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MRnewsBot
04-17-2014, 09:01 AM
The tech secrets of the 2016 Miata chassis

The tweaks that will make the roadster even better.


http://www.motorward.com/wp-content/images/2014/04/Mazda-MX-5-rolling-chassis.jpg

The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata is going on a diet, thanks to Skyactiv tech. But if you think all the tweaks under the skin are purely for weight savings, you should remember that these are Mazda engineers we're talking about. The Miata is a part of the company's soul; getting the details right are essential. To suss out the details, our Road Test Editor Robin Warner set his engineer's eye on the chassis. This is what he saw.


1. No big surprise, but the Miata gets electric power steering (EPAS). The good news here is that Mazda has proved quite clever at squeezing feel out of EPAS, and because the newest MX-5 weighs less, it should need less feel-robbing assistance in the first place. Also, it's a very direct rack-mounted assist motor—that's the most effective way.

2. Different rear suspension design. We'll still get a multilink rear, but this time with two robust lateral links as the forward support and a diagonal link in the back. The benefit is more efficient use of rear subframe structure, hence lighter, as well as shorter, stronger links.

3. Aluminum uprights in front. Based on the images, it looks like the front uprights are now aluminum. That saves weight out in the corners, which is critical.

4. Sadly, the rear brakes are still solid, not vented. One change I personally would love to see is rear vented brake discs for better heat dissipation. Because the car is so light, this isn't a major problem, but that change would signify even more sporting intentions.

5. A lighter front subframe. Now, this is just a guess, but the front subframe also looks more efficiently designed. It looks like they using different, lighter-duty mounting points to the frame. That means is less weight. See a theme?

In general it looks like a more clean design. It reminds me of the transition from the C4 Corvette to the C5: everything was simpler, fewer parts, more straightforward. It's more iterative here, but Mazda achieved something similar. And now time for the broken record part: the Skyactiv lessons learned on other cars, applied here, mean it'll have a stiffer chassis that weighs less. And one more thing—looking at the bare chassis reminds me of the Lotus Elan. How cool is that?

source: http://www.roadandtrack.com/nyc/tech-secrets-of-the-2016-miata-chassis?src=soc_fcbks

SM16RMSM
04-19-2014, 08:43 PM
COP, electric steering, meaty looking alternator, electric throttle, Looks very promising.

stephen0p0g
04-29-2014, 11:10 PM
The first thing that i noticed right off the bat was that its going back to 4 lug. Which honestly make me a bit happy. Another thing (even tho i could be wrong) is that it looks as if it has a 4-2-1 header...?

Agent☣Orange
04-29-2014, 11:15 PM
Wish it were a turbo diesel...

fwdtamiya
04-30-2014, 01:16 AM
Is that the new skyactiv engine? I figured it was just one of the current engines.

TimTim
04-30-2014, 11:10 AM
I've seen other places where people have discussed it being a new skyactiv engine. The header is 421 to support the high comp ratio of the new engine. Supposedly, that was part of the factor in the length of the hoods on the new front wheel drive cars, but that's far from verified. Disclaimer: *My entire post is just stuff that I have read other places and could be totally bogus.* But I dig talking about this stuff with you all!