Finding the Limits; 48 Hours of Miata Ownership

"Nerd-Vol" (Nerd-Vol)
07/20/2014 at 23:28 • Filed to: miata

So after putzing about some winding roads, I realized how much grip and bite the Miata has. I foolishly began to question just how much it really has. So I headed out to a safe and secluded lot and analyzed how the car reacted to given entry speeds. What I have learned so far is, that entering into a corner too fast and sliding all four tires is very difficult to control. After one attempt I found myself pointing at the apex of the corner in a plume of my own tire smoke. Simply put too much speed is too much speed. If I was more experienced I could have figured some way to avoid the spin.

At the end of the day, a four wheel slide is not a fast way around a corner.

I have found that entering a bit too fast and having the rear slide is controllable.

It's amazing how much of a rookie a FR will make you. I am a pretty quick driver in FF car, but it is easy to know what the limits are in one. In a FR car the stakes are much higher.

I am half way through the seat foamectomy. I removed the seat back lumbar padding. That helped tremendously. Tomorrow after work the seat bottom foam gets trimmed.

DISCUSSION (28)

D > Nerd-Vol
07/20/2014 at 23:30

I'm beginning to discover more and more understeer in my NA..

Übel > D
07/20/2014 at 23:34

Kinja'd!!!

Nerd-Vol > D
07/20/2014 at 23:35

Well, I suppose a 4 wheel slide is a form of understeer.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Nerd-Vol
07/20/2014 at 23:36

Guuuurl, give it some time. Go to an autocross and explore it there at faster speeds and legally! Soon you will be drifting like it ain't nothang at all.

WRXforScience > D
07/20/2014 at 23:37

In an NA that usually means that the nut behind the wheel requires some adjustments.

BenHowell > Nerd-Vol
07/20/2014 at 23:38

It's all about suspension setup and driving skill really. You want the car to understeer before the back end steps out, which can be done using adjustable dampers and sway bars. You want the rear suspension to be about 30% softer than the front, this will make the car understeer, but not too much, and alert you that you are close to the limit. As for driving skill, the best was to learn to control a slide is to drive in the snow.

RotaryLover > Nerd-Vol
07/20/2014 at 23:38

Make a alignment spec that is suggested on the Miata forum not the OEM one. It TRANSFORMS the car!! You'll be mindblown at how fast the car will turn after that.

D > WRXforScience
07/20/2014 at 23:39

yeah. Next time I'm due for an alignment, I'm going to get one of those Flyin' Miata "getting the best performance out of your stock NA" alignments

Nerd-Vol > YSI-what can brown do for you
07/20/2014 at 23:39

Yep, I think it is time for me to head out to my local Auto-x!! It's been a while since I had a car I wanted to take out there.

D > Übel
07/20/2014 at 23:40

hey, that corner was wet

BenHowell > RotaryLover
07/20/2014 at 23:41

this too. if you plan on aftermarket suspension, an alignment is essential. Good luck finding a shop that will do custom specs.

Nerd-Vol > WRXforScience
07/20/2014 at 23:41

Yep, that's why I went to an empty lot, to learn more about how to drive the car. It's me, not the car.

Nerd-Vol > RotaryLover
07/20/2014 at 23:42

Is it still an alignment that is easy to drive every day?

Übel > D
07/20/2014 at 23:43

Just like your mom last night

RotaryLover > BenHowell
07/20/2014 at 23:44

Where I live, a bunch of them do it...but not all of them can pull off a great job.

BenHowell > RotaryLover
07/20/2014 at 23:46

Yeah a lot of the shops around here see it as a liability.

RotaryLover > Nerd-Vol
07/20/2014 at 23:49

Well the one that I had was agressive. I used to go on the highway a lot with the set and it ate the inside tread of the front tires fast. If I kept it on curvy roads and away of the highway, it would be a great set. It's the Icehawk alignment. But check on the forum, people got setups as good as IceHawk's that won't eat the tires.

RotaryLover > BenHowell
07/20/2014 at 23:50

They're so lazy, now that they have fancy machines...

YSI-what can brown do for you > Nerd-Vol
07/20/2014 at 23:54

Not to mention it is fun!

Nerd-Vol > BenHowell
07/20/2014 at 23:55

Well, I work at a Mazda dealership. So a wink-wink, nod-nod and WOOSH, CUSTOM ALIGNMENT!!

Nerd-Vol > YSI-what can brown do for you
07/20/2014 at 23:58

For the most part yeah. The last time I went, I had fun but I just wonder if there was a way to getter better use out of my $40 bucks. I now have a reason to go to the next auto-x/

YSI-what can brown do for you > Nerd-Vol
07/21/2014 at 00:02

Mine are only 25 bucks, and I wonder the same thing, but I get 7 to 10 runs at mine! Plus I probably won't spend it on anything else. . . so why not!

Nerd-Vol > YSI-what can brown do for you
07/21/2014 at 00:16

Yeah. Out here it is $40 and you get a minimum of 3 runs. I may approach my General Manager and see if I can get the dealership to sponsor my entry fee. Maybe slap some big Mazda Knoxville decals on the side of my car.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Nerd-Vol
07/21/2014 at 00:20

Try to find smaller regions! They are usually better, despite not having the giant courses.

A little story if you feel like reading:

I have gone to Indy, Chicago, and INR SCCA regions. Chicagos has a really big course and so does Indy, while the Indiana Northwest region is just a parking lot at a Casino. INR is by far the best in amount of runs(10), everyone is super nice, and the course is usually in the 50 second range. Indy is basically the same except you get 6 to 8 and the course is closer to 70. Chicago is just meh.

YSI-what can brown do for you > D
07/21/2014 at 00:22

Was that you?

D > YSI-what can brown do for you
07/21/2014 at 00:54

affirmative

YSI-what can brown do for you > D
07/21/2014 at 00:57

Did you poo yourself?

D > YSI-what can brown do for you
07/21/2014 at 01:00

Well my friend was in the car so my first reaction was to mutter 'sorry'

then I got my car the fuck out of that corner