Possible solution for the garage. Id combine a portable AC unit, which i have and works wonders, along with possibly one of yhose garage door nets that vome down for shade but still allowing air flow. Id atart off with the portable AC unit though, made a big difference in my garage. Do a quick Google search to find the best size for your square footage.
Do you feel that this upgrade has created a better/quieter ride than keeping the plastic backing ? I’m curious to know if you put sound deadening on the wheel wells. -a fellow lurker with a 2008 nc1 GT
Hey realize this is an old comment on this video - do you have any idea if this interferes with the OEM intake sound tube on the NC2/2.5? I see that you have yours removed... Photos on Rev9 demonstrate it in place, but someone on the forums says that it rubs and transmits an awful sound. Not ready to remove one of my favorite things about the car
That aftermarket strut brace is a difficult install for no apparent reason, and it seems too skinny to provide the torsional rigidity required to stabilize even a lightweight car. If you had driven the car after the install and delivered a verdict on whether in any way it benefits handling, you’d be doing your readers a service. But then, as a boomer who grew up driving my Dad’s Alfa Romeo and other cool cars, I quickly learned that driving a sports car fast enough to warrant a strut brace requires a lot of skill. But hell, most of the Zoomers I come across at the cars and coffee can’t even drive stick! To them, smooth and fast driving on twisty roads is not something they aspire to, because they’ve never driven with anybody who can pull it off. So let’s be honest. Most of the add-ons people buy for their MX-5s are for show, not go. And because it can turn into a pissing contest pretty fast, the only winners are the parts manufacturers. As a more efficient way of building up a fast MX-5, I recommend you save up for a year and buy an ND2, new or used. Ideally get the base Sport model, and save thousands over the Club. Put a couple grand you saved into genuine, proven handling and chassis stiffness improvements, and keep the car looking as stock as possible. The ND 2 does not need engine mods if you know how to get around corners at speed. As long as you don’t trash the suspension by lowering it too much, or fitting overly stiff springs, you will have in your possession a seriously fast sports car and better yet, a sleeper. And because it is a sports car rather than a performance car, you can improve your driving skills on curvy back roads with the top down and have a lot more fun than just mashing the gas pedal when the light turns green. Oh, and girls LOVE Miatas. To me that sounds like a win-win.
Ah what a great comment, where to start... The strut tower bar fits fine, the tolerances are tight and I would love to see you bend it with your fingers. I removed 1 component to fit this, other than removing the stock strut bar to replace this one with. But I guess you're counting that too. It did occur to me to drive the car and provide a final verdict, but I really hoped someone would complain about not doing it, so I didn't - and here we are. The wheels are 17 inches, which are the same size as stock, they're wider too which is great for grip and the best part is they don't rub, poke, or contact anything inside the fender wells. The alignment is also set as close to stock as possible because I didn't feel like messing with that. If that's gussying up for show, feel free to go find the few track day and autocross videos with this car. I never said any of the modifications were investments either, you did. I'm not trying to show off to anyone, but apparently I am capable of really irritating you, a stranger, online, who came here giving unsolicited advise about a car they don't own, drive, or have even seen. I don't want to get rid of this car, I've had it for 8 years now. There's plenty of videos on my channel with everything I've done. I even make a video each year saying what I want to do. I'm not trolling you, you old guys love to spout off about how 'perfectly good' a stock NC Miata is. It's like you've never had any fun in your life. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk
Though I think it’s valid, I’m going to water down that original criticism. It’s a tough time to be young, and young guys need something to aspire to, even if it is somewhat of an illusion. You buy your gear second-hand, and the NC until recently has been quite a bargain, so it’s not like you mortgaged your first-born to buy a ZR1. In 2019 I purchased new my fourth MX-5, a bare-bones Sport model ND2 that few people know exist. From Craven, a good aftermarket outfit, I bought a clear acrylic wind deflector to replace that cheesy perforated plastic one behind the seats. And, I installed their red polyurethane door bushings because they claim their greater density over stock enhances chassis rigidity at the car’s weakest point. Does it? I can’t tell! As you probably know, the Club is a cookie-cutter wannabe, strictly for wankers. None of its fancy brand-name components are used by serious MX-5 racers because they do not stand up in that environment. With the thousands saved buying a Sport, you can get a top-quality coil over set built around the finest shocks I know of, Ohlins. A friend has an MX-5 identical to mine, and invested around $10 on premium aftermarket parts that stiffen the chassis and improve handling. (The ND2 engine requires no additional horsepower if piloted like a sports car.) Driving his MX-5 in hill country is a revelation. Turn-in is lightning fast and if you disconnect the TC, the car gently