And it's killing me.

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
12/19/2016 at 11:25 • Filed to: None

My car is so close. SO VERY CLOSE to being where I want it. $220 sway bar and $500 worth of tires and the Miata is pretty much ready to rumble. But it’s not. Not yet. But it’s SO CLOSE I CAN TASTE IT.

DISCUSSION (24)

S65 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/19/2016 at 11:26

What does Miata taste like

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/19/2016 at 11:27

I hear you man, Capri is so close to being ready to race.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > S65
12/19/2016 at 11:28

Rust, probably.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/19/2016 at 11:31

Are you saying it’s almost there with the tires and sway bars, or you need those for it to be ready? I’d go with tires first and autoX it anyway. Once you have extra grip, that might change what you want to do with the sway bar.

DynamicWeight > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/19/2016 at 11:36

What tires are you going with? I have been lusting after a set of Star Specs for my NA but haven’t quite brought myself to cough of the dough yet. I’m on basement bargain PO Chinese rubber right now that is, frankly, AWFUL.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > S65
12/19/2016 at 11:38

Oversteer.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
12/19/2016 at 11:38

Those are all I need for it to be ready. I might do shocks, not sure. Koni Yellows are looking mighty tempting but my wallet would absolutely hate me.

S65 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/19/2016 at 11:40

Does oversteer taste like burnt rubber

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > DynamicWeight
12/19/2016 at 11:45

I’m going on JayhawkJake’s recommendation of the Hankook Ventus R-S3. For my Miata they’re $118 per tire from TireRack, which seems to be a damn good value. They do a good job of controlling his barge of a Mustang, so they should be stunning on a light little Miata.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > S65
12/19/2016 at 11:49

sure

DynamicWeight > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/19/2016 at 12:23

Do you have aftermarket wheels? Seems like they don’t make them in my size. And it looks like the star specs have gone up 5$ / corner since last I checked =/

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > DynamicWeight
12/19/2016 at 12:36

I have factory 16" wheels on my NB. 205/45-R16 IIRC

DynamicWeight > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/19/2016 at 14:09

Oh okay, mine are 14, now it makes sense.

daender > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/19/2016 at 18:31

Patience, your Miata will get there eventually. At the same time, don’t be like me and put off motor mounts for the past 3 months (holy fuck the shifter is 4x better now) and tires for the past half of the year.

Also, try autocrossing it without an aftermarket front sway bar and just disconnect the rear sway bar instead.

daender > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/19/2016 at 20:20

Psst, Hankook will be releasing the RS4 in Q1 2017.

Kinja'd!!!

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > daender
12/19/2016 at 21:12

How can I tell if I need motor mounts? Would that be why my shifter tilts back about a quarter of an inch when I accelerate?

daender > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/19/2016 at 21:17

I can’t say for sure if it helps reduce shifter lean but I will say that I have more confidence firing off faster shifts as the whole drivetrain doesn’t feel like it’s leaning as badly as it used to when coming off of throttle. 2nd to 3rd and 4th to 5th feel a lot more natural and faster. I’ll have to record at the next autocross in February to see how much lean there is with these new mounts broken in.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > daender
12/19/2016 at 21:22

Have you figured out how to get rid of the 1-2 shift “chunk”?

daender > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/19/2016 at 21:24

Nope! Still haven’t figure that out even with the new motor mounts!

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > daender
12/19/2016 at 21:26

Things I’ve learned after owning 5 speed ans 6 speed miatas: The 6 speed is garbage.

daender > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/19/2016 at 21:33

No kidding! The 5-speed is hard to hate on unless you’re shooting for 250+ whp but the 6-speed is polarizing unless it apparently has MiataRoadster short-shifter kit and the Aussie 3.63-ratio LSD (great for MSMs). I think a 5-speed swap wouldn’t be too hard minus sourcing the correct LSD rear end (4.3 ratio) with matching speedo sensor and a good-condition transmission. You could even make the case that the ‘02 SE isn’t any mechanically superior/different than a ‘02 LS car so the 5-speed swap just makes the playing field more even with the other 5-speed Miatas!

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > daender
12/19/2016 at 22:02

So... I need a MiataRoadster short-shift kit, then? :D

Actually a buddy of mine has a 5 speed with a bad 2nd-gear synchro sitting around... I wonder how hard that would be to freshen up.

daender > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/19/2016 at 22:06

I don’t know how to rebuild a transmission, even the local Spec Miata shop sends their transmissions out to a specialist to have them rebuilt for racing and for street customers. That said, if you want to rebuild your own, supposedly the FC’s slightly-longer-ratio 5th gear can fit the Miata’s 5-speed box with minimal modifications.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > daender
12/19/2016 at 22:59

Oh man. Taller 5th would be amazing for road trips.