Who still uses the plastic undertray?
 

Life took a turn that meant no turbo for now, and I am just enjoying the car stock and learning how to autocross.

Lame me got lazy and paid a guy to change the oil last time and when he re-installed the undertray he put the screws in the wrong holes, so for the last 3000 miles it has been occasionally bumping into stuff (hanging too low).


I am trying to decide wither or not I want to ditch it. Who still runs the stock plastic engine undertray? Is it necessary/desirable for a stock 01? What about once I turbo it? When fabricating a similar undertray, what material are we using?

Good to see this place is still hopping. I miss the kitty in the logo though.

Everyone who cares about proper cooling of their car runs it or an equivelant of it.
Yes its important.
No you should not ditch it.

No undertray => poor airflow trough the radiator

Tried this?


too slow...

Strange... I did a search on the actual MT.net site and it didn't catch those threads.

Thx for the help. Now to find the missing screws. I imagine they are easy to find...

you have to think... Mazda had to pay someone to design that under tray thing and they had to pay for thousands of them. The wouldnt have done all of that if there wasnt a purpose for it. Mine ripped off unfortunately.

I don't know how much they are from Mazdaspeed, but FM has starting carrying the trays. I bet shipping would be very expensive though.

For the record, my reasoning behind ditching it is that I fear it may have been mangled so bad that it is no longer usable. I wasn't thinking about throwing it out, I was more concerned about if I need to replace it with something if it is trashed, and if so, what should I upgrade to.

I have tools to bend metal at work, and I am thinking of duplicating the stock one out of stainless steel or aluminum, but I worry about the noise from it "oilcanning." I know there are things I can do to make it stronger and more rigid, I am just going back and forth on wither or not it is worth my time and money. I am looking into aftermarket solutions as well.

Brand new OEM undertray for your car is $55. It's lightweight so shipping isn't bad. That's what I did. No brainer IMHO.

COVER, UNDER (NA01-56-111F) - $55.51 - NA0156111F

Hornetball you are awesome. I never thought to check for a new one because I am so used to owning obsolete autos. Do they fold up the thing or is it shipped in a large box?

Comes in one piece in a large box, but it's really not that large.

Thx... no brainer!

i do, once i went turbo i had to modify it(cut some pieces off) to fit and use zip ties to hold in place because of the intercooler pipes. def needed and no dont ditch it.

Could you not just install the bolts in the correct places and have it at the correct height?

TOO MUCH WORK.
NEED NEW UNDERTRAY.
i don't run mine - car didn't come with it.
been meaning to pick one up though

Do the Beatrush/Cobalt aluminum trays accomplish the same thing? My MSM didn't have an undertray when i got it, and still doesn't. I need one.

I just did an "estimate shipping" on that, and to 92081 (San Diego county) it came back as $51.96 for shipping via UPS Ground, and $99.14 for shipping via USPS.

For those who lack an undertray and can't find one locally, why not just pick up a sheet or roll of ABS plastic (or similar) from your local supplier of such materials?

I wish they made a nice aluminum one. Do they?

Yes.

I ordered mine back in 2010, and got both the undertray and the air guide (both lightweight but bulky). Rosenthal charged $20.65 for S+H on the entire order. Pretty fair.

Obviously, VA to TX is a lot different than VA to CA. But OP is from IL, so his shipping rate is likely to be more like mine. Also, I think what UPS charges outfits like Rosenthal is vastly different than what they charge the average individual (or Rosenthal eats some cost on bulky items and makes it up on small stuff -- who knows?).

DIY is always an option. On this particular component for this particular price (including shipping), I'm satisfied with what I did. I agree 100% with your point about taking S+H into consideration when weighing options.

It s voting season out, so come next Wednesday go liberate political signs. The corrugated plastic makes great ducting.

whoops thanks. must have over looked that haha. I will be putting that on my list of things to buy

Integrate the plastic undertray into the ducting like I did. The aluminum tape is only there to keep the edge from flapping in the wind.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1351892899

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1351892899

It's heading for winter, so cooling isn't a big issue right now. Why not just keep an eye on Craigslist for a car that's being parted out. You could probably pick one up for $5.

On the Rosenthal site they list retail as $70.11. Shipping to California is over $50. Think I'll head on over to the nearest Mazda dealer and pick it up for $70.11

Don't you have an outfit like Rosenthal that sells OEM for a discount in CA?

Google shows one in Tustin, 500 miles from me. Dang big state. Cheaper to buy local for full retail.

This is one item I will get from my local dealer. The price is $75, and they don't charge for getting it shipped in. :fawk:

My 90 didn't have one when I bought it last week. Guess I need to add this to my need to purchase list.

Why did they take the tray off? This is the second time this week I've heard of oil change places taking the under tray off, why?

Shipping for an individual is always going to be much more than for Rosenthal or for FM for that matter.

I have not seen an aluminum one that seals as well as the OEM one. The OEM one is a nice piece. It has diffusers built into for exits on the bottom. It's good stuff.

You would think after 8 years of oil-changing school that the guys at Jiffy Lube would know how to change your oil. But they don't, because if they are working at Jiffy Lube, they probably didn't go to oil-changing school for 8 years.

Totally dumb question, but:

Does having an undertray cut down on road noise or wind noise at all?

Probably to get at the oil filter from under the car.

The only reason we'd take the undertray off at our shop is to clean it after taking the filter off from the wheel well because Mazda did such a great job designing a drip path off of it. :jerkit:

Some of the F-150's have a little dish under the oil filter with a ramp that moves the oil to an easier to catch location.

I've started removing it to change my oil since doing the coolant reroute. Used to have great access from the top. Now it's much better from the bottom. And I can also blot up the inevitable spillage to keep everything purty!