drifts all four tires around corners like Jim Clark did back in the 60s. When in England I got to drive a well-sorted Lotus Elan, and my friend’s ND2 would have wiped the floor with it - and with no engine mods to the Mazda! Even better, his car looks almost bog stock. The thing about sports cars is, they should not be judged by the same standards we apply to high-performance cars, because they have a different mission. While a Hellcat makes its owner feel like a badass, an MX-5 owner doesn’t give a damn what others think. To the enthusiast, the base Sport model is a blank canvas upon which he can build a car that is compatible with his idea of what performance is. Mazda deliver this car with the suspension softly tuned, because half the customer base buy it as a fashion accessory and never exceed the speed limit. Wisely, Mazda keeps this crowd happy because they buy fully optioned-up cars and, combined with the motorheads, purchase enough MX-5s every year that Mazda can develop and refine it. Mazda has not let us enthusiasts down in the process because, for example, its all-alloy, race-spec suspension is the perfect foundation for upgrading for track use. All the essentials are in place. Very few sports cars make money for their builders. Mazda beat ALL the manufacturers of legendary sports car brands by knowing its market, and somehow managing to keep both price and weight down. And it doesn’t hurt that a few years ago, Consumer Reports announced the ND had the lowest running costs of any car sold in the USA. A sports car! My friend’s optimized ND2 has no engine mods - the upcoming emissions regulations here in CA would require their removal to get the registration renewed. But more importantly, it doesn’t need them. You can’t really hot-rod this engine, because Mazda has already done that to achieve the ND2’s higher output. With a 13:1 compression ratio (even higher in Europe), installing aftermarket air management systems, incoming or outgoing, runs the risk of detonation. Even mid-range fuel can lacks sufficient octane to avoid detonation in an ND2 and the factory doesn’t recommend it. So while the Hellcat drivers consider my MX-5 to be a chick car, my stock ND2 is faster than the Series 2 XK-E I used to own. And the cool thing about my friend’s car with optimized stiffness and handling is that apart from sitting a little bit lower, it looks bog stock. Woe befall the Cayman driver who tries to stay with him on the interior roads between SF and Santa Cruz. I’m a boomer so drive at 7/10ths on the twisties, as opposed to the 8/10s velocity of my younger years. At 7/10ths the body roll isn’t an issue. After a couple more years on the stock components, I might upgrade to better shocks and anti-sway bars to optimize the handling. But in stock trim it delivers loads of driving enjoyment - even going to Safeway! This is because you have to be driving this car every minute. I feel sorry for the half-asleep commuters in their semi-self-driving cocoons. California is blessed with thousands of miles of two-lanes between the Central Valley and the coast, built by the Spanish, paved by the Americans, and replaced by the freeways, so they are mostly free from commuters and cops. On such a road, on a fine summer’s day, I’ll put my dog on the passenger seat (tethered so she doesn’t jump out), and practice my driving skills on these challenging, undulating roads. Not many people know it, but the ND2 has a true six-speed with no overdrive gears, by definition a close-ratio gearbox. Working with the broad 4000-7500 rpm power band, and with only 2340 pounds to manage, if the driver is up to the task, great satisfaction can be derived by driving smoothly and quickly in this environment, what the Brits call “motoring.” Braking at the right time, choosing the right line, using heel-and-toe shifting to avoid disrupting the rear end, all achieved in a single process, delivers a driving experience without equal, with safely and almost legal real-world speed. But it requires practice and skill, unlike flooring your Hellcat and letting the traction control manage wheel spin until you notice the red and blue flashing lights behind you.. And that is a sports car’s mission: to disappear under the driver so all those multitasking activities described above can be conducted without conscious thought; while at the same time, with the top down, the driver is placed WITHIN the local environment and is more aware of everything. Most people don’t know this, and for god’s sake don’t tell them, but the RF, its heavy steel targa top being the worst insult that could be applied to a lightweight car, was offered as a joke on the fashionistas and now the factory can’t build enough of them. But I love the slaves to fashion because they enable Mazda to continue building this great sports car, whereas Honda had to discontinue their excellent S2000 because there just aren’t enough motorheads left who appreciate the level of engagement - with the machine and the surroundings - that a top-down sports car can deliver better than any other vehicle type. Coming up to its fourth birthday, with 21 thousand miles on the clock, according to Edmunds I could sell my Sport for $900 more than I paid for it. But I wouldn’t think of selling it because there is no other car on the market that delivers such a sensory rush when following the contours of a back-country river road. That experience is my idea of performance, and driving a sports car as it was originally intended is a dying art. I have been lucky enough to live in the golden age of performance cars, and I expect my Sport will be my swan song. When that day comes, I’l go out happy.
