New guy from MA
10-12-2009, 10:01 AM
#1
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Littleton, MA
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New guy from MA
Hey Everyone!
I just picked up my mazda about 2months ago, and it is awesome!
1990 with 60K on the clock.
So far, I deleted the soft top, bought a hard top, HardDog HardCore HardTop Double Diagonal Bar (say that 5 times fast!) flyin miata test pipe,
and a corbeau forza racing seat.
I also have a greddy turbo kit sitting pretty, but I think Im more interested in doing up the suspension at this point rather than adding more power.
I also joined the Comscc for hopefully doing trackdays and learning how to take advantage of such a lightweight car. Maybe I'll see some of you guys at NHMS on the 31st?
I just picked up my mazda about 2months ago, and it is awesome!
1990 with 60K on the clock.
So far, I deleted the soft top, bought a hard top, HardDog HardCore HardTop Double Diagonal Bar (say that 5 times fast!) flyin miata test pipe,
and a corbeau forza racing seat.
I also have a greddy turbo kit sitting pretty, but I think Im more interested in doing up the suspension at this point rather than adding more power.
I also joined the Comscc for hopefully doing trackdays and learning how to take advantage of such a lightweight car. Maybe I'll see some of you guys at NHMS on the 31st?
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10-12-2009, 10:09 AM
#2
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Portland, OR
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Only 60K on a 90, well that's impressive. Sorting out the suspension first would be the smart thing to do, but I would find it very difficult to just leave that kit sitting there.
From one newbie to another. Welcome.
From one newbie to another. Welcome.
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10-12-2009, 12:33 PM
#5
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I was super excited when I picked up the turbo kit, but to be honest I have my eyes on doing a spec miata suspension rather than bolting up the power. Later down the road forced induction might find its way in the car, but thats loooong ways away.
so....let me know if anyones interested (I know, it should go in the classifieds)
so....let me know if anyones interested (I know, it should go in the classifieds)
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10-12-2009, 07:03 PM
#7
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Im 20minutes south of lowell,
Im up for learning any track! Limerock is fantastic but Ive only seen vintage racing there.
Next summer I should have my car setup the way I want and some time to actually go out.
Im up for learning any track! Limerock is fantastic but Ive only seen vintage racing there.
Next summer I should have my car setup the way I want and some time to actually go out.
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10-13-2009, 04:46 PM
#10
In addition to comscc.org, there are Sports Car Driving Association - Performance Driving in a Safe and Controlled Environment, PDA Driving School. For more, check out the links to clubs on: events-club-events. I know Audi club does some events, Poughkeepsie Sports Car Club does an event at Pocono, http://www.mohud-scca.org/ does one day at Lime Rock.
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10-13-2009, 10:42 PM
#12
Lime Rock is a classic but shorter than most tracks, so the traffic is thicker, and there are less passing zones. Branch out as much as you can, we have NHIS, Pocono, Lime Rock, Monticello (long is awesome, short not so much), Watkins Glen (another classic and long and ******* awesome) within a reasonable drive in the Northeast.
BTW, OP, before you go seriously shopping a spec miata suspension, do some research. You can put together a better setup for the same price. They run it because they have to.
BTW, OP, before you go seriously shopping a spec miata suspension, do some research. You can put together a better setup for the same price. They run it because they have to.
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10-14-2009, 10:09 AM
#14
3B, I'm going to give you a couple of newb tips, first. This is a clean board, and everyone here works to keep it that way, and brutalizes those that don't. Being in tune with the philosophy of the board will make your stay a lot better.
I thought posting in the 'Noobs read this 1st sticky' was a bit of a faux pas. I personally think that stickies for the most part are informational, and you should have a good reason to post in them. Telling samnavy that it's a good sticky is like those jokers telling Dave Despain they love his show: no ****, if you didn't you wouldn't watch/call in. I think samnavy would rather you BE a good noob rather than saying you appreciate his instructions.
Second, don't re-undead an already shitty and/or beat thread ('what suspension setup to choose'), especially just to say, "yeah, what he said." My grandfather stunk before he died, he stinks a lot more now that he's been dead for a while. If you do undead an old thread, you should apologize and have a goddamn good reason for doing it.
I'm not busting your *****, just trying to help you out. Besides, we may meet face to face one day, and I like making friends a lot more than making enemies. Cool?
Now, on to your questions. Monticello Motor Club is in Monticello, NY, south western part of the Catskills. Most haven't heard of it because they don't have sanctioned racing, it was meant to be a country club for car guys (Lime Rock is trying to go this way, too). Same as a golf club, they have memberships you can buy for like $100k plus a yearly fee! There are a few clubs that run hpde there, like PDA and SCDA, and I think the Porsche and Ferrari clubs. The track can be broken up into a few different configurations, and when they were first having club events there they were only allowing the clubs to run on the south course, north was reserved for members. I ran on south earlier this year, it was fun but short with lots of turns, kind of like a big cart track. At that point I thought once was enough, and I wasn't going back.
Then they opened up the full course to the clubs, I think because they are not getting the membership counts they wanted. It's over 4 miles, so I signed up for a day there with SCDA. This track is a blast, with lots of elevation change, mix of high and low speed corners, a ticky-tacky left right chicane on a crest, which I actually liked, one or two car eaters, and a very long straight. I will go back if they offer full course in the future. It's about 2 hours from home for me.
