2003 Shinsen

Well, well, well here we are again with yet another Roadster.

This is Roadster number 6 and I am happy to say it is an NB2! The NB2 (After NA6) is my favorite of the Roadsters and was actually my first Miata.

This one in particular came from a great owner that did extensive maintenance and has an awesome love for our beloved roadster. The original owner is named Trudy, she is an 87 year old lady, and she lives all the way in Key West Florida!

I have all the maintenance records which is extremely impressive. The NB2 has 172K Miles! It has had 4 timing belts (4th was done at 170k) and 4 Water pumps, Differential was resealed (122k), and Mazda Genuine clutch was added at
160k! also a new Blue soft top that is 1 year old.

The Paint is in amazing condition minus the front bumper and the lights could use a serious polish or maybe new housings?!

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The interior is in great condition aswell. The carpets only need a good wash but sadly the driver seat has a hole on the left side but besides that interior is great!

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The engine bay has stayed 100% stock (Minus a K&N Filter) it is dusty but that is it. Besides that it looks fantastic and will clean up really nice.

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I need to take day time pics but expect alot of awesome mods for this NB I already have some stuff en-route!

PS: If anyone is hoarding NB mods send em here.

Congratulations, again, Marco! Looking forward to see what you do with it.:popcorn:

Thank you Chad! This will be a good one!

That looks like a nice example; cannot way to see daylight pics! What are the overall plans?

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Originally Posted by HarryB

That looks like a nice example; cannot way to see daylight pics! What are the overall plans?

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Thank you Harry! Plans for this will be fairly straight forward and they changed a little once I drove the car. I really want to take an OEM+ approach because I want it to be a car I can get in and drive sportively while also being comfortable.

Mazdaspeed would be the approach but there stuff if crazy money nowadays and just hard to find (Thankfully I have a little stockpile) so the next best thing is Autoexe. I have a couple parts by them in mind but I don't want to spoil the fun. :teehee:


For Everyone:

Also I would like to go Strut/Spring route to avoid making the car overly complicated suspension wise. Do any of you run shock and springs and if so what do you recommend?

As promised here are the day time pics! the paint is great for the age (Minus the front bumper) I do want a friend to go to town on it though and give it a good polish but the way it is is amazing.

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Also here is under the car. Amazing condition for being in The Keys for its whole life. The exhaust flange looks pretty crusty but nothing a good sawzall cant cut through for when I get the new exhaust :teehee:

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Now it is time for the mods to roll in. First up is a package from CMC which are some very very clean "Roadster" door sills. I have always wanted a set and I was happy to find them.

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Next up was a very important Roadster upgrade which is a shifter rebuild. I opted for the Brass bushing because I love the stock shifter feel but wanted to make sure it feels fresh for years to come. (My brother is into the model railroads for all you railroaders.)

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How could you have a fresh shifter rebuild without a fresh shift boot? Picked it up from Tasca parts, took a while to arrive but I was happy to see it waiting for me.

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Here is the fresh boot! Looks so so nice in person. Would love to find a NOS Shinsen shift knob.

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And here is the complete interior looking amazing after 18 years and 172k Miles. Cleaned up very nicely and easily.

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But over the weekend I came across an incredible deal I could not pass up. A super clean (Painted 7 days ago as of today) hardtop and Bilstiens with eibach springs.

Shocks have just over 20k miles and will make a fantastic upgrade for the NB because I am not trying to do anything crazy as of now.

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The hardtop did however have some 1000 year old tint so I quickly got to work on that.

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I also did some weight reduction. I was happy to find 0 rust but a ton of leaves on both sides, remember to check your fenders!

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and here is how the NB sits with the Strato Blue hardtop! I feel its a good compliment to my blue soft top!

I wonder what car the black hardtop is on? :winky:

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I thought the Shinsen had grey leather seats, or am I thinking of the Strato Blue SE?

You’re thinking of the Strato Blue. The Shinsen got a blue soft top and blue seats and the front portion of the shift knob was blue but mine has faded over the years.

Forgot to include this in yesterdays update but sadly the dipstick was broken when I purchased the car so a new one was put on order ASAP!

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Here is the Part# for all you purists.

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Much Better!

