Does anyone have experience with the KYB OEM style replacement shocks?

>>28933588
for my application they're known as kill your back.

Old thread
>>28902139

>>28933629
Why's that? Are they especially bad on rough roads? I'm not looking to autocross or track. keep it OEM+, just refreshing the worn out parts of a 30 year old car.

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Scrummy

Why don't you guys boost your Miatas?
youtu.be/CKyviRSl2jM

>>28933744
Mine has too high of compression

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Short nose about to be undressed completely for a timing belt + clutch jobs

DESU I bought this car 10 years ago when I was a 20y/o lurker and didn’t even fathom the fact it would still be running in 2026.

>Shitbox msm developed a rythmic knocking noise when hot as fuck
>goes away when I take up the slack in the clutch pedal
>engine is probably toast in the next 500 miles
>engine has like 300k miles
What do I do, just ride my bike and risk death. Drive my 2nd rare low mileage Miata or buy a new car, or swap the engine in the msm. Rly don't want a new cuckbox but a baby trucc with perfect AC and modern safety would be neat idk what to do.

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>>28933744
I want a cold side supercharger, but the kit I want to use is fucking extortionate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cITFnQB9XN8

Extremely cool, though, and very well developed kit considering it's essentially a homebrew project.

>>28933640
Not him, but KYB is a Jap company and fine for Jap cars. I'm going to assume he has a BMW and tried KYB when he should have used Bilsteins. VW fags in particular call KYB - Keep Your Bilsteins. I tried Bilstein shocks and springs on my Jap car and it wanted to commit sudoku until I went with KYB.

>>28933814
Props on keeping it running for a decade.
You're a good owner and an inspiration.
Cute kitty inspector.

>>28933870
Pull the engine and rebuild out of the question?

>>28933923
>Sudoku kek
Thanks. I'll go with the KYBs, put the money I save towards bump stops and shock tower mounts.

Can anyone recommend a wheel similar to the 95M BBS style? I like the Enkei 92 but I think even the 15" are a little heavy. That basket weave style is neat though.

>>28933588
spend $1400 on tecnas

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>>28933814

>>28934034
A full set of the KYB will run me closer to $500 after taxes. $900 could get me a whole set of new rubber bushings for the suspension and diff, plus new engine mounts and sway bar end links.

Fucking hell this is such a fun little car. I must look like a retard with the enormous smile plastered across my face the whole time. I'm falling back in love with driving. Thank you Bob Hall and Tom Matano (rip)

>>28934159
My cat passed away a couple weeks ago.
Thankfully my tism has picked the Miata to get obsessed with.

>>28934272
For $500 USD??? Get a set of Koni yellow or the newer red "actives"

They might be closer to $550 but they will be an improvement over stock without being harsh like a god awful 2 piece coilover. Also they have a lifetime warranty, so keep the receipt

>>28934321
Yeah if you're using stock springs the special actives can't be beat. Love them on mine

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I disassembled a cycling machine and then transported it in my NB.

>>28934356
Hmm cool too see positive comments about the active Konis. They are definitely on my Wishlist when i am done with other things.

>it would be cool to retrofit the Abarth's LSD to my Lusso
>1.4k just for the part
Maybe another day.

>>28934321
Sorry no $500 CAD, ya know, monopoly money. Koni Yellows are a great choice for the adjustability and lifetime warranty for sure.

It's just that I'm only starting out and still have to buy tools. I don't even own a socket set yet. Got a nice floor jack on clearance last month though. Slowly cobbling things together.

>>28934356
Yup sticking with stock springs.
The special actives would be my top choice if price weren't as much a factor I think. How do you find they perform on rough roads? They really work the way they claim to?

>>28934619
>How do you find they perform on rough roads? They really work the way they claim to?
They definitely soak up bumps, maybe too well. I find myself driving maybe a little too fast on a more bumpy stretch of road on my commute sometimes. It's more comfortable harshness wise than the Hard S NB1 I've also driven, and in longer sweeping high speed turns you can feel them stiffen up like they're supposed to. Noteably, I did go for 04-05 Mazdaspeed springs with them which worked just fine and are actually marginally stiffer than the Hard S springs yet mine rides better. Flyin' Miata added that MSM springs aren't compatible to their sale listing sometime after I had already put them on, their reasoning is the rear spring perches on MSM shocks are mounted a bit higher but they did not change my rear ride height at all vs the original standard NB1 springs and shocks setup.

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Stolen from reddit, there's just something about rekt miata pics.

Anyone mount their front license plate with magnets? What else did you need to get? I have a tow hook mount but I'm scared that if someone hits my car it'll just fuck up the bumper more than if I had a normal mount

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>>28934023
For the price the Enkei92 is great. That style of wheel is inherently heavy. Just make more power then the unsprung weight wont matter.

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bros... noticed some bad news

The top seems to be in fairly good knick, can I save it for a couple of years with some window silicone or something?

if you can remove it, yes, gently clean it with water, let it dry, apply 303, remove excess 303, store in a dark, dry, temp controlled environment and you should be golden. sunlight is mainly what makes seals age, followed by rain/salt/touch
you should treat your seals twice a year anon. shin etsu is silicone based and good for interior-ish seals, I like 303 for stuff that faces the sun

>>28935325
>>28935340
I am retarded and thought you mean save as in remove and save for later LMAO. well you should still treat the seal. looks like you need to reapply some adhesive. that I've never had to deal with so I couldn't tell you if you should remove the old adhesive first (I'd think you'd want to but hopefully another anon who's actually done it can weigh in)

>>28934975
The gold on red looks so good. I don't know how it would look with Merlot Mica though, I think the silver would be better. Too bad they don't do a bronze 92.

Street focused NA. Should I go with 15x7 or 15x8 wheels? 7 is cheaper and less weight.

>>28935463
I'm parroting other people's experiences from when I briefly researched that but the given a 205/50r15 on both wheel widths, the slight stretch of the 8s improved the sharpness of the steering. Tire Rack also found that all else the same, a wider wheel with the same width tire was always faster in the dry around their test course across 3 different tire sizes and 3 different widths as well. In the wet the widest width (9") was a little harder to control. https://youtu.be/1MDq23scaWw

>>28934272
Never go catless anon

>>28935711
Had her 11 years. First animal I ever had a really special bond with. First and only pet as an adult. Saying goodbye hurt too much. I don't think I can do it again.

>>28934650
After going for another drive yesterday on our shit roads and rereading your description, you've sold me on the special active Konis. Time start saving I guess.

>>28935511
That's really helpful thanks. I'll probably stick with the 7s afterall.

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>>28935765
Not sure who you're going to buy them from, but Flyin' Miata does sales on Koni shocks semi-frequently. Since you're saving anyway I'd wait for one of those sales. They also include new bump stops for free. If you have an NA, make sure to get new strut mounts at the same time, if NB the strut mounts are rebuildable so you'll just need new bushing kits for them. Once you've got the car back together, I highly recommend giving your alignment shop the Flyin' Miata alignment specs to use, I highly prefer them to Mazda's.

>>28935779
NA, and yeah my shock mounts are blown. At least both up front are, just assuming the rears are too. Do they usually come with boots too? Mine are torn.
Didn't know FM had an alignment spec, that's great. I'll probably be ordering from them, they got some other things I'm also interested in.

>>28935795
Unfortunately not, if you need new dust boots you'll need to get those separately.

My front filter hits the passenger strut tower. I am going to see if I can stick a washer or two under the motor mount on that side to pick it up a touch.

>>28935806
>Front filter
Your air box?

95' noticed the hood latch is looking gross, what products should I use to clean and re grease it?

>>28935711
Lol, I thought you were talking about exhausts.

>>28934272
KYBs are perfectly fine shocks. They're a little stiffer than OEM to compensate for worn out suspension in older vehicle. I run a set of KYBs with H&R sport springs on my VW and I have had zero issues. Rides firm but not uncomfortably hard.

I gotta say bros, I'm really enjoying the autotragic miata now that I have an exhaust on. I can shift up and down for no reason with the paddles and pretend I'm a race car driver with the exhaust hooning away. There's no way I could be this retarded with a manual.

If they offered this car with an automated manual or DCT it would be perfect.

