|
My Mazdaspeed MX-5 just got to go on a trip through the Black Hills of South Dakota. Obviously, I was no match for the motorcycle, but bombing down Iron Mountain road and through Spearfish Canyon was a blast. I put in a flyin' Miata downpipe and intake earlier this year and they seem to help the car out quite a bit. However, the best modification I did for this trip was a cruise control. 1100 miles without it would have sucked.  Homestake mine with my buddy's VFR  Near some waterfall.  
|
#
¿
Oct 11, 2007 15:55
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 00:12 |
|
|
After 5 years away I'm getting another Miata exactly like the one I traded off. Won't make that mistake again. I even still have the snow tires (do they get old?)
|
|
#
¿
Jul 28, 2015 22:21
|
|
|
Harmburger posted:Yeah, after time rubber gets hard. When I used to work for a tire company, we wouldn't sell any tires older than 10 years(I think). Feel 'em, if the outside isn't super soft in warm air, it's probably not going to do much for you during the winter. Hmm, they still feel pretty soft to me but are 8 years old at this point. Maybe I'll give them a bit more thorough examination. What snow tires do people like on the Miata anymore? The ones I had aren't on TireRack anymore. I'd like to find something that's decent in wet/dry conditions too as our weather is all over the place in the winter.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 29, 2015 03:34
|
|
|
Just picked up an 04 MSM just like one I traded off five years ago and I'm pretty stoked, but I have a weird ride quality issue that I definitely don't remember from my last one. Basically, when I go over bumps (mostly at 20-45 mph so far, haven't gotten it on the interstate yet), it feels like there's a fast echo to the bump, or a shudder, that I mostly feel in the seat/seatback. It's like I'm getting low frequency vibration right in the kidneys after every bump. The feeling is really weird and actually makes me feel nauseous of all things. The car only has 55k miles on it so I thought the OE shocks should still be fine and it seems like it'd be bouncier if that was the issue. I feel like it probably needs an alignment, but I don't know if that'd cause this kind of thing. Any ideas?
|
|
#
¿
Aug 2, 2015 05:50
|
|
|
I'm not sure if a jack will release fast enough for something like that to work but I can give it a shot. Also wondering if there could be something going on with the seat itself that's exacerbating things. Gonna mess around with it more today to see if I can figure it out. It's such a weird feeling in the car and I'm hoping it's something simple like shocks (even if it is expensive) rather than some weird mystery thing that's impossible to figure out.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 2, 2015 15:55
|
|
|
Atomizer posted:I have an 05 MSM; I'm having a hard time visualizing what you're describing. The car definitely has a hard ride (moreso with the stock rims; replace them ASAP if you still have them!) I may have gotten used to the ride over the past few years, but I've never experienced any nauseating ride qualities like you've described. It does kind of vibrate after going over bumps, but I haven't gotten to the root of my own ride quality issues (although again, the wheels were a significant factor.) I wish there was a Miata expert nearby who could take mine for a spin and diagnose it. I've taken the car out again on the interstate since and have a better idea of how it feels. It's worse at speed. It's like sharp bumps have an aftershock, mostly in the upper body of the car. The initial bump is fine but the aftershocks remind me of going over a washboard road in a pickup truck. Since I had a MSM before I was expecting the rougher ride, but this is something out of whack for sure. It's nauseating because the whole body of the car seem to shake sortof rotationally so it's flicking the seats side to side. Things I've read about that I feel like could be a factor:
For now, I'm planning on putting new tires on it at minimum and then seeing if a shop has any ideas on the shudder. I imagine that the next step would be coilers and an alignment, followed by bushings since that's so time consuming.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 3, 2015 15:33
|
|
|
Clean title, hasn't been in a wreck. Not sure how to check on whether the springs are original. edit: also, when NOT going over bumps the car feels solid and not rattly or anything.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 3, 2015 15:53
|
|
|
Talked to someone on Miata.net who had a problem that sounds exactly like what I'm experiencing and for him it was the bushings. Gonna check that and the shocks well as I can to see if that's it.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 3, 2015 17:26
|
|
|
