Boys, you've done it all wrong. What this car needs is a supercharger that makes no boost, 600tw all-seasons, and suspension from a company called Pogo Stick. I called this "Ben Spec". When you get it all sorted, I'd be happy to provide my expert feedback.
@@MohamedAli965 my first ever “track day” my friend who is more serious about racing “sponsored” me aka he paid for everything I needed for me to be there even cut me a check for all tools and tires and fluids I brought to reimburse me. His face was priceless and pure regret when I turned up in my Volvo school bus a nearly stock at the time Volvo station wagon on all terrains and a sheered boot on axel flipping gear oil all over my inner rim. My pit neighbor was laughing because he brought a dumpster fire too. He was running a clapped out M3 with more oil on his engine than in his engine and a exhaust leak aimed right in the cabin with wayward suspension, so we were good company for each other xD. I think me and my pit neighbor had the most fun, we did it right.
@@jakethesnake1503 Knew a kid back when I was 15 who did his own brakes on his old Grand Prix (that looked like the old Cutlass) and the front left wheel came off in a residential area left hand turn. Car went nearly vertical when it rolled under the body. Scary part was that our first warning something was wrong was the noises a few minutes earlier on the freeway, doing 90 because it was a badass v8 and we were 15. lol. We walked the last few blocks to our buddies house, crashed out for a few hours, and put a new hub and wheel on it the next morning and drove it away. Well, my buddy drove away. I never rode in anything he owned or worked on ever again. :) I somehow put a motorcycle wheel spacer in backwards once and miraculously only destroyed a rim without killing my customer though. That was a sobering moment, now I don't even want to know how many tenths I waste rechecking things.
Look up the 65 mph shimmy. Most Miatas have it. Probably a tire balance or chassis stiffness issue. Also invest in a shifter rebuild with a copper bushing. It's cheap and makes a big difference.
My Miata does the 65 MPH shimmy even with roll bar and bracing if the wheels are not PERFECTLY balanced but I usually don’t feel it on track cus your not at 65 that much your either over it or under it
Spring rates, alignment, ride height, rake, damping, it all makes such a difference. Rebuild the gear stick mechanism - they are very positive and you should know and feel the changes. I'm glad you ditched the extension. If you want more fun go smaller less grippy tyres overall. I like faster on mine so I'm on 245 wide for the last 3 years. The problem with taking advice from everyone is its so mismatched. First thing you need is the more negative front camber. 100% do that. You were correct on that
The reason the front end is pushing mud corner is because when you lowered the car the anti roll bar on the front is seized in the rubber U mounts preventing the bar to rotate. So what is happening is the ARB is pushing down hard on the drop links all you need to do is with the car on the ramp slacken the U clamps and Wd40 in the rubber ARB MOUNTS. this will allow your ARB to move to the relaxed neutral position before tightening the U-clamps up.
How to make the car better: Step away from the car, read ANY of the hundreds and hundreds of documented track Miata builds that work. Print them all out, stick to a wall, throw a dart at it blindfolded, and copy whatever build it lands on. Interesting concept for a series, but the parts you chose in the year 2019 boggle the mind.
I just bought my first NB Miata 4 months ago. The modern recipe to make these cars handle has been out for at least 8 years. I've done some basic proper handling mods and it handles great. Do 20 hours of online research and it will handle 95% of where you want it the first time out. And STAY AWAY from the rear bar. Mine handles great with the stock 11mm rear bar!
@@johngorgis Not all NB's had the Torsen. The "NB2's" ditched the torsen somewhere around 03. The torsen was part of the popular equipment package with the power antenna and the Nardi wheel. I actually have been wondering if that car has the torsen or not because I don't know if the Canadian cars differed in options from the US cars. Also I believe the Torsen was brought back only for the Mazdaspeed cars.
You guys should really talk to Greg at TheCarPassion channel on TH-cam. He can give you guys unlimited amounts of making a Miata faster and functional upkeep in general.
No Grip who says he has to be a track wizard to help these guys make more power and possibly optimize the build? I think Greg would be an amazing addition for this build to add the power side of things, while DP & PT can focus on the track oriented things. I’m pretty sure with his help this thing would be a monster track car. Also don’t discount Greg, he might not be a track junkie but he has auto x and track events under his belt.
@@mrmidnight32 Oh yeah power for sure. But its a TH-camr challenge car, so I can't see them putting thousands into it, making parts harder to replace. I meant more knowledge about suspension tuning, brakes and pads, chassis development etc Actually I'd like to see Greg appear on here that would be good. Its only a small drive away haha
Couple of things that were missed, which are the baseline of Miata upgrade parts for many: Delrin door bushings! Without stiffened up doors, the chassis is basically just a flat sheet. The roll bar will have made the chassis stiffness weird and uneven without supporting stiffness mods. Flying Miata Butterfly Brace OR Jass performance rails to stiffen underneath. Ignore strut braces - they do very little for a Miata. Upgrade both sway bars, or neither. No "bigger is better" bullshit applied only to the rear. Reduce body roll with sway bars, not just with stiffer springs/dampening. Body roll helps create oversteer in a Miata, so dialing out roll too much in a miata kills the handling unless you compensate elsewhere. The Miata is low and light - body roll wont kill you. Torsen rear diff, lightweight flywheel, and a more aggressive diff ratio (4.3) allow you to downshift hard and fast into a corner, guaranteeing the torque for a high speed exit with oversteer. I noticed in this video that the gear selection in corners was not ideal for a miata, revs were getting too low.
why would removing a rear sway bar make it rotate more? if anything removing the rear sway bar will give you even more understeer. If you want the back end to come out you need to add rear stiffness. WHat you've said here is as mad as them suggesting letting air OUT the tyre would remove grip, when in fact it does quite the opposite. too much speculation and not enough proper knowledge on this comments section
Extended ball joints and check out the alignment setup from 949 Racing/supermiata. EDIT (watched through): yeah the front and rear should absolutely not be the same amount of camber. These cars need way more neg front camber to get the rear to rotate
The miata's powertrain is mounted into the car by the two motor mounts and two diff mounts, with a powerplant frame between the gearbox and diff. Loose rubber dampeners in the motor mounts and diff can cause everything to torque a little bit under high RPM conditions, which very often leads to a missed 4 to 5 shift (the shifter is sitting right in the end of the gearbox). Replacing motor mounts and maybe diff mounts will tighten all of that up and should prevent the transmission from twisting around and moving the gates on you. But first, rebuild that shifter!
Shift rebuild kit with brass bushings will tighten up the shifting a lot. I think Miatas are also known for a little shimmy around 60-70mph. Might try some more chassis stiffening like the FM braces + x brace and maybe some fender braces as well.