>>28936467
I'm in the manual learning phase where I'm having regrets (but not really.) Just frustrating sometimes. If the Miata had a dct though...that'd be an instant buy

>>28935851
Yes on the front

If you never use your back seats... is the Miata actually underrated as a daily driver? Affordable. Low maintenance. Decent MPG. Reliable. Of course you can't load it up with an Ikea/Costco run, but if you're just getting a few groceries and driving too/from work... seems like Miata is underrated here.

I hit 3 perfect rev matched downshifts before hitting a single nice 2-3-4 shift

>>28936897
probably the best. responsive engine and one of the best manual transmissions in feel.

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>>28936897
I take my Miata to Sam's sometimes

Swapped in a Torsen. Locks up good and is a hoot to drive now.

Only minor gripe is that I notice an ever so slight whine coming from what I believe to be the rear end. Doubt it's a wheel bearing, it's an NA with 48k miles on it. It's on accel/decel. Should I be worried? I set the backlash and ran a contact patch, everything looked good.

I do not know the history of the car it came out of though... so maybe worn bearings? It's not bad at all and I'm really making this out to be worse than it is probably.

>>28936897
I just sold my Mazda3. I only ever used the back seats maybe half a dozen times in 5 years of ownership. I often felt like it was too much car for my needs. NA Miata I replaced it with is easier to work on myself, insurance is cheaper, parts are cheaper, etc. I work from home so no daily commuting. The next Costco run I go on will just have to be solo. I used to offer to bring a friend along.

>>28937019
Check the fluid in 500-1000 miles, if still clean and no signs of major glitter then just assume it's probably bearings. Maybe it even goes away (huge doubt)
Buying a used diff (for any car) can be a huge gamble and you won't have any idea how it's gonna sound until you put it in the car.
However usually setting backlash to spec is assuming you did a full rebuild with new bearings so maybe you set it slightly wrong given that it has used bearings (but if a contact patch ran good wouldn't worry)
There is nothing special about a limited slip that would make it howl compared to an open diff in a straight line

Long story short just run it and check fluid, see if it gets worse

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>>28936897
Just speaking for NA/NB:
You can fit a comical amount of groceries in a Miata. The passenger area, the trunk, and if you have the top up there's a huge shelf right behind you where you can put another trunk's worth of groceries back there.
Fuel mileage is not good btw. 17-24,not sure about later gens.

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>>28936897
Fiatanon here. It's my one and only car. I daily her on my commute to work, she can easily haul a week of groceries for two, I went on a week long trip with my gf last summer (pic related). I never felt limited in my Fiata except in one very specific occasion: I had to keep my father's dog one day and let's say it wasn't an easy drive when the passenger isn't a well behaved human, but an overly excited medium sized canine.

The only downside is that the Fiata is thirsty compared to a citycar: my father's hybrid Toyota Yaris won't consume more than 4l/100km on average, often managing 3,5l/100km or less, while my Fiata consumes 6~7l/100km.

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What does /MiataGen/ think of $6-7k NB2s? Its this or a "driver quality" 100k mile NC1 probably 5spd with a open diff. I gave up on looking for NC2s, seems like the absolute floor for them is $10-12k at which point you're not far off from the $15-18k you can spend for an ND1.

I just want fun vintage car feels in the summer. NAs don't seem worth it, same price as a clean NB2. Anything I buy is probably gonna have a stock engine/trans though I dream of a supercharger I also like just being able to enjoy the fucking car as is desu.

Its not auto its manual. I think its being stored at a shop.

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>>28937552

>>28937556
BMW bushings are made out of butter and those tear the rear subframe mounts out on the trunk floor over time or with a sticky tire.

Any 1990s BMW will at least need a cooling system refresh and a suspension rebuild which is a gay fucking job by any means (I had a E36 M3 when they were $6-10k cars still) and possibly a steering rack. If it was driven in the winter healthy chance it could be rusting out at the rear strut towers.

Maybe if I found a coupe for that price.

>>28937552
>rf grand touring
This is an ND trim. I'm thinking that's a scam by that alone.
>>28937556
Worse in every way (including cost to maintain and parts availability) except slightly better in acceleration.
It's got maccas front and semi-trailing arm rear, the miata has wishbones on all 4. It also weighs 600-800 lbs more. A significant difference when the NB is only 2,300. Better than a crossover or altima by a longshot though.

>>28937552
The soft top is incorrectly installed, the rear bow is not being pulled back by its straps to give the rear of the top the correct shape

>>28937570
>except slightly better in acceleration.
I guess the guy was talking about NCs, not NBs like in his pic, in that case the NC accelerates similarly to the Z3.

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>>28937570
No its just a boomer being a retard, its at his friends shop and I got an address + hours. Scams on Facebook Marketplace are just people ghosting you when you want to check it out or never replying or asking for payment online.

>>28937575

Interesting, could it be from the top being opened? I'm guessing it'll leak if left as is? Not too many pics from below

https://www.fb.com/marketplace/item/4455071864813487/

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>>28937579
Probably just the soft top installer being lazy and/or retarded. The rearmost bow is on springs that pull it forward, and has straps riveted to it that bolt down to the rain rail to pull that bow backwards as the top is raised. They likely either forgot to bolt the straps back down at the rain rail or the strap(s) are broken and they didn't replace them. I see this error constantly on non-original top installs, it sticks out like a sore thumb once you know what to look for (flattened window panel in the soft top, with the top of the window drooping low as the third bow is now the only thing holding the window panel up). If the straps are intact and just not bolted down you can fix that in probably 15-20 minutes, if the straps are broken the rear of the soft top needs to be taken off the body so you can drill out the rivets and pop new straps in without damaging the top.

>>28937579
I also just noticed its on blizzaks kek

wonder how rust free it really is

https://www.fb.com/marketplace/item/3868562933440294

purple nb2, it seems like the floor is $6-8k

https://www.fb.com/marketplace/item/1493969118878836/

hardtop nb1 on 6uls with no abs, $7k seems like a screaming deal will probably sell asap i normally hate black cars

i think the youtube crowd + summer coming drove up the prices on NCs, unironically people want closer to $10k for a nc1 and $14k for a nc2

>>28937583
will it lead to leaks? worst case how difficult is it to remove the rear of the soft top? I've never done any convertible repairs but I can wrench

>>28937585
It will not leak in the near future, though the window panel may wear out faster and loosen the window adhesive without the support of the rearmost bow. If the straps are indeed broken, you'll need to remove all the rain rail bracket nuts, and possibly drill out the rivets that hold the top to the B pillar as well to fold the top up and get access to the strap rivets which is like 60% of a soft top install. Never actually done that just to replace the straps before myself, only during a complete soft top install with the top removed fully from the body.

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Could anyone do me a huge favor and tell me how long the battery jhooks on a miata nc are? from the end of the "j" to the top of the rod like in the pic. I bought pic related and would like to cut them to the oem size.

>>28933588
They're no better than whatever the cheapest chinkshit on ebay is. Just get whatever's cheapest if you're not going to get something actually good.

>>28937568
>>28937570
Miatafags are delusional. The Z3 is fun as fuck. 175 lb-ft at 3500 RPM is just more usable than the Miata's ~100 at that RPM.
A clapped-out, ripped-up 80k mile Miata for $900 more than a nice 58,000 mile Z3 makes no sense.

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>Severe thunderstorms just died down.
>Need alcohol
>Get into my new NB on some "lake-something" chink all-season tires from the last owner.
>Roads are flooded
>No one on the street, perfect visibility
>Slide every corner and didn't fuck up once
>Fuck yeah
>You steer it with the throttle and it just goes back into line, doesn't swing back the other way
Yeah, everything I've been saying in the 6-year gap where I didn't have one, it's true.
This is THE car. Oh my god, I did some really dumb shit right now and the car just did what I told it to do. What a rush!

>>28937878
must be vehicle-dependent. a few anons here saying they suck for yuro cars and vice versa (bilsteins sucking for jap cars). had kyb excel-g on my jap car and they were great.

