

The trans, maybe. The chassis stiffness, though? Don’t see how that could change.

djmt1 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/10/2015 at 13:47

Well CLEARLY you’ve never driven one because if you had you would love it and cherish it and want to have little Miata babies and would know that it is literally perfect in every way with absolutely ZERO faults.

MPA > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/10/2015 at 13:48

I’ve had an NA, 2 NBs, and an NC, as well as many RWD stick cars - Miata transmissions are buttery awesomeness.

Klaus Schmoll > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/10/2015 at 13:49

Car bodies get weaker over the years from all the vibration, especially on a convertible, and that’s not even taking rust into consideration. If you can find one, watch a crash test of a brand new car and of the same car with 200k miles on the clock.

Jarrett - [BRZ Boi] > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/10/2015 at 14:14

First -> Second is the only struggle for me. Sometimes it takes some “forceful” encouragement. (If anyone can armchair diagnose, that would be great! I’m sure it’s not ‘working as intended’)

Scary__goongala! > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/10/2015 at 14:27

I’d seriously suggest getting a rebuild kit for the trans. At the opposite end of the shifter rod is a cup bushing. The factory one is plastic and rough. You can buy rebuild kits with smooth brass or aluminum bushings that make a HUGE difference. The og plastic bushing in my car was broke into 3 pieces, so you can imagine how sloppy the shifting was. I now have an aluminum piece down there. Also use Ford’s Motorcraft full synthetic manual transmission oil. Its expensive but its the best stuff you can get and worth it. Additionally the FM butterfly brace will also make an unbelievable difference.

Teleph0nes > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/10/2015 at 15:37

The floppy chassis is real. Flyin Miata frame rails are great for that, as is a roll-bar. There are also a bunch of sub-frame braces that are pretty cheap and easy to install, though the FM rails negate the need for those. Though people say that the shock tower braces are useless, a well designed one definitely improves NVH and tightens the front end up.

You are wrong about the transmission. Something is either worn out or broken.

Teleph0nes > Jarrett - [BRZ Boi]
12/10/2015 at 15:39

That would happen to mine when the motor was cold and it was actually cold outside (like, less than 25 F). It was only first - second, and would be fine after everything warmed up.

daender > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/10/2015 at 16:02

http://garagestar.com/blog/?product=…

65$ for a set of delrin door bushings. The jury will forever be out if they improve stiffness or not but they actually do quiet the doors and overall NVH of the car, especially on the old NA cars with wornout rubber bushings. On the flipside, if you want to do a DIY test, wrap your rubber bushings with some double-sided foam tape and some velcro .

Jayhawk Jake > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/10/2015 at 16:25

Metal fatigue is a thing. Ever bent a paperclip back and forth until it snapped? Fatigue, brah.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > daender
12/10/2015 at 16:36

Time to go to Walmart, methinks

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Textured Soy Protein
12/10/2015 at 16:48

Maybe I just don’t like the notchiness.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Jayhawk Jake
12/10/2015 at 17:03

Probably true. I keep forgetting the “24yo car” thing

MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/10/2015 at 17:09

The amount of difference these make is unbelievable.

Also, thank you for pointing out that the Miata is not the be-all-end-all answer to every question car-Jesus that this website makes it out to be.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Scary__goongala!
12/10/2015 at 17:25

I want a butterfly brace so bad, but I might just get some aluminum billet like many people have done and DIY it for cheap(er).

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
12/10/2015 at 18:17

My wish list right now is for a fluidic n miata butterfly brace. Basically those frame rail braces but with a huge aluminum crossbrace. It’s sexy, but I might DIY it as many other have with billet aluminum and high strength bolts.