The miata stereotype is already bad enough. Don't encourage the haters.

From the Mazda Reliability thread yesterday:




http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1626377_Mazda_Reliability___Bought_a_Rav4_.html&page=1#i47368228

So all of you taller guys that own a Miata, is there more room in the driver's seat than the passenger seat?  A guy I work with bought one last year, and I've gone out to lunch with him a couple times when he's driven the Miata, and I feel cramped in the passenger seat at 6' 0" tall.  Not sure if I have long legs or something, but I dunno.

Just curious about that, as when the time comes that I need a new commuter/fun car, I am considering looking more at one of these cars.  Hopefully not for another couple years still, but I'm always reading about these kinds of things just because.

He has the NC I think, 2012 model.

I'm ~6', and I'm good once I'm in the car.

*shrug*  just pull some padding out of the seat.  No big deal.

Yeah, that is the downside.  It's surprisingly easy to make the Miata difficult to get out of.  All it takes are racing seats.

Whoa... a Miata thread.

I'm the proud new owner of a 1991... 53,000 original miles.  24,000 of those were in the first 2 years.  Bone stock.  Hasn't even been washed in 10 years, at least.

My stepdad bought it new... folks moved recently, so he gave it to me.  First stick-shift car I ever drove (had run stick-shift equipment, forklifts, etc. before).

Oh... I'm about 6'2", 265#.  I fit.

Awesome. Did it sit for years?

Never sat longer than a few months without being driven.  He was pretty good about firing it up on occasional nice days in winter, and every week or two or three in the summer.  For a guy with ZERO mechanical inclination whatsoever (my stepdad)... not bad!
Had a fresh oil change and new battery installed right before he gave it to me.

Awesome.

I think I've decided suspension is next. It's pretty soft and sloppy as is, especially at the rear. Whatever is left of the bump stops is getting beat up on the back roads.

I've never done anything with the suspension of a vehicle before, so I'm just starting to do homework.

I'm not looking for anything extreme, and I don't really want to lower it. I'd like to keep it under $1k, probably closer to $700.

Suggestions?

I'm noticing something else with the car...

When I shift gears, it sometimes feels like I have to push through something to get it in gear. It's kinda like a Glock trigger, I guess. When I'm driving, I don't feel anything when it happens.

When sitting at a stop at idle, if I push it into gear (1st or reverse works) while holding the clutch, I'll often feel the resistance I've described and I feel two clicks. As long as I hold the clutch down, I can push it in and out of gear without feeling anything unusual and I only hear one click. If I move the stick to neutral, release the clutch, and push it back in, the first time I push it back into gear, I feel the added resistance and I hear the two clicks again.

Is this normal, and I'm just starting to notice it, or is there something I need to check?

I know that with the NB the passenger seat doesn't move rearward as much as the driver seat because the computer is mounted behind the seat.  It might only be mounted there in certain markets but it is clear as day, the seat is 1-2 inches further forward.  I'm not actually sure where the computer is in American models.

I'm 6ft 230 lbs of fat, not beefcake muscle.  I fit just fine.  Sure it may be a little easier to drive if I weighed less but my height isn't the problem and I'm happy because I used to weigh much more.

Don't forget, it is supposed to be a tight car.  The Miata has a cockpit whereas a Mustang has a living room with a love seat.  I can press the button on the hand brake, select 4th gear, and turn on the A/C with the same hand at the same time.  And I love that aspect of it.

It is a little old, but nothing to worry about.

Just put it in second first, and first second.

Seriously, when sitting still, drop it into 2nd when you first push the clutch in and then it will slide right into first.

Nothing to worry about.  Both my 929 and RX7 Turbo II do this and they are each 26 years old.

My NB has a weird issue with 2nd.  Every once in a while it will attempt to grind into 2nd.  Might be a syncro issue.  It has never blocked me from 2nd and I'm not using a lot of force.  It just clicks and makes a barely audible crunch noise.  I don't think my clutch work is sucking but my stupidity is not out of the question here.  My FD has a rough 2nd gear as well.  Odd.

The only thing I find odd about the Miata is that I find excuses to not use the A/C because the amount of drag it puts on the motor really really really irritates me.  Small motor and small power = annoying A/C drag.

Also to add, unless you have a specific alignment setting because you race it or something.  Go with the Flyin Miata alignment specs.  Just did it yesterday and holy fuck, I hate heavy caster and going from 6.3 to 5.0 is awesome.

I have always wanted one, this thread doesn't help.

How long are you waiting between clutch in and gear in?  If you allow enough time for the trans to stop spinning, the syncro can't synchronize the gear because nothing is moving.  If you have ever messed with the gears while the car is off or if you have had the clutch in for more than 5 seconds you may notice that sometimes you can't grab a gear until you grab another.  For instance, if you try to get 4th and the stick stops short, going for 3rd can force the trans to rotate enough to allow you 4th.

A good condition NA costs the same as a nice coil over setup for another car.  Buy it, don't like it?  Sell it for no loss or possible profit.

You left out the goggles, leather helmet, and silk scarf.

That didn't work too well for Isadora Duncan.

Is that even possible while the vehicle is in motion? I don't hear the two clicks out on the road, but I do feel the resistance. It seems to be worst in 3rd.

They seem to be ~$3-5k here.

No input on suspension? Coilovers vs springs and shocks?

I think I'm starting to lean towards the Koni based kits from Flyin Miata, either a Stage 1 or Stage 2. The difference is the Stage 2 comes with a set of sway bars. The difference is $165, so I'm thinking the Stage 2 is probably worth it.

https://www.flyinmiata.com/index.php?deptid=5635&parentid=0&stocknumber=13-16320%20%201990-93

Any thoughts?

