Track crew - Do you miss your DD miata?
 

How do you cope with having your miata be only a track car?

Its getting really really tough for me now that its getting sunny here in CA.

dont be a bitch and DD it anyway ;)

I did. Partly because of my budget and partly because I missed it I did a semi-convert back to a street car. Welded on a flange and muffler that I could unbolt for the track, screwed in the center console for storage and comfort, rerouted my reroute to warm up in less than 6 hours, and I never took the wipers/heater out. Got some decent free tires from Cueball and had them mounted on my 15" wheels, dropped in $15 NAPA pads to stop the squealing...couple other things I can't think of.

The lack of radio, racing seat, 6pt harness, no power steering, and noise are probably the worst things about a converted track slut--->DD, but I live with them when I want to have fun.

When I do have the funds for a track day, it'll be roughly another $100-$150 to buy new rotors, mount my R888's back on my good wheels, re-do the coolant reroute and fill with water wetter+distilled water, take out the center console and passenger seat, and about 2-3 hours of work to do all this. Small price to pay if you're not doing it all the time and you get the enjoyment of the Miata in trade.

I wanted a economical, 4 door, cheapish, good looking Miata when I bought a real DD and ended up with my '08 Lancer. I was surprised how much fun an entry level 4dr saloon could be, but it fits the bill. Still missed the Miata, so I did the above.

I do. Mike has to hear me whine about it all the time. Before the OGK became the fire spitting caged beastie it is, it was something else entirely. The 99 Rental is also too track focused to be much fun on the street. Besides, it's top is bolted on and you gotta run top down on the street.

Favorite DD ever in my life was this sorta faded classic red '91, bronze 9's, worn out and bald NT01's, revalved 12/7 Flex, Hard Dog Sport, MS PnP, I/H/E, 4.3 Torsen, 6 speed and light flywheel. Full race alignment. Was like that for about a year and a half.

No soft or hard top, rarely washed. Car was a blast to drive, reasonably quick on the track, responsive, agile and a car that just begged to be shifted at redline every chance you got. Sounded fantastic. I got thumbs up all time.

Warm weather is here and I miss it.

A pic earlier in it's life.

http://www.949racing.com/15x9/15x9_6UL_NA_1.jpg

Have a 95 R package waiting for me to drop a JDM '02 motor and custom ECU into it. Should make about 140whp with the stock airbox/high flow cat and pass smog here in Cali. Throw some black 9's and RS3's on it, Xida Club Sports and I'm done. Can't wait to drive it.

A little. I have to get to the track at least once a month or I get pretty antsy about it. This was my favorite street car time:

Attachment 198064

If TSE ever really takes off I'll buy a DD other than the truck. '01+ NB, AC, cruise, good stereo, Rotrex, FCMs, 6ULs. ~160whp, stone reliable, comfy enough to take to LA and back without a headache and lower back pain.

I know I'm a few years away from having a dedicated track car. I don't even know if it'll be a Miata either. But I miss having a regular Miata, one that doesn't get attention.

Yes I miss it. I bought the car knowing its potential in the right hands and with the right mods for the track, but what I didn't expect when I decided to purchase a miata was just how awesome it was to drive through the backroads with the top down on a warm day:
http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_...0001_large.jpg
That was 4 years ago, had super light Heliums with Toyo T1R's (still my favorite street tire), some springs and shocks, and a magnaflow exhaust. I loved it. Then autocross happened, and I decided I was going to want to track the car some day, and the car began to become more and more single minded...

