Picked up a new fun DD: Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata. Any Miata folks here?

[masraum]

My guess is panasports, but I thing there are several people making copies these days, like the Konig Rewind.

They're surprisingly heavy though.

[AFC-911]

Yep, there's quite a few Pelicans over at M.net!

Here's my Miata with some R-Gruppe flavor thrown in...

[azasadny]

MazdaSpeed3 owner here. I'm on my 2nd one, the 1st was a 2007 and my current daily driver is a 2010. I just had new Kumho Ecsta's AST's put on it yesterday. 32k miles and no problems!

[HardDrive]

As a former boxster owner, I am not one to cast dispersions on Miatas.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

As a former boxster owner, I am not one to cast dispersions on Miatas.

Hhahahahah. That's funny.

[cgarr]

Just in time:

[mikesride]

Originally Posted by Tim Walsh

Someone obviously hasn't driven a normal one much less a MSM............

Once...and never again God I think they are horrible little machines! But that being said I am glad you guys have found something to be passionate about! Have fun!

[Tobra]

so you hate sporty little roadsters that handle great

I think you might be lost

[jtkkz]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

That's nice! What kind of wheels are those and tire size?

can not remember the rim brand but they are made in germany,
tires are dunlop 205/50

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

As a former boxster owner, I am not one to cast dispersions on Miatas.

You've cast "dispersions" twice this week, at least. It's "aspersions".

Obligatory Miata pic:

[jtkkz]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

That's nice! What kind of wheels are those and tire size?

found the brand of wheel here Chaparral Wheels

they are chapparal wheels

[masraum]

No news from SRI?

[twobone]

Hi,

Thought I would revive this thread and post a pic of my 2005 Mazdaspeed Miata. Sadly, I only got to drive it a handful of times before the winter hit

I'm going to do the Flyin' Miata upgrade that will give the car an extra ~40hp and 40ft/lb of torque. You can feel how strangled the stock turbo is due to the intake and exhaust.

My impressions so far are great. I love the size of the car and the styling.

If you look at the car objectively, whats not to like?
-Japanese reliability and low parts costs
-Turbo power
-Big brakes
-Bilstein sport shocks
-Lightweight stiff chassis
-LSD
-6 speed stick
-Bose stereo
-soft top
-Great roadster styling


I'm also likely to get a short shift kit. With short gearing and a 6 speed, you do a ton of shifting. Every once in a while I miss a shift and I hear the short shift kit improves that.

[Dantilla]

I still have the '93. Great car. Three friends have purchased a Miata after driving mine.

I've heard plenty of comments after giving a ride in the hot-rodded 911, mostly things like "I nearly peed my pants!", as opposed to "I've got to get one of these".

[SpeedracerIndy]

Originally Posted by twobone

Hi,

Thought I would revive this thread and post a pic of my 2005 Mazdaspeed Miata. Sadly, I only got to drive it a handful of times before the winter hit

I'm going to do the Flyin' Miata upgrade that will give the car an extra ~40hp and 40ft/lb of torque. You can feel how strangled the stock turbo is due to the intake and exhaust.

My impressions so far are great. I love the size of the car and the styling.

If you look at the car objectively, whats not to like?
-Japanese reliability and low parts costs
-Turbo power
-Big brakes
-Bilstein sport shocks
-Lightweight stiff chassis
-LSD
-6 speed stick
-Bose stereo
-soft top
-Great roadster styling


I'm also likely to get a short shift kit. With short gearing and a 6 speed, you do a ton of shifting. Every once in a while I miss a shift and I hear the short shift kit improves that.

Wow, old thread. Nice looking MSM! They are a blast.

A lot has changed since I posted this 3 years+ ago. The mod bug hit me about a year after I got mine. I have an illness when it comes to modifying cars. I cannot stop myself!