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So over the weekend I received my Hella LED License plate lights. 1 was burnt out and the other I am sure was close to it so I decided to upgrade.

It is a really nice upgrade especially as a trunk light and it was super cheap. HELLA 921LED65K LED https://www.rockauto.com/?carcode=14...parttype=13661

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Excuse my lame pic I will take a better one soon.

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Earlier in the Day I did an Oil change and brake bleed in preparation for Sunday!

Sunday I went Auto-crossing with a few friends of mine and this would be the cars first shake down on the "new" Bilstiens.

Here is how the car sits on Mazdaspeed NB Springs and Bilstien B8 Shocks.

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My consensus is that on the MS Springs its soft but not in a bad way because the shock has very good rebound so I found myself having body roll in a corner but coming out of it I could power out without a fear of over steer.

I was genuinely surprised how well the car did because I was on BFG Sport Comp-2 Tires which are good but not competitive at AutoX good. I was within 1.8 seconds of my buddies fully prepped 99 NB1.

Here are some pics my dad got of me.

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No Idea why but this pic decided to be a panoramic.
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such a nice color, already started modding the car I see, LOL

I do love the color! And I’m not going too crazy with it. Nice subtle mods for this one!

Awesome job getting the car to the autox! It’s always good getting a feel for your car early on without too many mods. Looks fun top down. I may do the same for mine soon. I still need to invest in a helmet though.

Another Big Update Today!

On Tuesday I received my much needed Frankenstein Bolts. Now I can drive my Roadster without the fear of my hardtop flying off. (Reason it wasn't on at AutoX.)

Thankfully my stock bolts came out with ease so it was a quick install.

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Next is more light mods. I have these same reverse lights on my Fit and my goodness they're crazy bright, they could almost be headlights. People will definitely know when I am backing up!.
I will install these this weekend because you need to remove the whole tail light to get to the light socket.

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Next is a JDM/EDM center console cubby. I saw one for sale on FB for a decent price and jumped on it because it looked to be in amazing condition.

I will probably keep my wallet in here because it fits perfectly.

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I have a OEM+ power mod if you will on the way and to give you a hint here is a part it relates to.

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Finally onto the fun stuff.

So Autoexe has been a really cool company in my eyes for many years and after I sold my first NB I started seeing Autoexe stuff on NBs and went "Dam why'd I sell it?". They remind me of 90s Mazdaspeed in a way.
Once I found my current NB I started doing research and getting my wallet ready for the hit it was about to take.

First item on the list is a Autoexe Axleback. This should be the mid-2000's exhaust and not the new one with the Oval tip (Which I want:teehee:). I picked it up state side so the price was more forgiving.

It has some battle scars but no dents at all and it looks like it can easily be restored. I want to sand the flanges and paint them and polish the entire muffler to a mirror.

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Next is a Autoexe Oil Cap. Looks ooh so nice and will compliment the silver of the Shinsen.
Maybe I will leave it in the box so I can get a $1000 for it in 20 Years.

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Lastly is the Holy Grail. The Autoexe Carbon Intake. This to me is one of the coolest mods for the NB and very functional plus cleans up the engine bay nicely.

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I have another awesome update coming in the near future but lets save that for later!

I have a friend that has an Autoexe-mania, and coincidently he owns a titanium gray NB2 as well. :lol:

I guess if you have a titanium Grey NB you get an AutoExe Addiction :toomuch:

Well I wanted to do a big reveal with them on the car with tires buttttt I couldn't resist showing a teaser.

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Took me quite a while to track down a near pristine set of the NR-A NB wheels. I was really happy to find them at a very fair price.

Those are pretty sweet, Marco! I've never even seen those before that I can recall. I don't envy you though, heard plenty of people say their first set of white wheels would be their last.:teehee: I'd definitely ceramic coat them. Looking forward to seeing them installed.

Haha! Ceramic coat is first on the list! These are also my first white wheels so we will see how it goes haha.

We have been getting these (or very similar looking Enkei ones) regularly here. IMO one of the best looking OEM wheels.

They are great looking wheels! What size are they?

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Originally Posted by Greasemonkey2000

They are great looking wheels! What size are they?

