Step 1: Find Miata.

[Slicks]

Originally Posted by bruxell

It won't corner faster. The 90 extra pounds is going to have an effect, no matter where you put it; and yes, not being able to put all the power down is a big downside. I can think of nothing that would ruin a Miata faster than 400hp under pedal. I hate this idea that if a car isn't grossly overpowered, it's somehow underpowered. If all you're doing while driving the thing is trying to keep it contained, if it's rendered completely in-exploitable by the extreme nature of its concept; then I see no reason for it to exist. Musclecars and supercars are one thing; they're engineered from the start for big numbers and big thrills; but a Miata needs so much chassis tuning to keep up with this monster motor (Which incidentally, I have nothing against in and of itself.). Still, I guess you could look at it as a handling upgrade for your Vette!

More like a handling downgrade from a vette...
Either way, V8 miatas handle well, like it or not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxFDtDwBVN0

[Slicks]

Originally Posted by Ingolstadt

Sometimes, people just don't wanna look stupid.

Your right, Id feel pretty dumb struggling to pass a minivan too in a stock Miata...
Its like going from this:

To this:

[McReis]

Macho, macho man...

[VtecMini]

Originally Posted by Slicks

The object of the car is to be an underpowered hairdressers car?
Its supposed to be a fun, sporting roadster, right? How does adding some balls change that?

Underpowered for what? Surely such a suggestion is somewhat subjective? Underpowered for a fun & light roadster? No, not at all. And for what it's worth, I can't help but think that anyone who feels the need to "add balls" (your phase, not mine) to something is perhaps more than a little insecure.

You do know that there are some really lightweight wheels out there, right? The stockers certainly arnt the end-all-be-all wheels...

It doesn't matter how light you can get the wheel, the narrower version of any wheel is going to be lighter, likewise the tyre. It's not bloody rocket science.

Brakes are usually the first thing upgraded for autox-ers, right? So there is no way you can find brakes that are lighter than stock?

Yeah, there are light sets of big brakes, but in the interest in not repeating myself, see previous comment.

Originally Posted by Bob

So let's you go ahead with the enige conversion. Now you have a Miata with 3xx hp. Take it out and drive it. Sure the fun of a light balanced sportscar is in the dynamics and finding the perfect turn in. With the bigger engine you just have more to worry about. Instead of mashing the pedal to the floor and knowing the tires can handles it, you have to worry about how much the car can handle and modulate the throttle accordingly. About brakes... well if you decide to do 180 down a long straight of course you need bigger brakes, but who says you need to stand on the gas the whole way? The more powerful engine has little or no effect on dynamics and handling, it just means that the car is faster and has more power available at need. What's the problem with that? Unless you treat the throttle like an on/off switch I don't know why you wouldn't want more power available.

I'm really sorry 'Bob', but although I think there's a question in there near the end, I don't think I can answer it. You see, right after the point where you suggested that it would be fine to triple the horsepower of a car without making the slightest modification to the standard brakes, my eyes began to glaze over and I sort of lost the will to live slightly. Sorry about that.

[Slicks]

Originally Posted by McReis

Those childish remarks don't help your cause. That's the kind of thing a guy who doesn't know a thing about cars would say. You spend too much time in this website not to know more than that.

Seriously, have you driven a car with over 300hp before? Have you driven a Miata?

Read about all the Lotus, Abarths and other tiny, underpowered but hugely fast cars and you will conclude that 90% of the times they are most sucessfull than the brute force racers.

Lets take the Elise for example, although "only" 180hp, its significantly lighter than the Miata, giving it a really good power to weight ratio.
Read all about LS1 swaps, a very common thing now, and its especially picked up in the d0rift0 world.
Smaller cars like the RX7s, S13/14s, 944s, 911s, you name it. They retain as good or better balance, and are usually lighter than stock...
No where Im I saying the Miata is "unsuccessful", some people just want more power out of them, and these eurofanboys need to stop crying about it and try and realise that handling isnt the most important thing to some people.

The simple difference in the weight of the tires would be enough to make a difference. And yes, the stock wheels of most Miatas are extremely light. Specially the 14'' Minilite look-a-likes that are standard on the NA model (the one being destroyed in the picture). They are considered very advanced.
But I guess 14'' never look masculine enough, right?

Apparently not for Mazda, seeing they went with 16s and 17s for the 05 model

[VtecMini]

Originally Posted by Slicks

Have you driven a Miata?

I'm assuming that's a tongue in cheek remark. At least I hope so...