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>>28938098
a clapped miata will inconvenience you a clapped bmw will bankrupt you and leave you stranded on the side of the road, 58k on a 2001 z3 might as well be 160k on a 2001 miata

here is my clapped out '97 m3 it had something wrong every other week and this was 10 years ago i got it with 110k miles and i sold it after it got a random misfire from having 2 cyls 30psi lower than the rest (i did the suspension, cooling system, shifter, sunroof, steering rack, oil pan/oil pump nut, coils, and the rear strut towers were cracked and rusting)

"nice 58,000 mile z3" and it will still need a cooling system job (behr expansion tank or mishimoto alum, water pump, viscous fan coupler, fan probably from the plastic being aged out, radiator easily $6-700 in parts) and at least half the bushings will be shot. the shocks will def be gone where your inside tires will be bald in 10k miles and if you expect to drive it hard you need to drop the rear subframe and weld in reinforcements unless you want the mounts to rip out the trunk floor. its a power top too where the microswitches go bad too so one day it'll refuse go up or go down (miatas are manual tops)

delusion is believing that age has zero effect on already notoriously bad bmw seals/rubber/plastics

the new captchas are genuinely bad and i can see why everyone fucked off to facebook and other forms of social media

Answering the big questions, lol.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0j9HK4iiL0

>>28938155
Show us some pics of your mom's CVT Nissan Rogue.

>>28938152
>the new captchas are genuinely bad and i can see why everyone fucked off to facebook and other forms of social media
Once you post for a few days on the same device it goes down to just one easy challenge every other post.

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>>28938158
My mom doesn't have a car any more. She's dead ol' mate.

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Drove my miat for the first time in like 6 months over the weekend. Forgot how fucking hot the steering response and the rear diff is.
Just heavy duty clutch dump the chromoly and she tracks straight almost no matter what.

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>>28938221
Still gutless as fuck compared to my bikes, though.

>>28938214
Got and more pictures or info to share on this one? It that a semi permanently affixed hardtop? I don't see any Frankenstein bolts at the back. What kind of wheels are those? I like them a lot.

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>>28938257
The roof is the Mazdaspeed Vented Lightweight Hardtop. It doesn't have the rear mounts, it just uses the side and front clamps. I smoothed over the chrome piece.
Wheels are Watanabe B-Type, 14x6.5 +12
Car has the complete PitCrew Racing retro styled fiberglass bodykit, with the optional bumpers.

Anyone know if the autotragic ND can have a LSD installed?

>>28937367
my RF averages 28 mpg and that's with me driving like an asshole half the time. alas, no shelf space
>>28936897
RARELY do I wish I had something bigger, but the times you need it, it sucks

>>28938335
Do you drive with the roof up all the time? Mine struggles to get below 23.5mpg.

>>28938330
Yes, same for any model Mx-5; you just can't order a brand new one with both automatic and LSD together.

>>28938364
Does the manual have traction control? The automatic has pretty aggressive TC, it can be turned off, but it would be annoying to have to do it every time.

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Another day another NB to check out, didn't check out the teal NB2 here >>28937579

What do we think /miatagen/ I think its a screaming deal even if I'm not crazy about black, it has a matching hardtop and 6ULs ($2500?). Hoping its a Torsen car. If someone beats me to it oh well. I think its worth going to it though its 3 hours away, gonna try to aim for this weekend.

If it has Bose + Tan Top it probably has a Torsen.

Seller's last message:

>No body rust at all, only surface rust on subframe, which they’d all have by this age

>>28939070
Check really really well by fenders. Remember, if you see anything, it's several times worse inside

>>28938222
is that a Giken tho?
does it get jammy in the cold?

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>>28934968
>magnets?
No, the front bumper is plastic and the hood is aluminum.
I did have a sticker plate made and ran it for awhile.

>>28939070
>>28939087
it sold, anything remotely desirable sells within the week. guy didnt reply when i asked for a time/place when he said he would be available saturday morning

was considering this mr2 spyder but he said its hard to press the clutch pedal down, probably needs a clutch. its a 2004 w/55k miles though but i dont have the time/resources to drop a clutch or even a truck to get it home (the real big one, i dont think it'll move under its own power and im 2 hours away, a truck/trailer rental will easily be $500) so if theres any issues i cant tell

seller claims

>2004 and yes starts and runs the sleeve cylinder i think needs to be replaced. And dont need a title in ct I have an original registration

>When you push it in its so hard. I think the oil is not getting into the line. Im just so busy I haven't had time to fix it

https://www.fb.com/marketplace/item/1275098718171595/

i know this is miatagen but im sure theres crossover with mr2s

>>28940695
Don't know much about mr2 epydere but I do like them . They're fairly reliable I thought, just working on them is kind of a pain and day to day practicality isn't there

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Another day. Look how clean the intake side is vs the exhaust. Pulling the header to wrap it with titanium exhaust wrap, and some high temp black coating probably tomorrow. More fittings come in too.

>>28940695
>anything remotely desirable sells within the week
Or less. The listing for the 95M I bought last month was less than an hour old when I messaged the seller. Told him I though the price he was asking was reasonable but I work full time during the week. Could I drive the >2h to him first thing Saturday morning?

When I went back a few days later to pickup the car he said several of the interested buyers had sent messages amounting to "gone already!? But you didn't even give me a chance"

When the right thing comes along you can't wait.

>>28941117
Clean enough to eat off
What's up with those shock mounts? They don't look stock. Also how do you like the FM coolant overflow tank? Was it a simple swap out?

>>28941759
Buying a car has changed so much over like the last 10-15 years. The days of being able to think about it are over.

>>28941769
I agree. But it's not insurmountable. I've tried to do my research and had been closely watching listings for a couple years.

This 95M was the first and only listing I ever responded to. Sold my daily within two weeks. Which covered the cost plus the evaluation and taxes, with a couple grand left over.

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>>28934968
i made a tow hook mount out of some aluminum sheet, around 3mm thick. Got it bent in a vice by hand.

>>28941762
Not him but those just look like NB shock mounts to me

>>28941762
They are standard as far as I know. They are whatever comes with the FM Vmaxx coilovers or OEM parts.

The coolant overflow was super easy to install. I did however split some vacuum hose open and put it on the metal flange bit to keep it from knocking. If you go to the FM website for the tank you can download the instructions. They supply a little pad but I could still hear it knock sometimes untill I assed a bit more rubber to it. Then I had to tweak the mounting flange a little, but apparently that is for every install almost. I assume it is because floppy chassis. I would give it a 8/10. If you can find it cheaper elsewhere I would go that route, it is just a tank to hold coolant. The sight glass is plastic.

>>28942149
Very helpful, thanks! It's low down on my list of things to replace at the moment. Will get to it eventually.
>>28941860
Gotcha. My NA shock mounts are blown and I'm trying to figure out what affordable upgrade path to take with strictly street use in mind.

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Just learned how to disable the door buzzer on my NA8. Didn't think it would that quick. Easy wins are rare kek.

This car is so much louder, less comfortable, and harder to drive than my old automatic daily.
And I love every little thing about it.

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>raining outside
>stow my car in the garage just before hail starts pouring down
>a stray I feed that has recently started being more confident and affectionate shows up as usual
>she's like 15 years old from what the people in the neighborhood say
>she sits on the soft part of the Fiata's soft top
>I let her stay for the night
This cat managed to outrank my Fiata in my heart, and that's no small feat.

>>28943012
>door buzzer
Oh man, that makes a huge difference. You just disconnect the box under the dash.

>>28943110
Stray cats love miata tops. They never damaged my car at all so I let 'em do it.
That cat looks like a real badass.

>>28943110
Shoot that piece of shit. I love cats but no cat sits on my soft top, especially that it is cloth. Vinyl you can get away with more but have fun with those fuckers poking pinholes in your top as they claw up and down it. You will lose your top in a year and it will start having runs in the cloth where the claws poke through

>Cat destroyed my top so I destroyed the cat

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>car I bought has 2 damaged teeth on prht mechanism on driver's side
>Buy part to replace no biggie
>It gets here
>Somehow the entire mechanism including the gear cog is twisted
Why did they even bother putting this up on eBay. I actually can see the bend on the listing but it wasn't obvious. The guy gave me a refund right away but man I'm annoyed at the time lost. Don't want to put on and then take off all the trim pieces and deck lid again so I'll just wait until the other order comes in Friday.

>>28943229
I'll rather shoot (You)

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>>28943229
>t. unlovable faggot

Insurance won't cover pet damage, cats can't get jobs.