Spec Miatas are like the cockroaches of the racing world.  Impossible to kill them.  I crew for a bunch of guys that race them.  We were at Blackhawk Farms last weekend.  Lots of fun to watch!

No, syncro should work if the vehicle is in motion.  I was talking about trouble getting into 1st while stopped.  I assume that isn't an issue for you?

Coilovers are the best package.  They are better than separate springs and dampers.  The problems arise when the manufacturers need to make their kit resist crashing when hellaflush fags slam shit to the ground.  So you often find coilover setups with higher spring rates than are necessary.  Higher spring rates aren't really the issue so much as the harsh damping required to control a heavy spring.  

My NB has stock suspension, but my FD wears Tein Street Flex coilovers.  I swapped the supplied springs for my own preferred rate.  The kit came with 10/8 and I moved the rears to the front and bought 6's to throw on the rear.  The dampers are adjustable so I stay on the softer side of the adjustments.  Rides very well.  Keep in mind a lot of research went into my choice to change the supplied rates.  I have not done any research on options for the NB.  A friend of mine has an NA with yellow speed coilovers with 8/6 springs.  It rides similar to the FD so I assume the Miata spring rate to wheel rate conversion is different than the FD.

I suggest you don't lower the car too much.  NA's have very limited rear travel.  The problem was corrected on NB's but both cars don't gain enough from lower ride height to offset the downsides.  As with almost all of Mazda's FR cars, Miata, FD RX-7 and RX-8, the suspension geometry is very good.  The amount of body roll has very little affect on the effective footprint of the tires.  Articulation isn't a Mazda's enemy.  Stock Miata's kick ass on the autocross, body roll and all.

This is not to say that springs and dampers are a bad idea.  But if you are being picky about the best performance numbers, stick with a combined unit from a reputable manufacturer.  FM knows what they are doing with their kits but they are also a company that has to sell items for a relatively affordable car with owners that find it hard to justify over $1000 on suspension goodies.  So they sell a lot of simple kits and there is nothing wrong with them.

I would consider bars before any other suspension mod on my Shinsen simply because the feel of a car that doesn't roll is more important to me on this car than the overall responsiveness of the suspension.  But even before bars I am looking at chassis stiffening.  Frame rail reinforcement, frog arms, all that jazz.  Chassis stiffening on an NA is even more noticeable than the NB but both benefit from it to such a degree that I consider it a must.  The Miata's are fairly stiff for a factory convertible but they aren't coupes.  The stiffening mods bring the feel of the Miatas to that of the S2000.

I definitely feel the occasional added resistance while driving. Is there a possible issue with the transmission?

And a chihuahua in a totebag

From my limited knowledge, the Miata transmission is rather tough.  I don't know if that is just because the car is under tired and under diffed which makes the trans the strongest of the 3.  I wouldn't worry too much about it.  As long as you have at least some financial safety margin you will be fine.  A transmission is relatively dirt cheap.  I'm in the process of burning up my clutch because I don't like it and it has shudder issues.  I make the bad clutch go away.

I guess I'll just keep rolling and see what happens. I think I burned about a quarter tank this evening.

So... there I was, right... I'm on a two lane in each direction suburban divided highway, and I'm sitting at a red light about 3 cars back. I'm in neutral with my foot off the clutch. Light turns green. Clutch in, push forward to first, and nothing happens. I make sure the clutch is floored and I give the shifter three good, strong but not quite caveman shoves, and it's not going into gear.

Suddenly...
I remember this post. I sweep it back to second, and slide it right back forward into first. Let the clutch out, and I'm off.

Last night, I broke the 2k mile mark. So far, so good.

Today, I decided to change the manual transmission fluid. I lifted the car, got the fill plug broken loose, dropped the drain plug, drained the fluid, replaced the drain plug, pumped in the new fluid, and replaced the fill plug. When I slid the drain pan out and slid out from under my car, I looked in the drain pan and saw a washer that had to come from the drain plug.

If this was regular motor oil or something, I'd drive it a little to flush out the internals and just change the fluid again. The thing is, I used the Motorcraft Synthetic stuff, and that stuff is like $21 a quart before taxes. I don't know if I'm ready to eat $45 to re-install a washer just in case.

How important is that washer?

I have a 6'4" 380lb 17 year old, he fits in my 2006 fine even with the top up.  He tends to wang his head on one of the top's crossbars if I go over speedbumps too fast. I may or may not have done this on purpose before.  He also doesn't have an easy time with the seat belt.



ETA: Just did some testing, I think the drivers seat is just a little lower than the passenger seat.





 

Yes,the glovebox takes up more knee room


I'm 6'2" 215 for another Miata size comparison

Get a clean container and catch the good oil.  Nothing wrong with reusing fresh oil.  Just make sure the container is clean and dry. The washer is probably worth it.

The NC is really a much different car from the NA and NB.  It is much more "Americanized".  He would never fit in the earlier models.

The NA is the most pure,the NB is the best Miata and the NC is the best car.

It depends what you want. I just like the facelifted NBs the best. The NC is a big letdown in a couple areas that are important to me. In a car where every part of me is touching something,the new hard plastics that feel more like 90s GM bother me and the styling is too bland and average car-like. Theyre actually good cars,I just wouldn't trade up for one,and they really do feel a bunch bigger.

HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of boyfriends agree!

Sounds like the voice of experience.  Does your boyfriend agree with  your post.

You bastards are feeding my mid-life crisis

this is not good.

How?  This isn't a corvette thread.

Boom!

I've put 2,500 miles on it as of Friday.



I'm thinking about short cycling the oil change a bit. I don't normally do that, but this is my first OCI with the car.