I have changed more than I can even remember since I got it:
-FM LE package
--Intake
--exhaust
--downpipe
--MBC: boost turned up to 10psi
--Larger intercooler
-Rostra cruise control with factory stalk
-Removed FM intake and put in a Begi intake system. (didn't like the FM kit 'bling')
-Sent the ECU off to Begi and had it retuned for 10psi, 7,000 rpm redline, and to remove the hesitation that the stock ECU has.
-15" track wheels and tires (Dunlop Star Specs)
-boss frog double hoop roll bar
-Speedhut boost gauge in the factory dash cluster
-Wide band O2 sensor
-I stopped counting $$$ at this point...

Modding it has been fun, and it is very quick. But the more you mod these cars (engine wise), the more the drivability suffers. I'm at the point where I want an aftermarket ECU to compensate for all of the mods. My factory ECU, even with the reflash, struggles to keep up with the mods. Makes for a very jerky driving experience. Once the ECU realizes you have mashed the gas pedal and you want full power, it takes is a few seconds to realize you need fuel. By that time you are wondering where the power is, and you're up to about 4000 rpm. Then all of the sudden the flood gates open and you have full power. It's reminds me of an old 930 turbo. I have dyno'd it three times since tuning it and I have picked up around 60hp (if I remember right, it's been a while) from stock, so it is quite fast.

I took it to a PCA DE for the first time this summer. What a freaking blast. The track is where these things really shine. The stock ECU limitations do not affect it at the track too much because you're spending so much time at red line. I had a spec miata racer ride with me a few times and he was shocked at the amount of power it had while retaining the stock Miata feel. I had no trouble keeping up with Boxsters and Caymans on the straights. I'm sad to say that it is probably faster than my SC around a track, and much easier to get around the track at that speed. I will be taking it back to the track much more in the future. It will be a battle for me to decide whether to take the 911 or the MSM come next track day!

P.S. I have my FM intake kit that I took off of mine after about 5,000 miles. I was going to post it for sale on one of the Miata boards sometime soon, if I can find the time. If you are interested let me know.

[recycled sixtie]

Congrats on your purchase. You are smart to put it away for winter. I had a harddog rollbar installed. Extra protection. I used to be a member of Wild Rose Miata forum but no longer. The Prez. there knows everything about Miatas. I can put you in touch with him if you like.

Certainly a great car but not so great in winter. My Boxster was better in winter but the Miata was cheap to run and was just as much fun. Most fun for the $$$ in car purchase.
Cheers, Guy

[Tobra]

Miata Roadster Short Shift kit, best mod I ever did to a car. I think you might have missed the fall group buy though, so will have to wait for spring.

[scottmandue]

1995 base model here, have got a lot of help from Miata.net.
We were shopping for a second car for me (wife had just got some inheritance $$)
So she bought this car for me... she bought an automatic (so even Miata guys think I'm gay ) in her defense it is my DD, does 200 miles of freeway every week, and the auto is convenient in rush hour traffic.

My wife drove it and was mortified at how small (read: invisible to other traffic) it is. It is a fun drive but the rough ride is getting a little old (as am I) commuting. I expect in a few years something a little safer and comfortable will take it's place, but I am glad I got to have the "Miata" experience.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by twobone

I'm also likely to get a short shift kit. With short gearing and a 6 speed, you do a ton of shifting. Every once in a while I miss a shift and I hear the short shift kit improves that.

Originally Posted by Tobra

Miata Roadster Short Shift kit, best mod I ever did to a car. I think you might have missed the fall group buy though, so will have to wait for spring.

Absolutely!! I had one in my MSM. Huge improvement since it's not just a shorter shifter, but actually changes the fulcrum of the shift lever a bit. And it comes with all of the parts necessary , shims, cups, etc.... Completely plug and play and rebuilds your shifter at the same time.

MiataRoadster short shifter kits - MiataRoadster - High-performance customer service...and parts for Roadsters

I highly recommend it.

[wdfifteen]

It does sound like a fun DD, SpeedracerIndy. I'd have one. Congratulations!
Of course Miatas are reliable and without a lot of uber expensive design flaws (like, for example my 911) so that makes them chick cars. But if you can stand the humiliation of having a great time driving your pussy ass around in a fun, dependable car, hand in your man card and drive on. I would.