VetteDrmr

I drove the Miata for about 6 months before I started the project, and the screaming of the engine at 4000 rpm going down the Interstate at 70 mph was the part of the Miata I hated the most.

Now I'm back down to C5 revs (1700 at 70), and the noise I'm dealing with is tire/suspension noise.

I've recently purchased one of the little keychain camcorders, hope to check it out this weekend. If it works out I'll post a video here, although I won't get on a track until May 7th.

Have a good one,
Mike

StKnoWhere

Very interesting chain of posts here and

The Miata is lot of fun on the street with good gas mileage but the flip side is you have to drive a Miata very defensively, almost like a slow motor cycle. High speed interstate driving in heavy traffic can be on the stressful side being in the smallest vehicle on the road. The first mod many people do is put a louder horn in it after almost getting run or backed over by a SUV or Hummer

The more recent MX5 version Miata has 180 HP (~125 mph) with decent brakes. Add the Mazdaspeed suspension, Dunlop StarSpec tires and it's close to Spec Miata/E30 on the track.

B505

You guys rock. I knew there were a lot of you out there but never expected these many responses. I'm still not sure where I'll go with the whole project but I am going to try and look into making the vette's steering more responsive/provide more feedback. I too like the challenge of getting the heavy car to settle from high speeds but it would feel much better if I knew what the tires were going through =D

But in the end, its always mod the driver vs mod the car, and the miata will be a great way to keep expenses down and me ON the track rather than off.

varkwso

I drove a 3100 pound 145hp Supra last month at Road Atlanta. Other then being way slower then Josh in the car I noted a few things. Brake zone is stupid late (and takes getting used to!). It has a 5 speed box and I used them all. Often. It does allow you precise placement of the car in any corner. It is fast enough to kill you. I saw a different part of the grid then I do in a faster car.
I went to track, ran three days and drove home on one tank of gas.

I drove it to work today. It does not get the mileage of my C5Z or FRC.

VetteDrmr

Interestingly, my LS1 Miata gets almost exactly the same mileage as my FRC using it as my DD. Once I get the AC installed I'm going to take it on a trip where my Vette usually gets close to 30 mpg.

Have a good one,
Mike

JRitt@essex

That is true. I get sketched out sometimes on the highway. It's not quite as bad as riding a motorcycle, but probably not far off. People just don't see you as easily. Fortunately my car is smurf blue, so it's at least a little bit conspicuous...still a far cry from my eye-bleedingly bright yellow vette was though.

When I lived in LA I drove a friend's Lotus Elise around for a week. Talk about scary. I drove it home during rush hour on the 405 a couple of times. I thought I was going to be crushed on roughly 16 different occasions!

JRitt@essex

I believe that most people who seriously track their cars for any length of time don't summarily dismiss other cars. People tend to have their allegiances and can be stubborn, but the real enthusiasts recognize that a good car is a good car, regardless of who made it, how powerful it is, or who is driving it. Every once in a while you hear a guy in the paddock bad-mouthing the "rice burners," etc., but he's usually the same clown that gets lapped by the slowest car out there, and/or drives off the track through a fence on the warm up lap (which I actually saw happen once at SOW).

StKnoWhere

Mike Skeen in a MX5 at VIR

varkwso

My advice to beat Mike Skeen is to do it at night, when he is asleep, with a stick....

travisnd

I think he needs a few more stickers on the windshield and dash.

StKnoWhere

LOL, no kidding. One of the nicest guys you could ever meet.

I enjoy watching his videos and am always amazed how little he moves the wheel on a clean qualifying lap. I hope he makes it big some day.

He was very kind coaching an old and slow OSB level DE student a few years back . It was one of the more memorable weekends for me and I appreciated the chance to spend a little time with him.