I want to get back into autoX and HPDEs myself and I came to a very similar conclusion. I’ve owned lots of V8 cars. I considered using my ZR-1, buying a C5 Z06, using my 996, building a kit car... buying another Mustang or Z28; I ended up with a 94 Laguna blue Miata. I’m going to add frame rail braces a hard dog bar and new shocks soon and drive it on stock power levels for a while. Then I have a 350 hp or so Ford V8 in the garage I will add later. It’s all a money decision. I have some Federal 585s on some Kosei wheels ready to abuse too (cheap 200TW). The car needs a new top too, but it’s one of the nicest 94s you will ever see. The car will be track ready on stock power at about $5k all in. With the swap completed I should stay under $20k, and I will have a really fun car. The Ford engine is aluminum headed so it won’t be as heavy as you might think.DTMiller wrote: ↑Fri Jan 19, 2018 6:20 am That's pretty sweet. Going Miata for a track car was the best track related financial decision I ever made. I can't imagine how deep I'd be if I was running something expensive at the track. In calendar year 2017 my tire expenses were $0.00. Bought a new set in late 2016 and finally destroyed those in late 2017.
Still have a set of RA1s that I use as rain tires that I might convert to dry use and wait to buy more when I destroy those, probably April or so.
Racetrack Stuff
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If you went 996 great day thread mode on the pointy hat Miata board, you will be permabanned soon. You can’t disagree over there, not even politely, or someone freaks out. I’m a very old member there, but don’t post anymore.
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Looks like a blast. I’m total hack so it’s impossible for me to advise. I will say as smooth as you are you probably won’t get much faster. The only corners that may have been problematic were the 3 slowest. Getting out of them quick in a momentum car is hard. In pure conjecture I think you may be scrubbing off too much speed in them forcing a bit of understeer. Trail braking is supposed to be the bees knees at fixing this in a Miata but I totally suck at it.
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Always the near death ride. I will never forget my first one..... thanks dad. Dad was once upon a time a TX SCCA pres, and an insane driver to hear the tales. He loved beating up 911s in an RX3 with a 12b swap.
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This one is a little faster although not smoother:AnthonyS wrote: ↑Sun Jun 10, 2018 7:19 pm Looks like a blast. I’m total hack so it’s impossible for me to advise. I will say as smooth as you are you probably won’t get much faster. The only corners that may have been problematic were the 3 slowest. Getting out of them quick in a momentum car is hard. In pure conjecture I think you may be scrubbing off too much speed in them forcing a bit of understeer. Trail braking is supposed to be the bees knees at fixing this in a Miata but I totally suck at it.
It's true that most time is gained/lost in slow sections; on a per foot basis you spend more time there and on a mph per mph basis adding speed makes a bigger time gain. Going 45 instead of 40 is a 12.5% gain in speed. Going 105 instead of 100 is a 5% gain. I forgot to add the speed to this video but I've looked at the data and none of my top speeds were as fast but I was much quicker in many of the turns. (A dying engine will do that to you, as it turns out.)
2002 Guards Red Targa, Fister exhaust, H&R Sport Springs, semisolid motor mounts
1997 MX-5 track car
Friday at the Track, Chin Trackdays, SCCA WDCR Novice Classroom Instructor, SCDA, Audi Club Potomac, TrackDaze HPDE Instructor
June 16, 2017 Funland GoKart Champion (6:13 p.m. main event)
Willing to risk life for track time
1997 MX-5 track car
Friday at the Track, Chin Trackdays, SCCA WDCR Novice Classroom Instructor, SCDA, Audi Club Potomac, TrackDaze HPDE Instructor
June 16, 2017 Funland GoKart Champion (6:13 p.m. main event)
Willing to risk life for track time
Re: Racetrack Stuff
Thank goodness it’s a Miata 1.8. They are easy to find and affordable. Be very interesting to see how a new engine works out for your lap times. You going through check and replace the clutch disc or anything else during the engine swap?DTMiller wrote: ↑Mon Jun 11, 2018 3:41 amThis one is a little faster although not smoother:AnthonyS wrote: ↑Sun Jun 10, 2018 7:19 pm Looks like a blast. I’m total hack so it’s impossible for me to advise. I will say as smooth as you are you probably won’t get much faster. The only corners that may have been problematic were the 3 slowest. Getting out of them quick in a momentum car is hard. In pure conjecture I think you may be scrubbing off too much speed in them forcing a bit of understeer. Trail braking is supposed to be the bees knees at fixing this in a Miata but I totally suck at it.