To put it simply: you're doing it wrong. The car setup is wrong, as we advised, and your driving style is wrong for a Miata. The Fortune Auto coilovers are junk. Should have went with Xidas or FOX, as recommended. Also the sway bars are rather bizarre; all the fast Miatas run a very similar sway bar setup for a reason. You do not want to trail brake a Miata! That means your chassis setup is wrong and you're bleeding speed during turn-in in a vain attempt to get the car to turn. You should be using the throttle to control rotation as you blitz the apex. Literally all of your speed comes from carrying as much speed as possible into the turn. You can not drive this all hamfisted and expect the motor to drag you out of the corners.
@@adamdrumonde1664 That doesn't mean they know how to drive every kind of car as fast as possible. I don't expect to hop out of my Miata into a Honda Challenge car or LMP1 car or Boss 302R Mustang and drive them all the same.
@@adamdrumonde1664 yeah I agree with quick Slovak a good driver can learn to drive a lot of cars fast but miatas need to carry their momentum. maybe they dont know *yet how to optimize driving a miata due to all of the other cars they drive.
That's why you run a stiff front sway bar with a stock rear sway so it doesn't understeer. Tightens up the steering and leaves the rear loose to do its thing so it rotates better... you got to drop those pressures way down stock cold for passenger is 29 I'm sure for a track you want it a lot lower cold.
Easiest way for camber is extended lower ball joints. And if the shifter is feeling sloppy, it's time for a rebuild. The miata shift is pretty dang good when the bushings aren't shot. oh and BTW, you need more V-tec!! hahahaha
Hi guys, I was commenting on your Facebook posts on this one too prior to this. Glad you're having fun! Definitely need more front camber. There are two cheap and easy ways to go about it: ISC delrin offset upper control arm bushings or extended lower ball joints (available from the usual Miata based vendors). I've ran both (not together, either will get you more than you need), but I recommend the extended lower ball joints as the offset bushings do eat into your tire clearance some. The numbers you were saying in the vid should be a great starting point (didn't mention toe, but I ran 1/16th out front and 1/16th in rear). If you want to tweak balance track side, I recommend playing with rear ride height next time. If she's a little 'dead', crank the rear up some. These things respond to rake settings very, very well. I was also a fat rear sway doubter, but... guess I'm wrong! I think the front camber should free her up for you.
PS: Some of the aftermarket front sway brackets with the poly bushings clamp too tightly and bind the bar. I placed a washer between the chassis and the bushings at the bracket bolts. Still holds it firmly enough and cuts that bind.
Miatas are super sensitive to wheel balance and alignment, I found mine doesn't shimmy with my hardtop on but with the top off it does a little. Also framerail reinforcement and bracing from Flyin Miata helped. Also people has had good results from just deleting the rear sway bar for the understeer issue. or upgrading the front sway bars with a Racing beat unit.
When I installed my roll bar my turn in changed dramatically; it went from neutral/slight oversteer to extreme understeer. Many people delete the rear sway all together. Frame reinforcements help a great deal e.g., Paco Motorsports and Garage Star make bolt on fender braces for cowl stiffening and Flyin Miata frame rails rock. Bolt in door bars add chassis stiffness too. Bauer lower ball joints like everyone else said for camber. Rebuild your shifter and put in Mazda comp motor mounts as a min. Most of this can be done inexpensively.
Disconnect the front sway bar, and test, if you need a bit more, stiffen up the rear a bit more, if your on coilovers, raise the rear ride height a tad
the 65mph shake is common on miatas, most likely a tire balance or chassis stiffness issue. you guys should probably invest in a Flyin' Miata butterfly brace, it help alot, to the point as that I can say with confidence that as soon as you back the car out of the bay you'll tell a difference in stiffness, as well as delrin door bushings, they're pretty cheap for a good amount of extra stiffness. Fender Braces would be nice, but it's a budget build, so I get it. A master cylinder brace wouldn't hurt either. Flyin' Miata also sells rear subframe braces as well but might not fit the exhaust. They sell sway bar mount braces as well. As for shifter feel, it should be very positive, not vague at all. You should probably rebuild the shifter at the very least, 5X sells a kit with a bronze bushing so I'd go with them, don't underestimate how much the inner boots help with shifter feel. if you want to have an extended shifter setup, you might have to look into the MiataRoadster shifter kits. they are about 4" over stock height and even are available angled, multiple finishes, and if you measure the throw from the 4" over stock position, it almost matches the stock shifter's throw from the stock position. you have so many parts installed on that car that are from brands I don't have experience with that I can't tell you if the parts you already have are flawed or not, so I can't help you there. the only criticism that I can give you is yet again the transmission oil. most miata guys in my area , including myself, swear by Ford Motorcraft MTF, stuff seems to be like magic for Miata transmissions. it's kinda like GM fluid with Honda transmissions.
Extended lower ball joints and lower car more for more camber, road force balance wheels for shimmy, shifter rebuild kit and motor mounts for shifting issues.
Get extended lower ball joints for the front lca’s . They are 65 dollars per control arm . They will give you all the front camber you need. You want at least .5 degrees more camber than the rear to get the mid corner rotation. Shaking might be undertorqued eccentric bolts which will move in big grip Miatas
well damn guys that sure came out quick, good meeting you 2, was good seeing behind the scenes and meeting you both! PT's last corner slide was fun to see live! thankfully he had a change of shorts! we were the drone guys parked beside ya :P Great video keep it up! local badasses
I have raced spec Miata for the last few years. You can get offset nylon bushings for the front upper control arms for more negative camber. I believe they are available from ISC. Also go lower for the ride height with appropriate bumpstops. This should get you to and beyond your target camber in the front. You are right you want about 3.5 - degrees of front camber. Also sway bars go a long way to balancing the car. Have fun!!!
Contact 5XRacing for the brass upgraded shifter boot rebuild kit. (Will need to swap that turret fluid out for fresh 75w90) . Also definitely purchase the extended lower ball joints. Play with the dampening on those coils to find the right rolling balance. Swap back to the oem sway bars for the next track day. -- that shake may be a motor mount or wheel bearing. Good luck guys. Loving the build!
change the rear tyres for street tyres, if you have the semi slick on front, with some extra camber it will turn and with the lack of rear grip - due to tyre setup it will be loose. I would stiffen up the front to medium not all the way soft.
The ND2 is a fantastic engine with a great chassis. If you want more power then BBR makes a NA 225 hp /185 lbtq @ 8k rpm option. If you want even more power there is a BBR turbo option at 250+hp / 200lbtq @ 7.8k rpm. Fox makes great coilovers and wildwood has a stage 2 upgrade kit for the breaks.
Taken from UK mk1 NA championship front runner. As much caster as possible -2.2 front camber -2 rear camber Slight toe out on the front. Increase front camber dependant on tyre grip levels.
You guys have the tire pressure adjustments backwards. Cornering force is proportional to pressure - you want less pressure in the rear for more oversteer. You can also add some spring to the rear end as well - 800lbs/500lbs is pretty good for a dual purpose track car.
