Amazing shots of the Miata, they turned out great!
Amazing shots of the Miata, they turned out great!
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1997 Mazda Miata M-Edition
http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....1997-M-Edition
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On Instagram: @97NA8M
zco (08-09-2020)
I attended my first day at Wakefield Park in the MX5 last Saturday, it's been about 6 years since I went there in my Honda Civic. It's a 2.2km/1.36mile clockwise circuit, with speeds ranging from 40-100mph. Avg corner speed is approx. 55mph for a Miata/MX5.
The day was split into 4 groups, with 15minute sessions each. I was allocated to the noob group, which seemed fine at the time, but 3 laps into session 1, I knew it was going to be a long day. For an entire day at the track, I managed to only fit in 23 laps, 7 of those being hot laps. Couldn't create enough space in between cars to really stretch my legs. I sat in with a friend for a session to watch him drive and picked up a few pointers about which lines to take, but didn't really have an opportunity to utilise those tips due to traffic.
I came home with a 1:16.2, and it was actually my first hot lap of the day, 1.2 seconds slower than what I as hoping for. Nonetheless, plenty of key takings from the track day which is what I was there for.
Key takings from the most recent track day.
-Need an Oil cooler ASAP, but wont have any time to get one sorted before the next track day
-Need to order some frame rails for the added protection.
-4.3FD gearing would suit better for Wakefield
-Black wheels are a PITA to inspect for cracks
-A little more power wouldn't hurt
-Car oversteers too much: spring rates on rear might be too high, maybe need a larger front sway bar, or have to toe the rear in.
I guess the first iteration of my car is now over. I've cleaned it inside and out, replaced nearly all wear and tear items, shake down test at two track days completed without any major issues identified. Daijuku v1.0 completed
I've got another track day booked for tomorrow at the same circuit, I want to to set a bench mark before my car goes off road for a few weeks for a revision, call it Daijuku v2.0. As I've always intended, the car will remain a street car, with an unopened stock motor. The idea of a simple setup, with understated looks is highly appealing to me (thanks to TurboTom!).
Anyway, prep work also done for tomorrow's track day. I will be heading out with a mate of mine, Thanh. We're hoping to crack +100 laps between us so we thought we should do a spanner check to make sure everything runs right tomorrow.
-Torque'd all brake line banjo bolts
-Brake pad and rotor inspection
-Re-greased brake caliper slider pins
-Gave the wheels a wash and visual inspection for cracks, all good! Gotta love quality Japanese made wheels.
Headed to the local tyre shop for a wheel alignment, nothing too different from previously.
-Height: 4.5" from pinch welds
-Rake: 0"
-Castor: 3.8 degrees
-F/R Camber: -2.4/-2.1 degrees
-F/R Toe: 0
Will post again after tomorrows track day. Hopefully a drama free day.
Last edited by zco; 08-09-2020 at 08:25 PM.
dnaha (08-13-2020),MiataQuest (08-10-2020)
Toe will help. Your ride height specs are similar to mine. This is my alignment.
I dont know how many are in your session, but when you get stuck in traffic, pit in and drive down pit lane, pit out when a gap appears.
I tried slowing down on the track to create some room on track, got black flagged. Came in and the marshal's first words to me were 'why are you driving so slow'. Couldnt help but have a laugh, wanted to respond 'its a Miata, its as fast as I can go' LOL But yes, driving into the pits wouldn't have worked with the amount of cars we had in our group. Not to mention, I'd then have to restart my outlap before going for a hotlap
What spring rates and sway bars are you using? I'm on 12/8kg and OEM sway bars front and rear. Alignment guys couldnt reduce the rear camber anymore than -2.1 degrees, I was after -1.9degrees
Notice you also have toe'd the rear out as well.. That would make my oversteer problem worse right?
Last edited by zco; 08-09-2020 at 08:25 PM.
I have a 1 (25mm) front bar, MSM rear bar (14mm IIRC). Toe in will give you a little more stability, toe out will help with direction change. This is on my NB.
On my previous NA, I started with 12kg F, 9kg R. I moved to 9kg F, 6kg R. That car had a 1.125 (28.5mm) F, stock NB rear sway. The coilovers were JIC FLT-A2s and I always felt they were overdamped and too stiff for the street tires I generally used.
A larger front sway and adjustable endlinks would be helpful. If you wish, you can try disconnecting the endlinks on the rear bar and see how it feels.
I do not like the 4.1 gearing on the NA8s. I ran one on my NA and switched to a 4.3 and found it more lively and better suited to stock-ish power on the street and track. That slightly shorter gearing is really beneficial digging out of a corner and acceleration.
As for track days, over-population is a real concern. I organize them here and we limit entries to avoid what you experienced.
Sometimes though, conga lines form and can be tough to break up. Passing through the pits is the best way to get out of them, or ask to be cleared to advance to the next group where drivers are more aware of their surroundings. The usual gesture to control is to make a stretching gesture, like you are stretching bread dough. Slowing down is not a good way to get space. Falling off the pace is a concern for safety and marshals will do as you experienced to make sure you or the car are ok.