Atomizer posted:Hmm, I don't quite have what you're describing. It does vibrate in bumps, but not as horrendously as you're describing. What my car has is mainly vibration at about 35 mph; it's better the further I am from that speed in either direction. I've heard of other Miatas with this issue (at that particular speed, for some reason) and I've had the same vibration with both the current set of wheels and the stock ones. This leads me to believe the issue is with the car (suspension, etc.) instead of more bent rims (and the rims are new.) Yeah, I found someone on Miata.net who was having the exact same thing and for him it was badly worn bushings. New bushings fixed it. We'll see what the shop says while it's in, but the way he described his issue was spot on to my experience (including it being a nauseating type thing) so I'm betting that's it. Already have 15" TRM C1's on the way, so I'm covered there.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 4, 2015 16:53
|
|
|
Allright, continuing my mystery shudder issue, the shops I've called about bushing installs have quoted me, like, a poo poo ton to do the full set. Just the lowers front and rear cheapest I've gotten was $450 for labor. I'm thinking this is something I should take on myself in the garage. Buut, my garage is super tiny and I'm not sure if I have enough room to work on a car in it. The garage is about 115" wide, giving me maybe 2ft of clearance on either side of the car. I can open the garage to get unlimited clearance on one end of the car, leaving a bit under 3 ft at the other end of the garage. The garage is on an alley without a driveway so I can't leave it out and I'd really like to be able to shut the garage door on it and leave it up on stands if I need a part or something takes too long. Being able to leave the car for a day if I get stuck will make me much more comfortable with tackling the project. So, how am I going to jack the thing up, and is 2ft enough room to for this kind of work? There definitely isn't enough room to put the jack perpendicular to the side of the car to jack from the pinch weld. Can I safely jack at an angle? I could also buy a low profile jack to do it from the end of the car, but I don't think I'd have enough clearance on the non-door end of the garage. Maybe I could drive one end of the car onto ramps and do one side at a time? Short of buying a quick jack set I'm not sure the best way to get the thing in the air with so little side clearance. I have to completely empty my garage just to get this much space so I haven't tested it by driving the car in yet.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 6, 2015 22:20
|
|
|
Laranzu posted:Is anyone running the Mazda Competition rubber bushings? How jarring is the ride with those? The price hurts, but at least they have a lesser chance of squeaking than the polyurethane. This doesn't help on your main question, but have you considered the IL motorsports ones they sell at FM and a few other places? They're about $200 less than the mazda competition ones I think.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 11, 2015 15:52
|
|
|
They're both rubber and supposedly the same durometers so I don't know why the IL ones would be any buzzier than mazdaspeed's? I have no first hand experience though.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 13, 2015 15:40
|
|
|
This is the strangest thread to have a breakdown about the degeneration of the forums in.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 2, 2015 05:37
|
|
|
I'm probably due for new snow tires even though mine have plenty of tread left (they're a bit over 5 years old and have been sitting in a garage while I was sans miata.) What'd the recommended size be for 15", 5.5" wide rims? The old set were 195.55.15 but I'm curious if I should be looking at any other sizes. I'm running 205.50.15's on my summer wheels, but those are 7.5" wide and I'm not sure how that changes things.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 3, 2015 20:08
|
|
|
Installed new coilovers and now I'm hearing some creaking when the car moves a little at low speeds. Wondering if maybe I didn't torque something down far enough? I used the long bolt method. How much torque are those suspension bolts supposed to have on them?
|
|
#
¿
Sep 19, 2015 19:15
|
|
|
Chriskory posted:You're supposed to torque those bolts with the wheels on the ground, that's tough if you don't have a drive on lift. I did use a jack to raise the control arms but I didn't measure to make sure it was perfect. Googling it for myself looks like 87-100 for the long bolt, other stuff is around 50.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 20, 2015 22:58
|
|
|
RillAkBea posted:Did you replace the little plastic sheets? Ooooh nooo, I forgot on a couple and was hoping that it didn't matter. If I just try to get used to the squeaking will not having the sheets hurt anything? It also sounds like something is rubbing somewhere around my driver's side rear wheel and I'm not sure what it could be. It's a quick scratch sound once per revolution of the wheel. The tire definitely isn't rubbing anything, nor is the axel. I'm going to take off the wheel tonight and poke around but I'm not sure what I should be looking for.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 21, 2015 15:27
|
|
|
I've got water dripping down my passenger side pillar during the rain. All the rubbery stuff looks OK and feels springy, is there any drain type thing like there is for the back side of the car that might be clogged up?
