I bought a toy, my MX5

Thank you! It is cleaning up! If I ever destroy the front bumper, I would probably get the NC3 bumper. Is there a difference between a club and non club bumper?

Side note, 2 NC3 clubs were dropped off at the shop yesterday for 2.5 swaps

 

I should get the MX5 while back…I got the RX8 instead…

 

The Club has the factory front lip which imo makes it look 10x better. Granted you can also just buy a normal NC3 bumper and add on the lip but its kinda pricey from what i recall.

Club:


Standard NC3:



Sorry for spamming your thread. I'm just living vicariously through you since you're doing everything i planned on doing with my NC before i sold it lol.

 

It is the miata’s fat cousin! But I hate rotary engines…

 

Doesn’t bother me one bit!!!

I got fitted for my harnesses today, also, the oil cooler was almost done but the -10 AN lines needed 90 degree fittings.

I need to lower the seat down still, we tested the broom stick test today with my helmet, I keep it in the trunk, I failed…

I am really excited to get the car back after this round. Now that it has a real roll bar, harnesses and that huge oil cooler, I can really push it. I have been holding back because of high oil temperatures…

I did decide to not go to auto cross this weekend… not enough seat time with the new setup and vacuum and brakes are not as good as I want them to be…

 

Oil cooler fittings came in and it was filled with oil (6.2ish quarts) and idled to temperature to make sure there were no leaks and to make sure the thermostat in the oil sandwich worked. Well, all worked, no leaks, pressure sensor isn’t really working but the real fun was when he data logged the idle. The car had really high oil temperatures and the idle was all over the place… well… we found the problem… spark advance was WAY OFF! It was combusting in the header at idle and infact was making the header glow red… I was very relieved to find out that first, my motor is fine, second, that it is an easy fix. The new tune came in tonight and I am going to get it loaded up tomorrow morning.

As for oil temperatures, the oil cooler most definitely does it’s job!

 

So, yesterday there was one more attempt to get my car running right and he NAILED IT!!! Idles great and there is much more power!! Today I took it to auto X for the first time since all the changes and I knew today would be a lot of adjustments… Also, people were betting when I would spin my car with all the changes… (I didn’t spin, but there was drifting)

Runs 1 and 2 were UGLY!!! But I was able to get in the ballpark with settings. Run 3 I was off 2 clicks on my rear shocks and run 4, the rear planted predictably and didn’t shoot out. Run 5 was my fastest run, but I spent so much time paying attention to what the car needed, I didn’t really learn the track, so I was 1.4 seconds behind. I have no regrets, I had fun and the car worked great!

I may be going to a time attack later this month. I have some brake upgrades coming and a few other little things.

 

Action shots!!!

 

Awesome, I’m thinking about an MX5 or Toyota 86 as my next toy/beater.

 

Waiting for new Mazda mx5 more power or Toyota gr86.

 

Was planning to pick up a ND this summer but now its looking like next spring, maybe this winter if I happen to find a good deal.

 

So, since the last auto X I painted an extra set of rear calipers, had them swapped and stainless rear lines installed. I had the front brakes swapped out with wilwood 4 piston calipers and 2 piece rotors. I have rear 2 piece on order but they haven’t come in yet. I also installed fender vents and more hood vents. I think the only other thing I have done is drill holes through the floor for the rear of the drivers side seat mount so I can mount the seat completely to the floor.

I have my first ever track day Sunday, it is a time attack but really I am just out there learning how to track my car and have some fun.

 

Very nice Mazda, you'll love it! I have had this old Speed3 thats been in our family for 11 years. It has never let our family down even pushing big turbo and ethanol for 7/8 years. I'll never sell it, been a great car! I am a big fan of Mazda

 

I absolutely love having a toy again! Everyone is expecting me to get tired of it, but I have no idea what I would get! I just want to go have fun with this thing! September is a month off from track stuff though… it might work out as I may need to invest almost all of my time to catching back up

 

I came, I spun twice, I left unbroken!

I was at MSR bright and early and popped my track cherry. The first run was track sprint, essentially a track run but you pit every time and stage for more runs. I was soooo careful for like the first 30 minutes and then the hammer started to drop. I started learning the course and what my car can and can’t do. I will say, I did ok. I got 3rd of 6 in my weight to power ratio.

