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They're just winter steelies, right? If you haven't bent one you haven't hit it hard enough.
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Apr 5, 2010 04:11
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I now have 2 cars and a motorcycle and I just haven't really driven the Miata much lately. I love the car, but I just don't see myself using it as much as I used to. The car used to be my daily driver, but I recently bought a BMW 3 series and a 600cc Honda CBR, so I've been using the BMW to drive to work and the bike for the mountain roads on weekends. How much do you think my car is worth? - 1999 Miata - about 111-112k miles - 5 speed manual transmission - Torsen LSD - tan leather interior (moderate/high wear on drivers side bolster, moderate wear on passenger side bolster) - Emerald Mica exterior (good paint overall considering it's a 1999. The passenger side fender is not perfect (just the fender panel), paint flaking on factory rear spoiler (ONLY on spoiler), front fascia has some wear from rock chips (normal for the mileage on the car), paint/body pretty good everywhere else) - tan soft top (original, in great condition. It's been sitting under a hard top 99% of the car's life) - factory installed hard top (with defroster) - AC, power windows, cruise control, etc - I am the second owner. I bought it from the original owner at about 24k miles in May 2002 (car originally from Austin, TX). The car is currently located in San Jose, CA. - It has the factory sport front bumper w/ fog lights, front air dam, and side skirts - Nearly all maintenance has been done by me. I am very mechanically inclined and am an ex aircraft mechanic. I had an oil analysis completed by Blackstone Labs at around 107k miles. The results were good... I went 6k miles on an oil change and they noted that the oil looked like it had about 3800 miles on it. Modifications include: - Racing Beat 4:1 stainless steel header - FM 2.5" turbo mid-pipe (original FM cat exchanged for 2.5" in/out Catco cat) - Racing Beat PowerPulse muffler - Koyo 55mm all aluminum radiator (this thing is BIG) - ACT Extreme 1.6L organic clutch kit (smaller, lighter weight than 1.8L clutches) - Fidanza 1.6L 7lb aluminum flywheel - 949 Racing 6UL 15x8 12lb wheels (silver) - Hankook 225/45/15 RS2 tires (these have maybe 1000 miles on them, if that) - RacingBrake.com slotted rotors at all 4 corners (heat treated, straight slots, dynamically balanced after slotting, non-wear surfaces painted black via electro-deposition process - Axxis Ultimate brake pads - FM springs - old style (lower than the newer ones) - KYB AGX adjustable shocks - FM swaybars front & rear (adjustable) - Gearhead's Garage adjustable swaybar endlinks for both front & rear with heim joint rod ends at all connecting points - NGK sparkplug wires, NGK sparkplugs - Westco sealed AGM battery - Pioneer Premier headunit (plays MP3 cd's. I dont think it has an iPod connector) - Pioneer speakers in the factory locations (the car had the Bose system originally) What do you think the car is worth? I'm still deciding on if I want to sell it or not.. I may just keep it. It's a great car, and a ton of fun, but just hasn't been driven much lately. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX fucked around with this message at 08:26 on Apr 5, 2010 |
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Apr 5, 2010 08:19
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mobn posted:My 94's sustained 3 separate deep dents with scraped off paint, as well as cracks in the rear bumper thanks to drunken jackass freshman smashing into it in the dorm parking lot. And of course none of them left any paint behind to work out who hit it. Thank god I live off campus now.
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Apr 5, 2010 12:58
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pacheco posted:The antenna on my 2007 got stolen. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK The S2000 antenna fits if you want a smaller antenna.
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Apr 5, 2010 13:38
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Dominoes posted:I was terrified of making enemies in college for fear they'd vandalize my car. It was one of the newer/nicer-looking cars in the parking lot, but I got off with nothing but a few dings and a beer bottle smashed on/near the hood (no dents, a few glass flecks imbedded taking off a few chips of pain), while one of my roommates got his prelude keyed for pissing someone off. Oh, that reminds me of the time I came out to go shopping and found about 40 Milwaukee Admirals stickers all over my car. It took several hours with me and three other guys with hardcore adhesive remover to get all that poo poo off. Basically, 90% of college students are worthless fuckheads.
