In reply to yupididit :
Apparently not, as adding 'mica' to my search did not change the results. They have more of a muted silvery blue look, similar to Keith's latest pic, rather than the bright vivid blue I see in his original image.
I would choose the red long before the color in Keith's second picture or any I've seen on Google Images, but would potentially go for the blue in Keith's first picture even over the red.
Driven5 said:In reply to yupididit :
Apparently not, as adding 'mica' to my search did not substantially change the results. They have more of a muted silvery blue look, similar to Keith's latest pic, rather than the bright vivid blue I see in his original image.
Mazda 3s....Beautiful color. I blame variance on the proliferation of Instagram. Images blatantly ripped off from Google image search.
It may be one of those colors that's sensitive to light. Really, Mazda's red is SO fantastic that anything else is a second choice but at least it's a legitimate color and not a slightly tinted grey.
The source of my original image was Mazda promo shots from the UK, I don't know what work was or was not done to it.
So, we have Soul Red, and now Eternal Blue. Are we gonna get a Heavenly Purple soon? Please say yes.
Also, I know that a car is much more than the sum of its parts, and I'm sure the ND is incredible to drive compared to an NA/NB, but man... for that money (of a new just about anything, these days, but specifically an ND) and a few months of my spare time, I could LS3 swap one of the Miatas sitting in the garage, and refresh the chassis while I'm at it.
On the one hand, I'm driving a great car immediately. On the other hand, I have to imagine that the LS3 Miatas are fantastic and then some to drive if you have the skill to make it happen. I smell a bad idea brewing...
Anyway, Keith, what was the hangup with the 2.5T, in regards to size? Are they tall engines? Width wise, I can't see them being too much bigger than a 2.0, even with a turbo. Guess it would all depend on packaging, although the hood on the ND is really nice and low.
I’m facing the same math. Not necessarily with an LS3, but thinking of what I could do to my turbo NA with a big chunk of change to throw at it. Driving both cars, it’s not an easy choice - but the new ‘19 engine may tip the balance. The ND will always have more suspension travel, a better appointed interior, much better safety and the potential of an RF.
The 2.0 is a tight fit in the ND. The 2.5T is taller, wider and longer. I don’t know exactly what dimension is the biggest problem, but taller and longer would both be a problem under that hood. Remember that Mazda is required to keep crush space between the engine and the sheet metal, which those of us who shoehorn big engines in don’t necessarily do.
As an aside, there are now rumors swirling that Mazda is going to make the 2.5 turbo optional in the CX-5. Finally! We may be trading in our 2017 if this happens and I can convince my wife.
turtl631 said:As an aside, there are now rumors swirling that Mazda is going to make the 2.5 turbo optional in the CX-5. Finally! We may be trading in our 2017 if this happens and I can convince my wife.
That would really be nice. It's hard to come by real power in that market segment since Toyota stopped making the V6 Rav-4s.
Indeed. Forester XT, but it's CVT and lost the sparkle of the old cars imo.
There is massive room for a turbo on top of the exhaust manifold of a CX5. I’m assuming it’s from the diesel plans.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
I at least have the benefit of not having driven an ND yet. I know it would be a bad idea for me. Can't want what you don't know, after all. They are very nicely put together, I will give you that, and the styling is quite nice.
I'm aware of the engine to hood clearance for pedestrian safety, but hadn't considered it when typing my post last night. Not a problem for us though... is the ND equipped with the crash-detecting exploding hood risers? Can't remember what car it was that I saw came up with those to get around that regulation, but looking at the ND, it would be a good idea!
That said, would there be any point in a 2.5T swap? Seems like an all low / mid range engine to me. Not sure that fits the character of a Miata, even if it would likely make it VERY quick. Kinda like the ND / Fiata argument, only exaggerated with a lot more torque.
I think the Euro NDs have explody hinges, but the US ones do not. The low ND hood is a particular point of pride for Mazda.
I haven’t driven the 2.5T, so I don’t know its character. The original ND engine is a very torquey thing, loads of area under the curve which is why the cars perform better than their headline power number would suggest. It appears the new engine retains that low end but adds some sparkle up top.
We’re having our annual track days at work, and the turbo NDs are making a lot of friends with our roster of drivers. They exaggerate the inherent nature of the 2.0, just loads of torque. So maybe a 2.5T wouldn’t be out of line if it would fit.
In regards to factory turbo models, wouldn't that hurt the fleet MPG rating for Mazda? They seemed very proud of that not long ago. They're giving the 6 a boost because it doesn't seem competitive on paper at all, so quite a few people probably never make it to the showroom based on that.
Keith Tanner said:It may be one of those colors that's sensitive to light. Really, Mazda's red is SO fantastic that anything else is a second choice but at least it's a legitimate color and not a slightly tinted grey.
The source of my original image was Mazda promo shots from the UK, I don't know what work was or was not done to it.
Ya but, every other car in our owners group is the same berkleying red ! Some additional choices would be nice.
I'm convinced that, somehow, GRM has become a shell business for Flyin' Miata!
kb58 said:I'm convinced that, somehow, GRM has become a shell business for Flyin' Miata!
You shouldn't have said that, Kurt. You might want to check the peephole before opening your door for a while. Just saying.
Other vendors are welcome to take part in these discussions. Usually they just buy ads instead of being part of the GRM community, or join up to post a promotional post and then disappear. It's easier. But hey, everyone has their own way of supporting their business. I choose to be part of the GRM community because I like the people and it's interesting. I'd take part even if it wasn't part of work.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Coincidentally (or maybe not), there's a banner ad for Goodwin Racing at the top of this page while I'm reading it.
I've never owned a Miata. I don't even particularly like them. I've still called Keith at work to ask his opinion about Miata parts and have ordered them from FM because he's one of us and has earned my trust watching him work on non-Miatas.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
If I recall, the CX-9's power peak is at a fairly low rpm, something like 5000. However, it makes over 300 ft-lbs around 1900 or so. More like a diesel, as far as powerband goes. Might not be a bad thing, but I like my sports car engines to be, you know, sporty, quick revving, high revving, encourage you with the sound, to go just a bit faster... basically everything Miatas have been for all these years.
That said, the right set of cams might wake that 2.5T up nicely. Figure if it would top out around 7k, it would be a rather monstrous engine for the ND.
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