John, I applaud you for writing that long of a response. I genuinely am not sure what you're talking about at this point, but I'm glad you love your car as much as you do.
@@ColoredinLight aye! Must be TH-cam messing with me. FYI, I might be somewhat critical of some of your mods but I deeply respect your work. I don’t know how you do it, the sheer amount of filming and editing commands respect. 👊 And don’t hesitate to throw me a rock if I’m an ass ;)
How do you shop for used stuff overseas, if ya don’t mind me askin?
I'm genuinely interested in hearing if it makes it feel any different to drive. Is the steering more responsive?
Good looking strut bar.
Possible solution for the garage. Id combine a portable AC unit, which i have and works wonders, along with possibly one of yhose garage door nets that vome down for shade but still allowing air flow. Id atart off with the portable AC unit though, made a big difference in my garage. Do a quick Google search to find the best size for your square footage.
Do you feel that this upgrade has created a better/quieter ride than keeping the plastic backing ? I’m curious to know if you put sound deadening on the wheel wells.
-a fellow lurker with a 2008 nc1 GT
LOL..I'm surprised it took you this long. I always assumed you had it changed. I'm on my 3rd one now...
Hey realize this is an old comment on this video - do you have any idea if this interferes with the OEM intake sound tube on the NC2/2.5? I see that you have yours removed... Photos on Rev9 demonstrate it in place, but someone on the forums says that it rubs and transmits an awful sound. Not ready to remove one of my favorite things about the car
I never had one to begin with so I'm not sure
I have the original MazdaSpeed strut brace which comes from factory I believe. Should I still look into upgrading? 🤔
My factory strut brace was not Mazdaspeed. If you have that, I would keep it because it's already an upgrade over stock and the cool factor.
whats the torque setting?
Flying Miata is coming out with a turbo kit soon 2024 for the🎉 NC!!
Seriously though, I highly recommend checking those torque specs. One of the strut tower bolts ripped right out with minimal effort 🤷🏻♂️
That's probably due to the coilovers
Surprisingly low torque needed
That aftermarket strut brace is a difficult install for no apparent reason, and it seems too skinny to provide the torsional rigidity required to stabilize even a lightweight car. If you had driven the car after the install and delivered a verdict on whether in any way it benefits handling, you’d be doing your readers a service.
But then, as a boomer who grew up driving my Dad’s Alfa Romeo and other cool cars, I quickly learned that driving a sports car fast enough to warrant a strut brace requires a lot of skill. But hell, most of the Zoomers I come across at the cars and coffee can’t even drive stick! To them, smooth and fast driving on twisty roads is not something they aspire to, because they’ve never driven with anybody who can pull it off.
So let’s be honest. Most of the add-ons people buy for their MX-5s are for show, not go. And because it can turn into a pissing contest pretty fast, the only winners are the parts manufacturers.
As a more efficient way of building up a fast MX-5, I recommend you save up for a year and buy an ND2, new or used. Ideally get the base Sport model, and save thousands over the Club. Put a couple grand you saved into genuine, proven handling and chassis stiffness improvements, and keep the car looking as stock as possible. The ND 2 does not need engine mods if you know how to get around corners at speed. As long as you don’t trash the suspension by lowering it too much, or fitting overly stiff springs, you will have in your possession a seriously fast sports car and better yet, a sleeper. And because it is a sports car rather than a performance car, you can improve your driving skills on curvy back roads with the top down and have a lot more fun than just mashing the gas pedal when the light turns green. Oh, and girls LOVE Miatas. To me that sounds like a win-win.