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Apr 6, 2010 01:39
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XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX posted:
electro-deposition process? That fancy sales talk for powder coated? Otherwise sweet sounding machine, hope you get what you want for it.
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Apr 6, 2010 04:27
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willd58 posted:My Master Cylinder thingy has broken and it was sticking the clutch, car is on 75kish miles and has had a supercharger on it at some point in its life so im guessing it was due a new clutch some time soon anyway. It's not any easier to change the clutch when you're changing the master cylinder and/or slave. You should wait until it's actually slipping because you're not saving any money. Atomizer posted:Yeah, I tried kicking it too. A lot. Next time you can put the lug nuts on, but not completely torqued down, and lower the car onto the ground. let the weight of the car break the wheel free. Be careful of course, I would start first with the lugs pretty tight and let it down just touching the ground easy with the jack and kick it a bunch and get progressively more mean to it.
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Apr 6, 2010 04:35
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Anyone in NJ want to get paid $50 for picking up a pair of Miata seats from a company who parts poo poo out and put them on a Greyhound for freight shipping (obviously I'd pay the shipping costs)?
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Apr 6, 2010 06:49
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Tactical Bonnet posted:They're just winter steelies, right? If you haven't bent one you haven't hit it hard enough. Yeah, they're steelies. I actually had a sledgehammer nearby but decided against using it on the wheel.  aventari posted:Next time you can put the lug nuts on, but not completely torqued down, and lower the car onto the ground. let the weight of the car break the wheel free. Be careful of course, I would start first with the lugs pretty tight and let it down just touching the ground easy with the jack and kick it a bunch and get progressively more mean to it. I thought about doing something like that. I also didn't want to kick the wheel too hard when it was up on the jack stand since of course I didn't want to knock it off the stand. Anyways, I brought it into the shop last night. The guy swapped each wheel without issue until he came to the front driver's side (that is, the rest were not stuck.) It actually happened almost too fast for me to catch: he went to take off the wheel and instantly realized it was stuck, so he quickly turned around and gave it a good mule kick. Didn't even blink! Of course, the car was up on a lift so it's not like he had to worry about it falling down.
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Apr 7, 2010 02:47
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Lesson learned. Never-seize is your friend. Haven't had a stuck wheel since.
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Apr 7, 2010 08:52
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If you have to worry about knocking your car off a stand by kicking it, you probably don't have it supported properly to begin with.
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Apr 7, 2010 18:33
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revmoo posted:If you have to worry about knocking your car off a stand by kicking it, you probably don't have it supported properly to begin with. I had a KIA on a jackstand once, and I tried everything I could to get the wheel off, including a flying kick. The car never even budged or rocked on the stands, but that loving wheel came off. I'd say its pretty safe to challenge the wheels to mortal kombat, as long as you have the jackstands on an even surface.
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Apr 8, 2010 02:14
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Ziploc posted:Lesson learned. Never-seize is your friend. Haven't had a stuck wheel since. this is the answer. super thin layer of grease or anti-seize on the hub mounting face. The lugs too. Hell I use anti-seize on just about every bolt I put on my car.
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Apr 8, 2010 02:17
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pacheco posted:I had a KIA on a jackstand once, and I tried everything I could to get the wheel off, including a flying kick. The car never even budged or rocked on the stands, but that loving wheel came off. I'd say its pretty safe to challenge the wheels to mortal kombat, as long as you have the jackstands on an even surface. This strikes me as the kind of advice which is going to really bite you in the rear end one day.
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Apr 8, 2010 10:28
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Not really, A buddy of mine called me because he had a flat tire, and the wheel "wouldn't come off". I kicked that drat wheel as hard as I could manage while it was on the factory jack and the car didn't even budge, but the wheel popped right off.