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Not crazy specs because they are OEM. These are 15x6 +40 but I don’t want anything too crazy so I’m happy with the specs because I’m not low so I want a sporty wheel that would look good at a stock height. I do have plans to upgrade to coil overs in the future but the bilsteins will stay for a little.

I agree, those are the best looking NB stock wheels. And also the lightest!

looking to be a promising build...keep it up

An update I have been waiting to do!

So to continue with the theme of Autoexe I was able to find a set of Hood Props! I think they are discontinued because when I bought them the link for them disappeared. Plus the label for the box looks old.

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Quality as expected is outstanding and the install was very easy. Did it by myself and had no hiccups. The gas struts are really strong and throw the hood up to its maximum opening ability.

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While we are in the hood feast your eyes on the Autoexe Carbon Intake. It isn't just a show piece though it really is a proper intake the butt dyno this time actually feels some gains. The install on this required some wire management and some good timing but it all fits well. The best part of the intake (as with most intakes) is the absurdly loud intake noise. It reverbs off houses when you're full throttle.

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I also threw on the Autoexe Oil Cap and a old school GAB Sports strutbar because it has the matching red stands.

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I have more engine bay goodies en-route plus an exhaust update coming soon.

Looks great, now go back to the garage and remove that nasty plastic thing on the radiator mount :whistle:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by m00se

Looks great, now go back to the garage and remove that nasty plastic thing on the radiator mount :whistle:

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Haha! It has been removed.

:lol:

Looks great, i like the subtile color coordination.

That's the plan! Red on the Silver meshes so well but the interior is holding me back because my door card panels and seats are a dark blue.

I am trying to decide if I want to go with a dark blue theme on the interior or continue with the Red but subtly of course, I don't want LE levels of red.

I'd keep the dark blue in the interior and keep the red to the engine bay.

I agree. I am trying to find some dark blue parts for example the Blue Roadster floor mats and the Blue Mazda OEM steering wheel for the NB. I have seen only pictures but never one for sale.

I can have my eyes open for you, there have been a few through my hands over the years.

That would be awesome Harry. Thank you!

The final touches on the engine bay are wrapping us nicely.

I decided for a coolant overflow to go with the DaveFab. Love the craftsmanship and its simple design. Looks much better than the old plastic one.

Picked it up from Moss: https://mossmiata.com/expansion-tank-by-davefab-2

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Also the crazy long over flow hose is from Amazon, it is made by HPS, can handle 350 Degrees Fahrenheit, rope infused tubing so has a very cool look, and is 10 Feet long!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It is seriously awesome and I have been using it on all my Roadsters. I highly recommend it.

Finally is the Exhaust! I was way too excited to take pics (Silly Me) but I do have a video of it!

I ended up going with the Roadster Sport Mid-Pipe and I have the Autoexe AxleBack. I do need longer hangers on the passenger side of the exhaust because it is touching my bumper or I should do a bumper cut!

https://youtu.be/2FFC3O_JWkk

I think it sounds awesome and its a perfect amount of grunt. Especially with the intake which is actually louder than the exhaust.

I have the Davefab washer bottle relocation. Its such a nice piece. I can't wait to get my hands on the coolant overflow tank as well. Blows the plastic ones out of the water

Sorry for the lack of updates I have a few updates to do soon just need to take some pictures.

when I was working on the exhaust install I saw something unfortunate but easily fixable. I had a rear main seal leak so I decided to order a clutch (which is on the way) and some Mazda Motorsport Motor and Diff mounts! (Thanks to Goodwin Racing)

Clutch will be here early this week!

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Due to how often I am working I will be giving it to a very reputable Miata enthusiast in South FL called Curtis. He is going to handle the install and anything he sees that needs to be updated or addressed.

After the important stuff is taken care of we get to the fun stuff!

I have been really enjoying the NB the way it is but I know I want to do more so I started on the interior and I know I needed a wheel badly because my OEM wheel is flaking on the top and I could use a change of scenery.

So first thing I did was get a hub so I bought one from Bill Wilner at miataroadster.com, this is my 3rd or 4th hub from him and gets here in a week and you cannot beat that.

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I also cannot recommend Daikei enough, the quality is unreal and the connectors for the airbag eliminator are literally OEM. So thanks again Bill!