I'm starting to get real annoyed with the autotragic gearbox, it doesn't want to shift if I hit the rev limiter and it doesn't queue the shift either so I have to press it a second time after taking my foot off the gas. It should just shift automatically as soon as I hit the limiter.

>>28943440
Maybe there's a fault. I had a nineties auto Mazda which had a "hold" button, which, if pressed, would not allow the trans to shift at all, even bouncing the limiter or full stopping the car.

>>28940695
Alright so an update

Good: Its a 2004 with 55k miles. That's a $12-15k car in the MR2 universe. Even a pre-facelift (00-02) with 100-150k miles is a $7-8k car on average. I could probably get it as low as 4800-5000.

The expired registration does not matter, CT only uses bill of sale + registration certificate (supposedly there's a space for title transfer).

Bad: The seller isn't on the registration certificate. It needs a top. It likely needs a clutch and some interior bits (door card, seat).

Story Time:

Seller got the car with the purchase of his house. The owner of the MR2 died and his estate wanted nothing to do with the car so they let it go when they sold his house. They stated in the contract/deed that anything in the house came with the sale of the property.

Connecticut only requires a registration certificate and bill of sale for a 20+ year old car (expiration does not matter) but I would have to make up a bill of sale for an obviously dead guy (and that's assuming he didn't die a long time ago and the registration has his signature for the title transfer).

New York DMV says I would need a death certificate + bill of sale/title signed by the executor of the estate (or spouse, children) doing it the right way.

My fear is getting a car I can't register. What should I do? I'm honestly about to flake. I was gonna go drive 2 hours to see it in the morning but it seems like a gigantic waste of time, maybe if I can get the seller to transfer the title to themselves and I buy it off him.

>>28943110
Blessed miat
>>28943229
Faggot

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former NA owner here, about to pull the trigger on RF (there are reasons)
is it really that much worse than roadster?

>>28943787
The noise is real, but you can drive it in the middle of winter with the top down comfortably which I think is way more important than anything else.

>>28943741
I think it's just a protection mechanism, I wish it would remember that I pressed shift and shift up as soon as the revs dropped.

>>28943787
>The noise is real
with roof down, up or both?

>>28943787
>there are reasons
Are they good? I get that a hard top is better on the long run, and I too like the RF roof line more, but one thing I'm always reminded of when roof down season starts is how much better visibility I get without the roof obstructing my 5 and 7 o'clock, but most of all how free it feels. To be clear I never experienced a targa, but on vibes alone I'd say it's a compromise. Idk why Mazda went that route when they managed to make a proper folding hard top for the NC.

>>28943787
I have an RF and I think it's the way to go if it gets below 40 degrees for at least 4 months out of the year where you live. the heat bubble you can create with top down + windows up is unreal. it's just a more "complete" car, I suppose, and the only people that say the extra weight matters are either tracking their car and can feel it or they're lying out their ass, especially on an ND2/ND3 where the extra power makes it a moot point for anything that's NOT tracking
>>28943837
with the roof down at speeds excess 40 mph, it's louder - roof up, it's quieter than the the soft top at all speeds, as you'd expect. there are cheap foilers you can buy that reduce noise to about ST levels but idk why you'd bother desu

Alright which one should I get. These two are same price.
2018 Fiata with 12k miles
2016 MX5 with 70k miles

Hi guys, a UK anon with a 2002 NB2. My car needs a new cat, the cheap aftermarket one I put in 18 months ago understandably dead already.
Money not really an issue this time, what cat converter should I get that's quality?

>>28943951
>Are they good?
yes, I need an automatic (oneleglol) and they apparently make them only in RF. So it would be autotragic RF, arguably the most cucked version of MX-5, which should still be more fun than 99% of cars out there. Well, at least it would be a 2 liter.
>>28943973
thank you, I have no interest in tracking it, just DD/weekend joyride as a second car.

>>28943987
Is there no way to get an OEM? You'd have to go either OEM or high flow aftermarket, anything else is probably not worth

>>28944273
Well, fair enough. You can still get a Fiata: they made them in autotragic too.

>>28944277
Can't find any OEM, sucks because I could just two years ago.
I remembered that I have a gaurantee with previous retailer so I'll pursue that first.

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>>28933586
I have an ND2 and their is a station where I can get non-ethanol 92 for less that E10 92

Will my Miata be happy with that. Are their any pros/cons?

>>28944296
Second hand? Dunno where you are but Autolink are a pretty decent mx5 breaker down south and I think they deliver.

>>28937367
There's something wrong if you're getting mileage that shitty. I get around 300 miles per tank in my 96. I've gotten as much as 340.

>>28943837
Both, wind buffetting with top down and the exhaust drone with the top up. I can't speak for the soft top, but driving around with the top up on the RF is fucking awful. It's like sitting inside of a drum and the drone from the exhaust is just the right frequency to resonate inside the cabin which is why I always drive with the top open unless there's heavy rain. Getting an aftermarket exhaust helped a bit by breaking up the drone with different frequences, I love my autotragic way more with it.

Still I live in canada and it's only warm enough for the soft top like 3 months of the year. It's almost june and I still see people driving around with the tops up on their cloth convertibles while I've been driving top down the whole time.

>>28944386
interesting, never heard anyone complain about the exhaust drone

>>28944316
Your Miata will be happy but only after the first tank depending on your length of driving time.

People call me crazy when I go 93e10 to 93 e0 and tell them eventually there will be a light switch that the ECU flicks and suddenly you get a little more power. I use power loosely, it probably picks up one horse from the timing bump it will do.

>People complaining about$4 gallon gas but been doing it for almost 4 year now

>>28944320
>Autolink
They have a used one for my exact model, £500. Is it really worth it? it says "tested" but I assumed these things basically get used up.

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stock engine and differential

>>28943787
rf is a great car, only real problem I can think of is that it has slightly less headroom and can feel a little claustrophobic with the top closed. but at least the stereo is usable. the extra weight doesn't really matter

>>28945259
Based.

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>if you want to buy a new Miata it has to be a 1.5 and unless you want the top trim it's only in black and white
the absolute state of Mazda in 2026

>>28945572
None of the rest are colors anyway except for the red. Also it seems to be specific to your country, your 'people' must not like color. The engine is also due to laws passed by your 'people'.

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>>28945572
Everyone laugh at the Euros

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With premium going over $6 I'm really glad I went with an ND2 over a GR86

>>28943980
Assuming manual, Fiata has a more reliable transmission and imo is a much better looking car. Good aftermarket for the engine because it was used in so many cars, but you have to keep on top of oil changes and general oil system maintenance to keep the multiair unit from shitting the bed. MX-5 has a better engine, but Mazda made a lot of improvements for 2020+ models. I'd go with the Fiata
>>28937367
idk if my NB even gets 17 but that's entirely down to how I drive it

>>28945770
don't knock the blue, when it's properly maintained it's beautiful in person (during the day, at night it looks black)
but mazda does have a bizarre obsession with giving the miata the most mundane colors out of anything in their fleet. the fucking CX70/90 has a better color selection

>>28945770
>>28945974
well there are literally hundreds of 2.0 Miatas on used market in EU, who the fuck would buy a new one like this I don't know

>>28946434
Fiatanon here. Reading around, oil consumption is luck of the draw. Personally I had to add 1l every 3000~5000 km, and I did this twice for now. Before realizing I had to check the oil level on the regular I ran until I got an engine light: the brick threw an error for insufficient oil pressure, turns out if you let the oil go too low it will do that. I'm waiting a year to pass from that engine light incident to assess whether the oil consumption is abnormal or not.

>>28946572
>who the fuck would buy a new one
Nobody's trying to inherit your manual transmission learner car lmao dumbass poorfaggot

>>28946615
Speak for yourself, wrenchlette dilettante

>>28946615
this is europe, everybody learns manual in driving school, not in a miata

Any NA/NB frens running a custom ECU?
Looking at getting an ME442 or a MS3 for my NA.

More to fuck about and learn engine mapping / tuning than for any particular build right now, but will a simple 200hp ish probably turbo charged build eventually.

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>>28945572
just get a used one

>>28946774
Beer Money Motorsports and don't look back. Megasquirts are outdated and overpriced.

