info on 1991 mx5/miata/eunos roadster...

[Mr.C]

hey...
looking for as much info as possible on a 1991 v-spec mx5/miata/eunos roadster...i know there's all different names on em all around the world but above should cover it...lol...i bought her recently and am already drifting it a bit but a bit of info would be appreciated...

just wondering whats the best way to drift these from people who have done it before...

what are the lsd's like in these and can they be upgraded easily...

how tough is the engine/drivetrain and how much abuse can it handle...

any other info anybody might think usefull also...

much appreciated... ...

Mr.C.

[chrisfromda909]

hey dude welcome... uh not to be rude or anything... but use the button... feel free to click that button and type in what your searching for. if you dont find anything im sure someone can help.

[cptsideways]

Re: info on 1991 mx5/miata/eunos roadster...

Originally posted by Mr.C
hey...
looking for as much info as possible on a 1991 v-spec mx5/miata/eunos roadster...i know there's all different names on em all around the world but above should cover it...lol...i bought her recently and am already drifting it a bit but a bit of info would be appreciated...

just wondering whats the best way to drift these from people who have done it before...

what are the lsd's like in these and can they be upgraded easily...

how tough is the engine/drivetrain and how much abuse can it handle...

any other info anybody might think usefull also...

much appreciated... ...

Mr.C.

Well thats exactly what I've got as my drifter, I'm competing in the UK D1 Championships in mine.

First off power or lack of it more like, don't worry the MX5 is very chuckable, try fitting some 175 section rear tyres, this will help.

Engines are bombproof as are the drive train.

VLSD's are fine so long as you run skinny rear tyres

Biggest change I have made is to play with the Camber toe settings, the MX5's are hugely adjustable. Try max camber on the front with 0 toe in or even toed out slightly. Rear end toe is also 0 and the cambers set vertical to minimise traction. Seems to work so far.

They seem to be very similar to AE86's in terms of power & set up weight etc.

You will need to use higher speeds & learn the feint techniques and Skandi Flicks but they are bloody good fun to learn in.

[sid]

go to miata.net

the most complete info I have found thus far. no widespread drifting interest there, but the tech is hard to beat.

sooo much info.

as far as drifting. mine (stock sus) I can feint drift ok but the sus is unpredictable, so Im a little gun shy. but not enough power/tourque for me to pull any really good clutch kick drifts, but this also has to do with my sus, as soon as it starts to break the sus just squshes over and absorbs my momentum, no drift. and the chassis is soggy because its a convertable (I think they started putting in extra bracing in 94). so know going in that there is a ton of bracing to buy and a cage, in addition to suspension and wheel/tire combos. wheel weight makes a huge difference on these cars to, Im sticking with 14's, just as light as possible.

[Nemesis]

driftability....it's not really the car, its the driver. Has Cpt said these engines are tough and so is the drive train. I've been beating the *censored* out of my mx5 and she still works great. As for techniques, i use shiftlock, clutch kick, and still working on braking, the sidebrake isn't my fav. cause the wheel base is so small she likes to slide FAST and for along time. I just through on some 15x6.5 rims w/ 205 tires and i'ma see how works with those. Most of it is personal preference, jus go out and play with ur car. figure out what she likes and doesn't like.

[JDM EUNOS]

As mentioned above it really is about the driver, but i've noticed as my mods continue to up the output now it's just a matter of powering over (for me anyways). yeah you really have to watch it in a miata it's super touchy from my experiences in it. One thing i've come to learn in my miata is that you really have to gradually countersteer it, or it usually snaps right back. That will probably be one of the toughest things to overcome but once you get the hang of it it's a super great platform. I don't know what some of the other guys use in their suspension set-ups but one thing i believe every miata owner should invest in is the Adrenaline Racing ladder brace. The car takes on a whole new attitude with this (kinda off topic). My car truely takes on the same characteristics of a go-kart like feel with this.

[ProjectD]

very boost friendly. and with the 1.6L, 118hp, boost would help it alot.

[JDM EUNOS]

yeah even a cheap greddy kit has its advantages to be upgraded down the road. Now the 1.8 is kinda strong stock as far as turbo charging goes there aren't many options, I think there is the AVO kits,Corksports kit, RacingMazdas kit, HKS has a kit. The only one i would ever buy would be the racingmazdas kit, that is some top of the line *Censored**Censored**Censored**Censored* there. Ric really knows how to tune in a miata. Kinda off topic but if you can pilot a 1.8 stock bottom end miata into the 9 second range i give you mad props.