Next is something extra special that I would like to thank Adam from Revlimiter for because he said he has been putting it off for years.

So as most know and for those who don't the seats, soft top, and a small panel of the door cards is a dark blue. So I wanted to keep the theme going, I know it will be extremely hard to pull off mainly going with blue bits and may look tacky but I plan to try my best to make it work.

So to help my journey of having a blue interior I reached out to Adam about a horn button. He loved the idea of a sparkly dark blue button that said "Shinsen Edition" but not the Japanese characters, he said they have haunted him for years but after a day I get another email with a render of the button with the characters! I was happy to see it and it came out amazing!

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Edit: I do realize the characters are hard to see. I will take nice pics of it so you all can see the characters.

Yet again Thank you Adam!!!

So that brings me to the wheel, where is it? I am unfortunately still waiting on it but I promise it is something 99% of the community hasn't seen before. It is nothing rare, in fact you can still buy it off there website but it is definitely something out of the ordinary in looks. Only hint you get is that it is Made in Italy.

Oddly enough, when Adam posted this horn button on IG, I thought of your car!

Haha I had a couple people send it to me and they said you should ask Adam if he can make this for you.

It did come out really really well and I am very excited.

The wait is over! I finally received my wheel and it arrived 2 weeks earlier than I expected.

It is a tad out there so keep an open mind.

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Here it is! It is an Nardi Twin, I saw it just browsing through the wheels on there sight because I knew I wanted something with Blue but not too much. Once I saw this I was sold TBH thought it would be a shade darker but I know how I can make this work.

The horn button looks so awesome too with my wacky new wheel, it gives the NB that much needed personal touch because it looks very stock at a glance no worries that will change soon enough.

As for driving it is very comfortable and the thumb sits really nice in the groove. I am very happy with how it turned out!

I really dig this!

Happy you do! Was a little worried it would be too much when I first saw it but it really pops in your face when you see it in a good way.

Howdy Howdy,

So the Shinsen OEM knob is fantastic and feels great! However it is old, a little worn and I want to preserve what is left of it so I got a shiny replacement.

I have been a huge fan of the R-Magic knob for years but never got one until today! It is a beefy boy and very heavy but shifting is silky smooth and looks right as rain with the silver accents in the interior.

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PS: It sits absolutely perfect on top of the shift boot!

This came in 1.5 months before I expected!

It is nothing crazy but it is a Cusco Pillar Brace. Found it on eBay for a great price! Looks great with all the shiny silver and blue throughout the rest of the interior.

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I got lots done in the past 2 weeks and have really been enjoying the NB.

I was able to get my clutch, flywheel, motor and diff mounts installed and it has made a world of difference. I am happy I did the clutch when I did because my pilot bearing exploded when I went to take it off. The motor mounts and diff mounts really helped with going into gear super smooth. The flywheel is a 10LBS flywheel so down shifts are very nice especially with the Autoexe intake.

I also did my brakes over the weekend and jeez I didn't realize how badly I needed that upgrade.

Next for the NB is suspension, I want a really nice dual duty coil over and I think I found it. I am leaning towards the Maruha BC Damper. I also will have more suspension bits en-route but I cant give too much away.:teehee:

https://imgur.com/6uEPQmP

I’m not saying this because they are my friends, but honestly the best dual-purpose coilovers I’ve driven are Xidas.

I tried to convince Anthony, and when his first go around with coilovers left him sour, he relented. He loved them too.

Oh absolutely agree. Xidas are the best for dual duty but the most I plan to do is AutoX and it would be 90% a daily so that’s why I’m leaning towards the maruhas because for the price I think they’d be great for what I want plus they have great spring rates for road use.

You do know the Xidas have selectable springs rates and 949 will help you choose the best for your application? Mine saw 90% daily driven usage and they were extraordinarily comfortable.

You can also get them serviced at in the US at a few different shops if something goes wrong.

#justsayin

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kung fu jesus

I’m not saying this because they are my friends, but honestly the best dual-purpose coilovers I’ve driven are Xidas.

I tried to convince Anthony, and when his first go around with coilovers left him sour, he relented. He loved them too.

