Repost for the morning crowd: NB Miata pro-tip

"MarquetteLa" (marquettela) 07/22/2019 at 11:27 • Filed to: None

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Does your NB Miata have a stock exhaust? Do you want a little nicer sound without spending $400+ for an aftermarket muffler, or even more for a FULL PERFORMANCE EXHAUST, GUARANTEED +2 HP?

Find an OEM Mazdaspeed Miata muffler and bolt it right on. From the cabin while driving, you don’t hear a whole lot of difference: low and midrange has a little lower tone, high RPM is decently louder. While I haven’t driven it on the street without the hardtop yet, I really can’t notice much difference while driving the car, even with the windows down.

HOWEVER today was race day. Here are some comparison videos, both using the exact same audio setup and placement:

OEM non-Mazdaspeed muffler:

And now the OEM Mazdaspeed Miata muffler on a naturally aspirated 2002 Miata:

So, to recap: Mazdaspeed Miata muffler gives an otherwise stock NB Miata some nice extra sound for cheap. I bought mine off a guy in the local Miata Facebook group for $25.

Cash Rewards > MarquetteLa 07/21/2019 at 21:46

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While you’re right, I still feel like the roadster sport 4 is the best money I’ve spent. I’ve found myself mid autocross pushing redline and thinking “backside this con e, get on throttle, damn this car sounds good, brake, turn...."

MarquetteLa > Cash Rewards 07/21/2019 at 21:57

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I bet it sounds awesome! If I wasn’t planning on swapping in a K24 next year, I would do the same thing.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > MarquetteLa 07/21/2019 at 22:31

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I love my RoadsterSport too much. I won't have a Miata any other way! This is a great idea to save some money though. Because my muffler was North of $300 and the $500 cat certainly adds up too. 

MarquetteLa > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 07/22/2019 at 00:12

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I just find it so hard to justify spending that much money on something that doesn’t add power, and only increases the unwanted attention my very slow car gets . Adding show without go, so to speak.   So for the low cost and moderate boost in volume, this is a good solution for me. Plus  I have a Mazdaspeed logo on my car now.

Tripper > MarquetteLa 07/22/2019 at 11:34

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Oh dude, that sounds a lot bettter! Nice work.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > MarquetteLa 07/22/2019 at 12:58

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For cheap that is good. My full exhaust from the headers back was only like $400 custom made by local performance shop

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > MarquetteLa 07/22/2019 at 15:21

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Oh I agree, that is why I bought everything used. I think I paid $600 for the muffler, midpipe, header, and 2 fog lights originally. The only problem was that I moved to California and had to buy a CARB legal midpipe instead, costing me that extra $500. I did sell the other midpipe for $150 and the header for $100 so I recouped some of the cost.

But yeah that is the exact reason why I havent put exhaust on the Subaru. That is my daily and I want it to be under the radar as much as an STi can be. The Miata is supposed to just be fun and more sound is more fun so it makes sense from that perspective. More specifically though, its more sound without just being pure volume no matter how terrible the quality is. The midpipe is actually good for some power at least with the different cat although still its not significant.

InFierority Complex > MarquetteLa 07/22/2019 at 15:50

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That’s an incredible improvement especially for such a low cost.

66P1800inpieces > MarquetteLa 07/22/2019 at 15:54

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Sounds good. By looking at the gearshift move around it looks like you might need engine or transmission mounts.  I had a 03 NB and don’t remember it shifting around as much.  Then again,  you don’t really see that angle so may be it was and I didn’t notice it. 

MarquetteLa > 66P1800inpieces 07/22/2019 at 16:19

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Miatas don’t have transmission mounts :) The movement of the shifter may be exaggerated a bit because my shifter shaft is quite a bit longer than the factory unit. But m y engine mounts are the original factory parts and have about 130k miles on them now. I’ll probably leave them there because I’ll be swapping in a K24 next summer.

MarquetteLa > InFierority Complex 07/22/2019 at 16:20

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I wasn’t expecting such a dramatic difference since I can’t hear it much while driving, but I was blown away when I reviewed the footage!

daender > MarquetteLa 07/22/2019 at 20:56

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I wanted one of these but none were local and the ones for sale that were a state away were taking $150 or more.  I scored my RS3 mid-pipe and muffler for $350 used from a racing shop because the original owner was turning his into a Spec Miata.

Nick Has an Exocet > MarquetteLa 07/22/2019 at 21:19

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Check the diff mounts. Those cause the most shifter movement. My Exo needs them pretty bad. I may do them when I pull the exhaust off.

MarquetteLa > Nick Has an Exocet 07/22/2019 at 21:49

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Thanks, will-do!

Nick Has an Exocet > MarquetteLa 07/22/2019 at 22:28

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No problem. Also, thanks for the reminder. I just spent $50 on new bushings. DOHHHHHH.

Of course, while I was at it, I also spend $200 on brakes and another $40 on a shifter rebuild kit. Ouch.