Idle Chatter Apr 19, 2002
We have put about 800 miles on our Kaaz limited-slip differential, and the noise level is (fortunately) dropping. Maybe we're getting old, but the chatter started to get on our nerves. Right now it only slightly chatters in slow, tight turns. At speed and during most driving situations, the unit is pretty unnoticeable. In following the Kaaz break-in instructions, we recently refilled our differential fluid, going to Mobil 1 Synthetic Gear Lubricant. Almost immediately, this 75W-90 gear lube quieted our differential. Possibly the best $4.97 we have spent on the car to date.
In other Miata news, we recently used the car to do a little scientific testing: heavy wheels vs. light ones. Do heavier wheels really hurt performance as much as people say? We now have some concrete answers, and full details will appear in the magazine soon.
In an effort to totally silence our limited-slip differential's chatter, we changed the fluid once again. On the advice of a technical-inspector-type friend, we refilled the differential housing with Valvoline's petroleum-based gear lube mixed with a few ounces of GM's limited-slip additive. The result? A smooth, silent differential.
We're also looking at some new springs, and Ground Control's Jay Morris (http://www.ground-control.com) is working on some new rates for us.
This past weekend, the car got a workout with the Martin Sports Car Club, and independent, Orlando-based organization made possible by the generosity of the Lockheed Martin Corporation. Their rules are similar to those by the SCCA, but different at the same time. (It's almost like autocrossing in a similar, parallel universe.)
Our car was placed in their E Prepared class, and we scored a first-place finish for our efforts. (Fortunately for us, the 1.8-liter Miatas are in a different class.) For more information on this club, check out http://www.martinsportscarclub.com
Due to new security measures put in place, the club can no longer autocross on the Lockheed Martin grounds. Therefore, they're running events at the Brevard County Community College campus in Palm Bay, Fla., site of the GRM Challenge events. Their most recent event featured a flowing, 55-second course featuring two high-speed straights.
Miata, meet Cecil Apr 30, 2002
We autocrossed the car this past weekend with the Buccaneer Region SCCA at Jacksonville's Cecil Field, a recently decommissioned naval air station. The Miata didn't like the somewhat rough pavement used for the event, as the car wouldn't drift smoothly around the turns--instead, it pretty much hopped from point to point. Stiffer springs, which are on the way, should help, keeping the car off the bumpstops and providing better handling.
As this was our first SCCA event with the car this season, we competed in the new Street Mod 2 class for modified, road-going two-seaters. Our main competition came from a turbo Miata, and, well, he beat us by a tenth or so. Still, all competitors got to take six times runs, which is nice.
The only change done to the car for this event was a cosmetic one, as we recovered some old magnetic numbers with stick-on shelf paper. The reflective class designation letters came from the mailbox section of our local Lowe's.
Miata love Feb 3, 2003
Sorry for the break in the updates, but other projects--as well as the magazine--have been vying for our attention. Still, our Miata hasn't been totally neglected.
One of the biggest changes made this past year has been our swap to 15x6.5-inch Rota Circuit 8 wheels wrapped with 195/50ZR15 Toyo Proxes T1-S high-performance tires for daily use. Our previous setup had been doing fine, but the Kosei K1 Racing wheels were requisitioned for use on the MINI Cooper.
Thanks to competitive prices, light weights and contemporary looks, Rotas have become quite popular lately, especially in the Honda, Miata and Subaru circles. We got our wheels from Atlanta-based Miata and MINI tuning firm RSpeed for $125 each, a place where we always find friendly service. According to our scale, the wheel weighs 12 pounds, 3 ounces each, and after nearly a year of service, the finish still looks new. (And yes, the wheels clear Flyin' Miata's big-brake kit.)
We have not run the Toyos on the autocross course, but for daily use, they're perfect: good grip, low noise and fine wet-weather traction. They're also quite light, as the 195/50R15 size checks in at 17.4 pounds each, giving us a total weight per corner of about 29.5 pounds--pretty much the same as our stock 14-inch setup.
We also spent a few bucks to jazz up the car. To celebrate our new Classic Autosport title, we installed a K.G. Works polished stainless-steel rearview mirror, giving our Miata a little bit of a classic look. RSpeed imports much of the K.G. Works line, and their parts are just cool--lots of little machined bits that may not make the car faster, but they do add something.
Their rearview mirror fits 1989-'95 Miatas, and installation is simple: remove the old mirror and install the new one. The stock Miata mirror is held in place via a spring-loaded mechanism, and simply yanking it from the windshield frame is all it takes. The K.G. Works piece includes all necessary hardware, and the whole job took minutes. Actually, there was one problem encountered: Airport security almost didn't let us carry the piece onto the plane.
The new mirror works fine, and even though it doesn't feature a day/night setting, we can cope. By the way, RSpeed retails the piece for $109.95. No, it's not free, but it's cheaper than machining our own from scratch.
Our car's suspension has also been receiving some attention, as getting it off the bumpstops has done wonders for the ride and handling. We'll post some measurements, details and photos soon.
More Miatae Apr 3, 2003
Honestly, we haven't done much on our Miata lately, but we did help get another one into the family, as our editor's brother, Matt, recently picked up a 1996 model.
For the past year or so, he's been nosing around new cars, figuring it was time to replace his trusty Nissan Altima. The Subaru Impreza WRX caught his eye, but the $24,000 price tag didn't thrill him--for the same money, he eventually realized, why not get an early Boxster?
That argument evolved: Why drop $24,000 on a used Boxster, when a fraction of that would buy a used Miata--a car that can be just as fun?
Matt had a few requirements during his search for a Miata: Ideally the car had to be less than $5000 and have less than 100,000 miles. Also, no red cars, stating that the color is a bit too common.
The search originally centered on 1992 and 1993 black-and-tan models, but eventually he spied an ad for a 1996 Montego Blue Mica Miata that was at a local new-car dealer. The mileage was in the 70,000-range, while the asking price was $6000.
Friend of the family Rob Ebersol (http://www.roadsterrage.com) gave the car a once-over and pronounced his blessing. The verdict: While the trunk lid and hood had some hail damage, the rest of the car couldn't be cleaner.
A seal of approval in-hand, Matt returned to the dealership to work his Jedi mind tricks. The original asking price was $6000 plus tax, tag, title and dealership fees. In the end, he drove out of there after stroking a check for $4900.
The first mod done to the car was the installation of a JVC KD-SX980 head unit that can handle traditional compact discs as well as MP3s. Thanks to a 10-percent-off coupon, the final total was $196 at Best Buy; the regular price is close to $230. We'll keep you posted on future mods, anticipating some involving the car's suspension.
While it has little info on Miatas or even cars in general, check out http://www.mattwallens.com for some funny stuff, all courtesy of our editor's brother.
Attention Nov 3, 2003
Our Miata is finally getting some much-needed attention. For one, it's finally riding on some stiffer springs: 350 lbs./in. up front and 250 lbs./in. out back. The Eibach coils came from Ground Control, and company owner Jay Morris said these rates should work for our application. Our main objective was to get the car up off the bumpstops without going back to stock ride height. (The whole two-magazine thing has kept us a little busy during the past year, so the Miata was unfortunately pushed to the back burner.)
BSI Racing handled the installation and subsequent suspension alignment while we were at the SEMA Show, and so far things seem much better. We'll post more on the car--and some pictures--later in the week, as the car first needs a bath.
We have also realized that our interior could use a facelift. Nothing stands out as totally wrong, but things could use a little cleaning and detailing. How many other Miatas out there could also use a mild restoration?