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I don't think I've EVER seen anyone regret Xida's.

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Originally Posted by MaRcOp01o

Oh absolutely agree. Xidas are the best for dual duty but the most I plan to do is AutoX and it would be 90% a daily so that’s why I’m leaning towards the maruhas because for the price I think they’d be great for what I want plus they have great spring rates for road use.

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Imo, too many people think that if it isn't a dedicated track car then cheaper is OK, not going to lie I don't understand why because the street has far more challenges to be met then a dedicated track car so in my humble opinion it's almost the opposite.

I've made up my mind on Xida's and I have read up on just about every option I could find. I have a reasonably high standard to be met having previously had Fat Cat Motorsports(375/325) and FEAL(662/448, iirc, 12k/8k) Road Race coilovers and they were kind of opposite spectrum coilovers yet the FEAL coilovers didn't "feel" :toomuch: like they had that much more spring. If the valving is done properly, stiffer spring rates can ride well.

Ride height and tire choice are more of the deciding factors for(spring rates in general) which Xida's you would want and spring rates, even the Race(meant for 4"-5" pinch weld) can be had with 550/350(GS rates which have XL body) or XL(5.25" to 6") you can have as soft as 300/150.

Also you may not be aware but SuperMiata is *supposed* to be releasing their budget coilovers, Tecna, soon which will be around $1k shipped. In all fairness these have been years in the making and I think they will be a game changer for that price range.

I won't get mine till July or August so my first hand experience might be a little too late but a fellow Texan and Miata enthusiast, Jeff, has had around a dozen or so different coilovers on his Miata's, 3 or 4 were custom FCM coilovers and now he has Xida Race on his MSM and Xida XL on his NA, you can read his respective reviews.

It's funny, when researching a few other options I came across a few different threads on different platform forums where someone posted shock dynos for several popular miata coilover choices and several individuals that knew how to read the dynos/data commented on how the Xida's had the best valving of all the examples, certainly interesting.

I don't fault anyone for being budget minded but let's be fair here, you seem to have no problem with "paying to play" and seem to enjoy a steady stream of "disposable income" to contribute to your passion so why not spend it on something that is one of the most important aspects of any car, especially one that already handles so well from the factory. Sorry, Marco, not trying to be preachy or anything just trying to offer some perspective you may have not considered. :mrgreen:

Thank you both for the input! I drove on Xidas with a daily/autox spring rate and was very very surprised and really enjoyed them on the other hand I did a couple autox runs on my friends Maruhas and I couldn't tell a difference. Both felt incredible and both performed as I expected but for $900 less. I know I should go Xida or Ohlins but I am not trying to over do it too much financially in the suspension department but I have not bought the Maruhas yet so I will decide what I want to do.

Imo, the best way to feel out a suspension is on the street...not the track/autox where the difference will be harder to perceive by most. Even a full track would be better for comparing than an autox event, again, imo.

I definitely think that you can get 70-80% of the performance of Xida's from cheaper options but that 30-20% is the harder part to achieve and shows SuperMiata's experience/expertise. I encourage anyone not to take my word or the advice of any one person but to do their own research and make their own well informed decision, research is free but a uniformed decision can be costly. :cheers:

I honesty love this Shinsen Edition..................

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Greasemonkey2000

Imo, the best way to feel out a suspension is on the street...not the track/autox where the difference will be harder to perceive by most. Even a full track would be better for comparing than an autox event, again, imo.

I definitely think that you can get 70-80% of the performance of Xida's from cheaper options but that 30-20% is the harder part to achieve and shows SuperMiata's experience/expertise. I encourage anyone not to take my word or the advice of any one person but to do their own research and make their own well informed decision, research is free but a uniformed decision can be costly. :cheers:

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That is true I would be using them for the road. I will ask around and see what the Maruha guys say about using them on the streets but they have amazing springs rates for daily driver so I think they'd have great feedback.

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Originally Posted by atank

I honesty love this Shinsen Edition..................

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Thank you! There is much more to come!

Ask Maruha about rebuilding options should you blow one out. Ask them for a damper/shock dyno too. If they can’t provide either, that monetary difference means nothing.

