What is the Lightest Miata You've heard of?
 

I've look around on the Forums and couldn't find a thread yet of this question. I'm not looking to go drastic on the weight savings, but I just want to see what you've heard of the lightest Miata. I know of the lightest 240sx was around 1983 lbs. I know the lightest one is going to be a track car, but also what about a street Miata's weight.

Click on the SEARCH button.
Click on ADVANCED SEARCH.
On the left, under KEYWORDS, change the dropdown menu to "SEARCH TITLES ONLY".

Type weight in to the box.

Click the SEARCH NOW button at the bottom of the page. Read.

I already did that, I search all question. And I'm asking you what the lowest weight you've came across.

Mine is a 1993 with everything in it with the spare tire and a half tank of gas weighed in at 2180

Wow, that's about the lightest I've ever heard of, good job!

1780lbs according to this thread:
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=13596

An NC was built to 1873lbs, very impressive:
http://wot.motortrend.com/mazda-mx-5...ata-62115.html

Mine is totally stock i just picked it up a few weeks ago

lol

I built an 1859lb one on Forza last night.

Ya I also built one on GT5 at 856kg last night (at least I think its 856)

I attached 436 helium weather balloons to my Miata and when it reached the treetops I started shooting the balloons to that it wouldn't go any higher. I'd estimate the weight at -28 lbs.

It's hard to argue with that sort of logic, -28lbs it is.

Man you must have the worst traction in the world, what do you use for propulsion fan, exhaust, jet engine or rocket. lol

It's hard to imagine a sub-1900lb Miata that doesn't have a limp chassis. I can't imagine there is any chassis bracing/rollbar/cage(!?) on such a car.

Street is a very subjective term. For some, manual brakes, steering, and no heat/AC can be considered street because they can drive it on the street. To others, if it doesn't have heated seats and a 1000 watt bose unit, its a race car.

Just wait and see.

Cage, yes.

Much of the stock Unibody structure, No.

Bob

I could see a pretty even trade between a cage and going with fiber door panels and fiber rear quarters in addition to all the other typical extreme weight reduction methods. It sure would take a lot of shit to equal the weight of a cage though...

My goal is to get to 2000 lbs with a stock looking interior, but with new seats.
I bought a Sparco seat back in 2008 for about $1k and it weighted 19 lbs. so right now im trying to find one that is lighter but not $2,000 for it.

I've heard tales of CSP Miatas weighing in the low to mid 1800lb range. Of course that is no roll bar, but with full interior (minus radio equipment).

If I where going to try to get my car's weight down, a good place to start would be with a lighter engine. :brain:

Problem I always struggle with is that the stuff you need for racing adds weight ;) but that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

With all the things I've pulled/cut out of the car, if I DIDN'T have the turbo, 3/4 cage, 3" exhaust, splitter, spoiler, diffuser, fire extinguisher, intercooler, big ass radiator, oil cooler, etc. etc. I'd probably be pretty damn low.

But then... I wouldn't be able to use the car the way I want to.

-Ryan

Here are my numbers @ 3/4 tank gas

635|605 (Front)
--------
611|586 (Rear)

Cross 1,216 49.8%
Left 1,246 51.1%
Rear 1,196 49.1%

Total 2,323 W/O Driver

2600 With my fat ass in the seat

wow mine all stock with a 1/2 tank and a spare tire is 2180 lbs

My race car (-99) sits at 949kg (2088lbs) with a pretty much empty tank and no driver. I could go lower, but I am not allowed due to the race class kg/hp limitation.

Mine is far from stock - a Stock NB should be 2300 lb

I'm fairly happy with 23lb over stock with all the crap I have on it.

I'm keeping everything in mine and I just bought Digital Designs 6.5 Coax speakers for the doors and about to buy 2 6.5 subwoofers also

If you would go really nuts in loosing weight there are two areas that stands out (for anyone who have handled a bare tub), the doors and the rear clip.
The doors are easy to make lighter but to make the whole rear part lighter you would need to go all the way to a tubular chassis, starting from the cage and the bare rear subframe.
There must be more then 100lbs to shave off back there (counting from a bare shell, even when keeping the stock subframe).

But it is always easier to make the rear lighter (on cars... with the engine up front)

Taking significant weight out of the rear will of course make the car more nose-heavy. Does the improvement from less overall weight "outweigh" (no pun intended) the drawback from having a less optimal front-rear weight ratio? I do not know... but there sure are several places I can immediately see in the rear where weight can be saved, beyond the obvious things I've already done (bumper chop, no bumper support, moto battery, no spare/jack, lighter muffler...)

-Ryan

I got mine down to ~2115 lbs. Half a tank of gas, hardtop on, interior gutted but jack was still in the trunk. 50.08% cross.

How about swapping in a lighter engine?

So far, I haven't seen any swaps that have saved any significant amount of weight.

Unless... rotary? I don't know weights of a rotary + whatever transmission is needed for that swap, but I bet that's lighter. Of course, I'd never want a rotary in my car... but it is probably lighter.

-Ryan

The 13B Wankel isnt very light

The F20C is probably much lighter

Mine was 1840 with a hardtop and roll bar, but no cage. Anything that didn't have to be on the car wasn't there. No headlights, cut down wire harness, gutted doors, no glass in the hardtop, aluminum seat, small battery reloated to passenger footwell, lightened flywheel and crank, half dash, etc. It was also wasn't turbo, so that helped too.

http://www.motoiq.com/projects/proje...miatabusa.aspx

Busa motor lighter and more power

not saying its worth the money but BALLER build

^ STILL not done, and it's been... years :eek4: I'm sure they aren't working on it 24/7, probably just in between other jobs/projects hence the snail-speed progress, but some day, it will be awesome. Not exactly a realistic weight saving method for most of us though ;)

-Ryan

All it takes is an aluminum block 4cyl. To drop weight with engine swap. Matter of fact savington had an alum. block iirc.
No, rotary is heavy iron and steel. The benefit to the rotary is small size being able to sit further towards the center of the car. What new car companies like to call front-mid engine design.

LS1 is light, its even lighter than an SR20
I weighted my car again with out the spare tire and a 1/4 tank 2140 lbs

You don't rc iirc.