Spec miata roadtrip

So, at the beginning of the summer I decided to sell my c5 z06 in favor of picking up a cheaper track toy. I decided that a miata would fit the bill. I know, big surprise. To make it even more fun, I figured I'd take it a step further and try my hand at wheel to wheel racing so I began my search for a suitable donor or a cheap used spec miata.

Fast forward to last week, I find this gem on CL in Little Rock. Comes with 2 spare engines, spare trans, 2 sets of extra wheels/tires.

Anyways, I'm going to pick it up this weekend and since I don't have a tow vehicle, the reasonable (maybe not) thing is to rent a hertz pickup (cheap, with unlimited miles) for all the spares and have a buddy drive that while I drive the miata.

All the brake lights, ect work so I'm not worried there. I'm more curious what the horde thinks will make the ride as comfortable/easy as possible (besides towing it). I'm planning on bringing:

• some basic tools (owner has driven a little recently but not much in the last couple years)

• ear plugs

• extra phone batteries

What else?

Depending on how long the ride is, I really find the cool suit helpful after about an hour :)

Seriously, I'd bring a few sheets of memory foam and a pair of scissors so you can cut your own cushions depending on what seat is in it. I'd also use the noise-cancelling headphones, gotta have tunes!

Ride is about 10 hours and unfortunately the cool suit that comes with isn't hooked up...

Good point on the foam, I've got some I'll take along. I don't have noise canceling headphones but I was thinking about bringing ear buds that do a decent job of blocking out noise.

Rent a trailer for your rental truck?

Make sure you have the stuff needed to deal with changing a flat tire out in the tools.

Lots of (cold) water.

you may want to have things prepared ahead of time if you will be hitting tollbooths, moving around in the car with the seat/harness will be a challenge. Also the information stuff if you get pulled over.

Consider that your foot might get hot after a long highway drive and have a plan if it does.

Make sure that the lights/turn signals arent covered over and are operation so you dont get pulled over. (Looks like they are in that photo)

Ask PO if horn works, if not, go to wally world and grab and aerosol air horn to have handy. You might think you never use the horn, but when you dont have it...

Thats about all I can think of.

This is a crazy and very uncomfortable idea that I can totally get behind.

In reply to ross2004:

Rental truck doesn't have a hitch and a u-haul type rental with will end up costing close to $1,500+ after gas, ect. Pickup will be less than a third of that.

So a 1st gen Miata is 1675mm wide (66" or 5.5') wide by 3950mm (155" or 13') long.

It will fit inside of a 15' U-Haul with room in the attic for spares...all you need are good ramps.

• Inside dimensions: 14'6" x 7'8" x 7'2" (LxWxH)
• Mom's Attic: 2'7" x 7'8" x 2'6" (LxWxH)
• Deck height: 2' 10"
• Door opening: 7'3" x 6'5" (WxH)
• Loading ramp width: 2'2"

In reply to pinchvalve:

The problem with this plan is that the deck length is only 11'11".

A 17' truck will do the job perfectly.

In reply to pinchvalve:

Yup, I looked into that as well. A plane ticket there is more expensive then the pickup truck and gas will be...

Either way, I think it'll be somewhat entertaining experience in a painful, uncomfortable way. I'm just trying to figure out what to bring.

Having been doing several 13-hour trips in a van w/no a/c through the heat warnings of the south, a big cooler full of ice & drinks goes a long way - just remember to put your drink back in the cooler each time & it'll stay nice and cold.

Regarding tools, make sure you have a jack that fits. Being a race car, a standard jack might not be short enough to go under it. Perhaps a couple of jack stands, just in case.

Not sure what your trip is taking you, but it's stupid hot down here right now. I think I'd worry about overheating before anything else.

Warning!! Hare-brained idea ahead....

What if you built something like this: Igloo A/C

But with a smaller cooler that fits in the passenger floor board, a fan that hooks up to the battery and a hose to go down your shirt to keep you cool?

-Rob

a helmet, to be worn at all times

You might want to consider a slightly premium AAA membership. Get it early enough for the coverage to kick in. For a trip of this magnitude, it's worth the confidence knowing that you won't have to abandon it on the highway.

