Finally have an update. After surviving the apocalypse(holidays) I have small periods of time I can work on the car.

I have my first track day at Willow Springs race track on the 25th and I've been trying to get the car sorted for a successful first day. In classic using a nuke when a bullet would suffice mentality I have shown, I got all the things. Basically I'm hoping this will be all I'll need/want and I won't have to spend anymore money for a while.

First thing I did, well, that I've waited 4 months for, is the MiataRoadster Short Shift Kit. I was having a really tough time shifting into 4th/6th and I was starting to get worried that 25psi did some damage to the transmission. What I found out was that my bushing was gone. It had broken in several pieces, hence the sloppiness I've hated since day one. Not sure how it broke with only 5k miles driven, but I'm guessing it was in already poor shape when I rebuilt the car.

I bought the angled tall shifter on a whim, thinking it couldn't hurt having it closer to me. SO happy I did. It is probably the biggest improvement in driver experience and shift quality I have ever experienced. If you are on the fence, don't think, give Bill your money and thank him for a quality product. Shifts are perfectly mechanical and precise with no slop. Having it closer to you makes shifts happen faster as well(for me). Best thing I've done to the car yet in my opinion.



I at some point flat spotted my Rivals, which gave me an excuse to get rid of the POS tires. Many may like them, I just never felt like I was getting feedback from them and had no idea what they were about to do. Good riddance. This gave me a quandary though. RS3's are pretty much impossible to track down(backordered) so after all the hype Emilio has given the Maxxis RC1s, and after talking to Hornet a little, I decided to give them a try. DAMN. Now this is a tire. Unbelievable amounts of grip, especially when it was 50* outside. Tons of feedback, basically they mesh with my car/setup/driving style much better than the Rivals.



I wanted to put them on some 15x9s for the correct wheel-tire fitment, and was waiting on the rev4 6uls, but someone happened to be selling some with 205 Hoosiers mounted for too good a deal to pass up. I'll be switching the RC1s to the 15x9s and mounting the Hoosiers on the 15x8s.



This has been a long time coming as well. Still haven't mounted it due to time constraints, but it should alleviate any worries about overheating the engine.

Thanks Andrew!(TrackSpeed Engineering 25row Setrab Oil Cooler)



This is my own fault, as I kept talking to Andrew after discussing the Oil Cooler, and talked myself into solving any potential coolant issues I will see in the foreseeable future. After discussing potential issues with tracking a 300+hp Miata, we both decided his Radiator would be the best solution to end all solutions.

Trackspeed Engineering Dual Row Race Radiator

Look at the Size compared to my old Koyo! Ridiculously awesome, and shiny.




I also picked up A BlackBird FabWorx spoiler to help get a little more traction in the rear. Didn't get a photo and haven't installed it yet but it is my interim solution until I can afford the GTC300 wing to put the endplates I have waiting on.

Basically, I went a little crazy rewarding myself for a very busy holiday season. No regrets yet. I just hope I can get it all done before the 25th.

I signed up for an all day one on one track instructor day. Usually they just do 3-4 runs with you, but I wanted to ensure I don't develop any bad habits, and that any future track days go smoothly.

I also bought new connectors for my COP harness, as I plan on building it from scratch. I wasn't happy with the harness, as I used solder to connect the new wiring to the old connectors. Gonna use crimps only to help alleviate a #1 cylinder misfire issue I have at times.

Fun times to be had!

 

Well, finally... nice update! Looks like a bunch of good stuff for the car. Props given of course!

 

Sorry to rain on your parade but I think you're switching to R-compounds prematurely.

No one should do their first track day on R-compounds...

 

Generally speaking, +1000.

But I think he'll be OK with the Maxxis tire. It's not "really" an R-comp. It has a really flat top for learning and makes a lot of noise. Basically, a street compound on a race tire carcass. Peak grip for the Rival and Maxxis are nearly identical. But the Maxxis isn't squirmy which is nice.

But, yeah, don't put the Hohos on.

And turn your boost down.

And have fun!

 

kicking it up to 11. Doing your first track day on r-comps at arguably the scariest track in california is a bold move. beware T9. As soon as you don't respect it... it will remind you why you should.

 

Question!
Where did you loop the straps on the top?
I might be getting a top shortly and will need to strap it to my Mini Cooper LOL. But I also don't have a roof rack.