Like everyone else on here. Extended ball joints will get you more negative camber. you can also do offset bushings. Motor mounts are super common issues, they're often the reason for missing 3rd on hard shifts. Stiff motor mounts and diff mounts will help with that. Stock shifter is great with new bushing. If you're extending it you should use a short shifter kit to keep the throw normal. BC's were my first coilovers with 10/8 springs and it was an oversteer MONSTER. Which was good training for me on how to keep the rear right on the edge. Its a much better balanced car now. Oh and gas pedal extension does wonders for heel toe. Thanks for all the great content!
Damper adjustment will only help with transitional balance. Steady state balance needs other things, rear toe and roll stiffness are way more effective ways to get your car balanced. So if sway bar adjustments are not enough you may need stiffer rear springs or softer front springs. Set your rear toe to 0.
Extended lower ball joints (ELBJs) in the front will give you all the camber you want. A little more forward rake will loosen up the back end as well. Time to start pulling weight out!
From a Fellow Canadian Miata racer: You need to minimize the caster prior to adjusting camber, also it looks like the ride height is very high. The lower the front suspension, the more camber you get w the double wishbone. Miatae ride heights are measured by the jacking point on the pinch welds. Around 4.25” front 4.5” rear is a good starting point. The rear bar is also too large as you already know. If you want to loosen or tighten up a miata you use the rear ride height
Check the header, some of the Raceland headers on Miatas will hit the steering shaft of vibrate on the transmission. Check your front sway bar. They have been known to bind and cause the bar to go to infinite rate, inducing push, most mid to corner exit. You can clearance the bushings a little, or add a washer between the mount and the bracket. With both end links off, the front bar should sag down on its own. I would bet that the bar is bound up.
60-65mph front end vibration is often caused by the front end of the chassis. Google miata "fender braces" They bolt up to the chassis behind the Fenders and reinforce the front end to the cockpit of the car. I have the exact miata as you guys and those braces fixed my shimmy issue
I have a helped build a few MX5's for track use in the past. I think my suggestions may help you. Just my opinion and we found it works. Everyone has their own ideas though ;) The engine, transmission and diff are connected to the chassis by only four points. Two on the engine and two on the Diff. There is a frame connecting the whole thing. Engine and gearbox mounts make a huge difference on an MX5. Shifting gears is difficult because at high revs the engine is twisted over so the gear (usually third gear) isn't where you left it. Making gear changes less accurate. Next, scuttle shake as it is known on an MX5. Best way to combat this is make the chassis more rigid (so we found anyway) We used Jass performance frame rails and Some Delrin door bushes.. Sounds crazy but the doors aid structural rigidity on an MX5. The door bushings really do help. Some models had more under chassis bracing than others (in the UK anyway). Just check what you have and see if you can add to it. Good luck!
Guys bofi gave you the door bars for a reason. The front shake affect can be eliminated by using these bars. Due to body flex gives you these sense of shaking. Just install them. Finally turbo that thing and change engine mounts for perfect shifts.
Do MAZDA competition motor mounts and poly diff bushings, if that doesn't help the vibrations its probably a bearing or ball joint. The "miata shimmy" is more when cruising. When I was NA I ran 1/8" rake to help create some oversteer and that was on 225/45 NT01s Then when I boosted it I removed the rear sway bar, and kept my Racing beat front sway.
Was going to suggest a little toe out in front to help with mid corner understeer. I second reaching out to Greg Peters from The Car Passion Channel about things to make the Miata more fun, very knowledgeable.
Both my mk1 and MK2 felt like it wobbled a little with the hardtop off and roof down, not sure if it was just in my head or not but having the hard top on gave me a lot more confidence ✌️
Holy crap that’s a lot of comments. Good luck sorting through all that, guys. I’ll throw in my .02, though. I used to auto x a Miata, never did open track though. I put on a big front bar and it killed the rotation, went back to stock bar and it worked awesome. I don’t know what spring rates you’re running but I’d run 800f/600r non progressive with the stock front bar. You can run a stiffer than stock rear bar, but it’ll snap around on you. Lower ball joints like everyone is saying for sure. If you have a huge front bar and tons of camber the bar will prevent the car from rolling over onto the tire for that mechanical grip you’re after. More camber, more front spring, less bar. She’ll rotate. Quick and easy test, just disconnect one end link and see what you think.
+1 on the extended ball joints.Think about greasing the front hubs with redline high temp wheel bearing grease. On gingerman, I overcooked my hub bearing and lost a few bearing balls causing a "duh duh duh duh" when that wheel was loaded. Lastly, Keep the same tires in front, but try a 205 in the rear? or try a full set of 205 Contis? Conti in rear and nanny kang in the front? Looking forward to the next video! nice job guys
The shake may be a wheel bearing. My Beetle has had recurring wheel bearing issues (for various reasons) and usually it manifests as a sort of shuffley vibration that comes on at higher speeds, and gets worse when the offending side is loaded.
With thick saw bars and good suspension (I mean not bling bling coilover) put around 1.5 camber in the front and max caster and stay close to 1.2 degree at the back. If the car corner flat it's useless to add crazy camber....
Big grip miatas are notorious for destroying front wheel bearings, not that you've done much hard driving yet, but just some food for thought, also, miatas like less rear camber, do that 👍
I would play with the ride height settings first before putting some money into it. Lowering the front should help you guys get more front camber, as well as more Rake would help the car oversteer a bit.
@speedacademy Yeah I am not a Miata expert but from what I remember on the old hot versions the tuners shops that brought Miata's would leave the stock rear sway bar to keep the rear end loose.
If you want a tail happy car then a stock powered mx5 on semi slicks isnt really going to cut it. It's a very forgiving chassis that won't bite you. Your best bet would be to change the tyres out to something less grippy. I run the NS2Rs as well and they are way more grippy than their price point would suggest. I suspect some of it is setup still, I am only on stock suspension and it will swing round if I provoke it. As you suggested, do try a full degree more camber upfront, that should make a big difference. Vibration is more than likely a bushing rather than a motor mount.
I had stock ARBs, Ohlins R&T, 1.5 in the front with plenty castor and 1.0 in the back, Michelin PS3 road tyres...under steer was literally never an issue. Maybe you’ve gone too far from stock too soon and now a bit lost with what to do?
I had a horrible vibration at semi to full speed on left-handers, came from the front right while turning left. Turned out o be the tire rubbing on the fender/chassis. My problem was a right rear shock that was blown caused the car to have extra body roll. Changed rear shocks and issue went away. Just my experience. Car is a NASA Spec Miata.
Check your wheel bearings for that shake. I'd recommend that you always keep a spare front wheel bearing for a track Miata, they tend to wear out rather quickly. For the understeer, you'll want to make things a bit more compliant with the front sway bar and shocks, may help with grip.