Or I could just go lowering springs and top hats for my bilsteins, I am on the B8 struts with low miles and I love them but I sit to high and the MSM springs are much too soft so maybe I should go that route.

Plus would be financially a smarter idea.

Would try FM springs (their rates are spot-on for Bilstein shocks IMO) and Maruha extended top hats. Of course, top-tier aftermarket coilovers should be better, but given your intended use I doubt you will need them.

I was actually just about to say I was looking at the FM springs they look great!

Also I agree I know I wouldn't use Xidas to there full extent for what I plan to do with the NB. So I think the springs and top hats would be a solid choice!

On a totally different note I got new floor mats!! Made by Coco Mats in a Blue/Black checkered.
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I think they look really nice and they aren't in your face blue they're very subtle. I will take nice pics soon.

Long Overdue Update.

I have put some attention and mods into the NB with a nice bundle of parts on the way!

I took some pics of the Coco Mats and I have my 3 month review to go along with it.

IMO they are a super nice mat, yes pricey but the amount of free customization you get is hard to beat. The quality is incredible and they fit very very well plus they have a ton of colors for any style.

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My hardtop never had side latches so a friend of mine sold me his used Beatrush hardtop latches and they feel and fit amazing! The quality is unreal and feel very very strong.

I still need to cut up my plastic side panel so I can bolt it to where the OEM striker plates go but as is they really cranked down the hardtop and it fits snug.

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Now the most important part. Going for a drive!

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I have been driving the NB quite often to work and it makes my short commute very enjoyable, I really have been enjoying the NB and I am happy I got back into one.

I will finally be getting around to some exterior mods and I have a new noise maker on the way but I will keep that a surprise!

Some nice changes for the NB!

I decided to ball out and get the exhaust I originally wanted. I picked up a brand new Jets Integral Kobe and I do not regret it and the rumors are true it is one of the best exhausts I have ever heard, IDK how they did it and the quality is just as nice. Bolted up well to my Roadster Sport midpipe and paired with it, cruising speeds the exhaust is very quiet with no drone but under power makes a really nice noise.

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Next change were my wheels and tires. I finally got tires for the NR-A wheels, got a great deal on Yokohama Advan Flevas (195/50/15). I didn't want anything super aggressive but I did want a good tire when I do want to carve a corner. I also love how they fit on the wheels because the wheels are only 15x6 so they have a nice meaty look to it.

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and here is the end result. I am really happy with the wheels and exhaust and I feel I need more aero bits to match!

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Adding a little more bling to the NB, I picked up a Zoom fuel lid and I love it!

I had one on my BRG and thought it would be nice to get another and it doesn't look out of place against the white wheels.

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Did some more exterior mods to the NB and I am loving how its coming out!

I installed a Garage Vary Lip and Garage Vary Carbon Cooling Panel to keep the carbon engine bay theme going.

To my surprise the intake and panel have the same weave pattern!

I love how the NB is looking even with some of its worn edges (But I need to do something about the lights.)

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Not a big update but I smelt some oil 3 weeks ago and low and behold saw a leak on the back of the valve cover.

So I picked up a Mazda Genuine gasket and the leak was fixed and is all cleaned up and I smell no more oil.

When I took off the valve cover though I was pleasantly surprised to see how immaculate the valvetrain was after 176k miles! I picked up the NB at 168k and before that all the miles were put on by the same older lady for years who maintained it quite religiously at her local Mazda dealer. Shows maintenance goes along way and I have so much more confidence in driving my NB now long distances.

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^^ Gosh that's really good for for a 80K+ miler. and frikken outstanding for what it is.

I was having a good look at your interior again and I have to say it's one of the few 'nice place to be' NBs. The NB aesthetic suits the subtle blue/grey tone.

Yeah I was very happy to see how clean it was!

Thank you! I love it too and I really don't want to change the interior too much, maybe some Revlimiter gauge faces in the future? Or the new blue seat Corns is making!

I have been really enjoying the NB how it is though so I think I will take my time deciding on mods.

Small Update but I scored a NOS set of rear mudguards in Titanium Grey for $30 shipped off eBay!!

They really changed the look big time and now I need to find some side skirts haha!

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I had those on my '02 and liked the look as well but I really disliked the side tupperware so I removed them.