>>28943787
rf's are so nice looking.

>>28947277
I disagree, it's a strange looking car, very squat and bulbous. You think it looks good because it's curvy while all other modern cars are eggs or bricks, but you can't really identify what looks good about it.

The styling elements are too smooth and blend into each other, even old school roadsters like the mgb had more definitive features. I'm tall so from my perspective it looks like a throat lozenge.

>>28937019
Update, it's gotten worse. I assume I got a used diff with bad bearings.
So I guess I'm gonna redo it next weekend with new bearings. FUCK.

At least nothing will be seized this time and I should have it out in like 2 or 3 hours. Just drop exhaust, driveshaft, undo diff from ppf, and do the axle nuts. But fuck me

I've got the parts for a master and slave clutch replacement with the braided hose direct link. Is there anything I should be aware of eg any parts that need to be greased? The slave has come with the rod separate, so I assume I just insert that into the boot, it shouldn't need any grease right? I've worked on cars here and there but never done the clutch hydraulics.

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True red anon here. I love this car, learning manual is so fun(and stressful sometimes).

>>28947598
I would grease the tip of the slave cylinder pushrod where it touches the clutch fork, it can squeak if that's dry.

>>28947598
Also make sure you're using flare nut wrenches on the hydraulic fittings, open end wrenches can round them off (they're made of a pretty soft metal) and then you're doubly screwed.

>>28947831
Hey true red anony!

>raining
>giving a little gas halfway on a turn to upset the rear just a bit before the ESC kicks in
>have fun being a little silly
>nobody around
>disable ESC
>try again
>OHSHITSHITSHITSHIT
>re-enable ESC
I wish there was a nice place to practice where I live, but roads and parking lots here are all tiny.

>>28948032
Kekd you're doing Miata life right

>>28948032
I was tempted to do it yesterday but I'm glad I now read your story lol. I will hold off on turning ESC off for a while

Miatas may be small but I managed to shove in a 110mm fuel filter in

>>28948121
To be fair the turn was a slow speed one, with lots of paved space on both sides, one of the few in my immediate vicinity, so I could stop almost immediately when things went sideways (heh) with no real risk to either the car or its surroundings. I like to be a little silly, but I'm not THAT stupid to risk my precious miat

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>>28948167
>To be fair the turn was a slow speed one, with lots of paved space on both sides
Smart. Pick your corners to drift on. Assume you're going to fuck up, this forces you to think about the corner beforehand..
Many lanes, low traffic, wide shoulders, no curbs, flat grassy or dirt runoff with no obstacles. That's the way. You don't want to be sliding right next to concrete walls.

>>28947936
:3

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>>28948032
this is me in the ND. i hoon too hard sliding the ass out in turns, usually 90 degree lefts and rights, on the street because the traction control activates the rear brakes to help control it. I get a little slide and a quick correction to straight but I know if I tried that shit with the traction control off I'd end up doing a 180 or hitting a curb.

Is there any real difference between a ND Club vs GT in the Lord's year 2026? Getting closer to taking the dive and since both have the LSD by default now, is it just a matter of headlight tracking and a heated steering wheel? I don't really want that unless the stealership has it for the same price as a Club. Soft top only of course.


>>28935463
2 weeks late but, 15x7 is superior unless you're sucking off a track. Reason being, the 15x7s are cheaper to purchase, lighter, and most importantly 205-50r15s are generally only alllowed on a rim up to 7.5" width, so an 8" width would void any tire warranty and may make tire monkeys nervous.

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>>28948032
>NA
>no ESC
>right turn on intersection
>dry day but for some reason there was water in the middle of it
>touch gas in the middle of turn
>big slide
OH FUCK OH FUCK
>manically turn the wheel while looking at the curb
Somehow i was already thinking about suspension damage and the potential cost.

>>28948032
>>28948959
Are they really this easy to kick out or do you guys have slippy tyres? I don't want to spin out my NB..

>>28949069
Send it bro, make sure there's room to fuck out though

https://streamable.com/8jm027

>>28949069
They are ridiculously easy to slide out in.
I've had Miatas 11-12 years. They are twitchy, combine that with a short wheelbase and it just wants to slide.
My '99 is 100% stock and it'll just slide out at 2/3rds throttle at like 20 mph. If you can't handle it you're going in the shadow realm.
Lots of people run really fancy tires to compensate, but these are meant to be driven with slip angle. That's the fun part.

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>>28943782
Here

I somehow evaded Miata ownership again despite shilling them to all my IRL Miata hating friends for the last 15 years. Its insane, every time I am in the position to buy a car I somehow never find a good Miata or they're never on the market. Last time I took a E36M over a 1.8 NA in 2016.

On the plus side its probably the closest to a Miata I could've gotten

>2 Seater
>Japanese
>Fully Analog
>N/A
>Front Engine RWD with decent handling

2004 350Z Base 6MT with 45,492 mi, clean title other than a weird mileage discrepancy (Jiffy Lube Tech put the wrong miles back in 2019 @ 42,237mi).

Issues:
-A little low on oil, either leaked out or burning. Last oil change was 2-3 years ago
-Needs tires
-Smells like coolant, probably leaking at the radiator
-Needs ALL the fluids changed (3000mi in 7 years)
-Dryrotted to fuck tires, burned through 2nd and got sideways during the test drive
-Ugly TSW wheels I'm probably gonna sell for RPF1s or similar
-Crappy blend job at some point, think the PO said a garbage can scratched the fuck out of it on the driver's side. Can tell overspray signs on headlights/grill I gotta wipe off.
-Base so it has a open diff and literal Nissan Altima brakes but on the flipside no VDC so I can run squared 275mm r-comps and the car's abs won't care

Definitely not a BaT example but for $9500 it'll be fun and hard to beat. Only thing comparable was a 80-100k mile NB2/NC1 or 150k+ mile NC2 for the money. I'm happy with it, they're way more fun than given credit for. Z cars don't deserve the hate.

>>28949227
I don't mean to be mean, but it's what I do.
The 350Z is 1,000 lbs heavier. That's almost 50% heavier.
Good car though, I'd have it, it's just not a miata. 1,000 lbs jfc.

>>28949273
I agree, but its not terrible. This is like 3200lbs. You can get them as low as 3000lbs and they come as high as 3300lbs.

Its relative to other cars. I test drove a S197 3v GT and that was 3400lbs while feeling way more boaty and sloppy. I like the dimensions too. The 3400lb VA STi I'm driving feels huge. This feels tiny. Its a foot longer and 5-6 inches wider than a NC/ND. Mustang felt like I was swimming in it. This felt very driver focused.

I'll probably pick up a ND when I get tired/bored of this thing. NAs are collector pricing or have rotted rockers. NBs have rotted rockers/arches too often. NCs are currently in a youtuber bubble with people asking $15-20k in some cases for NC2/3s and I hate the look of NC1s (too rounded off).

I'm gonna do basic stuff but it's not going to go past wheels/tires/coilovers and a real LSD. Feels decent for an all stock car, maybe I'll AutoX it once I swap tires.

>>28949227
>275mm r-comps
Wtf are you gonna do with 275s lol the fucking thing makes like 200whp

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>>28949273
As someone who owned both a 350z and a Miata at the same time, I will say that the 350z is a fantastic handling vehicle, *especially* when it came to braking. It wears it's weight very well, and has the bonus of being a much more comfortable daily driver. I think my only real complaint would be the shitty interior, which isn't exactly that big a deal when competing against a Miata. I miss my 350z quite a lot, such a great car :(

>>28949317
same thing miata bois do putting 225s on a 120whp nb or 255s on a 150whp nc

>>28949337
Ok fine fuck it

I think I want to put a little rice on my 2015 RF. Just be a little gay and have a purely aesthetic modification. I might plastidip my wheels to match the paint, I might put a big stripe down the hood. Why the hell not. Anyone done it?

fat niggas of /o/, can you fit/do you like sitting in the factory recaros on the ND? 6'1" and 260 pounds, very hungry.

>>28949526
Louvres on the rear section of an RF are my secret rice love.

The OEM sportsportlien bodyl kit looks good for oem rice, but its fucking expensive.

>>28949227
You found the 350z with an intact front bumper?