Also check all the suspension bolts. The lower ball joint bolts into the control arm, have seen those work loose and you don't notice until they're just about falling out.
What about chassis flex? I know nothing of Miata's, but as a soft top, do they suffer from a lack of chassis stiffness? Is it chassis flex causing the car to be to gripped up? Especially since your'e running on 200 tread wear tires as well. ( i didn't see if the car was lifting tires in the corners, did anyone else notice anything??) if so, could you use some more under body chassis bracing to stiffen the entire platform up, maybe that will give you what your'e looking for .
Shifter rebuild, biggest front bar you can find, completely lose the rear bar. Awr motor mounts!!! They make a HUGE difference. Poly bushings everywhere, delrin door bushings and delrin diff bushings.
My guess, return all setting to beginning of video. Then bring rear camber to 0*, front & rear toe to zero, front camber 2.5-3* and increase caster to 6-7*
It's all down to the tyres, I'd say. Also, I'd get shot off all that extra weight. Things like the doors cards, carpets, soft top, radio and speakers etc. I'd also put steel rims on. Just get that mass down as low as you can.
I feel... Like softener dampers in the front are a but of your problem. You can't expect it to over steer when you're allowing so much compression in the front end. You guys went for a FWD setup to get it to turn. Maybe should have stiffened the front end more and caused some corner entry oversteer. Just my two cents. This worked for me on mine. I run my fronts at 8/15 and rears at 6/15 dampers.
Guarantee that shimmy is due to an improper balance, and the understeer is due to the front sway bar still being connected (I assume, didn't hear in the video whether or not it's still there). Leave the rear sway bar alone, disconnect the front one and rebalance the tires to get rid of the shimmy and understeer.
Did your alignment eccentrics move? Are you sure the front frame rails aren't rotted? I think you're getting some cowl shake. If you want to remove the door panels (they only clear NA panels) I have door bars for it. They bolt into the floor and rear bulkhead like the rollbar does and you're more than welcome to borrow them for the build since I sold my car anyway.
The NS2R tyres are the cause of your shake/vibration problem - they are well known for terrible noise and vibration in the Miata community. It happens when the car is parked for a day or more and then you drive it, as if the tyres had flat spots - and it becomes alright after some time of driving. And this happens again and again each time the car is parked for some time and driven afterwards.
id say take camber out of the back to like 1° and go for the stock front arb or both stock arb's back in. my miata rotates fine with both stock arb's, 2° front and about 1° in the back on street tires.
Have you had a look at the length and stiffness of the bumpstops? It’s possible that the front bumpstops are long and progressive (relative to the rear) and forcing the understeer.
I think in the front if you max the caster in the alignment the front tends to dig the camber harder on turns, and gives a better on center feel. Just my 2 cents. Good Luck with the build !
Bring a piece of chalk with you next time. Put several lines over the edge of the tire (inside and out) so you can SEE if you need more or less camber and/or tire pressure. Don’t rely simply on feel
i always check the tire pressures first. that will give a vibration even if it's half a pound off. then check wheel balance, then shock adjustment. if you still have a vibration after all of that, something is worth and needs replacement. is there an adjustable rear sway bar option? that could add some oversteer
get 15's instead of 16's try getting much lighter rims.. check to see if it has an LSD.. for the vibration, check the engine mounts and bushings and perhaps recheck the front left rotor/pads to make sure they are secure, coz u reported vibration under braking?
R package tie rods, extended lower ball joints will get you more camber. Also look up offset bushing....lot of spec guys use that to get a lot more camber.
Boys, you've done it all wrong. What this car needs is a supercharger that makes no boost, 600tw all-seasons, and suspension from a company called Pogo Stick. I called this "Ben Spec". When you get it all sorted, I'd be happy to provide my expert feedback.
I second this. Took my 94R to autocross with worn out suspension and near balded generic all seasons and had a blast
10/10 would recommend
Why spend money.on a supercharger when you can get more power from a turbo for cheaper
@@MohamedAli965 my first ever “track day” my friend who is more serious about racing “sponsored” me aka he paid for everything I needed for me to be there even cut me a check for all tools and tires and fluids I brought to reimburse me.
His face was priceless and pure regret when I turned up in my Volvo school bus a nearly stock at the time Volvo station wagon on all terrains and a sheered boot on axel flipping gear oil all over my inner rim. My pit neighbor was laughing because he brought a dumpster fire too. He was running a clapped out M3 with more oil on his engine than in his engine and a exhaust leak aimed right in the cabin with wayward suspension, so we were good company for each other xD.
I think me and my pit neighbor had the most fun, we did it right.
@Pedka 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@Pedka Lmfao, mate shut up
I really laughed so hard when the dude went like "did you torque down the wheels?"
*Both stared at each other blanky*
"We go check...."
LOL
@sebastian Sm what?
Been there done that... Never happened again
@@jakethesnake1503 Knew a kid back when I was 15 who did his own brakes on his old Grand Prix (that looked like the old Cutlass) and the front left wheel came off in a residential area left hand turn. Car went nearly vertical when it rolled under the body. Scary part was that our first warning something was wrong was the noises a few minutes earlier on the freeway, doing 90 because it was a badass v8 and we were 15. lol. We walked the last few blocks to our buddies house, crashed out for a few hours, and put a new hub and wheel on it the next morning and drove it away. Well, my buddy drove away. I never rode in anything he owned or worked on ever again. :) I somehow put a motorcycle wheel spacer in backwards once and miraculously only destroyed a rim without killing my customer though. That was a sobering moment, now I don't even want to know how many tenths I waste rechecking things.
You guys made the ultimate mistake of modifying a car. You didn't drive it to find out what it needed first, you just built it.
Got 'em
Camhin1 did I make the ultimate mistake too? Lmao my car was only stock for 5 months before going a little wild
@@Iketanidoesit but you did drive it though.
Camhin1 nope. But Ive owned the car for 3yrs
Ok
You can get extended ball joints for the front arms.
Yes Bauer lower ball joints 100000% worth it for not a lot of money
A Miataroadster shifter as well would make it worlds better.
I second this. I used the Bauer extended ball joints sold by FM, 949, and the like. They give an additional -2* of camber thereabout.
This is the best mod I've ever done for my car.
Look up the 65 mph shimmy. Most Miatas have it. Probably a tire balance or chassis stiffness issue.
Also invest in a shifter rebuild with a copper bushing. It's cheap and makes a big difference.
TKHua my proper was well worn and I think lowering the car upset it. Tried adjusting the gearbox tail height if I remember right...didn’t help.
I think the shimmy should be kind of gone when you install a roll bar and side bars.
Can confirm, shifter rebuild is super bang for buck.