Ah what a great comment, where to start...
The strut tower bar fits fine, the tolerances are tight and I would love to see you bend it with your fingers.
I removed 1 component to fit this, other than removing the stock strut bar to replace this one with. But I guess you're counting that too.
It did occur to me to drive the car and provide a final verdict, but I really hoped someone would complain about not doing it, so I didn't - and here we are.
The wheels are 17 inches, which are the same size as stock, they're wider too which is great for grip and the best part is they don't rub, poke, or contact anything inside the fender wells. The alignment is also set as close to stock as possible because I didn't feel like messing with that. If that's gussying up for show, feel free to go find the few track day and autocross videos with this car.
I never said any of the modifications were investments either, you did. I'm not trying to show off to anyone, but apparently I am capable of really irritating you, a stranger, online, who came here giving unsolicited advise about a car they don't own, drive, or have even seen.
I don't want to get rid of this car, I've had it for 8 years now. There's plenty of videos on my channel with everything I've done. I even make a video each year saying what I want to do. I'm not trolling you, you old guys love to spout off about how 'perfectly good' a stock NC Miata is. It's like you've never had any fun in your life.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk
Though I think it’s valid, I’m going to water down that original criticism. It’s a tough time to be young, and young guys need something to aspire to, even if it is somewhat of an illusion. You buy your gear second-hand, and the NC until recently has been quite a bargain, so it’s not like you mortgaged your first-born to buy a ZR1.
In 2019 I purchased new my fourth MX-5, a bare-bones Sport model ND2 that few people know exist. From Craven, a good aftermarket outfit, I bought a clear acrylic wind deflector to replace that cheesy perforated plastic one behind the seats. And, I installed their red polyurethane door bushings because they claim their greater density over stock enhances chassis rigidity at the car’s weakest point. Does it? I can’t tell!
As you probably know, the Club is a cookie-cutter wannabe, strictly for wankers. None of its fancy brand-name components are used by serious MX-5 racers because they do not stand up in that environment. With the thousands saved buying a Sport, you can get a top-quality coil over set built around the finest shocks I know of, Ohlins. A friend has an MX-5 identical to mine, and invested around $10 on premium aftermarket parts that stiffen the chassis and improve handling. (The ND2 engine requires no additional horsepower if piloted like a sports car.) Driving his MX-5 in hill country is a revelation. Turn-in is lightning fast and if you disconnect the TC, the car gently drifts all four tires around corners like Jim Clark did back in the 60s. When in England I got to drive a well-sorted Lotus Elan, and my friend’s ND2 would have wiped the floor with it - and with no engine mods to the Mazda! Even better, his car looks almost bog stock.
The thing about sports cars is, they should not be judged by the same standards we apply to high-performance cars, because they have a different mission. While a Hellcat makes its owner feel like a badass, an MX-5 owner doesn’t give a damn what others think. To the enthusiast, the base Sport model is a blank canvas upon which he can build a car that is compatible with his idea of what performance is.
Mazda deliver this car with the suspension softly tuned, because half the customer base buy it as a fashion accessory and never exceed the speed limit. Wisely, Mazda keeps this crowd happy because they buy fully optioned-up cars and, combined with the motorheads, purchase enough MX-5s every year that Mazda can develop and refine it. Mazda has not let us enthusiasts down in the process because, for example, its all-alloy, race-spec suspension is the perfect foundation for upgrading for track use. All the essentials are in place.
Very few sports cars make money for their builders. Mazda beat ALL the manufacturers of legendary sports car brands by knowing its market, and somehow managing to keep both price and weight down. And it doesn’t hurt that a few years ago, Consumer Reports announced the ND had the lowest running costs of any car sold in the USA. A sports car!