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Apr 8, 2010 18:32
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poisoned pie posted:This strikes me as the kind of advice which is going to really bite you in the rear end one day. I've always been told that the car isn't secure unless you can put in some real effort trying to knock if off the jackstands and it doesn't move. I give ANYTHING supported by jackstands a really good shove before I get under it. I wouldn't be afraid to kick anything properly jacked.
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Apr 8, 2010 20:55
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Really if you're afraid you can exert enough force with a kick that you can knock it off the stands you shouldn't be under it. I promise the force you're exerting on that 24 inch breaker with both arms is more than you're putting to the wheel with a boot.
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Apr 8, 2010 21:21
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Under ideal conditions, it should be possible to kick a car on jackstands and not have it fall off. However, I wouldn't do it. Put it back on the ground with the nuts on loose and kick it. (By "loose", I mean finger tight, not half a thread down.)
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Apr 8, 2010 23:52
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While I'm sure I could've kicked the wheel without it falling off the stand, I didn't really feel like risking it. I knew I could just take it to the shop to have it done so it didn't make sense to possibly knock my car off the stand and have it fall right on the rotor. Today was the first day this year that I got to drive with the top down, and it was glorious! There were 3 other Miatas on the road; the first one was driven by a chick, who waved back at me. The next one was two chicks, they didn't wave. The third one was a dude who also waved back at me. 2 out of 3, not a bad day. I think that's more Miatas than I saw all Winter.  I recently stopped double-clutching on upshifts, and I've noticed that the shifter is way notchier than it used to be (within the past 2 years) so I'm going to do the shifter rebuild sooner than later (I'm hoping this will do the trick.) I opened my center console and both rubber boots were torn. There was also no insulation. The top leather boot is screwed into the center console via 4 plastic posts, 3 of which were broken off (I kind of suspected something like this) so I used some epoxy and let it set. The wire for the hand brake had apparently been cut at some point and was poorly twisted back together, with not enough slack so I spliced in a short length of wire and soldered it. I accidentally dropped one of the bolts holding the lower boot and it went through the car, so I had to push it forward to search for it on the ground. There was transmission oil in the turret (I was surprised to find any) but it was grey and will be replaced by some Red Line 75w90. I e-mailed the parts guy at the dealership for a price quote; I came up with the following list of parts from a few forum threads: 1x NA01-64-481B big, upper, rubber shift boot 1x M513-17-480A small, rubber shift boot 1x 0398-17-462A lower shift rod cup bushing 2x 9996-33-130 spacer washers 2x M505-17-482 upper wave washers (w/ 3 tangs) 1x R502-17-492 Large Upper Shift Ball Bushing 2x M501-17-481 large lower shift ball bushings 1x M501-17-515 anti-rotation bushing I wasn't sure if I'd need these: Lower Wave Washer (w/o tangs): Part Number unknown - different than top wave washer 9996-33-330 Shim I forgot to inquire about the missing insulation. Upon switching from the steelies/snow tires to the stock rims and summer tires, I noticed something that I had forgotten over the Winter. The steelies & snow tires perform what I would consider to be "normal" however the alloys/summer tires have always sort of pulled to the side; last year they would persistently make the car drift to the right, and when the front wheels were swapped the problem sort of evened out. However, the car sort of steers loosely and will either drift left or right, though not as strongly as it used to. Again, this was not something I experienced over the winter so I'm concluding the problem has been narrowed to the wheels and/or tires and not something else, like the suspension. Anyone have any thoughts? For reference, here's the wheel configuration: 2009-1 : 2009-2 : 2010-1 A B : B A : D C C D : C D : B A Starting off last year, wheel A was Front Driver's side, D was Rear Passenger's side; this was when the car drifted to the right. When the fronts were swapped (2009-2) the car just sort of wandered around, and when they were mounted last week I get more or less the same thing, even though they were rotated. Again, the car no longer strongly drifts to one side, but handling is fairly loose with these wheels and the car will randomly drift to one side or the other.
