MIATA

"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale) 06/25/2018 at 17:21 • Filed to: Miata, miata is always the answer, Radwood

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Oppo after having been a passenger in a handful of Miatas I finally got to drive one. But not just any Miata, but a nicely track prepped on and I borrowed drove it for 7.5 hours to and from Radwood yesterday.

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I have to say that was the most fun I have ever had driving a car in my life. My hips still hurt from the slightly too narrow racing bucket seats. It was crap because the driver seat was welded in place and the steering wheel wasn’t quick release or tilting. But I have never had more fun driving a car ever... I want to but it.

FML. Radwood post and picture to come

Aremmes > CaptDale - is secretly British 06/25/2018 at 17:38

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One of us! One of us!

HammerheadFistpunch > CaptDale - is secretly British 06/25/2018 at 17:39

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You want to but it? I don't think I've ever loved a car that much

Chariotoflove > CaptDale - is secretly British 06/25/2018 at 17:40

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I test drove an ND for 45 min. Even before leaving  the parking lot, I had already started to smile.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Chariotoflove 06/25/2018 at 17:42

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I drove an RF Spambot drove up a couple weekends back and that was cute and fun, but didn’t do what this did. I am smitten 

CaptDale - is secretly British > HammerheadFistpunch 06/25/2018 at 17:43

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Oh yeah very much so. The owner that let me borrow it doesn’t use it. I ask and he said he might sell it. So I am waiting for a figure.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Aremmes 06/25/2018 at 17:45

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I fucking hope so

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > CaptDale - is secretly British 06/25/2018 at 17:50

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I love my NA, it’s just so much fun to drive*

*except when it’s hot out, or on highways.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) 06/25/2018 at 17:52

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Nope I had fun in the heat and freeways

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > CaptDale - is secretly British 06/25/2018 at 17:56

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Mine lacks AC and  radio, and the rather stiff springs, lack of cruise control, and 4200 highway rpm can be grating pretty quickly.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > CaptDale - is secretly British 06/25/2018 at 17:57

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CaptDale - is secretly British > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 06/25/2018 at 18:07

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I am seriously trying to. Need to sell the Aprilia

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > CaptDale - is secretly British 06/25/2018 at 18:10

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They are cheap, reliable (for the age), fun! and if anything breaks, parts are plentiful and generally easy to replace.

CaptDale - is secretly British > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 06/25/2018 at 18:18

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Yup that and it has many upgrades already and I will buy all his go fast bits too if he is willing to sell those as well. 

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > CaptDale - is secretly British 06/25/2018 at 18:21

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Nice! That makes it even easier. Just swap out the seat and you should be g2g

CaptDale - is secretly British > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 06/25/2018 at 18:32

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More like get some low profile sliders or move where the seat is fixed in position and use a heat gun and a bottle jack to stretch the seat. Like I only need 1-1.5 inches of more hip room. The rest of the seat fits great and the padding is way comfy. Though I need more padding on the passenger seat cause the SO doesn’t have a good back. Then fix the rattles and squeaks and she’ll be a great little car.

Chariotoflove > CaptDale - is secretly British 06/25/2018 at 18:49

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Context matters.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Chariotoflove 06/25/2018 at 18:51

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But ambiguity tends to lead to more interesting outcomes. 

AestheticsInMotion > CaptDale - is secretly British 06/25/2018 at 18:51

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Join the club, you'll be in good company 

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > CaptDale - is secretly British 06/25/2018 at 18:55

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Rattles and squeaks are part of Miata lyfe haha

CaptDale - is secretly British > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 06/25/2018 at 18:59

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But they don’t have to be and they bloody well won’t be.

CaptDale - is secretly British > AestheticsInMotion 06/25/2018 at 18:59

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I am seriously considering it. 

Chariotoflove > CaptDale - is secretly British 06/25/2018 at 19:09

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Sorry, that confused me , but what I meant is that driving an older,  track-prepped Miata in an exciting environment is likely to feel way different than a test drive of a stock dealer ND. So, your statement doesn’t surprise me.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Chariotoflove 06/25/2018 at 19:20

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Ah, that makes sense. And yes they are two very different vehicle even if they are the “same” vehicle. 

CaptDale - is secretly British > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) 06/25/2018 at 19:35

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Yeah the “a/c” is this was just blowing outside air maybe colder? IDK if it even has a/c on it anymore. The stiff springs were harsh, but only when hitting bumps (sadly CA highways aren’t so good). I really really wish it has cruise control so badly I didn’t mind 4k on the freeway thanks to the 6 speed, but cruise would have been really really nice!

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > CaptDale - is secretly British 06/26/2018 at 11:07

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My last one wasn’t too bad. The roll bar and hard top should stiffen it which will help a lot

CaptDale - is secretly British > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 06/26/2018 at 11:50

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It is very very stiff... 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > CaptDale - is secretly British 09/26/2018 at 13:59

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idk how you hear any of the rattles/squeaks over the wind noise anyways lol. My Miata is a very quiet car as far as car generated NVH goes. The environment NVH far outweighs it anyways.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > CaptDale - is secretly British 09/26/2018 at 14:02

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The 5 speed is actually better on the highway btw. The 6th gear is actually slightly lower than 5th in the 5 speed. Depends on which rear end is in that Miata though I guess. Since it didnt come with a 6 speed originally, it is going to have a different ratio than stock anyways. Cruise control is essential in my Miata as the racing seat will make my hips fall asleep if I have to keep my foot on the gas the whole time. This is why track days abuse me so much lol. 

CaptDale - is secretly British > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/26/2018 at 14:15

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Because hard top, with that it is super quiet for a Miata

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > CaptDale - is secretly British 09/26/2018 at 14:32

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That also contributes to a lot of the rattles I would imagine. What are you even using the hard top for in California, especially without AC. The whole joy of a Miata is doing it without a roof. 

CaptDale - is secretly British > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/26/2018 at 14:40

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No the rattles are mostly from the parcel tray being cut for the roll bar. The A/C “works” and the hard top is for rigidity / wet mornings with no soft top in the car

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > CaptDale - is secretly British 09/26/2018 at 15:07

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Ahh, yeah cutting that tray is a pain. Thankfully I didnt try to cut mine myself. The plastic parts that had to be cut I just traded my uncut ones to the guy who I bought my roll bar from. And he cut my metal parts which was much better than I would have done. I think I have found that my doors/windows make more noise than anything else. Those rattle a bunch if the windows are up for sure. It might honestly be working 100%, the AC in a Miata is laughable at best lol.

It’s hard for me to be a judge of a noisy car though since my example of a “quiet” and “well put together” car is my 12 year old Subaru. So I think my perspective is probably just whack as hell. Because that car is full of stupid rattles that I probably ignore. 

CaptDale - is secretly British > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/26/2018 at 15:13

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Yeah I just am going to tear the car apart again this weekend and try to find more rattles. I got most of them, but the ones left are driving me up the wall. I can’t stand it. I just hate the noise and it detracts from the fun of the car. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > CaptDale - is secretly British 09/26/2018 at 16:58

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Haha its definitely impossible to remove ALL of them but yeah I could see how that would get annoying once you cut out the wind noise. You should try doing a track day while you have the car, then maybe the noises will go away. My car seems to get better the more I beat the shit out of it usually. Buttonwillow on the 21st, ill be going direct from the PCH!

CaptDale - is secretly British > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/26/2018 at 17:13

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I would, but I have not the time or really the extra funds since I have to fix my GTO