[Nismo]

Hey everyone I havent been here for a while thanks to the FFXI game I just purchased. I just wanted to swing by and say hello to everyone. NOw to help out with the question. I also have a 91 miata 1.6 of course. Let men tell you that these cars when It comes to drifting are really great. They have a 50/50 wieght distabution which is great. They handling is perfect (responds really quick). My engine has is over a whopping 250k miles on it and is still running strong. It picks up quick and all I have added has been a cool air intake, 5Zigen exhaust , and a air & fuel management system. The only thing that I can say bad about the lil miata is lack of HP. You could always upgrade to a 1.8 but I was told that it will not pass emissions because the 1.8 wasn't made till 94-95 I think. One thing that I did and turned out really well is changing the transmission. Even though it has a 1.6 91' engine I threw in a 97" transmission. They can take a lot more punishment when it comes to shifting- down shifting etc. Well I still have a lot to learn and I mean a lot but hope my lil grain of sand helped a bit.

[Nismo]

OH YEAH!!! one more thing. If you do want to do a engine swap to a 1.8. Go to www.brainstorm.com . They have a chart saying how much of a difference a 1.6 to a 1.8 has. Also have another chart showing the outcome peformance with a Turbo installed. You would be surprised how much the 1.8 surpassed the 1.6. Just a thought if you can get it around emissions.

[Trevultaspeed]

this thread has been helpful to me as well, since im planning on getting a 99 miata after my mustang is sold. Ive heared nothing but good things about the handling.

anybody know what the best roll bar that will fit under the soft top is (that actually protects you), or would i be better off just geting one of those hard dog scca rol lbars and buying a hard top for the car? just curious.

oh and the greddy turbo kits, is it even worth going for since it has no intercooler? i think one person on these boards has that.... because its alot cheaper than the FM1 kit. FM2 kit looks sweet but that would be farther down the road as far as engine mods apearantly.

and anybody have any more good miata vids? Racing, driving, drifting, anything.

Thanks

[slipangle]

I have a 94 miata built for SCCA autocross, which doubles as a daily driver. So far, ive installed matched racing beat adjustable sways and springs paired with koni yellows, and i couldnt be happier. Soft, and you get a smoother-than-stock ride, Firm, and brake dive and squat are eliminated, body roll is nearly eliminated except in longer corners where it can just barely be detected. Handling with decent tires is truly go-kart like and unbelieveably responsive and sharp. </shameless plug for my gear>

I believe that the mx5's greatest strengths are its chassis, light weight and suspension geometry, and that through mild modification can be made absolutely stunning. Therefore, I chose to go for suspension mods first.

My only engine modification to date is a custom/ghetto intake made from old 3" intake piping that my dad found in a dumpster. this just happens to mount right up where the stock plastic intake pipe went. I just kept the MAF at the end of the intake and plumbed in the various vacuum lines near the throttle body and the crankcase vent (methinks). Fabbed up some brackets from aluminum, and adapted a K&N filter (the rounded rectangle kind). Also ended up making a heatshield from sheet aluminum to surround it. My only current problem is that my newly purchased front shock tower brace wants to occupy part of the space in which my air filter currently resides. Just need to make a new bracket and angle the filter, but have been too busy to of late. This intake provided a noticeable boost in power, as well as moving the meat of the powerband a little lower in RPM. It also gives the car a very deep and meaty, almost throaty exhaust note under throttle, but hardly noticeable below 3500 rpm when not hard on the throttle.


on another note, the 94 engine has the lowest compression of all the 1.8's, making it the most boost-friendly. if you're gonna drop money on a turbo, drop it on a 1.8.

Mazdaspeed sells a complete, brand new engine with 94 specs, including water pump and alternator for $1500, which, in my opinion, is well worth the money if you're going to put money into your car.

so..in conclusion, id go with tires and suspension first, then an intake and exhaust. but before all that, invest in the loose nut behind the wheel, its the mod that will make you fastest, with the best control

@trevultaspeed I've got a hard dog roll bar, installation was not too bad and its super sturdy, ive seen pics of rollovers and roof-slides and the bar is just scraped, it didnt bend at all, too bad that with the stock seats Im taller than the bar...

[Mr.C]

appreciate the info...exactly what i wanted to hear really...good positive respones... think a roll bar is def a necessity though... ...

[cptsideways]

Update from my last post........



Now my 1.6 J-Spec car has a HKS turbo kit, some cusco coilovers, bucket seat & Carbing 6 point cage. The standard clutch struggles with the 170ish bhp, along with the VLSD that is now fried.

Next major works are a 2 way LSD RX7 conversion & some mods to the steering arms to increase available lock as it needs it IMO. The original 1.6 cars have smaller brakes over which you can fit lighter 13" wheels... so I now have in addition to my panasports some 6" wide 13" Compomotive split rims to overstretch some tyres on.