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Apr 11, 2010 04:55
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What wheels/tires are you running? My 15x8 6ULs + 225/45/15 RS2s tramline like a motherfucker compared to the stock daisies with no seasons.
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Apr 11, 2010 05:43
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I got a written warning last week in my little machine. Have any of you heard this before " Failure to display front license plate" but the plate was up in my dash propped up and visible. The officer told me that to count as a front facing plate it "had to be mounted at the front of the car." So I went out and bought a new front license plate mounting frame/bracket/fucker and a couple bolts and put it back on the front. I had my plate in cabin with me for something like 8 years, pulled over god knows how many times, then got pulled over for that specifically and got a written warning. This smells of shenanigans to me, anyone know anything about this? Texas is the state.
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Apr 11, 2010 14:19
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I can't speak for Texas, but in VA the law specifies that your plate has to be attached to the front. Lots of people toss it on the dash, but it is illegal here and you can get a ticket for it.
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Apr 11, 2010 16:12
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I installed my Moss short-throw shifter yesterday (it's on sale!), I made a couple of iPhone videos of the before and after throw distances. It's pretty short. Before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv2OKKF4A1U After: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w11LLyTrBM
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Apr 11, 2010 16:18
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The epoxy didn't hold. The next time I take off the console (in a week or two) I'm just going to tape the boot underneath the console.destructo posted:What wheels/tires are you running? My 15x8 6ULs + 225/45/15 RS2s tramline like a motherfucker compared to the stock daisies with no seasons. It's a '97 STO Edition, still with the special-edition stock rims: http://www.edmunds.com/used/1997/mazda/mx5miata/17167/specs.html http://www.ajfoley.com/miata/stoedit.html The tires are Sumitomo HTR200: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...ta&autoModClar= These wheels don't make the car follow grooves in the road or anything like that; when driving on flat, level roads it just sort of drifts to either side when it feels like it. I don't have a problem with the tires, although next time I'm considering Yokohama S.drives: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...97&autoModClar= My Sumitomos have about 6/32" left (just checked a couple hours ago) on the treads (starting at 10/32") after 2 years of use (again, I only drive about 5000-6000mi/year, and these tires are only used 6-8 months out of the year) so I figure I have another year or two left before they have to be replaced. For a while I was considering Kosei K3 rims (I think they're a TireRack exclusive) if I needed to replace the stock ones, but these don't seem to be available at 15" anymore. I want 5-spoke rims, and I actually like these Sport Edition F5s better than the Koseis: http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Whee...=All&sort=Brand PadreScout posted:I got a written warning last week in my little machine. Have any of you heard this before " Failure to display front license plate" but the plate was up in my dash propped up and visible. The officer told me that to count as a front facing plate it "had to be mounted at the front of the car." So I went out and bought a new front license plate mounting frame/bracket/fucker and a couple bolts and put it back on the front. Yeah, front plates are required here in Illinois too. I was never cited for not having one, but my dad was when he owned this car. He removed the front plate because the bracket digs into the front bumper, but after he was cited he reinstalled everything but flipped the bracket upside-down. The plate is legally mounted but it curves into the grille and doesn't scratch the paint anymore.
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Apr 11, 2010 23:52
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televiper posted:I installed my Moss short-throw shifter yesterday (it's on sale!), I made a couple of iPhone videos of the before and after throw distances. It's pretty short. Ok I'll buy it you convinced me god edit: the sale's over nooooo
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Apr 13, 2010 04:08
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Is there anything special I need to know to change the oil in my NA? Other than the obvious "don't roast your arm on the exhaust" bit?
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Apr 13, 2010 04:18
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Just the oil filter location - I find it easiest to remove the passenger side wheel to reach it.