Now, to be honest at least 75% of the time I'm driving on the street I wish it was more civilized. It's cool to stand out, but not all the time, I do like that there are those out there who appreciate the car - today my car was parked outside work and a mid-50's asian dude who was walking by stopped and stared at my car, walked around it, peered inside, for a good 10 minutes. That was cool... but like I said, the majority of the time on the road I'd rather stick out less, make less noise, have a smoother ride, not have to buckle 5 seatbelt clips when I get in, etc.. but then I get to the autocross or track, and it's all worth it:
http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_...0056_large.jpg

Learn how to thread the line, if it isn't too late. I made sure my DD (Civic) was relatively fun before treading deeper into track car duty, but for now I will keep the stereo, the carpet and the soft top for those beautiful CA afternoons. What other car do you have a better excuse to have a ragtop for? Any other sports car and you're not 'hardcore' because you didn't pick the fixed roof.

Attachment 198063

sforsancho - we both just put up pics at a Marina autocross. Funny.

Just get another miata, unfortunately I have 2, the unfortunate thing about this is one is a track car the other is not running. Its a loose loose situation for the street.

And yet we've never met. A shame. I find that monterey weather is 90% sunshine and teddy bears unless I'm there for a Laguna Seca event. Then it's cold, wet and miserable.

How old is that shot anyway? Are you on .. Azenis?

yes. I've been "downgrading" my car over the last year to make it a big GT summer cruiser

exhaust and clutch are next to get swapped out in the coming months.

He He... seems to be the trend lately. Sold the cage, purchased doors to get rid of the gutted shells, and have been changing just a few things to get back to bare minimal street duty car that I can enjoy. However, some of the mods can never be undone. :giggle:

Every time I go to the track I want to gut my car because its way too heavy. Every day like today at 74* and sunny I remember why my car has interior and not cage. I am way too attached to my car to track it so I'm going to keep it how it is, maybe clean the wiring harness redo a few things to incorporate lightness...but it will remain the street car track day crusher. Eventually I'll have a 3rd miata that will probably be an SM so I can go wheel-to-wheel.

But I do like 2,061 lbs. bragging rights... :giggle:

I think Hustler owned us all by doing it correctly. Very nice balance between street and track, only sacrificing ~100lbs. If you want a turbo, and want to track it instead of autocross, it seems like you're limited to time attacks like Savington is doing, which is way too competitive for most of us. I think most of us would do SM if we wanted wheel to wheel action. Do we have any turbo options?

I started using my miata for endurance races in Forza 3. I had to give it up around 250hp after class C because the fuel tank is way too small. Isn't that why Sav is doing the TAs?

I have 3 miatas. autox/track, summer and winter. The down side is the winter one is all stock and boring. The summer one with suspension and a lightweight flywheel is a pretty good street car.

I agree Curly. ;)

I was going to turn my daily into my track car, but I found a beater that I could tear completely down and change everything, while still driving around. Then I needed a parts car for the track car, then I found two for really cheap, and so on. That's how I ended up with 11 miatas.

Given I always sell them for more or part them out, but still. It's like crack.

Does make you gain weight or give you cancer?

^ I also have 3, counting the wife's BRG. One stock 99 and one "not". I'm keeping full interior in the V8 car, heat, wipers, power steering. No AC, roll up windows for lightening. Not sure what I'm doing about a top. I may go HT full time to ditch 35 lbs for the soft top but with no AC I don't know if I will like it. We will have to see.

With some of the questionable crap that has come out of these cars, they may give me cancer.

I must admit that its awesome to roll with the little tire trailer to the track, swap rubber while the rich people point and laugh at the "middle-classers", sit in a classroom and let the viper and Ferrari posers remind everyone to "watch your mirrors", and then romp all day, make new rich friends, then put the little trailer on and roll home (don't forget to wave goodbye lolol) to my 1-bedroom apartment, lol.

I like TT and I think its the right mix of gentleman's rules and "pretend" racing in a street toy. For a turbo SM style car, you could always run ITA or the other weird unlimited SCCA class.

Hardtop is actually cooler than softop when sitting in the paddock in full sun. Noticed a big difference when I went HT. Rain is my only problem with no A/C or defroster. Rags are your friend.