Its about 200km away 1 way (130miles) so its going to be a long *** drive... I have to plan this out ahead of time.


M

 

I looped parachute cord through the factory hard top brackets and then used ratcheting straps to tension those down. All the tape and mess you see is me protecting the paint from ****.

Also guys, lets not turn this into another tire debate. I ain't running the HoHos, and as Hornet said, the RC1s really aren't a true R compound.

Since putting the RC1s on, I have felt more in control and able to predict/manage/push the car harder. That is all the "logic" I need and frankly the only thing important to me, the enjoyment and fun I have driving the car, not the "borg like" penultimate choice.

I do not plan on going all out on Willow, going to be a learning day, not a squeeze tenths of a second off my lap time day.

 

Are you still in UT? That will be a fun road trip. Are you trailering or driving the whole way there in the Miata?

 

Haven't had time to figure out the towing setup for my Jetta, so it will be another long slog to CA in the Miata.

MRLS drive almost broke me last time, I think that was mostly due to the car having a bad alignment though.

That is part of the reason I won't go too crazy at the track. Still got to drive her home afterwards.

 

Good luck not much to run into there at least.

 

Or maybe the fact that you left on a whim and drove all night on no sleep?

 

MRLS didn't break you

I MUST BREAK YOU



seriously. most recent updates are quite spectacular. quite

 

I was gonna say... Pretty sure it almost broke you because you drove all night to get there, were up all day dealing with Vlad and then helping me change my fuel pump, then drove all night to get home.

You're insane my friend.

 

I wish it was a whim and not necessity. Employee broke a very expensive paddle mixer attachment for my 180qt mixer. Vegas had the part but wouldn't deliver. Employees couldn't pick it up...was a crap shoot.
Danke Vladimus. At least use lube. It will be more spectacular if I find time to install all of it.
It sucked that is for sure. In the end though, it was worth it to have a fun time, see some good people from the forum, get to meet the gay russian himself, drive some other Miatas, and then physically assault myself to keep from passing out on the drive back.

 

Glad to hear the miatashifter kit was full of WIN.

I just received my stock height for the MSM, quality stuff from miata roadster.

Any recommendations before I attempt the install? I have a feeling I'll be digging around getting out bits & junk of w/e worn down inside.

 

Just clean the inside of the turret as well as you can and then do not forget to use copious amounts of high quality grease on the bushings(I used amsoil dominator). It really only installs one way. Hard to mess up.

Not a bad time to change your tranny oil if you haven't in a while.

 

Great updates!

Is the RC-1 directional? I ran the Toyo RR's last year, and I really liked them - ton of grip, and they have a nice plateau in the slip angle curve as well, so not very tricky to drive. But they are directional, and I could only rotate them diagonally as a result. This resulted in the LF/RR tires cording at the end of the season while the RF/LR tires still had several events left in them. So my choice seems to be either R7's or RC-1s for track days. Addicted to grip now, never going back to street tires for dry track. Not having the tire start to overheat mid-session is a wonderful thing.

 

Addressed in the RC-1 thread.

tl;dr: Not directional and no tread splices. Also not symmetrical so can't be flipped on the rim.

You're not going to get Toyo RR/Hoosier (40TW) grip out of an RC-1 (100TW), but they last a long, long time. More like a Nitto.

 

Happy to see the car is still coming along. I think doing the instructor thing is a very good idea. I always try to have instructors ride along with me when i host track days up here in the frozen tundra.

I hope to pick up a shifter similar to yours this year. We will see how profitable the snowboard season is for miata parts!

 

It's sad when taking a drill to your body panels doesn't make you flinch anymore. Found some time this weekend to install the Blackbird FabWorx wing. Tedious, but only took me about an hour. Just gotta be smart(center punch is a must) and lay down a **** load of tape to protect the paint.







Also trying to figure out the best way to mount my oil cooler. the 25 row Setrab is a beast. About the size as my old intercooler. Here are two options I'm considering. I plan on ducting the oil cooler separately from my main radiator cowling to pull air directly into, and out of it.

Mount it like this, and run the oil lines through the sway bar mounts(where the AC lines used to go).



Cut the top shelf area in half so I can lean the cooler another couple inches lower. I see no need for the top support seeing as I have hood pins, no AC, and no horn.



Anyone have better ideas? Just trying to avoid interrupting airflow to the radiator as much as possible.