Miata Turbo Forum - Boost cars, acquire cats. - Introducing 13Shadows and Zero

Welcome to my intro thread. My name is Greg and I am from Salt Lake City, Utah. I'm 30ish, married, and I work as a chemist. I bought my Miata in the fall of 2010, and have modified it into a budget autocross weapon over the course of owning it.

Here is the "Zero" in mostly it's current state:
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...751f9f9d12.jpg

Short list of modifications:
Megan Racing Coilovers 10kg/6kg front and rear (I know, these are garbage)
Racing Beat tubular front sway bar with blocks and brace (race version)
DIY coolant reroute w/ CX Racing radiator
König Dial In 15x9 with 225/45 Hankook RS4s
OBX Header with MBS Spec Miata exhaust
Hard Dog bolt in roll cage turned roll bar
Treasure Coast fiberglass hardtop
DIY Spoiler and itsy-bitsy splitter
Lots of miscellaneous weight reduction modifications (seats, fixed headlight conversion, etc., etc.)

The car started out completely stock with a plethora of parts catalog accessories.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c9d88667df.jpg

A little less than a year later I started modifying it. It started out with a mild drop on Racing Beat springs and Koni shocks, exhaust, and 15x7 wheels.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5a8baa075f.jpg

After I started modifying it I started competing in autocross with the Utah Region SCCA as well as various entry level activities at Miller Motorsports Park (now Utah Motorsports Campus). I had to get creative with transporting take off race tires, and at one point even had an aluminum cargo carrier that I would hang off the back.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...82289630d0.jpg

Autocross has been the main focus of the car a lot of fun, and locally I'm up to at least 29 top ten finishes going off of raw time and have finished in the top spot 3 times. Not much, but something I'm proud of considering it's just a hobby and the crap parts on the car. The car went through many iterations, and I have participated in Street Touring, Street Prepared, Street Modified, and now Prepared classes with autocross.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...0654fb10b4.jpg

I'm really trying to develop as a driver, and I feel like I drive this car about as fast as it'll go around an autocross course. My wife also started co-driving with me a couple of years ago after we got married, which has been a lot of coaching her to drive fast and helping her learn the quirks of the car. She's a champ for hopping right into a modified car on race tires (Maxxis RC1's at the time) and going for it. Lucky for her the car only has 108whp.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...63b7beae11.jpg

Adding more power is a long term goal for me, but it has never been a top priority. My wife and I recently bought a house and have plans to start a family, so there are still a million better things to spend money on. Short term goals are just refining the car a little more, better aero, adding lightness, and just seat time. The one thing I can be grateful for with the stock engine is that it has been completely bulletproof over the last 8+ years.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f252c0ec1a.jpg

Now that I've introduced myself and my car, I hope to use the forum as a resource for developing the car. From what I've seen here there is a goldmine of information and a lot of very knowledgeable members. I appreciate the no tolerance policy for idiots and spammers, and for that reason I mostly will be keeping my mouth shut. I know a thing or two about autocross, but I am by no means an expert with anything Miata-related. Thanks for taking the time to read through this, and I hope you've enjoyed the pictures!
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...13dbc20626.jpg