Latest Update: 3/30/07

This Miata is new to the Car Domain listings but I'm not a new viewer. I hope that if anyone has any questions for me they will not hesitate to ask. I love this car a lot. To upgrade it with serious modification would be amazing. I simply do not have the funds to drop on a turbo or supercharger although one day hope to.

I have been driving the car for about four years. I am learning a lot from the Miata forums from Miata.net. My goal is to mod the car in the best way possible by starting with the suspension . I want the car to perform well in the twisty roads as well as be a precision driver on city streets and freeways.

Purchased with 95,000 miles on it. Here is a list of work I have had done on the car since. Not all was done at the same time of course, some of these are a year or more apart. It now has 152k.

Engine - Stock with a few small mods
NGK Spark Plug Wires and Plugs
K&N Air filter (drop-in) Using OEM Oil filter
Replaced timing belt, cam seals and all other belts.
Replaced clutch with OEM clutch.
Replaced radiator with new OEM radiator.
Replaced brake pads with new OEM pads and had rotors machined.

Exterior
Replaced windshield with a PPG UV Ray filtering windshield
Removed front tow-hooks

Inerior
Eclipse 3422 CD Player head Unit
Eclipse 3244 4x50 Watt Amp
Phoenix Gold audio cables and amp power fuse
Front stage two Infinity 6.5" Components
Cut holes in rear deck to install two Boston 6.5" 2 way speakers
Removed headrest speakers in both seats
Installed Reflectix under carpet for sound deadening
I don't have photos of how I cut holes, if anyone has questions they can contact me and I'll explain how its done.

Wheels
Stock 14" Alloy Wheels weight: 11.5lbs.

Suspension

Original OEM shocks, springs.
I have a brand new set of Koni Ajustables ready to be put on and will as soon as the Fat Cat Motorsports 46mm bump stops on order arrive
Update 4/5/07 The bump stops have arrived from Fat Cat Motor Sports. About two weeks for delivery but it should be well worth it.

Tires
Falken Ziex 512 Tires, total weight for each wheel is 27lbs each. They are two years old ordered from Edgeracing.com $192 bucks shipped. They are worn and after the suspension is put on I'll replace the tires.

Future Modifications
Complete replacement of shocks/bump stops with Koni/FCM
Four wheel precision alignment
Replace Front Stage with MB Quart or Focal Components

Update 4/13/07
Three days after shocks were installed. Front is a bit more noticeably lower than the rear.

The Crazy Red Italian shop installed the Koni shocks and FCM bump stops. They set it on the lowest of the three settings which is good for me. The cars front looked noticeably lower. The back still needs to settle in more.

They had the shocks set on full firm and one full turn back towards soft. This was a pretty stiff setting as I noticed the car chirp the tires on corners I'd usually slide in. I turned them all the way soft and a quarter turn back towards firm. I can now feel the comfort of the shocks and the car handles good.
I took the same turns at this setting and it put a smile on my face on how well it held. I loved it! It corners like a dream.

For $214 shipped I got the order of 4 Falken Ziex 512's. I went with 195/60/14 which is maybe 2 or 3 Lbs. heavier each wheel. It seems like this gives the car a better ride, there are attributes about how this tires handles and rides that I like and some that I am not sure about. In some ways I miss the 185/60/14 but I need to give it some more time and get out on some canyon roads.

Another modification I have made. This is one that is entirely my own idea. I saw someone in the Miata forums lay down this insulator that will keep temperatures steady and even help with sound deadening. It is extremely light and I got it 10 feet for 12 bucks at the hardware store. I cut it the size of the door, used 3M strong adhesive to keep it attached. I also have this under my seats and under the flooring of the car where the leg room is. This has really helped the sound of my car stay outside and the sound quality of the stereo inside.