Then came the time attack… I am glad I got some time to learn the track before going door to door. Pretty early on in the time attack I spun after a hill going into a turn. In the sprints, I was winding out 3rd gear, but I was pushing 4th with the whole track opened. Well, I had too much speed coming over the hill and spun after going over the hill, no damage, didn’t even leave the asphalt, but spun my car for the first time and got that out of the way… took another few laps to get my nerve back and then the car started feeling weird and the check engine light was flashing, I brought it in and looked everything over. Besides puking alittle power steering fluid, all looked good under the hood. Checked the codes and I was running rich which killed power… cleared the code, all was well and it never came back. Went back out again and realllly started pushing the car. I was going MUCH faster. I came through an S turn hot and ran over a curb and it was enough to spin me again, I went into the grass this time and had a quick panic when I saw smoke coming out of the driver’s side fender vent. But I am pretty sure it was grass burning on the rotors or something, I eventually was able to pull out of the grass and back on the track after traffic cleared and pitted the car to look it over. Some white paint from the curb on the tire but that is it! I went back out and started hammering again. I pushed more and I realized I was the only one on the track, it was nice not having 800 hp cars blowing by me like I was standing still. I took advantage of this and made some great laps. I pulled my car in with about 20 minutes left of track time, tires were hot, brakes were hot, clutch was starting to complain, but the engine stayed cool and ran like a champ. I don’t have any times for my time attack laps, but I might be able to figure it out with the go pro footage.

Only complaints about the car, I am done trying to make the convertible top work with a helmet… I ordered a removable hard top and a better cage taking advantage of the extra room. I kept hitting my head on the rails of the top when I tried having the top up… also, the tires are more suited for auto X than track work, and the amount of rubber accumulated on the wheels compared to the other NC Miata I was racing around with told the same story. I feel like this is transitioning from a mostly street and weekend racer into more of a track car as it evolves. I loved being able to drop the convertible top to drive around town, but enough is enough…

I had a lot of fun, and I was exhausted by the end of the day. I raced on and off for about 7 hours. I learned ALOT and it will translate to better times for the future.

 

Action shot from last weekend! Also, I killed a wheel bearing last weekend at the track, car is benched until that is fixed. I found a hard top for a good price, it is gutted and from a track car, but I will make it work

 

I mean why not

 

Wheel bearing is still shot, the rear rotors finally came in, and I washed the car today

 

My Miata is considered the “boat” as it is the biggest Miata ever made. Still that Evo would make my car look small.

So my car is fixed, but I am waiting for the hard top to get wrapped. I am excited to have it back. My business is draining my accounts so no more spending on the car for a bit. But I will go and have some fun with it anyway.

 

The RHT looks sooooo much better with the lines of the NC than the PRHT. Looks great as always. Good to see you beating on it too. Check out the Blackbird Fabworks upper and side RHT brackets, theyre way more solid than the factory options.

 

I haven’t driven it more than a mile or 2 here or there since I messed up the wheel bearing before Labor Day. I hugely agree that the hard top just looks damn good. I can also fit my helmet in the car! I have a new roll bar coming, when it gets here the convertible top is coming out permanently.

There is an Auto X in October, my business should be going again by then so I will hopefully be able to get back to racing it around

 

Since the budget for my toy has disappeared, I ordered something to make it safer. With the large cams and the ITB’s it makes terrible vacuum for the brakes. I ordered this pump off eBay and I got it installed right as it started to rain… I need to wire it up and plumb the vacuum hose, but the hardest part is done. I didn’t want the pump in the way and I knew there was open space here after I made the 4” intake. So it will be hidden away behind the bumper. The relay, fuse, and regulator will all be in the engine bay, but the big pump won’t be

 

Small update. I came across and opportunity to swap out my grey dash panel for gloss black. I like it a lot.

Next is much more exciting. I ordered some stuff from Japan and China in July. I want to get the China out of the way, because, well, it isn’t here yet. I ordered a different spoiler that will cover the factory spoiler holes, looks almost the same, just more coverage. I removed the old carbon fiber one, cleaned off the double sided tape and I actually sold it within 2 hours for full asking price!
Now the part I am actually REALLY excited for, is the NOPRO rear diffuser. I got it last night and I decided to start cutting today even though it came right back off because it needs to be painted. It fits soooooooooo good, I love it! It isn’t some cheap fake diffuser that is just for looks, it goes deep under the car to a really good fit with my current rear muffler. I will be designing a flat bottom with a smart little feature that will make it really good.

Side note, the under picture was just it plopped on top of the exhaust, it sits higher than that

 

This is my toy since 97, did JDM conversion 2001 only less 90,000 miles now I’m using it for work.
I need something different rear wheel drive for auto cross.
New Miata or gr86

 

Congrats! Key thing with Miata’s is….weight! Reduce weight as much as you can on it, and it will feel like you boosted it! Try it, you won’t regret it.

 

I have a soft spot for integra’s. I love the mid engine setups. Miata or the 86 are common at the track.

I have been stripping the interior, pretty much any plastic behind the seats is gone, trunk is mostly gutted, and when the mew roll bar gets here, the convertible top is being removed forever. Also, I have been busy cutting my car to pieces haha

 

Today was my return to Auto X!! It was cooler outside today so I left the hardtop on. The surface here is loose and crappy, and it showed. Everyone was having grip issues me included. I spun off course and on the next run (would have been my fastest) I drifted the car and took a cone with me under the car right before the finish… Still had fun, wanted to go faster but I am coming back tomorrow. I have the car setup for the surface now and I intend to put some times down! As I type this, I am currently in 5th in Novice, so I might get a trophy still today.

Most importantly, I didn’t break anything but I did kill some cones