NB (99) Curiosities

If I place a web order with FM for a single set of ball-jointed end links (possibly a coolant re-route kit?) and a sway bar set, how do I add a salvage shift knob?

Might have to call them... There were no 99 6spds, right?

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Might have to call them... There were no 99 6spds, right?

It was standard on the 10ae.

Joey

I had heim jointed end links from Mazdaspeed on my '96 for a few hundred miles, but they made too much noise for a street car.

joey48442 wrote:

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Might have to call them... There were no 99 6spds, right?

It was standard on the 10ae. Joey

I was just wondering because i have a spare Nardi 6spd. I have the aftermarket deal that came on my car as well i think.

ProDarwin wrote:

Keith wrote: If "more understeer" is better, yes :)

I don't see many ES, STR, or CSP Miatas with FM bars :) This is one of those topics that would be hard to find an answer that isn't purely opinion.

See previous comment about autocrossers. It's an odd little backwater of the sea of automotive performance, where steady-state cornering is an unusual event, cars are always in transition and low gears means high levels of torque multiplication. It is my opinion - and in the world of handling, that's all you'll ever get - that a good autox setup understeers too much to be entertaining or effective outside of parking lots. Not everyone agrees with me, and I am comfortable with that. Personally, I like a car that can be easily rotated. I suspect that most autocrossers would find the Targa Miata (set up to be quite loose) to be utterly terrifying.

I will acknowledge (again) that the FM (and JR) bars for the 1990-93 cars do have more of a bias towards oversteer than our other ones.

Autolex wrote: If I place a web order with FM for a single set of ball-jointed end links (possibly a coolant re-route kit?) and a sway bar set, how do I add a salvage shift knob?

You'll have to call us. Salvage parts can only be ordered via phone.

I did a slightly modified Torsen Grass Test (TGT) this weekend... we'll call it the Torsen Sand Test (TST) for those of us that live in Florida

it is indeed an open diff...and now I've got a 3.909 Torsen on the way from Panicmotorsports

I just realized I can order another stock end link from Mazda for ~$40... I think I will use this as a bandaid until I get the ~$600 together to order all the stuff I want from FM (coolant reroute, end links, sways) next month. :)

any cheap yet worthwhile mods to do? I am planning a foamectomy of the drivers seat this upcoming weekend... I have a Robbins Sunfast Glass Defroster Seamless w/rain rail on the way (ouch! that hurt my budget!)

Hmmm, if the LEEN adapter proves to work on the Y16M-D (6 speed) it would be possible to run Toyota "A" power....

Miata would sound pretty good twisting to 10,000, or 12,000 rpm And their are some boosted Toyota "A" engines planting in excess of 500hp

Huh?

Autolex wrote: Huh?

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/6speed-option-for-your-toyota-apowered-rwd-car/40219/page1/

I wouldn't recommend the Racing Beat adjustable sway bar end links - they squeak. A lot. Even if you grease them, grease them, and grease them again. Squeak. squeak. squeak.

yeah, I am pretty sure I'm going with the FM ones...

How's about someone tell me how hard it is to swap a 3.909 pumpkin and speedo gear with my open 4.30? is there a how to somewhere?

The pumpkin is easy. Read the guide in Keith's book (get it if you don't already have it). I've dropped the PPF at the trans end the two times I've done it though.

Speedo... I left that alone :P

I don't have the book and even if I ordered it I doubt I could get it in time... is there a howto somewhere out there on miata.net or something?

For whatever reason, my NB, stock except for the FM bars was very loose, more so than NAs I'd driven with the same setup, and that was on the most-understeer adjustment holes. Others who drove my car agreed, so it wasn't just me! :)

Sway bars are cheap and easy to play with, so having extra sizes around isn't a bad thing. I have 4 rear bars (stock 11mm, sport 12mm, Mazdaspeed 14mm, and FM 5/8 (15.7mm)), and right now it's got none hooked up at all (turbo and doing lots of autocrossing -- no rear bar definitely helps getting the power down).