My Miata does the 65 MPH shimmy even with roll bar and bracing if the wheels are not PERFECTLY balanced but I usually don’t feel it on track cus your not at 65 that much your either over it or under it
My car has the 65 mph shimmy roll bar helped a lot but still there.. hoping frame rail braces and fender braces will help
Spring rates, alignment, ride height, rake, damping, it all makes such a difference. Rebuild the gear stick mechanism - they are very positive and you should know and feel the changes. I'm glad you ditched the extension.
If you want more fun go smaller less grippy tyres overall. I like faster on mine so I'm on 245 wide for the last 3 years.
The problem with taking advice from everyone is its so mismatched.
First thing you need is the more negative front camber. 100% do that. You were correct on that
Yeah for real. I'm thinking these guys seem more like the speed pupils here
This is so true. My car came alive getting the negative camber correct.
What do you recommend for camber on front and rear?
Shifter Must Haves:
MiataRoadster Shifter Kit + AMSOIL MTG - Manual Transmission Gear Lube (75w90 GL4)
Girz0r don’t even get me started on the importance of GL4 only!
The reason the front end is pushing mud corner is because when you lowered the car the anti roll bar on the front is seized in the rubber U mounts preventing the bar to rotate. So what is happening is the ARB is pushing down hard on the drop links all you need to do is with the car on the ramp slacken the U clamps and Wd40 in the rubber ARB MOUNTS. this will allow your ARB to move to the relaxed neutral position before tightening the U-clamps up.
Extended lower ball joints is the best bet for these cars.
How to make the car better: Step away from the car, read ANY of the hundreds and hundreds of documented track Miata builds that work. Print them all out, stick to a wall, throw a dart at it blindfolded, and copy whatever build it lands on. Interesting concept for a series, but the parts you chose in the year 2019 boggle the mind.
I just bought my first NB Miata 4 months ago. The modern recipe to make these cars handle has been out for at least 8 years. I've done some basic proper handling mods and it handles great. Do 20 hours of online research and it will handle 95% of where you want it the first time out. And STAY AWAY from the rear bar. Mine handles great with the stock 11mm rear bar!
1000% agree, for a "budget" build, they really went off the deep end in parts to only end up with mediocre build
Meh disagree. Sure that will get them there, but I'm more interested to see how they do by trying something different.
@@barrygreenaway158 Try bending one of the tines of your fork 90 degrees then eating a salad. That'll be different.
@@celicahalftrac My apologies. I forgot I was on TH-cam trying to have a sensible discussion.
Torsen diff, stiffen up rear dampers, 195/50 R15 tyres. Good luck, love this series!
All nbs came with torsen I believe
@@johngorgis not on NA and NB models I believe. Maybe on NBFL?
@@johngorgis Not all NB's had the Torsen. The "NB2's" ditched the torsen somewhere around 03. The torsen was part of the popular equipment package with the power antenna and the Nardi wheel. I actually have been wondering if that car has the torsen or not because I don't know if the Canadian cars differed in options from the US cars. Also I believe the Torsen was brought back only for the Mazdaspeed cars.
@@mrthesquid so does my 02 mx5 with the power atenna and nardi wheel have this diff?
You guys should really talk to Greg at TheCarPassion channel on TH-cam.
He can give you guys unlimited amounts of making a Miata faster and functional upkeep in general.
I love him, been a fan for years, but he doesn't know about track driving
@@NoGrip Ultimately you are correct, I think he is more of a car meet highway pull kind of guy. He used to do Auto X back in the day though.
No Grip who says he has to be a track wizard to help these guys make more power and possibly optimize the build?
I think Greg would be an amazing addition for this build to add the power side of things, while DP & PT can focus on the track oriented things. I’m pretty sure with his help this thing would be a monster track car.
Also don’t discount Greg, he might not be a track junkie but he has auto x and track events under his belt.
@@NippyMoto Yeah I liked those :) Hopefully we can see some Motorsport stuff again soon
@@mrmidnight32 Oh yeah power for sure. But its a TH-camr challenge car, so I can't see them putting thousands into it, making parts harder to replace.
I meant more knowledge about suspension tuning, brakes and pads, chassis development etc
Actually I'd like to see Greg appear on here that would be good. Its only a small drive away haha
Couple of things that were missed, which are the baseline of Miata upgrade parts for many:
Delrin door bushings! Without stiffened up doors, the chassis is basically just a flat sheet. The roll bar will have made the chassis stiffness weird and uneven without supporting stiffness mods.
Flying Miata Butterfly Brace OR Jass performance rails to stiffen underneath. Ignore strut braces - they do very little for a Miata.
Upgrade both sway bars, or neither. No "bigger is better" bullshit applied only to the rear.
Reduce body roll with sway bars, not just with stiffer springs/dampening. Body roll helps create oversteer in a Miata, so dialing out roll too much in a miata kills the handling unless you compensate elsewhere. The Miata is low and light - body roll wont kill you.
Torsen rear diff, lightweight flywheel, and a more aggressive diff ratio (4.3) allow you to downshift hard and fast into a corner, guaranteeing the torque for a high speed exit with oversteer. I noticed in this video that the gear selection in corners was not ideal for a miata, revs were getting too low.
Extended lower ball joints can give you 2.5 degrees more than max stock camber i believe
Switch to a 205 or 215 tire. Ditch that big rear sway bar. Get delrin door bushing's. Rebuild the shifter.
why would removing a rear sway bar make it rotate more? if anything removing the rear sway bar will give you even more understeer. If you want the back end to come out you need to add rear stiffness. WHat you've said here is as mad as them suggesting letting air OUT the tyre would remove grip, when in fact it does quite the opposite. too much speculation and not enough proper knowledge on this comments section
You guys might have bought an open diff miata. Look into getting a torsen LSD.
Extended ball joints and check out the alignment setup from 949 Racing/supermiata.
EDIT (watched through): yeah the front and rear should absolutely not be the same amount of camber. These cars need way more neg front camber to get the rear to rotate
The miata's powertrain is mounted into the car by the two motor mounts and two diff mounts, with a powerplant frame between the gearbox and diff. Loose rubber dampeners in the motor mounts and diff can cause everything to torque a little bit under high RPM conditions, which very often leads to a missed 4 to 5 shift (the shifter is sitting right in the end of the gearbox). Replacing motor mounts and maybe diff mounts will tighten all of that up and should prevent the transmission from twisting around and moving the gates on you. But first, rebuild that shifter!
Put an LS in it and induce oversteer with the throttle
That's what I want to do to mine.
Shift rebuild kit with brass bushings will tighten up the shifting a lot. I think Miatas are also known for a little shimmy around 60-70mph. Might try some more chassis stiffening like the FM braces + x brace and maybe some fender braces as well.
Any chance were gunna see more of the rx7 ? Kinda miss it was a great car. How's it faring?
Second this! Shame we don't see Ken (and his RX-7) as much as we used to since they moved from the old shop.
To put it simply: you're doing it wrong.