[Slicks]

Originally Posted by VtecMini

Underpowered for what? Surely such a suggestion is somewhat subjective? Underpowered for a fun & light roadster? No, not at all. And for what it's worth, I can't help but think that anyone who feels the need to "add balls" (your phase, not mine) to something is perhaps more than a little insecure.

Go figure...
Underpowered by the standards of sports cars today. Theres no getting around it, 15 seconds is slow no matter what the car is, thats minivan acceleration. And Im not just going by numbers here, again Ive driven one, the acceleration had both my friend and I red faced from laughing so hard.

It doesn't matter how light you can get the wheel, the narrower version of any wheel is going to be lighter, likewise the tyre. It's not bloody rocket science.

Were not talking about the narrower version of a single wheel, were talking about the stock version vs a lightweight aftermarket one. Like I was saying before, the stockers arnt the end all be all.

Yeah, there are light sets of big brakes, but in the interest in not repeating myself, see previous comment.

See above.

I'm really sorry 'Bob', but although I think there's a question in there near the end, I don't think I can answer it. You see, right after the point where you suggested that it would be fine to triple the horsepower of a car without making the slightest modification to the standard brakes, my eyes began to glaze over and I sort of lost the will to live slightly. Sorry about that.

You did pretty good then. When introduced facts or anything that goes against what eurofanboy standards say, most of them black out.

[henk4]

Originally Posted by Slicks

When introduced facts or anything that goes against what eurofanboy standards say, most of them black out.

I personally love the Euro, at least it has much more purchasing power than the dollar

[kingofthering]

Originally Posted by Slicks

Go figure...
Underpowered by the standards of sports cars today. Theres no getting around it, 15 seconds is slow no matter what the car is, thats minivan acceleration. And Im not just going by numbers here, again Ive driven one, the acceleration had both my friend and I red faced from laughing so hard.

It's not a drag racer. It's not designed for top-end or straight line speed, but rather corners.

[Matra et Alpine]

Originally Posted by Slicks

More like a handling downgrade from a vette...
Either way, V8 miatas handle well, like it or not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxFDtDwBVN0

Excellent video.


...cept for theose who hold the view that handling wouldnt' suffer

That was the most skittish I've ever seen an MX-5, it wasn't particularly fast and there are major issues with the rear end squat and rebound.

[Matra et Alpine]

Originally Posted by Slicks

Your right, Id feel pretty dumb struggling to pass a minivan too in a stock Miata...
Its like going from this:To this:

cept we all know the body-builder has a pencil-dick from the drugs "upgrade"

Besides it's not how MUCH you've got it's how you use it

[cmcpokey]

Originally Posted by Slicks

More like a handling downgrade from a vette...
Either way, V8 miatas handle well, like it or not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxFDtDwBVN0

that was the group in Norfolk VA that I autoxed with never saw that one out there though.. had to miss that autox. think i was underway

[clutch-monkey]

Originally Posted by Slicks

Go figure...
Underpowered by the standards of sports cars today. Theres no getting around it, 15 seconds is slow no matter what the car is, thats minivan acceleration. And Im not just going by numbers here, again Ive driven one, the acceleration had both my friend and I red faced from laughing so hard.

15 sec 1/4 time seems reasonable for a cheap two seat roadster

[Bob]

Originally Posted by VtecMini

I'm really sorry 'Bob', but although I think there's a question in there near the end, I don't think I can answer it. You see, right after the point where you suggested that it would be fine to triple the horsepower of a car without making the slightest modification to the standard brakes, my eyes began to glaze over and I sort of lost the will to live slightly. Sorry about that.

Oh. I didn't realize that if you had a powerful car with not so powerful brakes you would be stupid enough to push it all the way to it's top speed. I was assuming that anyone reading my post would be intelligent enough to understand that I was proposing an LSx Miata as something to mess around with and have fun in. No it's not a race car, it's a car you can drive every day, and take to the track on weekends. On every corner you get the adrenaline rush of pushing it right to the limit of traction and being on the edge of spinning. To make an LSx Miata into a trackcar, would pretty much destroy it as a Miata. To drive an LSx Miata like a trackcar or even a regular sportscar would be reckless and idiotic. The point of it is to have something wildly overpowered thats fun to drive and corners well, if not as well as a stock Miata.

[h00t_h00t]

Originally Posted by clutch-monkey

15 sec 1/4 time seems reasonable for a cheap two seat roadster

I'm more interested in this less than 15 second minivan we are theoretically struggling to overtake.

If I was going to put a different engine in an MX-5 I wouldn't have used and LS, but then what is this car going to be used for, maybe its entirly appropriate?