Suspensions: this is as individual as all of our cars, and it is flame-bait. I'll give it a go. The spec suspension is around $1200-1300, iirc. For this you get the bilsteins, eibach coilover kit, front and rear sway bars. I currently have a GAZ el cheapo coilover, but a FatCat Motorsports Bilstein revalve on order. My fcm kit was ~1600 for the shocks, coilovers, bump stops, and front and rear top hats, built to my specs and fully assembled. It doesn't include the sway bar(s).
What you should get is highly dependent on your budget. I was drawn to the bilstein because it's a monotube, and from reports by people who have driven them on the street on the type Rs that had them stock, all the way to spec miata racers, these things are damn near unbreakable. Getting over 100k of use on a bilstein is not unheard of. And, if they are beat or you want to put a much different spring rate on the car, you can send them to either fcm or bilstein and get them rebuilt and revalved. The bilsteins are not adjustable, but if you believe Shaikh from fcm and Dennis Grant from far north racing, most adjustable shocks don't do quite what you think they are doing, ie, the adjustments are not repeatable, or adjust for rebound only, depending on brand.
If I were on a serious budget, I would consider a set of bilsteins (you might even find used if you look) $500, ground control coilover kit, 375/250# $400, and the fcm mount and bump rubber kit $250, total $1150 plus install. You could sub in Koni sports for around the same price, also rebuild/revalvable, and another good quality shock, with a combined double adjuster.
I thought posting in the 'Noobs read this 1st sticky' was a bit of a faux pas. I personally think that stickies for the most part are informational, and you should have a good reason to post in them. Telling samnavy that it's a good sticky is like those jokers telling Dave Despain they love his show: no ****, if you didn't you wouldn't watch/call in. I think samnavy would rather you BE a good noob rather than saying you appreciate his instructions.
Second, don't re-undead an already shitty and/or beat thread ('what suspension setup to choose'), especially just to say, "yeah, what he said." My grandfather stunk before he died, he stinks a lot more now that he's been dead for a while. If you do undead an old thread, you should apologize and have a goddamn good reason for doing it.
I'm not busting your *****, just trying to help you out. Besides, we may meet face to face one day, and I like making friends a lot more than making enemies. Cool?
Now, on to your questions. Monticello Motor Club is in Monticello, NY, south western part of the Catskills. Most haven't heard of it because they don't have sanctioned racing, it was meant to be a country club for car guys (Lime Rock is trying to go this way, too). Same as a golf club, they have memberships you can buy for like $100k plus a yearly fee! There are a few clubs that run hpde there, like PDA and SCDA, and I think the Porsche and Ferrari clubs. The track can be broken up into a few different configurations, and when they were first having club events there they were only allowing the clubs to run on the south course, north was reserved for members. I ran on south earlier this year, it was fun but short with lots of turns, kind of like a big cart track. At that point I thought once was enough, and I wasn't going back.
Then they opened up the full course to the clubs, I think because they are not getting the membership counts they wanted. It's over 4 miles, so I signed up for a day there with SCDA. This track is a blast, with lots of elevation change, mix of high and low speed corners, a ticky-tacky left right chicane on a crest, which I actually liked, one or two car eaters, and a very long straight. I will go back if they offer full course in the future. It's about 2 hours from home for me.
Suspensions: this is as individual as all of our cars, and it is flame-bait. I'll give it a go. The spec suspension is around $1200-1300, iirc. For this you get the bilsteins, eibach coilover kit, front and rear sway bars. I currently have a GAZ el cheapo coilover, but a FatCat Motorsports Bilstein revalve on order. My fcm kit was ~1600 for the shocks, coilovers, bump stops, and front and rear top hats, built to my specs and fully assembled. It doesn't include the sway bar(s).
What you should get is highly dependent on your budget. I was drawn to the bilstein because it's a monotube, and from reports by people who have driven them on the street on the type Rs that had them stock, all the way to spec miata racers, these things are damn near unbreakable. Getting over 100k of use on a bilstein is not unheard of. And, if they are beat or you want to put a much different spring rate on the car, you can send them to either fcm or bilstein and get them rebuilt and revalved. The bilsteins are not adjustable, but if you believe Shaikh from fcm and Dennis Grant from far north racing, most adjustable shocks don't do quite what you think they are doing, ie, the adjustments are not repeatable, or adjust for rebound only, depending on brand.
If I were on a serious budget, I would consider a set of bilsteins (you might even find used if you look) $500, ground control coilover kit, 375/250# $400, and the fcm mount and bump rubber kit $250, total $1150 plus install. You could sub in Koni sports for around the same price, also rebuild/revalvable, and another good quality shock, with a combined double adjuster.
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10-14-2009, 12:58 PM
#19
Dude, maybe no one else was buggered by it, I certainly wouldn't worry about it. You didn't even get flamed, so you either come across well, or people didn't give a ****.
With all this car stuff, I think we should come out as friends at the end of the day, anyway. All Miata people you will come across on the track or at the autocross are the most friendly people you will meet.
And I wouldn't have posted all that info if I thought you were a troll.
With all this car stuff, I think we should come out as friends at the end of the day, anyway. All Miata people you will come across on the track or at the autocross are the most friendly people you will meet.
And I wouldn't have posted all that info if I thought you were a troll.
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