The car setup is wrong, as we advised, and your driving style is wrong for a Miata. The Fortune Auto coilovers are junk. Should have went with Xidas or FOX, as recommended. Also the sway bars are rather bizarre; all the fast Miatas run a very similar sway bar setup for a reason.
You do not want to trail brake a Miata! That means your chassis setup is wrong and you're bleeding speed during turn-in in a vain attempt to get the car to turn. You should be using the throttle to control rotation as you blitz the apex. Literally all of your speed comes from carrying as much speed as possible into the turn. You can not drive this all hamfisted and expect the motor to drag you out of the corners.
These guys have a lot of track experience and I feel like saying "you're just driving it wrong" to THEM really misses the mark.
@@adamdrumonde1664 That doesn't mean they know how to drive every kind of car as fast as possible. I don't expect to hop out of my Miata into a Honda Challenge car or LMP1 car or Boss 302R Mustang and drive them all the same.
@@adamdrumonde1664 yeah I agree with quick Slovak a good driver can learn to drive a lot of cars fast but miatas need to carry their momentum. maybe they dont know *yet how to optimize driving a miata due to all of the other cars they drive.
It's almost as if it was a shakedown run where they were tossing the car around to get a feel for it instead of them trying to set hot laps!
How can fortune auto coils be junk?
Are these guys not reading the Miata forums? Like 80% of the things they run into are addressed in the pinned threads on the front page.
That's why you run a stiff front sway bar with a stock rear sway so it doesn't understeer. Tightens up the steering and leaves the rear loose to do its thing so it rotates better... you got to drop those pressures way down stock cold for passenger is 29 I'm sure for a track you want it a lot lower cold.
Should've done the bushings, flying miata lower ball joints
Easiest way for camber is extended lower ball joints. And if the shifter is feeling sloppy, it's time for a rebuild. The miata shift is pretty dang good when the bushings aren't shot.
oh and BTW, you need more V-tec!! hahahaha
Hi guys, I was commenting on your Facebook posts on this one too prior to this. Glad you're having fun!
Definitely need more front camber. There are two cheap and easy ways to go about it: ISC delrin offset upper control arm bushings or extended lower ball joints (available from the usual Miata based vendors). I've ran both (not together, either will get you more than you need), but I recommend the extended lower ball joints as the offset bushings do eat into your tire clearance some. The numbers you were saying in the vid should be a great starting point (didn't mention toe, but I ran 1/16th out front and 1/16th in rear).
If you want to tweak balance track side, I recommend playing with rear ride height next time. If she's a little 'dead', crank the rear up some. These things respond to rake settings very, very well.
I was also a fat rear sway doubter, but... guess I'm wrong! I think the front camber should free her up for you.
PS: Some of the aftermarket front sway brackets with the poly bushings clamp too tightly and bind the bar. I placed a washer between the chassis and the bushings at the bracket bolts. Still holds it firmly enough and cuts that bind.
Miatas are super sensitive to wheel balance and alignment, I found mine doesn't shimmy with my hardtop on but with the top off it does a little. Also framerail reinforcement and bracing from Flyin Miata helped. Also people has had good results from just deleting the rear sway bar for the understeer issue. or upgrading the front sway bars with a Racing beat unit.
When I installed my roll bar my turn in changed dramatically; it went from neutral/slight oversteer to extreme understeer. Many people delete the rear sway all together. Frame reinforcements help a great deal e.g., Paco Motorsports and Garage Star make bolt on fender braces for cowl stiffening and Flyin Miata frame rails rock. Bolt in door bars add chassis stiffness too. Bauer lower ball joints like everyone else said for camber. Rebuild your shifter and put in Mazda comp motor mounts as a min. Most of this can be done inexpensively.
Disconnect the front sway bar, and test, if you need a bit more,
stiffen up the rear a bit more, if your on coilovers, raise the rear ride height a tad
the 65mph shake is common on miatas, most likely a tire balance or chassis stiffness issue. you guys should probably invest in a Flyin' Miata butterfly brace, it help alot, to the point as that I can say with confidence that as soon as you back the car out of the bay you'll tell a difference in stiffness, as well as delrin door bushings, they're pretty cheap for a good amount of extra stiffness. Fender Braces would be nice, but it's a budget build, so I get it. A master cylinder brace wouldn't hurt either. Flyin' Miata also sells rear subframe braces as well but might not fit the exhaust. They sell sway bar mount braces as well. As for shifter feel, it should be very positive, not vague at all. You should probably rebuild the shifter at the very least, 5X sells a kit with a bronze bushing so I'd go with them, don't underestimate how much the inner boots help with shifter feel. if you want to have an extended shifter setup, you might have to look into the MiataRoadster shifter kits. they are about 4" over stock height and even are available angled, multiple finishes, and if you measure the throw from the 4" over stock position, it almost matches the stock shifter's throw from the stock position. you have so many parts installed on that car that are from brands I don't have experience with that I can't tell you if the parts you already have are flawed or not, so I can't help you there. the only criticism that I can give you is yet again the transmission oil. most miata guys in my area , including myself, swear by Ford Motorcraft MTF, stuff seems to be like magic for Miata transmissions. it's kinda like GM fluid with Honda transmissions.
Extended lower ball joints and lower car more for more camber, road force balance wheels for shimmy, shifter rebuild kit and motor mounts for shifting issues.
Bauer extended lower ball joints is what you need for more camber. Check out Supermiata's alignment specs for great starting numbers.
Get extended lower ball joints for the front lca’s . They are 65 dollars per control arm . They will give you all the front camber you need. You want at least .5 degrees more camber than the rear to get the mid corner rotation. Shaking might be undertorqued eccentric bolts which will move in big grip Miatas
John Carson that’s what I thought too they were seized I bet the nuts are seized onto the bolts.
well damn guys that sure came out quick, good meeting you 2, was good seeing behind the scenes and meeting you both! PT's last corner slide was fun to see live! thankfully he had a change of shorts! we were the drone guys parked beside ya :P Great video keep it up! local badasses
I made it into a video, I'm famous!! Haha
These two are just as friendly and real in video as they are in person!
100% alignment. Mike Kojima would recommend 0 rear camber, 0 rear toe, for what you want.
I have raced spec Miata for the last few years. You can get offset nylon bushings for the front upper control arms for more negative camber. I believe they are available from ISC. Also go lower for the ride height with appropriate bumpstops. This should get you to and beyond your target camber in the front. You are right you want about 3.5 - degrees of front camber. Also sway bars go a long way to balancing the car. Have fun!!!
Feel free to follow us on Twitter @SparkleturdR (we also run the 24 Hours of Lemons)
Contact 5XRacing for the brass upgraded shifter boot rebuild kit. (Will need to swap that turret fluid out for fresh 75w90) . Also definitely purchase the extended lower ball joints. Play with the dampening on those coils to find the right rolling balance. Swap back to the oem sway bars for the next track day. -- that shake may be a motor mount or wheel bearing. Good luck guys. Loving the build!
change the rear tyres for street tyres, if you have the semi slick on front, with some extra camber it will turn and with the lack of rear grip - due to tyre setup it will be loose. I would stiffen up the front to medium not all the way soft.
