Civic Si ---> NA Miata Advice

[rmonheim]

Hi, my name is Ryan, I'm 18 and live southwest of denton. Right now I have an '07 Civic Si that I am making large payments for and paying high insurance on. I have recently gotten into autocross and would really like to do track days. I am unable to spend as much as I would like on my civic to make it more suitable, plus FWD economy car is not exactly perfect for the track. This has got me thinking that a NA Miata might be a good switch. It would be my DD, commuting 30-50 miles a day, and I would also track/AutoX it once or twice a month. I would be spending about 5-6k on the car, with a budget of around 3k to prep it. Anyways, I just wanted to introduce myself, and hopefully I will be able to make the switch soon. I wanted to ask what would be my best bet as far as track upgrades go? I was thinking new wheels and tires. What is the largest you can go before rolling fenders and such? Any good tire/wheel combos? Any other upgrades that would be good for the track? Just want some advice from people who know what they are talking about.

Also, I'm currently looking at a 1995 NA with 100k miles for 5 grand. Pretty dang good condition. Good deal?

[jrj512]

Welcome. I think you'll find the Miata a lot more fun to drive than the Honda.

Consider 15x8 wheels with 225mm tires. You don't need any more on a Miata unless you're adding forced induction.

A large front sway bar is almost a requirement. Stick with the stock rear bar. In fact, I rarely leave my stock rear bar connected for autocross and track days. Others might have different opinions on this.

The fender rolling will depend on how low you go with coilovers. Just get the tires and sway bar for now.

You might consider a rollbar.

[Rogue]

Just get a nice NA, add good tires/shocks and a Big Red sway.
Then seat time, seat time, seat time!

A great old wheel told me when I started, to run 1 season stock.
"If you can't drive it stock, you won't be able to drive it prepared.
He was spot on.

Lots of good cone dodgers on on here to help with advice, as long as you can deal with the corrective criticism.

[MadMonkey]

Where southwest of Denton? I'm hopefully moving back to Justin when I get home from here.

To echo what the others have said... run it stock for a while. I made the mistake of modding too much, too soon, without a plan in place or really even knowing what I wanted to do. I ended up with crappy coilovers and 17" wheels, a combination that threatened to jar my teeth out. Switched over to KYB AGX shocks and Tein springs, and Kosei K-1 wheels (15", I highly recommend them) and was infinitely more happy with the car. Big wheels just look wrong on a Miata anyway, and it's hard to find any lightweight ones.

Run it stock, and once you've improved yourself, you'll be able to tell what needs to be improved on the car.

[Strider]

Where southwest of Denton? I'm hopefully moving back to Justin when I get home from here.

To echo what the others have said... run it stock for a while. I made the mistake of modding too much, too soon, without a plan in place or really even knowing what I wanted to do. I ended up with crappy coilovers and 17" wheels, a combination that threatened to jar my teeth out. Switched over to KYB AGX shocks and Tein springs, and Kosei K-1 wheels (15", I highly recommend them) and was infinitely more happy with the car. Big wheels just look wrong on a Miata anyway, and it's hard to find any lightweight ones.

Run it stock, and once you've improved yourself, you'll be able to tell what needs to be improved on the car.

I like the way you did the racing stripe on your car. Looks good man

[ken o]

Welcome. I think you'll find the Miata a lot more fun to drive than the Honda.

Consider 15x8 wheels with 225mm tires. You don't need any more on a Miata unless you're adding forced induction.

A large front sway bar is almost a requirement. Stick with the stock rear bar. In fact, I rarely leave my stock rear bar connected for autocross and track days. Others might have different opinions on this.

The fender rolling will depend on how low you go with coilovers. Just get the tires and sway bar for now.

You might consider a rollbar.

This plus brake pads for the track. Save your mod money for track time, it is not cheap. Run every autocross you can and learn the car at the limit in a controlled environment. Ride with faster drivers and have them ride with you.