If you want to do hot lapping, look for Time Attack or limited HPDE events where there are caps on entries so there is space to get a clean lap.
Agree with you on the NA8 & 4.1 . It feels really sluggish, so instead of doing the 4.3, I threw in a 6 speed gbox instead and kept my OEM 4.1FD. In Australia, the 6 speed is paired with a 3.6FD on the NB, so i basically moved from the standard 6speed/3.6FD to a 6speed/4.1FD. Having now raced around Wakefield, I can confirm the 4.1 is a great ratio to have, but the 4.3 would be even shorter/better suited to this track!
I have been looking at the 1.125" tubular front sway, and was thinking of keeping the rear sway OEM as well, possibly OEM NB. However, instead of throwing more parts at the car, I need to work on my driving.
As for the trackday.. It had its' ups and downs:
72 laps completed, track surface was slippery from the last 4 days of rain. Tyre temps hovered around 35°C, and 5 out of 9 corners had puddles. No PB’s were made, but the good news is, I solved most of my oversteer problem..
After sitting in with my mate Thanh for a few laps, I quickly learnt that I have a long way to go. My oversteering issues I thought I had, mostly came down to driver experience. Just observing him for half a lap made me realise that when the arse end starts to lose traction, I panic and freeze, and don't end up counter-steering. I then took the car around for about 10 laps and spun out twice (track puddles, push understeer). It's highly rewarding to now be able to correct and stabilise my car and continue pushing onwards instead of just panicking and letting the car spin out. The MX5 is the first RWD car I've taken on track, so this is new territory for me.
The track started to dry up at approx 2pm, but the car came to an abrupt retirement when the driver side rear caliper came loose. We lost one of the bolts somewhere on track, thank god we had a trailer to tow it home.
I still need to understand why the car looses traction on the rear end, I have feeling my parking spot is unlevelled, and the front might be lower than the rear. I'd probably want to raise the front a little, get some weight back onto the rear.
All parts purchases will now be put on hold, time to hone those driver skills, I think a skidpan day is next, and then another trackday at Wakefield in it's current form. I still want to set a benchmark on a dry track before I throw a bunch of parts at it again.
HarryB (08-12-2020),kung fu jesus (08-11-2020)
I think the 1.125 hollow bar is too stiff. Consider the solid bar.
Driver experience makes sense. Adjusting from heavy FWD experience to RWD takes a little more practice. The Skidpad practice will be helpful. It may help you feel more comfortable how the car reacts when it steps out and how to gather it up.
The chassis is very communicative, particularly with coilovers and a good alignment. I can usually feel what the rear of the car is doing through the seat before it gets interesting.
I suggest leaving the swaybars alone until you get some more seat time in that environment. Too many, or too drastic, changes may surprise you in unfortunate ways. You are wise to hold off.
Wet track days are my jam. They are my absolute favorite.
+1 on the sways; not a huge fan of stiff setups either, although they have been proven to be ultimately faster (on smooth track surfaces that is)
kung fu jesus (08-12-2020),zco (08-13-2020)
Some photos of the track day
dnaha (08-15-2020),Greasemonkey2000 (08-16-2020),HarryB (08-14-2020),kung fu jesus (08-14-2020),MiataQuest (08-14-2020),speedypenguin (08-18-2020)
Love the track day photos!
Follow My Build Thread!
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1997 Mazda Miata M-Edition
http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....1997-M-Edition
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On Instagram: @97NA8M
zco (08-16-2020)
I see you need an oil cooler.
I have a pretty good condition HKS Oil cooler for the Roadster that I have had for almost 2 years but never put on. I know it doesn't leak but one of the tabs is bent a little but easily can be fixed.
If you're interested send me a message!
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1993 Eunos Roadster B-spec by Mazdaspeed
http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....819#post222819
1993 Mazda Miata LE
https://mazdaroadster.net/showthread...233#post244233
Thanks Marco, all good mate, I just put through a few orders for a few things the other day.
I've sold my exhaust, RPF1's + AD08's, Tein MonoRacing's off, and ordered new replacements for them all, including a new oil cooler setup.
Got some major revisions in the pipeline for the car shortly
Are these two pics shot at the same corner? Was it one of the oversteer-prone corners that was more problematic? It looks like a downhill right into a rise coming off the apex . There is a similar corner at my home track like that that gives a lot of my students issues.
Follow the Builds
1993 Eunos Roadster B-spec by Mazdaspeed
http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....819#post222819
1993 Mazda Miata LE
https://mazdaroadster.net/showthread...233#post244233
Follow the Builds
1993 Eunos Roadster B-spec by Mazdaspeed
http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....819#post222819
1993 Mazda Miata LE
https://mazdaroadster.net/showthread...233#post244233