It's true that most time is gained/lost in slow sections; on a per foot basis you spend more time there and on a mph per mph basis adding speed makes a bigger time gain. Going 45 instead of 40 is a 12.5% gain in speed. Going 105 instead of 100 is a 5% gain. I forgot to add the speed to this video but I've looked at the data and none of my top speeds were as fast but I was much quicker in many of the turns. (A dying engine will do that to you, as it turns out.)
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Yeah, I don't think you could do a 996 set of rotors for what I'm going to have in the new engine. We are looking at stuff carefully. There's a lot of stuff we could replace while we are in there but I've tried to avoid mission creep. In a cost no concern world we'd replace clutch, flywheel, pilot and throw out bearing, motor mounts, injectors and a few other doodads. Pretty quickly my cheap engine swap would be up close to $2000 and that's not the point. Labor is "free" and now that I'm doing some of this stuff I'm seeing how manageable it is. Kind of fun actually.AnthonyS wrote: ↑Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:26 amThank goodness it’s a Miata 1.8. They are easy to find and affordable. Be very interesting to see how a new engine works out for your lap times. You going through check and replace the clutch disc or anything else during the engine swap?DTMiller wrote: ↑Mon Jun 11, 2018 3:41 am
This one is a little faster although not smoother:
It's true that most time is gained/lost in slow sections; on a per foot basis you spend more time there and on a mph per mph basis adding speed makes a bigger time gain. Going 45 instead of 40 is a 12.5% gain in speed. Going 105 instead of 100 is a 5% gain. I forgot to add the speed to this video but I've looked at the data and none of my top speeds were as fast but I was much quicker in many of the turns. (A dying engine will do that to you, as it turns out.)
None of the stuff I'm not replacing is going to fail in the next 1-2 years, would be my guess, although a couple things require a closer look once the engine is actually out of the car. The clutch that came off the donor engine is in the garage; we're gonna pick the parts that make the most sense. If something does let go that I could have/should have replaced everyone has full license to say I told you so.
2002 Guards Red Targa, Fister exhaust, H&R Sport Springs, semisolid motor mounts
1997 MX-5 track car
Friday at the Track, Chin Trackdays, SCCA WDCR Novice Classroom Instructor, SCDA, Audi Club Potomac, TrackDaze HPDE Instructor
June 16, 2017 Funland GoKart Champion (6:13 p.m. main event)
Willing to risk life for track time
1997 MX-5 track car
Friday at the Track, Chin Trackdays, SCCA WDCR Novice Classroom Instructor, SCDA, Audi Club Potomac, TrackDaze HPDE Instructor
June 16, 2017 Funland GoKart Champion (6:13 p.m. main event)
Willing to risk life for track time
Re: Racetrack Stuff
The hamsters escaped!
2002 Guards Red Targa, Fister exhaust, H&R Sport Springs, semisolid motor mounts
1997 MX-5 track car
Friday at the Track, Chin Trackdays, SCCA WDCR Novice Classroom Instructor, SCDA, Audi Club Potomac, TrackDaze HPDE Instructor
June 16, 2017 Funland GoKart Champion (6:13 p.m. main event)
Willing to risk life for track time
1997 MX-5 track car
Friday at the Track, Chin Trackdays, SCCA WDCR Novice Classroom Instructor, SCDA, Audi Club Potomac, TrackDaze HPDE Instructor
June 16, 2017 Funland GoKart Champion (6:13 p.m. main event)
Willing to risk life for track time
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I know you racers are serious about dropping weight, but that might be a little overboard DT!
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It’s a Miata 1.8. There really isn’t a lot to worry about. They get really expensive if you try to make lots of NA power or turbo power with them. At that point the V8 becomes more afFORDable. I priced turbos and LS swaps too. It helps that I drove and worked on Mustangs when the 5.0 was king dingaling.
You’re only wear items on a 1.8s are timing belts and clutches. Other than that they are pretty tough. Early 1.6s have a harmonic balancer issue but it’s easy to fix too.
I will have a good 1.8, transmission and torsen available in a year or so myself.
You’re only wear items on a 1.8s are timing belts and clutches. Other than that they are pretty tough. Early 1.6s have a harmonic balancer issue but it’s easy to fix too.
I will have a good 1.8, transmission and torsen available in a year or so myself.