I'm using 949 endlinks, perhaps not as long-lived as the FM balljoint ones, but they don't rattle/squeak. (Are those new, Keith? I didn't see them when I was shopping for endlinks last year.)

As for the 3.9, remember that you'll need a new speed sensor if you want the speedo to be right. Mazda wants a fortune for these (over $100 even from Mazdaspeed). I just picked up a 3.9 for mine, and need to track down one of them.

The NA I co-drive in STR is loose as hell with the RB front and stock rear bar... so we removed the rear bar.

Did a quick search for the diff and didn't come across anything, but I'm sure there is a guide out there. Its very straightforward. I could tell you exactly how to do it looking at the car, but since I don't have one in front of me its kinda hard. The only even remotely tricky part is getting the shouldered washers out of the PPF (I had to drop the whole assembly and use a slide hammer).

You want the book

Those PPF bolts are the only hard part. I usually remove the spacer on the bottom of the diff, one or two small bolts then pry the PPF sideways until you can pop the spacer out. Then you can lift it up and off the nose of the diff. The shouldered washers underneath the bolt heads come out easily if you use two pry bars or screwdrivers at the same time. That way they don't cock sideways. Speedo gear is easy enough from what I recall. You don't need a new sensor, just the gears. 3.9 is a pretty tall rear for a non-turbo 5-speed though. I like the 4.1 better.

The 949 end links should be considered a consumable, like any Heim-jointed end link. They work well until they wear, then they start to rattle. The FM ball joint ones are relatively new, yes.

Speedo gear is easy enough from what I recall. You don't need a new sensor, just the gears.

From reading threads on miata.net, it sounds like the NAs can just swap gears for their mechanical speedos, but the NB electronic ones require a $100+ sensor?

I'm pretty sure you can just change the gears on the sensor as well, but personally I would just pull the sensor and check to be sure. I don't always believe everything I read on the Internet

Keith wrote: You want the book

Is the one that covers this the "find fix trick" one or the "Performance Projects" one?

Keith wrote: Those PPF bolts are the only hard part. I usually remove the spacer on the bottom of the diff, one or two small bolts then pry the PPF sideways until you can pop the spacer out. Then you can lift it up and off the nose of the diff. The shouldered washers underneath the bolt heads come out easily if you use two pry bars or screwdrivers at the same time. That way they don't cock sideways.

Thank you! (this will help a lot!)

Keith wrote: Speedo gear is easy enough from what I recall. You don't need a new sensor, just the gears. 3.9 is a pretty tall rear for a non-turbo 5-speed though. I like the 4.1 better.

I'm going to be using it to cruise ~40ish miles each direction to work and back, so I don't mind the lack of grunt down low.

Keith wrote: I'm pretty sure you can just change the gears on the sensor as well, but personally I would just pull the sensor and check to be sure. I don't always believe everything I read on the Internet

any sources on the gears? (and which ones to use?)

You want "Performance Projects". It's the how-to one. As for sources for the gears, you should be a member of Mazda Motorsports already! I don't know which ones, possibly the ones from the 1999-03 6-speeds if they're compatible - which I think they are. But I did start by saying I haven't messed with the speedo gears, so I'm not going to try to answer any more questions about them.

It's looking like I will be saving for a few weeks and probably ordering a clutch too (FM Level 1 Kit, not the happy meal though)... it's not gone yet, but it's getting a little slippy if I beat on it...

I assume it'll be easier to do the clutch and the diff at the same time?

Finally getting around to doing this (STR AutoX) build... (back in the STL area now)

in order of "improvement" (chronologically)

Intake: DDM Works "ELK"

Sway Bars: I think I am going to go with the RB 1.125" Front Bar, FM End Links, Reinforcement blocks and a stock rear bar (for now, possible removal in the future). any objections?

Wheels/Tires: TRM C3M's in 15x9" with RS3 225/45/15's

Brakes: Brembo Blanks, Porterfield RS4's, Stainless Lines, DOT4... (any suggestions?)

Coilovers: FM VMAXX? (any opinions here? I still would like to drive this thing to work every now and again...)

Header/Exhaust: ? no idea...

Computer Tune: DPTune