Make sure the fluids (uh... just oil and coolant?) are at the correct levels. I'd bring (or buy there and charge) a battery jump pack as race batteries can be finicky (either from storage or because they're friggin' tiny). You can drive a car with the jump pack in a pinch (WITH LOTS OF ELECTRICAL TAPE DO NOT SHORT OUT AND START A FIRE IN YOUR TRUNK). Make sure the battery is secure. Make sure the bearings and/or wheels aren't ready to fall off.

Aside from that, sounds like you'll have enough spares to fix anything on the way!

Comfort-wise, I'd bring ear muffs to go with your ear buds. "Noise-cancellation" works by countering frequencies with more noise. Ear muffs just block it. Who cares if your ears'll be sweaty! This way you can enjoy your tunes at low volumes. Make sure the seat in the car is "vaguely" your size. If you're skinny and the seat is huge, bring firm padding and stuff until snug. If the opposite, I'm so sorry. Make sure the cage is SFI-padded where it matters before you leave.

Enjoy!

From experience racing our SM in the rain on slicks:

1. If the car comes with rain tires, PUT THEM ON. If they seller hasn't run the car recently, it is likely on shaved Toyo's, or if newer, Hoosier slicks, neither of which is much fun in medium or heavier rain, it will be worse if the tires have sat around and hardened. Either way, run lowish tire pressures, around 32psi. Bumps that you don't even notice in a regular car can really upset an SM, and the problem is made worse if there is any oil on the road "lifted" by rain. You can lose it quicker than you think, especially on on-ramps.

2. The defrost may or may not be installed/work. Even without side window glass the windshield has a tendency to fog up. It sounds silly, but spend $6 on a squeegee.

3. Buy/take new wiper blades with you.

4. If you can, raise the ride height a bit, not super high, should help a lot with driving the car on the street. Takes a jack and 5 min per corner.

Also, +1 on needing a low profile jack. We cant get a regular jack under the front pinchweld on our car, and even a low profile jack is hard if a tire is down/flat.

One other thought: If you're renting a pickup anyway, why not rent a uhaul tow dolly too? EDITED TO ADD: Even if the rental pickup doesn't have a proper hitch, it may have the cutouts in the bumper that you can use to temporarily install a $15 ball hitch. Not saying its totally safe or a great idea, just throuwing it out there.

Have fun and safe travels!!

It won't be too bad i don't think. I did 7 hours to MATG in my Miata last month, and while not QUITE as brutal as a Spec car, it's pretty damn close. I was also turning more RPMs, since the 6spd/4.3 combo isn't Spec legal. No a/c, no power steering, fixed back bucket, 5pt harness, loudest exhaust on the planet, and no heatshields because i'm a moron.

It's doable. You'll sweat a lot.

take the HT off and put it in the truck bed. put street tires on. Unless on the bump stops the SM spring rate is not too bad (and the shocks are pretty soft by race car standards) Enjoy 10 hours of top down driving. I know a guy who daily drives a SM in detroit area (pot holes) - no complaints.

+

Also, look and see if the guy (or anyone around you, on the route, etc) have a stock Miata seat? That'd probably be worth the <10 minutes to swap in over the racing seat..

This is completely idiotic.... I approve.
I second the suggestion of ear muffs over ear plugs. You can cut down on fatigue a TON by making your world quiet. New wiper blades are also a great idea.
If you can track down a set of actual street tires for the drive you will be happy if it rains.
Have fun!

Have you tried uship? saves you time, and maybe money.

New wipers are a good idea. Didn't think of that. I'll bring my ear muffs I use for shooting. They're pretty comfortable.

I had kirkeys in the vette and I've done 6+ hour trips in them so I'm not too worried about the seats.

One of the sets of tires are some potenzas and I'll put those on before leaving.

I'd suggest a fair number of breaks. My Miata has stiff suspension, no cruise control and a race seat. It's not something I'm at all tempted to take on a ten hour trip and it still has A/C and a stereo.

I think it's the combination of the restrictive seat and no cruise that makes the drive tough. There just isn't any good way to reposition like you normally would every so often.