Which miata for track

However, they just can't compare to higher market cars; all that research and devolvement money does actually count for something.

While the Miata wasn't as comparatively slow in the malaise years of the 90s, the lap time delta to the Americans, Germans, and slightly more expensive Japanese rivals has grown larger with each subsequent generation. From what I can tell this article was written back in , before the ND1 transmission problems were known. Those of us with pre MX5s refer to them as glass transmissions. It's not if it will break Enthusiasts like myself are left out in the cold by Mazda.

Not just more expensive to buy, but more expensive to run. A big part of the appeal of a Miata racecar is the low cost of consumables. You can get a turbo I4 Camaro 1LE for around the cost of an ND Club, but expect to pay about double for everything that the car uses up.

My take is and has been this; I driven some really cool cars on track, almost every Porsche ever made from to GT3RS, raced prepped Vipers and some pretty rapid single seat race cars and anytime someone offers me a chance to drive a Miata I jump on it.

They are the most fun car ever. That specific example isn't worth it as the I4 in the Camaro is hardly inspiring, but there are other examples of cars that are worth the added costs. Sure, I'll spend more in consumables, but I'd rather pay more for a car I'm excited to drive than settle for the bare minimum. That said, I can't afford to run a GT3 no matter how badly I want to; so, we all settle to some extent.

Miatas are fun as he'll to hoon around in because your traveling at relatively low speeds so you can get away with so much in them. We've owned two Miatas and I never considered them as settling. A HP Camaro. The Miata is the slowest of the three but it's also the one that gets raced the most and I wouldn't say that any one of them is more or less fun to drive than the other.

The Miata is without question the cheapest and most reliable. Within reason, "cheap" is not a characteristic I put a lot of emphasis on. Racing and track driving is expensive no matter what; the little bit extra required for a bit more theater is more than worth it for me. I want my cars to feel special, and the B series engine just doesn't do it for me. The article doesn't give the initial production date, but based on the "25 year" comment, the people name-checked and the fact that GCC 5 is featured it's been crushed - I'm going to say this is from The ND is now faster :.

I would argue that the Mazdaspeed is actually one of the less successfully engineered variants. ND Miata: Fun means; stress free and spontaneousness. There's loads of that to be had in a Miata especially at a track day.

When your not worried about lap times a Miata is one of the most chuckable cars ever. The fact that they need little upkeep in comparison to faster cars adds up to low stress ownership. That's why I say they are the most fun car ever. I think what Z is referring to is exhilaration The 90s were still a very dark time for American cars; we didn't start making good cars again until the mid 00's. I hate turbos, especially on track cars, but the Mazdaspeed would be considered a higher trim level compared to a base model if a bit of an oddball.

As far as I am concerned, Mazda has never put an inspiring engine in a Miata; a K-swap would be a different story. However, most of my favorite engines are already in a better chassis than a Miata and wouldn't fit anyways. While it would be easy for a devoted Jaguarist to take in stride everything that a cheap XJS is and isn't, and could be great for somebody as concerned about tracking something 'interesting' with 'character' as they are simply looking for seat time, I don't see it as a great solution for somebody simply wanting more of a plug-and-play type solution.

The more I think about it, driving a race car to the track doesn't seem like a completely terrible idea. I'm close enough to the tracks and young enough that I think I could deal with the harshness.

I guess I just vastly overestimated the running costs for racing. And I've thought about karting, but part of the appeal for me is racing on the big tracks so that's mostly a non-starter.

Keep in mind that while the cost may be similar, you generally tend to get a lot less track time doing W2W compared to track days. California you say? That will change your cost significantly. Your biggest consumable cost is tires. That true for both track days and racing. Tire cost and life should be a big factor in selecting the car and class you race in. They're also a big part of what makes a Miata a good choice.

As a counter point; I run new tires on the Datsun and F and tow them to the track. My local track is 67 miles form the house and I travel to and from each day obviously I leave the race car and trailer at the track. What I've been doing for the last decade is 2 vintage race weekends and 4 track days a year. The track days only cost me the price of gas an tires, as an instructors pay an entry fee.

This is correct; at a typical track day you get 4 half hour session or 2 hours per day. At the vintage events I'm getting about an hour and ten minutes per day. You'll need to log in to post. Log in. Login Digital Edition Buy a Subscription. Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Is the Miata still the answer for a track rat in ? Don't know anything about GTIs though, but I like that I can probably fit a set of track tires in the back E46 : A bit bigger and heavier than I would like, but I'm a BMW guy so I have to at least think about it Boxster : Might be hard to find within budget Mazda 3 : Seems a bit bare bones, but it's well within budget Anything else I should consider?

The Jaguar Forum is a great source for understanding how to repair them and there is a free downloadable page book about the ins and outs of ownership One last point. David S. Best value: blown motor NC and 2. In reply to sedrat : Some consumables costs can be reduced by using used tires. RX8 as long as the engine is in good shape, ideally a 2nd gen.

And yes, they're out there. In reply to frenchyd : I'd love nothing more than to have the garage space for an XJS myself, but I simply don't consider it the easy button for a track toy. Anything I should be scared off by, besides "don't crash your ride home? In reply to sedrat : Keep in mind that while the cost may be similar, you generally tend to get a lot less track time doing W2W compared to track days. Maybe I'm overestimating consumables and transport to the track though California you say?

BoxheadTim said: In reply to sedrat : Keep in mind that while the cost may be similar, you generally tend to get a lot less track time doing W2W compared to track days. Jump To The latest Can a digital dash make you faster on track? How easily can you tow a car across the country with an electric truck? Acura takes wraps off forthcoming Integra Do we like it or not? New in the Grassroots Motorsports online store: Our holiday gift guide. That makes a critical difference at the limit.

