Blue

1996 Mazda Miata Montego Blue exterior changes in appearance from bright-blue in direct sunlight, to blue-green at dusk, to green-black at twilight to black-blue at night. Black body trim and black on black interior components and trim create a solid and understated appearance.

Performance with good looks.

Interior is basic, simple, and all black.

Hard Dog Hardcore M2 roll bar (PN TM-517-DD) stiffens body for better performance

and provides added protection. This is a photo of some one else's Miata after a roll-over accident without a roll bar (the driver was killed).

Black leather steering wheel and boots produce an effect like wearing a black leather body glove when driving.

Bipes ACU timing computer for supercharger keeps from melting pistons and reports status to driver (green LED lights seen through steering wheel).

Gauges white face in daylight glow blue-green with lights on.

Brakes: Brembo cross-drilled brake rotors are advertised to reduce brake fade during daily driving or racing situations by improving cooling, and thereby defeating brake fade. Ostensibly cross-drilled rotors temperatures can be reduced by as much as 200 degrees during extreme braking when compared to stock rotors. Brembo claims the Sport rotor’s help reduce the cracking caused by repeated, high stress, high temperature brake applications. I have my doubts. They cause one to be bumped up one class in almost any organization so I will eventually remove them, and report on any change in braking. Front cross-drilled and vented disc, overall dia.: 255.0mm, min. thickness: 18.0mm, height: 45.0mm. ($~200).

Additionally I replaced the brake fluid (often) with silicone DOT4. I plan to replace the rubber brake hose ends with stainless braided, just to isure aginst faliure. I doubt I will see any change in braking performance. I also considered installing an adjustable proportioning valve, and because of the class bump up it would cause, and questionable value, I decided to stick with stock. Stock brakes provide more than enough braking to lock things up quickly if over applied. Changing the pad compound is a fantastic way to manage relative (Front-to-Rear and Side-to-Side) braking.

Rims: ASA LS5 by BBS Alloy bright satin silver 16x7 45 mm offset, caps and rings (14.873 lbs. each) provide light unsprung mass for better suspension performance, excellent ventilation for brakes, and easy inspection. These 16" alloys are a significant visual upgrade from the 14" stock steel rims (18 lbs. each) and a performance enhancement in wheel mass and tire options. At about 33 lbs per unsprung corner it provides excellent handling performance.

Tires: Kumho ECSTA V700 -- V70A 205/45VR16 83V (18.1 lbs. new).
The new Ecsta V700 race tire is lighter than the Victoracer. Because of the directional tread design and symmetric internal construction racers can remount the the Ecsta V700 "inside-out" to extend the life of the tires, while providing racers with excellent performance and increased value. Rated at "83" for loads up to 1074 lbs. (487 kg). Rated at "V" for speeds up to 149 mph (240 km/h). Tread = 8.1 inches. Overall diameter = 23.2 inches and easily fit into the standard wheel well (one size up is possible). The ECSTA V700 tread compound operates well over a broad temperature range, but are most effective in the 160° to 200° F range. Wide 8+ inches of high speed (V rated), high performance rubber is in contact with the road. Worth every penny. Tires have more impact on the drivability than any other single thing. This would be the first thing I'd do to a Miata.

I adjust the tire pressures for driving conditions. For local driving I set: 26 psi. front (factory recommendation) and 24 psi. rear. For performance driving I set: between 32 and 36 psi. front and between 30 and 36 psi. rear.

Standard tires are 185/60R14 82H. Rated at "82" for loads up to 1047lbs. (475 kg). Rated at "H" for speeds up to 130 mph (210 km/h). Stock wheels are 14" alloy mags. About 35 lbs. unsprung weight per corner. Optional tires are 195/50R15 81V. Rated "81" for loads up to 1019 lbs. (462 kg). Rated "V" for speeds up to 149 mph (240 km/h). Optinal wheels are 15" alloy mags. About 40 lbs. unsprung weight per corner.