I'd say Bob has the best street driven track car i've seen. Seats are comfier than stock. Its got the quiet huge magnaflow muffler. Has stock seat belts and harnesses. Probably a little less comfortable than hustler's due to his spring rates damper valving but I think he made all the right sacrifices and kept all the right things.

Drove it to work today and out to lunch. The biggest thing that makes it a pain to use for driving around is the front splitter is just ~3.5" off the ground. Getting into parking lots and gas stations takes a lot of caution and going slow and angling in. I’m also not sure it will work on the Chuckanut Autocross site for the transition between the two lots. It comes off pretty easy though I could just remove it and the wing during times of non track or autocross use.

The car is comfortable to sit in and even drive long distances in. and you can easily live without AC in this area. It was great with 550/350 springs the 700/400 I have now with the big ISC sway bars are a bit harsh however if you are a wimp.

This is truly a car I use for everything. To be street legal Im pretty sure I could pass a sniff test measuring emissions but not a California inspection. Thankfully where I live a title is all you need to get registration. It's not perfectly set up for any one use however. It's got stuff in it for dialy use and track use that make it heavy for autocross. and stuff for daily use that make it hevey for track use.

Bob

There are 6 at our house right now. 5 of them run, and the 6th is getting a turbo and will make ~225whp next weekend.

Stupid question time:

What about a splitter mounted on some hinges? Hit a curb, it just gets pushed up for a moment. AoA could still be adjusted by use of stoppers or something. The thing will naturally want to stay down, so you only have to limit its downward travel. In fact, I wonder if it would make sense to use something like hood pin cables to control the downward movement.

I'm about to make a quick-release splitter too now that I have a spare, painted trunk. . I already have a quick-release trailer hitch, lol.

Guess i need to buy another miata swap all my parts into that and turn my track car into a spec miata or Emilios rental.

My car isn't tracked, but its bare bones.....I'm really torn, sometimes I REALLY wish my car had heat/ac, wipers, soft top, door windows/ungutted doors, softer suspension, quieter exhaust....but since its just my weekend warrior I live with it and enjoy it. One day I may buy a clean stock car and swap shit over, idk

Most of the track people I know started out with a dual purpose whip. When they left school and got their money straight bought race whips. That's what I'm finna dooo!

I look around and see old dudes driving Ferrari's and Lambo's...I have a Miata which cost about 1500% less, similar #'s, and zero maintenance costs...and usually the drivers are retarded enough to get outright murdered by the turbo miata on the track. Right now I'm really in love with the little trailer, a road trip to the track, then a weekend in that city while zipping around town in the turbo car. Valeting my car is a problem though, lol.

I'd rather have an SM than a TT car. I think Emilio has shown that for people who don't want to work on cars constantly and want a racecar that OGK or the Rental are the way to go. The idea of COMPETING with an SM is more attractive to me, you get a lap time that essentially tells you where you stand in terms of skill on a national level, cheap to go racing, and you can bang it up and not care.

Although my car isnt a track car by any means, but has been out of commission on and off for the past 8 months. Im lucky enough that my dad's ''weekend toy'' is basically a sts car. Very quiet, comfy, and since its a garage queen its the best 91' red I've seen.


Im thinking about making my car a dual purpose autox/DD. The new STR class looks interesting, able to run 15x9s, rs3's, any suspension and a MS in the stock box. Competitive enough in pax and can drive home without swapping wheels!

But a beater 1.6 in STS would be cheaper.....

Has anyone DD's a ls1 miata? lol

I've been wanting to build a spec car for a year now. Ever since I started helping my buddy build his Pro3 E30 racecar. I'd rather build a pro3 car than a spec miata but a miata is so much cheaper in every way.

I've been having a really hard time ignoring the miatacage.com rollcage. For 1100 bucks you can have a nice cage if you're handy with a welder.

I have 3. One for track, one for autocross, and one for street driving on pretty days. Crappy days I drive the BMW or CRX.

This. I seriously will learn to weld and do this if I can just get my shit together in the coming weeks/months.