The ND2 is a fantastic engine with a great chassis. If you want more power then BBR makes a NA 225 hp /185 lbtq @ 8k rpm option. If you want even more power there is a BBR turbo option at 250+hp / 200lbtq @ 7.8k rpm. Fox makes great coilovers and wildwood has a stage 2 upgrade kit for the breaks.
The front bar is NOT too big. KEEP THE FRONT BAR!!!! IT IS THE FRONT CAMBER that's the problem!!!
Big front sway bar. 949 racing alignment. No or stock rear sway bar. Sticky tires. Coilovers of choice.
Lower the car and you'll get more camber
Taken from UK mk1 NA championship front runner.
As much caster as possible
-2.2 front camber
-2 rear camber
Slight toe out on the front.
Increase front camber dependant on tyre grip levels.
You guys have the tire pressure adjustments backwards. Cornering force is proportional to pressure - you want less pressure in the rear for more oversteer. You can also add some spring to the rear end as well - 800lbs/500lbs is pretty good for a dual purpose track car.
Like everyone else on here. Extended ball joints will get you more negative camber. you can also do offset bushings. Motor mounts are super common issues, they're often the reason for missing 3rd on hard shifts. Stiff motor mounts and diff mounts will help with that. Stock shifter is great with new bushing. If you're extending it you should use a short shifter kit to keep the throw normal. BC's were my first coilovers with 10/8 springs and it was an oversteer MONSTER. Which was good training for me on how to keep the rear right on the edge. Its a much better balanced car now. Oh and gas pedal extension does wonders for heel toe. Thanks for all the great content!
Damper adjustment will only help with transitional balance. Steady state balance needs other things, rear toe and roll stiffness are way more effective ways to get your car balanced.
So if sway bar adjustments are not enough you may need stiffer rear springs or softer front springs. Set your rear toe to 0.
Extended lower ball joints (ELBJs) in the front will give you all the camber you want. A little more forward rake will loosen up the back end as well. Time to start pulling weight out!
From a Fellow Canadian Miata racer: You need to minimize the caster prior to adjusting camber, also it looks like the ride height is very high. The lower the front suspension, the more camber you get w the double wishbone. Miatae ride heights are measured by the jacking point on the pinch welds. Around 4.25” front 4.5” rear is a good starting point. The rear bar is also too large as you already know. If you want to loosen or tighten up a miata you use the rear ride height
Check the header, some of the Raceland headers on Miatas will hit the steering shaft of vibrate on the transmission.
Check your front sway bar. They have been known to bind and cause the bar to go to infinite rate, inducing push, most mid to corner exit. You can clearance the bushings a little, or add a washer between the mount and the bracket. With both end links off, the front bar should sag down on its own. I would bet that the bar is bound up.
60-65mph front end vibration is often caused by the front end of the chassis. Google miata "fender braces" They bolt up to the chassis behind the Fenders and reinforce the front end to the cockpit of the car. I have the exact miata as you guys and those braces fixed my shimmy issue
I have a helped build a few MX5's for track use in the past. I think my suggestions may help you. Just my opinion and we found it works. Everyone has their own ideas though ;)
The engine, transmission and diff are connected to the chassis by only four points. Two on the engine and two on the Diff. There is a frame connecting the whole thing. Engine and gearbox mounts make a huge difference on an MX5. Shifting gears is difficult because at high revs the engine is twisted over so the gear (usually third gear) isn't where you left it. Making gear changes less accurate.
Next, scuttle shake as it is known on an MX5. Best way to combat this is make the chassis more rigid (so we found anyway) We used Jass performance frame rails and Some Delrin door bushes.. Sounds crazy but the doors aid structural rigidity on an MX5. The door bushings really do help.
Some models had more under chassis bracing than others (in the UK anyway). Just check what you have and see if you can add to it.
Good luck!
$120 for extended lower balljoints. .25" rake, rear being higher. 949 racing track alignment specs are available on their website
Guys bofi gave you the door bars for a reason. The front shake affect can be eliminated by using these bars. Due to body flex gives you these sense of shaking. Just install them. Finally turbo that thing and change engine mounts for perfect shifts.
Do MAZDA competition motor mounts and poly diff bushings, if that doesn't help the vibrations its probably a bearing or ball joint. The "miata shimmy" is more when cruising.
When I was NA I ran 1/8" rake to help create some oversteer and that was on 225/45 NT01s
Then when I boosted it I removed the rear sway bar, and kept my Racing beat front sway.
Was going to suggest a little toe out in front to help with mid corner understeer.
I second reaching out to Greg Peters from The Car Passion Channel about things to make the Miata more fun, very knowledgeable.
It's a good idea, but they shouldn't be adjusting toe before they get their camber straightened out.
In our prod sports racing class we would fit offset bushings to the stock bottom arms to get the extra neg camber (around 3.5)
Both my mk1 and MK2 felt like it wobbled a little with the hardtop off and roof down, not sure if it was just in my head or not but having the hard top on gave me a lot more confidence ✌️
@sebastian Sm 🤣🤣🤣 each to their own mate
@sebastian Sm hard top bashing is for dicks
Holy crap that’s a lot of comments. Good luck sorting through all that, guys. I’ll throw in my .02, though.
I used to auto x a Miata, never did open track though. I put on a big front bar and it killed the rotation, went back to stock bar and it worked awesome. I don’t know what spring rates you’re running but I’d run 800f/600r non progressive with the stock front bar. You can run a stiffer than stock rear bar, but it’ll snap around on you. Lower ball joints like everyone is saying for sure. If you have a huge front bar and tons of camber the bar will prevent the car from rolling over onto the tire for that mechanical grip you’re after. More camber, more front spring, less bar. She’ll rotate. Quick and easy test, just disconnect one end link and see what you think.
+1 on the extended ball joints.Think about greasing the front hubs with redline high temp wheel bearing grease. On gingerman, I overcooked my hub bearing and lost a few bearing balls causing a "duh duh duh duh" when that wheel was loaded. Lastly, Keep the same tires in front, but try a 205 in the rear? or try a full set of 205 Contis? Conti in rear and nanny kang in the front? Looking forward to the next video! nice job guys
nanny kang sponsored the build so they have to run them.
The shake may be a wheel bearing. My Beetle has had recurring wheel bearing issues (for various reasons) and usually it manifests as a sort of shuffley vibration that comes on at higher speeds, and gets worse when the offending side is loaded.
Do really the Nankang want more camber? What would the spring rates front/rear be right now? I would suggest more spring in the rear.
With thick saw bars and good suspension (I mean not bling bling coilover) put around 1.5 camber in the front and max caster and stay close to 1.2 degree at the back. If the car corner flat it's useless to add crazy camber....