Sways: Sway bars are used to make your car corner flatter and react faster by keeping the body (and all the weight) under control. Fly'n Miata (FM) are set up for neutral handling and are adjustable so you can tailor the handling of your Miata to your own driving style. FM swaybars are hot formed from 4140 CrMo spring steel. This means they're stronger than the cold-formed bars found elsewhere. They've designed them to keep the same handling balance as stock sways, but they have two settings in the front and three in the rear for fine-tuning. Includes brackets and urethane bushings with waterproof grease. Diameters are 1" front and 5/8" rear (1990-93 sizes are 7/8" front and 5/8" rear). This is the largest diameter solid bar on the market. These sizes are typically not harsh enough to cause damage to the stock swaybar mounting points. ($199 +s&h Flyin' Miata http://www.flyinmiata.com/index.php?deptid=&parentid=&stocknumber=13-36500%20%201990-93). Worth every penny, the second thing I'd do to a Miata.

Shocks: KYB-AGX 4-way adjustable (741035 front, 741036 rear). These are originally designed for the NB (The NB chassis was made for Miata 1999 through 2001). This car is an NA (and should use 741015 front and 741016 rear). The ad says "AGX Adjustable Gas Strut Cartridges are for the driving sports car enthusiast. They allow easy adjustment of the shock damping rate to tune the vehicle’s performance to meet the needs of the street, or track. They are externally adjustable, so there is no need to disconnect or remove anything to change settings. Damping rate is selected with an external knob on the side of the shock body. The single damping adjustment changes the shock’s compression and rebound resistance at once." I just ran Lime Rock with them set to "4" and they were "too stiff" according to a professional driver and my instructor who also said "I like a suspension to work", but I think they were perfect. Worth every penny, almost any older Miata desperately needs shocks. The Miata is unuasual because the car rides so well even with beat shocks, but replace them and you'll be surpsrised how good it feels.

Springs Eibach Pro-Kit 5515.140. These are noticeably stiffer than stock and provide about one inch of lowering and terrific control. The ad says "Eibach Pro-Kits are designed by experienced engineers specialized in chassis dynamics and are tested by seasoned qualified drivers. Variable progressive spring rate of 15 to 20% over stock providing a firm ride regardless of road conditions. They are designed to properly and safely lower the vehicle's center of gravity through the use of proprietary progressive spring rates; reducing squat during acceleration, body roll in the turns, and nose dive under braking." They don't fit the lower perches perfectly but I like what they do. They have a different coil (more linear) than those shown here but are black with white labels.

Mounts: Nopro "dumpers" provide about one inch of lowering and yet provide (1) full suspension and shock travel and (2) insulation between the shock shaft and the chassis (3) a stiff but flexible top pivot point.

Below is a comparison to the stock mount and the Nopro mount. The red dots are the springs. One may notice the spring (red dots) sits higher and this is what provides the lowering while maintaining full travel (about 26 mm). The suspension mounting point on the body is the plate where the pointed bolts rise. The critical dimension is ths spring top seat to body seat. On stock it is 28mm, for Nopro it is 2mm (the thickness of the steel) thus producing a 26mm lower chassis.

Bump stops: I used the stock Miata NA bump stops (Miata 1990-1987 NA01-28-111). I cut the stock boots off, fitted them on Rancho boots and mounted them directly above the collar (stop) on the shock shaft, and the Nopro top on top of that. Stock bumpstops are 50mm in length from washer to washer surfaces. I've gotta say these work surprisingly well and were "free".

Comparison of bumpstops. (A) FatCat (B) "tall" Stock (C) Flying Miata

Boots: Rancho shock boots bright red RAN-RS1927 ($6.95 from Summitt Racing, darn-it the SJA-B10R are cheaper at $2.50). These boots provide more than enough length to cover full shock travel even at full droop, and yet are soft enough (rubber like compound, not plastic) to compress fully without binding, cracking or pinching. Shock boots protect the shock seals, the most vulnerable part of a shock. When the highly polished shaft moves in and out of the shock body, it passes by seals. If the shaft is dirty it will move that dirt into the seal and make it fail. If these seals fail, the shock fails. The best way to protect these seals is to install shock boots -- duha.

This set up is highly responsive. It has plenty of travel and seldom "bottoms". It behaves moderately well on the street with settings of 2 all around, is not a cushy ride at all unlesss the road is smooth, but it is HIGHLY responsive to the steering wheel and very flat in turns, braking and acceleration. With a setting of 4 it is more than enough for Lime Rock. Just what I wanted.

Lasting performance.