[MadMonkey]

I like the way you did the racing stripe on your car. Looks good man

Thanks

[rmonheim]

I live in Lantana, North of Flower Mound. Justin is pretty close. I test drove a '95 NA today after the BMW AutoX School and really liked it. I can probably talk the guy down to $4000, which I think is pretty good considering the condition. That would leave me with 4-5 grand as a spending budget. Off the bat, I think I'll just get tires (the current ones are like 640 tread wear!), maybe wheels to go with them, and then get used to that before doing sway bars, coilovers, etc. Thanks for all the input, hopefully I can make a deal soon!

[Sharpie]

Your Si isn't lowered and red with Enkei wheels is it, or maybe black with green wheels? I pass Lantana on my way to and from work at a mid school in FM.

[rmonheim]

Your Si isn't lowered and red with Enkei wheels is it, or maybe black with green wheels? I pass Lantana on my way to and from work at a mid school in FM.

Nope, It looks bone stock. Only has bolt-ons. On my test drive, I noticed that the shifter is stiffer when you push it right to get to 5 and R than it is to pull it towards you for 1 and 2. Is that normal? Also, it had what sounded like a squeaky belt. Is that anything to worry about with an NA? Also is there a way to tell if someone has done the Timing Belt/Water Pump?

[OZMDD]

It is probably long-overdue for a tranny fluid change, and the shifter bushings wear out too. Those are both easy/cheap fixes that make a big difference in the shifting feel.

A 95 NA is a very good car to start in. If it runs well, doesn't have big leaks (almost all of them leak from the CAS at some point) and has a good A/C, everything else is simple enough to update/repair/live with.

I wouldn't recommend sinking $4K into a 95 though. If your budget is really $8-10K, just buy a built-up car for that price or get an NC. You'll never recoup $8K from a modded NA.

Good luck, have fun!

[rmonheim]

It is probably long-overdue for a tranny fluid change, and the shifter bushings wear out too. Those are both easy/cheap fixes that make a big difference in the shifting feel.

A 95 NA is a very good car to start in. If it runs well, doesn't have big leaks (almost all of them leak from the CAS at some point) and has a good A/C, everything else is simple enough to update/repair/live with.

I wouldn't recommend sinking $4K into a 95 though. If your budget is really $8-10K, just buy a built-up car for that price or get an NC. You'll never recoup $8K from a modded NA.

Good luck, have fun!

Yeah, well I've actually lowered the mod budget a bit. I just going to buy a set of wheels/tires, and then fix whatever springs up. Maybe a new seat or something. No more than $2500 total. Another question, I am not sure if this car has an LSD. Would this make a difference on the Track/AutoX course? I am just wondering if an LSD could be a deal breaker.

[p4R4d0x]

^I actually like the seat in my '92. It sure doesn't look pretty, but it's pretty comfy.

[cone-cerned]

If the '95 has cruise control and power antenna, it had a torsen LSD from the factory. Good to have a torsen.

[rmonheim]

I don't think it had those 2 things, although I'm not sure. I am ready to make a move on the car, will the diff be important? It seems like the open diff would put you at a real disadvantage.

[cone-cerned]

Here is a .pdf that will help with features. http://www.miata.net/faq/Miata90-97A3.pdf

[rmonheim]

Yeah it doesn't have an LSD.

[Strider]

Even 4k seems like a lot to me for an 95. You can get an nb for about 5k with a bit over 100k miles on it if you look good enough

[OZMDD]

If it was an R package or M edition, the price would be ok, or if it had a hardtop. If the owner can show some proof of recent timing belt and water pump, it's only a little pricey. Torsen diffs are not that hard to swap in and within you mod budget. With none of the items mentioned, it's a little overpriced. You might end up dropping another $500+ in maintenance if it needs all the common items at 100k.

FYI - this is the most expensive time of year to buy a Miata.

[rmonheim]

So I've found a '94 on craigslist with some mods and it has cruise control, power antenna, 112k miles, asking 3800. I'm pretty sure it has the LSD. It has 16" XXR wheels, are those any good? link http://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/cto/2854654793.html