Miata's tend to have the early mid-corner push, more aggressive turn-in followed by getting on the power immediately helps.
Big grip miatas are notorious for destroying front wheel bearings, not that you've done much hard driving yet, but just some food for thought, also, miatas like less rear camber, do that 👍
More front negative, or less rear for sure. I agree
Should’ve tried disconnecting the sway bar. Most Time attack and auto x’ers don’t run one.
alxgalarza88 or run the stock bar with adjustable endlinks
I would play with the ride height settings first before putting some money into it. Lowering the front should help you guys get more front camber, as well as more Rake would help the car oversteer a bit.
Good suggestion here, Miatas respond well to a little rake
@speedacademy Yeah I am not a Miata expert but from what I remember on the old hot versions the tuners shops that brought Miata's would leave the stock rear sway bar to keep the rear end loose.
If you want a tail happy car then a stock powered mx5 on semi slicks isnt really going to cut it. It's a very forgiving chassis that won't bite you. Your best bet would be to change the tyres out to something less grippy. I run the NS2Rs as well and they are way more grippy than their price point would suggest. I suspect some of it is setup still, I am only on stock suspension and it will swing round if I provoke it. As you suggested, do try a full degree more camber upfront, that should make a big difference.
Vibration is more than likely a bushing rather than a motor mount.
I had stock ARBs, Ohlins R&T, 1.5 in the front with plenty castor and 1.0 in the back, Michelin PS3 road tyres...under steer was literally never an issue. Maybe you’ve gone too far from stock too soon and now a bit lost with what to do?
I had a horrible vibration at semi to full speed on left-handers, came from the front right while turning left. Turned out o be the tire rubbing on the fender/chassis. My problem was a right rear shock that was blown caused the car to have extra body roll. Changed rear shocks and issue went away. Just my experience. Car is a NASA Spec Miata.
Check your wheel bearings for that shake. I'd recommend that you always keep a spare front wheel bearing for a track Miata, they tend to wear out rather quickly. For the understeer, you'll want to make things a bit more compliant with the front sway bar and shocks, may help with grip.
Also check all the suspension bolts. The lower ball joint bolts into the control arm, have seen those work loose and you don't notice until they're just about falling out.
What about chassis flex?
I know nothing of Miata's, but as a soft top, do they suffer from a lack of chassis stiffness? Is it chassis flex causing the car to be to gripped up? Especially since your'e running on 200 tread wear tires as well. ( i didn't see if the car was lifting tires in the corners, did anyone else notice anything??)
if so, could you use some more under body chassis bracing to stiffen the entire platform up, maybe that will give you what your'e looking for .
it needs more power for those sticky tyres. just get a turbo conversion ffs
Shifter rebuild, biggest front bar you can find, completely lose the rear bar.
Awr motor mounts!!! They make a HUGE difference. Poly bushings everywhere, delrin door bushings and delrin diff bushings.
Why are people suggesting to get rid of the larger rear sway when it’s understeering?
My guess, return all setting to beginning of video. Then bring rear camber to 0*, front & rear toe to zero, front camber 2.5-3* and increase caster to 6-7*
It's all down to the tyres, I'd say. Also, I'd get shot off all that extra weight. Things like the doors cards, carpets, soft top, radio and speakers etc. I'd also put steel rims on. Just get that mass down as low as you can.
I feel... Like softener dampers in the front are a but of your problem. You can't expect it to over steer when you're allowing so much compression in the front end. You guys went for a FWD setup to get it to turn. Maybe should have stiffened the front end more and caused some corner entry oversteer. Just my two cents. This worked for me on mine. I run my fronts at 8/15 and rears at 6/15 dampers.
increase front track width relative to rear, increase caster with ball joints or offset hole control arm bushings
Guarantee that shimmy is due to an improper balance, and the understeer is due to the front sway bar still being connected (I assume, didn't hear in the video whether or not it's still there). Leave the rear sway bar alone, disconnect the front one and rebalance the tires to get rid of the shimmy and understeer.
Did your alignment eccentrics move? Are you sure the front frame rails aren't rotted? I think you're getting some cowl shake. If you want to remove the door panels (they only clear NA panels) I have door bars for it. They bolt into the floor and rear bulkhead like the rollbar does and you're more than welcome to borrow them for the build since I sold my car anyway.
good series! - what phone mounts are you using? - both the dash and fan mount. thanks!
I strongly suggest doing a shifter rebuild with a brass bushing that should help ALOT with the vague shifting feel
Second the elbj suggestion. The Miata needs more front camber for the track.
I think your rpm is too low in the corners. What if you kept it over 5500pm entering the corners?
The NS2R tyres are the cause of your shake/vibration problem - they are well known for terrible noise and vibration in the Miata community. It happens when the car is parked for a day or more and then you drive it, as if the tyres had flat spots - and it becomes alright after some time of driving. And this happens again and again each time the car is parked for some time and driven afterwards.
id say take camber out of the back to like 1° and go for the stock front arb or both stock arb's back in. my miata rotates fine with both stock arb's, 2° front and about 1° in the back on street tires.
Front track of a NB Miata is 1 inch less than the rear - Add 7mm 1/4 inch wheel spacers to both front wheels
Have you had a look at the length and stiffness of the bumpstops? It’s possible that the front bumpstops are long and progressive (relative to the rear) and forcing the understeer.
I think in the front if you max the caster in the alignment the front tends to dig the camber harder on turns, and gives a better on center feel. Just my 2 cents. Good Luck with the build !
Bring a piece of chalk with you next time. Put several lines over the edge of the tire (inside and out) so you can SEE if you need more or less camber and/or tire pressure. Don’t rely simply on feel
I feel this is a good idea ...
Take the front shock brace out. And it won’t push anyone. Also remove the rear sway bar help with rotation
Car sounds great fellas! Maybe the engine mounts were damaged when lifting the engine up to fit the headers?
i always check the tire pressures first. that will give a vibration even if it's half a pound off. then check wheel balance, then shock adjustment. if you still have a vibration after all of that, something is worth and needs replacement. is there an adjustable rear sway bar option? that could add some oversteer
Do you have some rake on the suspension ride height? Usually it's around 10-15mm front to back
get 15's instead of 16's try getting much lighter rims.. check to see if it has an LSD.. for the vibration, check the engine mounts and bushings and perhaps recheck the front left rotor/pads to make sure they are secure, coz u reported vibration under braking?
Do an icehawk or lanny alignment. Full specs can be found on miata.net . The car doesn't have enough camber up front or enough caster
R package tie rods, extended lower ball joints will get you more camber. Also look up offset bushing....lot of spec guys use that to get a lot more camber.
Need adjustable arms for better alignment. Vibrations. Check over all bushes, mounts and wheel bearings.
Sounds good tho