>>28949319
when i do get something fun i'm deciding between a used z, nd3, or brz. it's tough. the Z looks like the comfiest while still being a capable car.

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When my radiator fans start to spin faster, my headlights and dash lights dim very noticeably, and my AC blower loses a good bit of power. Would this be an alternator issue, or a battery issue? Or is that just normal on an NA?

>>28950037
Could be alternator, battery, or there is a ground fault somewhere. That is not normal if it's as noticeable as you describe.
Doesn't VatoZone do free battery checks?

>>28950040
I actually got a battery check a couple months ago from O'Reillys, it said battery and alternator were both good. I don't really believe it, though. The battery looks pretty damn old.

>>28949667
Those look really cool. I was thinking maybe a front bumper swap is about at my level of intelligence to concievably install. Previous owner left a couple paint chips in the current one so it's easier to justify. Definitely gonna try and heat-gun on a vinyl stripe, nice and red and shiny, maybe hit the badges in the same color.

>>28950037
>>28950046
could be your belt/pulley is slipping. Maybe a bad relay?
You would need to watch the belt at normal idle then have someone put it under load and rev it.

The belt may seem fine at idle but the more load will require more force to make it rotate.

Any difference when cold or warmed up?

>>28950157
I don't think that's it, I should've clarified more:
When AC is off, headlights and dash lights are normal
When AC is on, compressor makes more heat, temperature gauge goes from mostly centered but leaning towards cold, to dead center or centered and slightly leaning towards hot, fans spin faster to cool it down, headlights and dash lights go dimmer while fans are spinning faster, then when the temp gauge falls back down to just under dead center the fans return to normal speed and the lights go back to their normal brightness until things get a little too hot again and the process repeats.

>>28950162
sounds like it's time to get an ND

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>>28949864
If this will be your only car, then given those choices I myself would still lean towards the Z. I haven't driven an ND, but I have driven a stripped out rally prepped GT86, pic rel, and It was a magnitude slower than my stock Z. The Z's are also setup as GT cars rather than straight up sports cars, so they have a very compliant suspension that deals with bumps and such quite well.

Swapped out my NB master and slave clutch cylinders + removed the hard-line and put in a braided line today. My master was leaking into the foot-well and firewall so figured I'd do the lot.
I would say my shifting is generally notchier now, especially between 2-3-2. Is this indicative of an incomplete bleed or should I adjust my pedal somehow? I was thinking about adjusting the pedal so it travels further in order to make sure the clutch is totally clear, although really if the clutch wasn't disengaging completely it would have other symptoms besides notchy shifts right? Conversely, I'd say take off in 1st feels better, it could be a bit jumpy before.

Interested to hear thoughts

>>28949587
I'm way shorter than you but also fat as hell and I like the recaros WAY more than any other OEM miata seat of any generation. they hold your fuckin meat in place and are flat out more comfortable than the base/leather ND seats. I say this as someone that used to daily an ND with the stock seats then ended up getting a club w/ recaros so I've had plenty of seat time with both
and if you lose weight they're still comfy. I lost 40 lbs then gained it back over the last year and losing weight only made it MORE comfy.
tldr; recaros fucking rule as long as you even technically fit in them

>>28950306
>if the clutch wasn't disengaging completely it would have other symptoms besides notchy shifts right?
Shouldn't be notchy, it should just slip into gear. You need a new clutch.

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>>28950380
>You need a new clutch
Hold your guns there champ, that's a pretty big leap.

>>28950306
Check your pedal adjustment first:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbWQbrjT3so

This is the video I used, and it's pretty helpful. Enjoy the blood rushing to your head as you sit upside under the dash, though, 'cause it's a bit of a cunt to do in the car. If that doesn't work, then it could be your synchros in the trans, the pressure plate on your clutch, or possibly just placebo on your part. If the crunching varies from gear to gear, then I'd lean more to the side of trans than pressure plate. If it's all equally notchy, then you can assume pressure plate - remember that this is assuming your pedal adjustment doesn't work, however.

>>28950410
>that's a pretty big leap.
Not really, the short gearing in these cars ensures your clutch pilot and thrust bearing get smoked in shirt order. Every Miata ive ever touched needed a clutch after ~60k. Not because the clutch material is worn but because of those bearings. Good luck Miata noob.

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>>28950416
>Every Miata ive ever touched needed a clutch after ~60k
I think you should stop touching Miatas.

>>28950410
>Enjoy the blood rushing to your head as you sit upside under the dash
Ah yes, miata life. I had to solder a bunch of shit up there above the pedals in my last one to bypass the factory amp, what a PITA.

>>28950429
>muh cartoons
wrenchlet, and you can't shift

>>28950410
>If that doesn't work, then it could be your synchros in the trans, the pressure plate on your clutch, or possibly just placebo on your part.
Lol yea, couldn't be the thrust bearing that's out of the question. Not even to be considered even though the thrust bearing and pilot bearing ALWAYS take a shit on these cars. I'd just take it to the shop have the replace he synchros

>>28950473
probably is the synchros considering nobody knows how to drive manual anymore and every manual Miata is someone's manual trans learner car, some miatas end up being multiple people's manual trans learner cars. I'm surprised Mazda even warranties manual transmissions seems like a total liability from a manufacturers point of view.

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>>28950438
NB bosectomy? I did that through the radio hole and did all my soldering away from the car. You can just make a bypass plug like this if you can live with the preamps being dead weight, which is less worse than pulling the dash to remove them.

>>28950265
They seem very comfy and used PP trims are going for $40k with <10k miles. I need to sit in each of theee cars but it seems like a good choice. I have an rx350 as a dd and grocery hauler.
>>28950046
Their alternator tests suck. Their battery tests suck if your battery is not 100% charged. Measure the voltage when it’s running with the AC on. If it’s not…14V? 14.5V? I forget; but it’s bad! Probably alternator.
>>28950306
Adjust the pedal. The official guidance usually says move the rod a bit until you get resistance and then back off a quarter or half turn, but in my experience, you want to back off even more. My car shifted much better when it had MORE slop in the pedal for whatever reason. Just my experience after doing this to my old civic type r and my NA Miata

>>28950306
In my opinion/experience NA/NB 5 speeds can be a bit crunchy until they warm up especially if the synchros haven't been beaten to death from years of slamming it into gear.

My NA (low miles, 42k) was notchy with the old slave/master, and is still notchy with the replacements. I just think it's a funny transmission that needs some time to warm up.

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>>28951008
>still notchy with the replacements
Notchy in a bad way?
Have you replaced the shift boots and changed the shifter turret oil underneath? Probably have, but just checking.

>>28950410
>>28950921
Thanks, I've adjusted the clutch out rather than in as suggested and it's shifting much better. I think I'll play with it more to see if I can find the sweetest spot but it's good enough now that I wont be annoyed about it at work lol. It's always been a bit notchy, even after the shifter rebuild but it's as good or better than before I switched out the hydraulics.

>>28937570
>This is an ND trim. I'm thinking that's a scam by that alone.
FBM lets you select from a list of possible trims for your car model if you want, so people do. Even when they're wholly inappropriate. It's no different than typing out "not z3 not porsche not midget not corvette" etc.

>>28937570
Yeah like the other anon said, I saw sooo many NCs with rf in the title

>>28946594
>my fiat burns oil and I'm not sure if it's normal
I don't know how to tell you this but...

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>>28952106
At least the NC can actually be had with what you would call a retractable fastback, the ND RF is really a retractable targa.


Also what hearing protection do you guys use that also lets the sound of the engine and music through? I got pic related and they're fucking garbage, might as well shove solid wax in my ears. Summer is here and I drive alot between 60-100mph on highways and I'm sure it's going to kill my hearing if I keep this up.

>>28950921
>>28950157
>>28950037
update: this morning it had trouble starting and the clock on my radio was reset. I just got into it and as soon as I accelerated, all of the lights flickered off and back on, but my headlights burnt out. I just fixed my mother FUCKING overheating issue on saturday, now this. Very fuarking epic.

>>28952297
Put a new battery and alternator in it, 2 new belts too and just don't fuck with it for the next 3 years.

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>>28952218
>what hearing protection do you guys use t
Ordered a box of these a few years ago for motorcycle riding. They sent me 5 boxes by accident so I have 1,000 pairs. I keep a handful in the Miata now.