|
|
#
¿
Sep 24, 2015 15:13
|
|
|
I've been troubleshooting an o2 signal modifier that doesn't seem to be doing anything, and now my radio buttons have apparently been randomized? The tape button turns it on, and the power button skips to the next track.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 30, 2015 03:15
|
|
|
Why's that? I'm researching a standalone replacement EMS but it's a pretty big time and money investment.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 1, 2015 17:28
|
|
|
It worked great on my last MSM. I get that it's not ideal but it seemed like an OK solution till I've got a reasonable plan for installing a megasquirt or whatever. Edit: on that topic, I've been looking at a reverent or DIYAutotune megasquirt setup and would welcome and advice. Thinking MS2 enhanced or MS3 basic from reverent or the MegaSquirtPNP Pro from DIY. powderific fucked around with this message at 18:40 on Oct 1, 2015 |
|
#
¿
Oct 1, 2015 17:42
|
|
|
Sorry to offend you with my band aid. I don't think that the o2 modifier itself is causing the radio issue. I think cycling the power while I was working on the o2 modifier probably triggered whatever's going on. Larrymer posted:Depends what you're doing I guess. NA or turbo? Compare the features of both and see what you really need. I did a MS2 setup on my turbo NA and it was decent. I didn't take full advantage of all of it's features because I'm lazy. It's a MSM with the factory turbo. My plan was to do work on the car over time and I wanted to put off replacing the ECU for at least a year or so. Since the signal modifier helped a lot on my previous MSM for the 3 years I had it, I planned on doing it again to make the car drive a bit better in the meantime. Haven't found a local tuner yet but do plan on seeing what they're comfortable with. Ideally I'd go with megasquirt since so many people run them it seems like I'd have the most flexibility in the long run.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 1, 2015 20:08
|
|
|
Yeah, I assume I hosed something up somewhere but I can't figure it out. Vacuum is definitely plumbed in correctly. Wiring seems right and has continuity but I'm thinking I might redo it anyway in case something's loose.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 1, 2015 21:02
|
|
|
It's currently crimped with a lovely pliers style crimper and the process was annoying enough that I bought a ratcheting one like that in case I had to do it over again.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 1, 2015 21:47
|
|
|
If it's the matching Bose speaker it should be fine. They're more warning you not to replace it with a random speaker.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 3, 2015 03:21
|
|
|
Alright bandaid haters, I found a local tuner who does lots of ms stuff so the o2 modifier is out and a megasquirt will be going in over Christmas. Went with the ms3basic from mslabs. Also putting in different injectors since it sounds like the stock mazdaspeed guys are a bit small.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 2, 2015 23:27
|
|
|
What do people like for gauge pods on NB's outside sticking them in the vents? I already have my boost gauge in a vent and don't want to sacrifice another for the AFR gauge. I was looking at this one to stick on the steering column, but I'm worried it'll be in the way of important-ish stuff: http://www.amazon.com/Auto-Meter-2204-Mounting-Cup/dp/B0009RUXPG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1450110885&sr=8-6&keywords=gauge+pod
|
|
#
¿
Dec 14, 2015 23:06
|
|
|
destructo posted:Buy the AEM Failsafe and live a happy life. I had the exact same issue and refused to have gauge pillar pods, lose both my center vents or add a double din for aftermarket radio+gauges. This looks great but I already have all the poo poo, unfortunately. Joe Mama posted:I have a Boost/Vac gauge and an AFR gauge in the top DIN slot, above the HVAC controls. I cut the rear end end off the cubby that was there and riveted on a piece of aluminum to hold the gauges. There's also the A-pillar pods I suppose. My Boost gauge was up there but when I added the AFR I didn't want 2 on the pillar. gently caress sacrificing vents. I thought I had also seen a pod you could attach to the top of the dash, above the vents. If I replace the stock Bose stereo I think I'm going to do this. After playing around with the gauge a bit I think I can figure out a spot on the steering column where it'll work till then without blocking too much.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 17, 2015 19:15
|
|
|
Having a couple issues with my megasquirt tune that I'm a bit out of my depth on. For reference this is in a MSM with FM full intake, RX-8 injectors, and MS3. The megasquirt was installed and tuned by a local dyno shop. Haven't driven the car much since getting it back due to the following issues. This is my first experience with tuning I'm sure there dumb questions in here. One, it seems like the coolant temp sensor isn't setup right. When it's cold out, the coolant temp reads about 20-30 degrees F warmer than my intake temp sensor and the ambient temp, even if it's been sitting for a couple days. Biggest difference is when it's cold—near or below freezing. It's made it so I need to bring a laptop and adjust cranking pulse widths if the overnight temp has changed too much. Doesn't seem to affect anything once the car is running. Is there a good way to check how the calibration is set? DIYautotune has values for the stock sensor, but I'm not sure where to see the current calibration settings. And if I do put in new calibration settings, what all is it going to gently caress with? I assume starting and warmup mostly since higher temperatures look accurate. Second issue I'm having is a lean spike when accelerating slowly with constant, partial throttle. The tuner was convinced it's an acceleration enrichment issue, but it's happening even if the tpsdot is 0. I'll be at 10% or so throttle and as the RPMS climb to 1900-2300 the AFR will got to 18, and then back down to normal. It's lean enough that I actually lose power. I drove around and ran VEAL in this area for a while and now my VE tables have a big ridge along the 1800rpm line up to about 120kpa. After adding all that fuel the lean spike is less bad, still more lean than the AFR target, but I'm also starting to run rich around the spike. Is there some reason why the car would need a bunch of extra fuel in that area at that throttle level? At what point do I need to start worrying about fouling from adding so much fuel?