My friend’s optimized ND2 has no engine mods - the upcoming emissions regulations here in CA would require their removal to get the registration renewed. But more importantly, it doesn’t need them. You can’t really hot-rod this engine, because Mazda has already done that to achieve the ND2’s higher output. With a 13:1 compression ratio (even higher in Europe), installing aftermarket air management systems, incoming or outgoing, runs the risk of detonation. Even mid-range fuel can lacks sufficient octane to avoid detonation in an ND2 and the factory doesn’t recommend it. So while the Hellcat drivers consider my MX-5 to be a chick car, my stock ND2 is faster than the Series 2 XK-E I used to own. And the cool thing about my friend’s car with optimized stiffness and handling is that apart from sitting a little bit lower, it looks bog stock. Woe befall the Cayman driver who tries to stay with him on the interior roads between SF and Santa Cruz.
I’m a boomer so drive at 7/10ths on the twisties, as opposed to the 8/10s velocity of my younger years. At 7/10ths the body roll isn’t an issue. After a couple more years on the stock components, I might upgrade to better shocks and anti-sway bars to optimize the handling. But in stock trim it delivers loads of driving enjoyment - even going to Safeway! This is because you have to be driving this car every minute. I feel sorry for the half-asleep commuters in their semi-self-driving cocoons.
California is blessed with thousands of miles of two-lanes between the Central Valley and the coast, built by the Spanish, paved by the Americans, and replaced by the freeways, so they are mostly free from commuters and cops. On such a road, on a fine summer’s day, I’ll put my dog on the passenger seat (tethered so she doesn’t jump out), and practice my driving skills on these challenging, undulating roads. Not many people know it, but the ND2 has a true six-speed with no overdrive gears, by definition a close-ratio gearbox. Working with the broad 4000-7500 rpm power band, and with only 2340 pounds to manage, if the driver is up to the task, great satisfaction can be derived by driving smoothly and quickly in this environment, what the Brits call “motoring.” Braking at the right time, choosing the right line, using heel-and-toe shifting to avoid disrupting the rear end, all achieved in a single process, delivers a driving experience without equal, with safely and almost legal real-world speed. But it requires practice and skill, unlike flooring your Hellcat and letting the traction control manage wheel spin until you notice the red and blue flashing lights behind you..
And that is a sports car’s mission: to disappear under the driver so all those multitasking activities described above can be conducted without conscious thought; while at the same time, with the top down, the driver is placed WITHIN the local environment and is more aware of everything.
Most people don’t know this, and for god’s sake don’t tell them, but the RF, its heavy steel targa top being the worst insult that could be applied to a lightweight car, was offered as a joke on the fashionistas and now the factory can’t build enough of them. But I love the slaves to fashion because they enable Mazda to continue building this great sports car, whereas Honda had to discontinue their excellent S2000 because there just aren’t enough motorheads left who appreciate the level of engagement - with the machine and the surroundings - that a top-down sports car can deliver better than any other vehicle type.
Coming up to its fourth birthday, with 21 thousand miles on the clock, according to Edmunds I could sell my Sport for $900 more than I paid for it. But I wouldn’t think of selling it because there is no other car on the market that delivers such a sensory rush when following the contours of a back-country river road. That experience is my idea of performance, and driving a sports car as it was originally intended is a dying art. I have been lucky enough to live in the golden age of performance cars, and I expect my Sport will be my swan song. When that day comes, I’l go out happy.
John, I applaud you for writing that long of a response. I genuinely am not sure what you're talking about at this point, but I'm glad you love your car as much as you do.
Not with me driving. @@michaelhoolahan5717
That makes two of us. @@ColoredinLight
Humm… somehow my comment was removed 🤔
Edit: don’t mind me, I’m being an ass ;)
I did not remove your comment about the 600 hp Miata not running a strut tower bar don't worry. Thank you for coming back and checking though.
@@ColoredinLight aye! Must be TH-cam messing with me. FYI, I might be somewhat critical of some of your mods but I deeply respect your work. I don’t know how you do it, the sheer amount of filming and editing commands respect. 👊
And don’t hesitate to throw me a rock if I’m an ass ;)
Useless! Take my money!
Ooh, you're in for it now! 1st the Moroso tank, then the huge cf wing and now this?! Unfollow! 🤬🤡🤣
It's all pointless, pointless to even subscribe.