Performance "power" comes from the Power To Weight Ratio (PTWR). This engine produces about 200 horsepower (hp) or about 180 rear-wheel-horse-power (rwhp). With a curb weight of about 2300 lbs. this produces a PTWR of about of about 0.078 and feels powerful (about 1 hp for every 13 lbs of car -- can you think of a horse with 13 pounds on his back?). Note: Stock PTWR is 0.057 (133 hp and about 1 horse for every 20 lbs of car) and feels under-powered by comparison.

Jackson Racing M45 Supercharger (JRSC) is a "roots" type supercharger. It is esentially a small air compressor. It forces more air into the engine, more flow (oxygen) into the combustion chamber, increasing the force of the explosion, increasing engine output and results in greatly increased horsepower.

The Jackson Racing Supercharger offers excellent acceleration and throttle response, and pulls hard all the way up through the RPM range. It produces 40% more power as soon as you hit the throttle. The JRSC utilizes the same patented design Eaton uses for OEM manufacturers such as Ford, Pontiac, Buick and Mercedes and is smog legal in all 50-states. The vacuum bypass system remains closed when you need the power. When you are simply cruising, the bypass opens to reduce the load on the supercharger. The transition is smooth and seamless. The Jackson Racing Supercharger is maintenance free and backed by a 2 year, 100,000 mile limited warranty. Installation is straightforward and should take 6-8 hours(~$2,500).

The additon of the Jackson Racing Big Boost Kit (JR BBK) increases the boost output of the supercharger from 6 psi with the stock kit to 8 psi. by spinning the supercharger faster, providing more fuel availability with a higher performance (higher flow) fuel pump, and better fuel regulator (~$200).

The addition of the BR Performance (BRP) 62.5mm supercharger pulley spins the supercharger even faster, producing even more air flow, more air pressure (increased psi.), increasing boost and producing more power (~$50).

The addition of the Bipes Automotive (BA) Auxiliary Ignition Timing Control Unit (ACU) allows a user selectable amount of timing retard to be applied to avoid knock and detonation when tuning for maximum engine performance. It also allows for air intake temperature compensation. The ACU allows me to tune the engine to maximum output (hot) and adjust the timing to make the engine more powerful while not melting the pistons under boost conditions (very handy). It is a small computer that mounts under the dash (~$200).

The addition of the Walbro high capacity fuel pump ($150), Vishnu Fuel Rail ($200) and RS 550 cc injectors will provide sufficient flow to handle the high demand of the supercharger. Additional fuel is added to the cylinder charge to "cool" the combustion chamber under boost contions. RS Engineering is the world's leading supplier of high-performance, electronic fuel injectors.($200 +s&h)

Jackson Racing Tuned Header pulls hard through, a wide power-band without the head throbbing resonance often found in low quality headers. Includes heavy gauge steel, mandrel bent tubes, CNC machined flanges and ceramic coating. The result is a tig-welded header that provides maximum performance, total precision and lifelong durability($449.00+s&h).

Jackson Racing High Flow Catalytic Converter compared to a stock converter may seem hollow, however that is what gives JR the advantage! That and the precision-welded CNC flanges and the all stainless steel construction. This is a perfect addition to any Miata, especially with a performance header and exhaust system ($199 +s&h).

Jackson Racing Stainless Steel Sport Exhaust incorporates an exclusive center resonator, which is why you don't hear that tinny hollow- metal sound found in budget exhaust systems . Extensive dyno testing and analysis has yielded the best combination of horsepower gain and quiet operation ($449 +s&h).

Dyno comparison of the JRSC (6 psi.) to the JRSC with BBK (8 psi.) indiactes about 160 rwhp. Note: No Pulley data. No Bipes optimization. After additon of the Pulley and Bipes I estimate 180 rwhp.

I get this driving excitement averaging 26 MPG. What more could one want in a sportster?
(1) Performance (Power To Weight Ratio)
(2) Performance (Handling skid pad Gs)
(3) Reliability (starts and runs any day)
(4) Longevity (lasts 100k+ miles)
(5) Economy (to purchase and operate)

This car is FUN TO DRIVE.

REFERENCES:
Miata Forum
Miata classifieds
Miata Owner Groups
Nutmeg Miata Club

View other cars in my garage by clicking on "twombly" (upper left).