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Apr 13, 2010 04:22
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The only gotcha is the oil filter. Remove the passenger wheel and make sure to put plenty of cardboard for when the oil drips down the side of the engine.
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Apr 13, 2010 04:56
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Will my standard 2x3 foot drip pan not do the job?
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Apr 13, 2010 05:32
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Tactical Bonnet posted:Will my standard 2x3 foot drip pan not do the job? Mine does (My oil pan, that is). I've never removed the wheel to get at it and I've got huge hands, but its probably just a matter of preference. I generally get it off, get the new one on and then spray down the area with degreaser. Its really a pretty simple job, I think the biggest thing to worry about would be jacking up the car by the aluminum oil pan, but even that would be fairly difficult.
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Apr 13, 2010 05:37
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I was planning on using ramps.
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Apr 13, 2010 05:41
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Thats how I do it. You might have to twist your arm a bit but getting at the filter from the top really isnt that bad. Just make sure when you put the new one on you actually get it tight. For me, my arm has to bend kind of funny which doesnt give me much leverage to turn the filter and I've been a bit loose with it once or twice.
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Apr 13, 2010 06:09
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I also get to the filter on my NA by going through the passenger side wheel well, but I don't go through the hassle of taking the wheel off. I just turn the wheels all the way to the left and that gives me enough room to reach in and get the filter. I've tried coming at it from the top, but there's just plain way too many hoses, pipes, and wiring in the way on my 95M. Maybe on a car with fewer options (e.g., no ABS, no AC) there's less clutter in that area?
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Apr 13, 2010 07:44
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Guinness posted:I also get to the filter on my NA by going through the passenger side wheel well, but I don't go through the hassle of taking the wheel off. I just turn the wheels all the way to the left and that gives me enough room to reach in and get the filter. Same car as you, so nope Just takes some practice getting the filter in and out of the area and getting your elbow and wrist in the right spot.
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Apr 13, 2010 07:47
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televiper posted:I can't speak for Texas, but in VA the law specifies that your plate has to be attached to the front. Lots of people toss it on the dash, but it is illegal here and you can get a ticket for it. I wonder how the law applies to the swing-up front plates? I bought one of the kits that swings upward under speed, the idea being that it won't block airflow to the radiator of course. Technically it's attached to the front, but at 50mph I doubt it's visible. E: \/Yeah I'm not sure it makes a difference but the kit was cheap and utilizes the teeth holes. Sten Freak fucked around with this message at 15:10 on Apr 13, 2010 |
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Apr 13, 2010 15:01
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The fans attached to the radiator provide cooling to the radiator.
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Apr 13, 2010 15:06
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I just live in a state that doesn't require front plates. 
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Apr 13, 2010 19:12
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Phone posted:The fans attached to the radiator provide cooling to the radiator. NAs are known to overheat in certain situations. But not always. Whether it be a license plate blocking the radiator, or the under tray missing. There are tons of threads on Miata.net about both scenarios.
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Apr 13, 2010 19:21
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wait really? I drove mine all summer with a crack in the radiator and about half coolant and the needle never even made it all the way to the middle of the gauge. edit: I got to my oil filter from above, I just had to flex one rubber line out of the way and ti was easy-peasy. Yes my car has A/C and Power steering and all those other goodies. Tactical Bonnet fucked around with this message at 23:04 on Apr 13, 2010 |
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Apr 13, 2010 19:23
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One of the two cloth straps tethering the roof to itself on my NC ripped off on one side. Pulling the release latch won't pop the top clear - I have to get out and lift from the side where I can get my hand under it. It's not a huge inconvenience and is still easier than the majority of manual convertible tops to open, but I'd like to be able to just do it form inside with one quick motion, and be able to raise it quickly if it starts raining. This looks like a normal wear-tear problem, and the one on the other side is weakening. Any idea how to reattach it?
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Apr 13, 2010 23:44
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