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what a slutty smile

>>28952923
It's not a girl, learn to tell girl faces apart from boy faces.

>>28952927
I can.

>>28952934
You don't HAVE to be gay just because you drive a miata.

ND niggas would you recc the Hard Dog rollbar or the Blackbird?

>>28953016
I don't have a roll bar but blackbird is a cooler name so that's what my gut would go with

>>28952936
I know.

>>28952936
I listen to girly pop half the time just because it's great for the vibes.

Bought a 6spd Fiata (Abarth). How gay am I if my opinion is the stock exhaust is too loud and i want to change the exhaust to something quieter?

>>28954989
Just means you are over 30

>>28955008
This is cope. I used to hate loud ricer cars when I was young, thought they were for immature retards, but now I'm old and realizing that I should've been an immature retard all along.

Luv me straight piped racing exhaust.

>>28955021
Straight pipes sound awful. I'll pass on straight pipes fiveever

>>28954989
>buys Abarth
>complains it's too loud
Come on now. I know the extra 30hp are nice, but getting the Abarth was your mistake here. Anyway, you can swap in the exhaust of the stock Fiata and get a less rumbly experience.

>>28955021
lmao I straight piped my mustang once. It was cool but obnoxious. Put on a proper muffler w couple weeks later. Was still plenty loud but reasonable

Would a Miata be fine as an only car? Or is that just for people who live with their parents? I don't even necessarily want a Miata, I just wish they made more cars that are light, cheap and manual.

>>28955334
Doable but if you have bad winters I wouldn't. Salt will ruin your car. Good combo would be some type of bigger car and the miata so you can carry furniture if needed without needing to rent one

96 Miata about 100k miles. Clean inside and outside. Recent maintenance at shop w/ receipts for drive belt, alternator, timing belt/water pump, spark plugs and clutch.

How much is it worth? Asking price is 10.5k in the PNW. Am I retarded for considering this?

>>28955402
Unless you really want the most basic (raw I guess) Miata, then yes. This is easily nc money

>>28955402
That sounds steep. I swaer you can get relatively clean ones for $5 or $6k. And $10k is approaching used NC money (with a good amount of miles) or decent NB's.

>>28955008
>>28955021
>>28955096
Looked a little closer, muffler has been deleted. Don't know how I missed that the first time. I assume just stock muffler and no resonator will be nowhere close to as "raw" as this is now?

Feel like an ass at 7:30am, don't want to wake up neighbors [spoilz] or wife and baby[/spoilz]

>>28955738
350Z guy here

$10k gets you a decent NC1; any NC2s that have 120-150k miles sell immediately unless they have paint/rust issues.

NB is very do-able for $5-8k though. NAs cost the same unless you want flippy lights you're almost better off with a NB. Better car all around and the "cheap" NA is likely to be a 1.6

$10k is a lot of money man. I would save up more or pull a loan to get a ND at that point. All my prices/experience are from the Northeast USA in the last month; Florida is definitely cheaper when I was shopping there by 10-15%.

NA8 and ND3 guy here. Unless you cum for the headlights, get any NB over an NA every day of the week.

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>>28952923
>>28952927

>>28955786
How much of an upgrade was an nd3 over the na8

>>28955874
desu I've only driven it ~3 miles from the dealership to my house. Can't yet comment on driving feel beyond basic stuff.

The ND3 electric steering feels better than my disabled NA8 hydro steering without a belt (AC comp seized).

Seats in the ND3 club are comparatively amazing. Soft yet cradling. My NA8 came with leather and of course the leather is hard and cracked, and the ND headrest goes much higher, where a NA8 seat headrest does not extend anywhere are high up.

I don't love the infotainment so far, I don't understand what apple carplay is or how it works. Bluetooth audio works fine but is somehow different than apple carplay, idk dude. I can't figure out how to make the screen turn off after inactivity, not sure it's an option. My daily Acura has a button that lets me turn the screen off so I'm hoping for an equivalent. There appears to not be a skip forward/back hard button, but I've only had this thing in my possession for ~30 hours. Navigation appears disabled and idk what anything else does (yet). It was nice to change certain nannies in the settings, such as turning off the warning you're heeltoeing. My NA has a bluetooth aftermarket radio, works fine and doesn't do anything fancy.

The ND3 trunk is much smaller than my NA8, and that's considering the NA has a battery and spare tire in back.

The ND3 soft top is amazing compared to my NA with robbins NB top and frame. The NB frame is a great improvement over the NA top frame and plastic window, but the latches loosen and need love over time. Plus the top requires more effort to latch/unlatch and move. The ND3 top is nearly effortless and also locks into the retracted position so it can't pop out while driving.

I'm refusing to drive the ND3 any until Mazda corporate disables the telematics (TCU) so my insurance doesn't rape me for driving like a monkey. Expecting it'll be done by next week, so I'm getting some matts, a phone mount, blind spot mirrors, etc while I wait.

>>28955954 cont
My NA8 is a tired old girl, and now that I have an ND3, my NA8 will pretty much turn into a "ran when parked" example in the backyard. I have some major plans for it in the future, so I may turn it into a missile, or it may rot in the yard until one of my now young kids is old enough to want to resurrect it in 10-15 years.

The ND3 will get some basic stuff done, rollbar and eventually some wheels to match what I have on my NA8, otherwise I'm planning to keep it as is. idk what you can even really do beyond suspension, which I can't comment on until I get miles on the car.

>>28955954
>turning off the warning you're heeltoeing
Wtf do you know what heel-toe downshifting is?

>>28955954
>refusing to drive the ND3 any until Mazda corporate disables the telematics (TCU) so my insurance doesn't rape me for driving like a monkey.
Holy shit dude this is where we are at

>>28955954
>>28955965
The modern features and upgrades would be nice. Just wondering if it’s such a better experience that I would be happy selling my NA for one. I certainly don’t need two fun cars. And a lightly used example sometimes show up near me for ~$28k or so. I need to sit in one.

>>28955968
Do you? There's a built in warning when you're on the gas and brake at the same time, and Mazda gives your the ability to easily turn it off in the settings.

>>28955970
Big brother will likely be able to rape me whether I want them to or not, but I believe all ND3s (2024-now) have a TCU that can only be disabled by calling Mazda and asking them to shut it off completely. Shutting it off from the infotainment only shuts off what you can use, Mazda and whoever they """partner""" with still get all your driving and location data. Supposedly calling them is the most effective way to turn the whole thing off short of ripping shit out, and I have yet to see a guide on how to DIY physically remove/depower the module.

>>28955990
I can't say what (You) should do, but I'm happy owning a fully working Miata for the first time in about 4 years. If your NA is working correctly, other than a slight power increase and a factory reverse camera I wouldn't change it up.

>>28956012
When I wrecked my ND2 I had considered waiting on the ND3 to replace it. Glad I didn't, Don't think you can get the Recaro package anymore too

>>28956021
You can, idk about which years were what, but now the Recaro is combined with the front brembos, they're no longer separate options.

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>>28955334
>Miata be fine as an only car?
I did that for a decade. No regrets. Use an old truck as a daily now. Mx-5 is for pleasure driving now.

>>28957494
>Been daily driving a sambar for 5 years
>Now been tempted to buy a miata
Funny.

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I think my IAC is bad in my 93 NA.
New one is $800 dollaridoos, used ones are around $300-500.

Is there anything that can be fixed in these units?

My car idles like shit when cold.

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>>28957855
also, what is the difference between the one mounted on the throttle body and the one on the intake manifold?

>>28957871
The one on the throttle body is electronically controlled by the computer to open and close to directly maintain idle speed as necessary. The one on the intake manifold is open during a cold start to allow more air in to raise the idle, then closes off as the coolant temperature rises.

>>28957966
which one would cause bad/rough idle?

I found this page on how to inspect and clean it.
https://www.miata.net/garage/isc.html

Its broken and hard to read, but looks like you can dose it in TB cleaner after removing the rubber gasket.

anyone know if the whole thing be placed in distilled water in a sonic cleaner?

