There has been a lot of discussion off line, I have been bombarded with at
least 20 emails since the July Fastrack. Check www.miata.net for some
additional information
Q: Which year is the best year
A. IMO, the 1992 is the best year to have. It has the one rear chassis brace
that the 90-91 does not have and the 93 has the slightly heavier doors with
the one door beam added and the slighty taller springs (same rate just taller
free length). The 92-93 chassis brace help hold the rear alignment. Second
option is the 90-91 base model (with the "sport" crank), some like the "5th
spring" of the 90-91 car without the brace.
Q: Is it better to get a base model or a 1992/93 LE with the 6" wheels?
A: Base is best. The LE will have the weight of the leather, PS, and AC,
about 100 lbs worth.
Q: Is power steering worth having?
A:The front of the Miata is so light that you'll never notice any increased
steering effort (at speed) vs the PS. It is mostly a preference thing, the
ratio is better with the PS but you'll also have the additional weight. Most
use a non-PS car and feel the manual ratio is just fine. Only on the
tightest of 1st gear courses will you overcome the PS pump.
Q: How much do they weigh
A: A legal base 90-92 can weigh 2070 - 2090 (without rollbar). My 1992 with
45 lb rollbar and stock wheels weighed 2120. A LTD with leather, AC, PS, PW,
etc will probably weigh around 2250. The 92 will weigh a couple of lbs more
than a corresponding 90-91 because of the one brace, a remote trunk release
cable and a rear defroster cable.
Q:Is the viscous LSD an advantage over an open diff for autocross?
A:Yes it is an advantage over an open diff but only slightly. The VLSD
offers very little bias and it activates slowly so that in most situations
you are already past the corner by the time it locks.
Q: Any personal recommendations?
A: A 1.6 car is much harder to tune the handling sensitivity than a 1.8 car
because of the lack of a Torsen. A 1.6 car must be driven much more smoothly
than a 1.8 car. The VLSD basically offers little help and the car must be
made a little on the pushy side to keep the rear planted. Keeping the rear
planted and transferring all the available power is a major requirement (rear
Koni's with the soft compression valving help a lot). Never put more
negative camber in the rear of a 1.6 car, especially 1992 with the brace, it
will causes severe snap spins. The VLSD can also aggravate a slight trailing
throttle oversteer and push at corner exit since it is in a semi lock state
all the time. There is also great variance in engine power between cars, 10
hp and 4 ftlb is not uncommon. The difference is attributed to compression
i.e. head and block heights. Mazda machines them apparently without
measuring. Make sure the head and block deck height are to factory spec.
Shaving and decking to spec can fix it.
Randy
<< Since I've sold my 95 M3, I'm looking to buy a 1.6L Miata, since they're
easy to find, cheap, and will be classed more competitively next year.
>>Also, any comments on the new classing & how competitive these cars might
be? Surprisingly I haven't seen too many threads on this.>>
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