-- My '96 Miata : The Road to Victory --

[06tiburonofdoom]

Well, on average, about 75% of my day to day driving is highway/turnpike (cruise set at ~3,700), and I don't think it drones really at all. I can listen to music just fine at the same volumes as before (although I seem to listen to music far less now ) and carry on conversations just fine around town and such. Granted, I was dailying my Civic with a test pipe and Buddy Club Spec II (glorified straight pipe) with no complaints, but I honestly find the RoadsterSport to be perfect for daily driving. And if you find it too loud for some reason, there's two different baffles you can use to change the tone/volume! Pretty cool.

[06tiburonofdoom]

Wow, I don't know why I've neglected this thread for so long! Haha
But since last time I've gotten quite a bit done.

-New OEM rear bumper with shaved sidemarkers and R-Package lip
-Shaved third brake light
-Installed iConcept tie rods and rack spacers
-Installed SuperNow! tie rod ends
-New timing belt, water pump, front main seal, belts, idlers, and gaskets
-Installed P/S delete pulley with brand new idler
-PROPERLY de-powered the steering rack and installed MiataRoadster rack plugs
-Installed the Wilwood 11" LBBK from Flyin' Miata (rear waiting for installation)
-Got Nardi Deep Corn Woodgrain with polished hex hardware and Daikei hub
-New braided spark plug wires, valve cover hardware, Garage502 oil cap, and painted valve cover wrinkle red
-Installed Beatrush PPF brace
-Installed Koyo 37mm radiator and cap with black Samco NB hoses
-Installed Jass Performance lo-profile headlights (first set in the U.S.)
-Purchased Jass Performance master cylinder brace
-Purchased Tomei Technical Trax 2-way LSD
-Installed Project-G shift boot
-Purchased Innovate LC-I and Enthuza resonated test pipe

Damn, the list seems so long when I type it out like that... Haha
Anyways, PICTURES!












And in closing, thanks to an unexpectedly glorious tax return, I should have some Works and hopefully V8Roadsters tubular control arms on the way soon. We'll see what happens!

[06tiburonofdoom]

Just a small, poorly-photographed update. I had ordered a master cylinder brace from Jass, as well as a resonated test pipe from Enthuza, a few weeks ago, and I finally felt like installing them today.
Of course, I forgot to take pictures of both items before installation, and since I really don't feel like jacking the car back up, you'll just have to imagine a big Magnaflow resonator the length of a test pipe. Haha

First up was the brace (excuse the dirt).

Installation was a breeze, finish on the product is flawless, and the fitment couldn't be any better! I'll probably get a nut to use as a lock against the brace side of things, but that doesn't seem to be an issue at this time.
My impressions upon immediately sitting in the car and pressing the brake pedal were as follows:

"Damn."

WAY less pedal travel, and far more firm and 'secure' feeling. I wasn't too worried to test maximum braking before, but now it hits a lot harder. More like it should be!

Moving onto the Enthuza resonated test pipe. Great construction and awesome fitment were expected, as well as provided, so that's about all that matters there. Now, I had an M-Tuned metal-core cat before, which was great, but it had an annoying buzz (albeit minor) in the car at around 3,700 rpm, which is EXACTLY where I have the cruise control set on the turnpike every day going to and from work. Also, this happened somehow:

...which very well could've contributed to the buzz.
If I had to put a number on it, I'd say the resonator is MAYBE 5% louder so far than the cat was, but it's already a bit deeper and less raspy. Another surprising element I noticed was a little more low-end torque, which is nice.

In other news, I got the new wheels ordered, and I have my 185/55-14 S-Drives waiting for me at work, so I'll be excited to get those in after a few more weeks of waiting.
Hopefully I'll get some interior and suspension updates pretty soon, as well! So much to purchase... Haha