You get the cage for a bit over a grand, do your normal track stuff aka suit, helmet, harness, seat, possibly wheel, etc and your track specific stuff ends up under 3K. Maybe a bit over if you dont have a HT.

It was $150 less a while ago, $950 shipped. Now looks like it's only $1050 shipped. You'd have to be damned good and certified to weld my cage up though.

I want I want I want. Checked out an SM car with the MC cage and it was a thing of beauty, couldn't believe how close it hug the lines of the hard top. Just look at that laser cut footing they have on version 4, gorgeous.

Maybe OT but...

My Miata and I will be competing in the Swedish MX-5 cup this summer (wish me luck lads). 3 wheel to wheel amateur races. It is of course not a DD any longer, but I do drive it on the streets every now and then, when weather and life is good.

I also drive it too and from all track days and races, loading the race rubber where the passenger seat used to be. Sweden doesn’t allow a hitch on a Miata, as I had when the car and I lived together in the US. No PS, No AC (hardly needed on a ragtop here), no stereo, 330mm Sparco steering wheel and a Sparco Sprint seat. Noooo sound dampening, because a racing Miata is gay enough anyway.

A blast to drive! (for the first 12min...)

Edit: Forgot to answer the actual Q: No, I don't miss it as a DD. It has evolved (spelling?) into something else and I am fine with that.

Quite current - two weeks ago actually. I had just had my old race tires pulled off the autox wheels and had bought new tires but didn't have time to get them mounted before the event so I ran my street wheels/tires for fun. This Sunday I'll be back on slicks...

Hell yes! I am trying to keep my LS1 Miata track car street legal (barely) for that reason. The looks on some people's faces when they hear it is priceless.

Bringing this back from the dead, noticed I had posted here over a year ago, about the woes and trade-offs of driving my NA every day on the street... but I found the solution:

I bought an NB for the DD. Best of both worlds - the NA is still street legal and I love taking it places, but when I just want to jump in and be comfortable while heading to work or to run an errand, the NB fits the bill. ;)

I'm with you except my new(ish) daily driver is a 323 GTX. Its still a blast to drive, handles great with its aftermarket dampers (super rare, thanks splitime) and I can fly over ANYTHING! The car takes gravel roads, pot holes, speed bumps, curbs, and small children/old people in stride. I FLY over speed bumps. I love trying to catch air haha. I never have to even think twice about scraping. For how well it handles, you'd never guess how much ground clearance it has. Everyone at work thinks i'm crazy for not lowering it but keep trying to tell them that it'll just ruin it.

The factory recaro seats are so comfortable that i'll never dream about changing them out. The power steering makes DDing a breeze. I'm taking it on a road trip to south dakota this summer with my girlfriend and I cant wait. Its going to be a perfect road trip car.

I almost bought another miata for a daily. I'm glad I was able to buy this GTX though, its so much better having the cargo space of a hatchback and the ride height. This has changed my perspective on the miata. I've even been considering gutting the interior lately but I dont think i'll ever cage it. I really want to keep the miata safe on the street because I still enjoy cruising around with the top down on our very few nice summer days.

I don't track mine either, but I felt like it was getting to be a bit extreme for a daily. No AC, PS (which isn't all that bad, but still..), PW, bolted-on hard top, etc.) I've purchased several parts to help correct that (PW, vented quarter windows, etc.) which will be going on while I'm on leave.

Also - third Marina autox pic in the thread:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...9&d=1309252895

I'm on the verge of taking mine off the road. It gets more attention than I want, and it's hard not to drive like a retard when I have it on the street. Going to the track regularly helps get rid of the urge to drive hard, and I've been comfortable driving like an average citizen in my Audis.

I just found this pic:
http://i35.tinypic.com/2re4pih.jpg
I kind of miss the days where my car was innocuous looking. Today it commands respect.
http://hallettracing.net/gallery/alb...82/723_TTB.jpg
I frequently find myself looking for cheap, <$5k 250whp cars in the classifieds to replace my daily driver with.