>>28957971
Both can. I would start by removing the one on the throttle body and just giving it a good cleaning and a new gasket, clean the throttle body while you're there too. You can test the intake manifold one by removing it and heating it with a hot air gun, its valve should move towards the rear of the engine. Grab a can of carb cleaner and give everything between the MAF and intake ports on the head a good spray while it's running to check for any vacuum leaks as well, if the idle jumps you found your leak. You should also check that the engine coolant temperature sensor on the rear of the engine (the top one with the green connector, not the small single pin one for the gauge off to the side) is reading correctly, if it's reading as if the engine is warm while it's actually cold the air/fuel ratio will be way too lean.
https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=338768

>>28955954
>I can't figure out how to make the screen turn off after inactivity, not sure it's an option.
press the big button down on the main screen and it will switch to only show a clock. not exactly what you're looking for but it's good enough for me.
>>28955954
>so my insurance doesn't rape me for driving like a monkey
they don't send it to your insurance company. they have not changed my rate since I got an ND3.
i forgot the details but from what I read they anonymize it for companies looking to advertise to you. still annoying as shit but you don't have to worry about your insurance unless something changes.

I take off at 2k rpm, is that too high?

>>28958015
I already cleaned my TB and I replaced that square gasket in the Idle Speed Controller.
I have an aftermarket manifold that does not have the air valve.
All new vacuum lines, and gaskets.

I'll remove the ISC and see what else can be cleaned. I feel like I cleaned it when I replaced that gasket.

If that doesn't solve my issues, is a new one the only options?
I plan to go with an aftermarket ECU as my next upgrade. Will I need the ISC with standalone?

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>>28958190
Depends, but usually for normal driving it's around 1000 rpm for me like anything else. You can easily start these with no throttle added and I do regularly in certain situations. My dad revs to 4k, sometimes 5k before lifting the clutch in his trugg (he can't hear it but everyone around does), now that's bad.

>>28958211
Seems like I have a heavy foot I need to fix then. I live in the city so I need a brisk take off but if that's too high, I'll work on lowering it

>>28958201
https://driftopia.com/2024/12/13/na-miata-1-6-idle-speed-control-valve-delete-iscv/
I suppose not, odd enough.

>>28958217
Seems slightly high to me, but not crazy. I only start digging into throttle after the clutch is out unless I'm trying to launch it in a hurry. The car can handle 6K wide open throttle clutch dumps like a champ, it's nothing huge to worry about.

>>28958226
I'm trying to add rpms and release clutch after I get to bite point at once but it seems I get to 2k rpm (and hold) while left foot fully releases off pedal after bite point. It's maybe at 1500-1800 at the bite point itself

Nothing like going 80 on the interstate, looking down, and realizing you're at 4.2k rpm in top gear. Waaaaaaahhhhh. I just want a tall highway gear, and I don't want a taller diff ratio.
>>28958284
You can bring it down over time, but that's not so bad.

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>>28958284
Also, have you checked the deflection on the throttle cable? My last one was loose when I got it so the rpms would rise immediately at a point when the slack was taken out making inputs feel awkward.

>>28958284
Gotcha thanks. Only time I smell my clutch is when I'm doing some uphill parking (my garage)
>>28958315
Hadn't thought about this but I will double check. It's an NC, is it still cable?

>>28958322
>It's an NC
Oh. My bad I only think of NAs and NBs.
The NC is throttle by wire (electronic). So just try to lower the revs down slowly over time.

>>28958059
Thx bb, I took it out to meet some buddies last night and it was like memories of night driving my NA flooded back, except this time it's not a rattling pile of shit and there was more low end torque. I'm still sticking to my guns on the 'disable telemetry' thing, but I was aware that Mazda (as of now) isn't selling my data attached to my name. When there's an easy how to guide to unplug the TCU and ONLY the TCU, I'll be doing that as well. But I have my doubts, most everything is interconnected, it's probably not as simple as ripping a single thing out.

>>28958315
About throttle cables. If yours is noticeably loose then when you push the pedal all the way, you can't get the actual throttle valve to open fully, which is where all the fun is. It'll open like 95%.
Not just miats, but on older cars, sometimes there's a significant power gain (more like power restoration to stock) by tightening the cable if it's loose.

>>28958201
>>28958218
well i started to remove it and then i had flashbacks of me cleaning it when I replaced its gaskets last year.
so im gonna assume its bad. idk when i'll have the funds to go standalone, so idk if its worth replacing it for this summer, or dealing with bad idle.

>>28955954
>I'm refusing to drive the ND3 any until Mazda corporate disables the telematics (TCU)
Is it not possible to just unplug it? Either:
the fuse
the cables going to the unit inside the car if the fuse also handles other stuff
the LTE antennas connected to the box, if the unit is too tightly integrated with the infotainment stuff to uplug wholesale
stumbled on your post while looking into a mod I'm planning for my subie's unit, which is pretty easy to disable.

>>28957765
It's a great combination if you only need minimal seating. I live on an Island, so the furthest point is is maybe 8 hours by car, but if you had long distances to drive regularly, I'd pick something bigger.

>>28958543
Nothing you said is outright wrong, but my issue is that most systems on anything serve more than a single purpose. You can't unplug one system without more additional systems getting gimped as a result. If there was an infodump on miata dot net on this subject other than covering my car in a faraday cage, I'd do that too.

>>28958008
>Its broken and hard to read
Just ignore the � symbol and it's fine. Far more thorough than the factory service manual, which it quotes for the codes.

>>28958585
I suspected as much
I certainly have less automotive knowledge than the anons that frequent this board/thread
I was glad when, after learning of the existence of the telematics unit in my car, I immediately also learned that was a massive swath of people online that felt the same way and made it easy to kneecap it (you can even get premade cables to bypass it)
I did a cursory search for modern Mazdas and it doesn't seem like there's the same treatment, it's possible it's more tightly integrated.
If you rip out the DCM (or the dedicated fuse for it) on a subaru, it doesn't even trigger a warning light, it's just gone.

>>28958615
So I have a sitting """work order""" with Mazda customer assistance to kill the TCU, so I'm starting with that. Everything I've turned up for the ND3 says to go through customer assistance, use a faraday cage or start breaking shit. I've read of one single dude or some other Mazda model in the recent 5-6 years killing power to the TCU on his not Miata, but he provided no directions and said he just traced wires from a diagram. I'm not quite as technically inclined, and I'm not confident that disabling the TCU hardware won't have further reaching software effects. Thus I wait for the hacker known as 4chan to infodump how to kill the TCU on a hardware level and what downstream effects it will have.

>>28958615
>TLDR
Here's a thread about it on Miata.net
https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=783585

>>28955954
I saw something where you phone in and they supposedly agree to turn it off. Is there also some guide out there for pulling an actual fuse/wire and the dealership just agrees to do that?
I've seen guides for that on other cars but not the mx-5.

>>28958646
Another:
https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=781669

>>28958190
Standard you start trying to enginage the clutch at as low of an rpm as possible and you start smoking bearings.

>>28958646
>>28958657
thanks for the links anon, I'll keep an eye on it

About to close a deal on an ND. Mechanical newbie here - any care tips that are outside the norm for regular cars that I should know? Thx in advance

>>28959022
NTA but I have a similar question: do older NDs rust already or is it too early for that? or has this changed since the days of NA/NB and they'll be alright?

>>28959043
My '99 doesn't have rust. I assume NDs are like any other car and it depends on whether it's seen the salt belt or not.

>>28959022
Oil change intervals are shorter than other cars and you have to rotate the tires more often. The transmission takes time to warm up, you have to drive it slow for a few minutes, you can literally feel it loosening up. There's alot of drain holes that can get clogged with leaves and shit. The trunk will always have a ton of soapy water around the rim after a wash, I suck it up with a mini carpet washer.

>>28959022
if it's your first convertible don't take it through a car wash. use at least 91 octane gas. that's all I can think of at the moment.
>>28959043
where do you live?

>>28956012
>There's a built in warning when you're on the gas and brake at the same time
it only gives you that warning if the clutch isn't in.

>>28959189
You don't need 91, manual says 87 is fine. I thought I felt it get a bit slower when I switched to 87 but now I don't even notice.

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>>28959189
>where do you live?
germany
>>28959050
around here I haven't see NA or NB without rust, the only variable is how much

>>28959223
>germany
whoa