I can push the hp NC below over the rumble strips at Laguna Seca Raceway and if late in the day I take a little too much of that inside yellow curb then the secondary pathway in the Ohlins opens instantly to absorb that blow that would otherwise pop the car hard upwards and offline.

With the lesser priced choices I can be almost as fast but I must leave a little more margin for error between the car and those curbs because otherwise flirting with having a spin into the walls. For daily drivers that dual flow valving means running over a bad pothole in the road is absorbed by the secondary pathway instead of jarring your spine! Ultimate precision confidence The number one modification you can make for your car is the Driver and Drivers drive faster when they feel confident.

Hitting a bump, dip, curb or hole at high speed can create instability or twitch that will rattle the driver and it could take a few corners or even laps to feel confident again. Even worse, these extreme moments can cause the driver and car to crash. The DFV will allow the tire to move up AND down quickly and control the car in situations that many other track dampers physically can not. The DFV is top tier technology and design at a value price. Temperature Sensitive Bleeder Valve!

Ohlins DFVs have a temperature sensitive bleeder valve on the low speed oil path. When the dampers are cold the needle opening contracts providing the colder, less viscous oil a less restrictive path to move through. During hot lapping the sessions the needle opening expands to restrict the more viscous oil, creating a more consistent low speed damping across operating temperatures.

Additionally, the DFVs have 46mm pistons compared to mm pistons found in other systems. This provides increased damping sensitivity across more precise piston movements.

Single Adjuster, Dual Adjustments! Another reason the DFV often gets overlooked as a great track damper is the fact that it is classified as a single adjustable damper. However, each adjustment changes BOTH compression and rebound, providing changes similar to a dual adjustable damper.

The single adjuster allows the DFV to be more affordable while maintaining Ohlin s quality and revolutionary design. The dual flow valve gives the same characteristics on rebound as it does on compression, the damper fluid has a consistent path of flow in both directions. This means that the wheel and tire can quickly and effectively resume their important position back on the ground, providing grip and traction.

The new Ohlins Road and Track range uses DFV technology on every single fitment, making it the perfect upgrade for the enthusiast that needs comfort and agility in the one unit.

Figure 1: Compression flow At low shaft speeds, oil flows mostly through the shaft jet bleed lower dotted arrow. At higher shaft speeds, oil flows mostly through the compression ports in the piston upper dotted arrow.

At very high shaft speeds, or during sudden shaft accelerations, oil can also escape through the compression ports in the DFV, increasing comfort. Figure 2: Rebound flow At low shaft speeds, oil flows mostly through the shaft jet bleed lower dotted arrow.

At higher shaft speeds, oil flows mostly through the rebound ports in the piston upper dotted arrow. At very high shaft speeds, or during sudden shaft accelerations, oil can also escape through the rebound ports in the DFV, maintaining tire contact with the road.

Because DFV opens more quickly and easily on minor road imperfections, ride comfort is surprisingly supple and more akin to an OEM shocks than a coilover set-up. Over undulating surfaces, the compliance of the Road and Track units allows your Miata to crest bumps and potholes, whilst still keep stable and in control.

Traction is always maintained at its optimum level. When comparing suspension, why settle for second best? Figure 3: Vehicle no DFV Without DFV the oil can not flow through the piston quickly enough on the rebound stroke after hitting a bump, so the tire is not able to stay in contact with the road.

Figure 4: Vehicle DFV technique The DFV valve opens, letting the oil flow quicker through the piston on the rebound stroke after hitting a bump, enabling the tire to stay in contact with the road. When adjusting ride height on coilover units, it is worth comparing how it is done. Can you compete with an unmodified junkyard engine or maybe one with only headwork? Sure, especially at the local level. I have a junkyard engine with some headwork done. I still do well and have a blast, but on big horsepower tracks Pocono, Watkins Glen the horsepower difference is a big disadvantage.

If you want to be competitive in the most serious events ie Championships and SCCA Majors tour you better pony up for a pro motor. Spec Miata is huge and continues to grow.

Races get more prestigious and sponsorships get more lucrative. It is recognized as a feeder program towards pro racing. People sell everything for these cars to gain the tiniest advantages.

Specialty rebuilt transmissions, diffs, hubs, you name it. My first season I called a shop to buy cheap used tires and the person on the phone went on how I NEED specialty this and that. He said I need to replace ball joints after a very short amount of hours, etc etc. A good motor will be the biggest dollar-to-speed addition, whereas blueprinting everything on the car will be add up to be an incredibly expensive, though tiny advantage. Within an hour of posting I heard from multiple people how crazy expensive Hoosier tires can be.

The Toyos are competitive for at least double heat cycles than the Hoosiers. Since everyone is on the same rubber, why not run where you can get x your money out of your tire budget. The Toyo RA1 rain tire can hang for years , the Hoosier H20 is Significantly faster in the wet, but considered by many to be good for only one session. Hoosier is actively developing the next generation SM8 and H20, with a focus on increased longevity.

Spec Miata gets a bad reputation for being excessively expensive to buy, build, or maintain a car good enough to have fun and be reasonably competitive with. To go out and have a blast, even a cheap modestly maintained car can be more than enough for you. My unqualified, unsolicited opinion for improving the class Cap horsepower at a reasonable number… perhaps or ?

Again, what is this class supposed to be about? Go back to all using the same tires between clubs.