Now it can still be driven on weekends and maybe a weekly trip to work when it's cool. I plan to run at least 1 more season of NASATT and although I'll still do TT occasionally in the Miata, I want a CMC 3G Camaro. It's time to go W2W and my Miata is too nice to beat to pieces.

My car still has all the comforts: A/C, P/S, Heat, and it is an all around DD car. I am not the fastest driver, but putting on the RA-1's for track or autocross gives me a fun time.

However, some very good drivers have driven my car to set records in time trials and FTD at the autocross; so it isn't the weight that holds me back.:rolleyes:

My 95 came loaded with a torsen/AC/PS/PW etc, I just added a rollbar, 6UL's and Toyo R1R (this week actually).

I find this thread really interesting because I love doing lapping days but I want the car to still have some semblance of a normal miata.

Let me know if this makes sense for a Hustler like build of riding the line between the two extremes:
Autopower rollbar, 15x9 6ul + 225/45/15 R1R's, 949 racing stage 1 brake kit, Xida CS's 550/350 = track days for the rest of this summer/fall

Am I losing a lot of the daily driver characteristics going this route or is a good balance?

As long as you duct the radiator/consdenser, you can run exactly what you have, reliably and it will be fun...heavy but fun. You may also want to go even firmer on the springs. I have the 700/400lb springs on my non-Xida ASTs (XIDAs ride better in the rear) and I'm fairly certain that although firmer, the 700/400lb AST stuff is more comfortable than my 115/95lb Bilstein HD set-up. I don't know which spring rate is better for the R1R, but don't let comfort scare you away from the 700/400lb set-up. I frequently drink coffee in my track car on the way to the track, lol.

Agreed, but the spring rates are fine for a mostly street car. Higher-end suspensions ride better than most people think.

Get all that stuff on your list and never look back. I sure didn't.

While my car really doesn't work DD duty (I have a company car), it's still my only personal road car. If I needed it to, it would function fine as a true DD. It has all the comforts of the OE that most others real DD have to include a nice stereo, power windows, door locks, mirrors and cruise control.

I enjoy driving it too much to have made it just a track car.

I miss the fun factor but not the noise/problems/crap idle etc. :)

It's so good to be able to drive the car 100% at the track and not have to worry about shit breaking affecting you getting to work.

I rock a 2001 Protege but thinking of getting an Evo 8 or something, to spice up my commute.

He lives in Renton. We don't need that silly ducting up here... :giggle:

I came across this thread while searching/researching for my project. Over the last 3 years, my MSM went from bone stock to almost nothing stock. Everything I did to make it faster on the track without blowing up made it less pleasant to drive on the street. I have also progressed as a driver to the point where I can't go any faster without putting the car at risk - pushing the limits and my comfort to the point where you will go off occasionally.

I have a bone stock '90 that is going to get all the go-fast bits off the MSM and complete MSM drivetrain from an unfortunate donor car. I can put a cage in the '90 and not worry about compromises in performance, comfort or safety. If I eat a tire wall, it will be a bummer but the chassis will be more or less disposable compared to the MSM. All of the expensive bits can be transferred to a $500 donor chassis in a matter of weeks and I'm back in business.

I'm really looking forward to the MSM starting, idling and getting in and out of the parking garage at work without scraping. I'm looking forward to making simple maneuvers with one hand on the wheel while I hold a coffee with the other. Quite brakes. Getting in and out without crawling over a door bar and down into a race seat. The list goes on and on.

For new guys that haven't been through this cycle yet, know it is coming. It starts with a few bolt-ons and then you go to the track for a driving school or an autocross. Triage begins for the things that need to be upgraded to handle the demand and help you go faster. Next, you go faster and need more supporting mods. That leads to even more upgrades and even less street manners. After a few years, the car is a real handful on the street in rush hour.
-h