|
|
#
¿
Feb 2, 2016 00:58
|
|
|
destructo posted:Regarding the lean spike, it's probably not AE. Post your spark, VE and AFR target tables please. If it's going lean briefly it could very well be a misfire. To answer your question though, no, there's no reason why your car would need an obscene amount of fuel there. Here they are, all as it came from the tuner before VEAL tweaks. Ignition table:  VE:  AFR target:  And this is what VEAL wanted to do after driving in the problem area a while: 
|
|
#
¿
Feb 2, 2016 17:38
|
|
|
Miata thread, help me. I have an '04 MSM with 55k miles on it that I had a megasquirt 3 and 420cc injectors installed in by a local tuner/dyno guy. He's done quite a bit of megasquirt stuff but is not a miata specialist. Since I got the thing back I've been tracking down issues and tweaking the tune. Got through a few things fine, but I'm having a bear of a time with a lean spike at low, constant throttle around 1800-2300rpm. My tuner guy basically told me good luck with figuring it out and didn't have any ideas. There's nothing weird in the fuel map and adding a bunch of fuel makes it better, but then I wind up really rich around the spot. Timing seems fine too. Not an AE issue since it's happening with the TPSdot at zero. Someone on another forum suggested it was similar to an issue he'd had with fuel rail resonance in a 350z but I'm out of my depth there. I'm not sure what to try next. If there was a tuner who had more turbo miata / megasquirt experience near me (Nebraska) than the guy who installed it that'd be ideal. Otherwise I could: drive it as is and keep sorting out the rest of the tune, try to sell it as-is to someone who's smarter or thinks they're smarter than me with tuning, or return it to stock and sell it/the EMS separately. It seems dumb to just have it sitting doing nothing indefinitely. Here's a thread on miataturbo with my VE/Spark/AFR Target tables, some datalogs, and the tune file if anyone's feeling ambitious/helpful: http://www.miataturbo.net/megasquirt-18/lean-spike-low-rpm-partial-throttle-88078/ (the coolant temp calibration issue I mention has been sorted since)
|
|
#
¿
May 11, 2016 01:59
|
|
|
Don't know how long he spent on that specifically. The car was with him for about 3 weeks. He definitely had it on a wideband though as it was on the dyno charts he gave me later. I also think he maybe didn't do a bad job otherwise as the car does seem to run well other than this one thing and you might not notice the lean spot if you were driving more aggressively or whatever.
|
|
#
¿
May 11, 2016 02:30
|
|
|
Finally have startup tuned properly and it's amazing how much more fun the miata is when I don't have to bring a laptop everywhere just in case.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 10, 2016 15:54
|
|
|
For me it's middle aged dudes in pickup trucks offering to buy my car for their wife.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 10, 2016 17:11
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 00:12 |
|
|
PROLE ART THREAT posted:The car was running OK when I bought it. I didn't know the seller hadn't smogged it until I tried to transfer the title. There is no check engine light, unfortunately it is somewhat far away so I can't work on it every moment. Are there any aftermarket things on it? Like an o2 signal modifier clamp or aftermarket stereo or anything like that that might be hacked into the harness weird?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 8, 2016 20:07
|
|