Winter 2013/2014 Autocross Projects

Steven Carter · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2014 9:48 am

Andrew Jonell wrote:

ask me about still needing to blow a grand on a car that is valued at 1250 by Wake County

I'd call that maximizing your net-of-tax value:fun ratio.

Those brakes look great!

JamesMilko · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2014 9:59 am

Andrew's brakes:

My brakes:

JamesShort · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2014 10:03 am

Best picture evar!

Andrew Jonell · **Joined:** Mon Mar 23, 2009 6:43 pm **Posts:** 1350

RodneyWright wrote:

Impressive.... So can stop on a dime and leave change?

Going to brake at the turn-in marker on the front straight at VIR. I know it's completely overkill and it doesn't "pay off" until something like 20k in track weekend entry fees, but it's going to be a complete riot on the brake pedal and I won't have bad pad taper anymore.

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2014 12:27 pm

Got through some of the deferred maintenance on the new-to-me Miata yesterday.

- Oil and filter
- Spark plugs and wires
- Air filter
- Radiator
- Rad hoses
- Diff fluid

The plug wires were original to the car and fought me coming off the coil. The radiator hoses, also original, put up even more of a fight. I had to basically whittle them both off of the motor with a utility knife. Replaced the coolant with Zerex G-05. I figure if Mercedes says it's good, it's probably pretty good. But the main reason I used it is it's what I happened to have at the time.

I just ordered a set of the rubber shift boots for the trans, along with a replacement leather one for the interior to replace the sh!tty looking original one. This car's interior is too nice to be let down by a $50 thing with a hole in it.

Next is to get the Racing Beat front bar, and find some endlinks for it. 949 Racing's endlinks came highly recommended, but they're out of stock, so I'll have to get something else.

Jordan Normark · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2014 12:58 pm

Andrew Jonell wrote:

RodneyWright wrote:

Impressive.... So can stop on a dime and leave change?

Going to brake at the turn-in marker on the front straight at VIR. I know it's completely overkill and it doesn't "pay off" until something like 20k in track weekend entry fees, but it's going to be a complete riot on the brake pedal and I won't have bad pad taper anymore.

2 G deceleration is less expensive than 2 G acceleration...I am just thinking of what I would tell my wife

Cash Davidson · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2014 1:29 pm

Wow, Andrew! Sweet brakes - I'd love me some more pistons on mine.

My upgrade to Speed6 brakes was under $200 (calipers, brackets & rotors), but still only one piston. :cry:

Yeah, I've experienced pad taper. :thumbsdown:

Cash

Ryan Holton · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2014 1:29 pm

Andrew Jonell wrote:

RodneyWright wrote:

Impressive.... So can stop on a dime and leave change?

Going to brake at the turn-in marker on the front straight at VIR. I know it's completely overkill and it doesn't "pay off" until something like 20k in track weekend entry fees, but it's going to be a complete riot on the brake pedal and I won't have bad pad taper anymore.

Braking at the arrow RULES!!! Makes me miss my Miata :sing:

Andrew Jonell · **Joined:** Mon Mar 23, 2009 6:43 pm **Posts:** 1350

Karl Shultz wrote:

949 Racing's endlinks came highly recommended, but they're out of stock, so I'll have to get something else.

Great, another thing that I needed that is also out of stock, ughhhhh.

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2014 1:41 pm

Ryan Holton wrote:

Braking at the arrow RULES!!! Makes me miss my Miata :sing:

On stock brakes BTW.

I'm a big fan of BBKs, but on a stock 1.8L Miata seems to be a little over kill IMO.

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2014 1:44 pm

Andrew Jonell wrote:

Karl Shultz wrote:

949 Racing's endlinks came highly recommended, but they're out of stock, so I'll have to get something else.

Great, another thing that I needed that is also out of stock, ughhhhh.

Looks like it's a recurring theme, too. I spotted a couple of year old forum threads with people complaining about how they're out of stock. I gave up, and got the ball joint version of these:

http://www.flyinmiata.com/index.php?dep ... 20%20NA_FR

I considered making my own out of various spherical bearing pieces, and gave up on the idea. At a certain point I start to run out of patience for trying to cobble stuff together on my own, and I just want to spend the extra $20 and get something that works.

Also, those endlinks are cheaper on Flyin' Miata than they are straight from Racing Beat. Odd.

So today's damage includes:

- New rubber shift boots
- New leather shift boot
- RB front bar with reinforcement blocks
- RB balljoint endlinks
- Delrin window regulator pieces (my driver side window doesn't go down all the way)

I'm glad the car itself wasn't very expensive. I'm gonna end up close to $1000 into getting it right, probably closer to $1500 with tires and the eventual shocks.

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2014 1:47 pm

Cash Davidson wrote:

My upgrade to Speed6 brakes was under $200 (calipers, brackets & rotors), but still only one piston.

What I call 'pad taper' is not that Cash. You are bending the backing plates! I should know because I did just that on my OE Z-24 brakes on VIR-S. That's when I built my own BBK from a set of ZR-1 calipers and 13" rotors. Dual piston calipers solved the bending of the backing plates, but I still had pad taper due to the caliper flex, which I still have on the Mustang as well. A fixed (non-floating) caliper is the best way to solve pad taper.

Jordan Normark · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2014 2:15 pm

Karl Shultz wrote:

- RB front bar with reinforcement blocks

Which bar did you get? You may find with time that you will need to replace your front sway bar mounts. In my opinion, the blocks are a rather weak band aid fix to the flexy stock mounts. I built some mounts last year for my car, but unless you just like fabricating things, there are several bolt on replacements available.

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=13762&hilit=miata+sway+bar

Andrew Jonell · **Joined:** Mon Mar 23, 2009 6:43 pm **Posts:** 1350

It's completely overkill and definitely unnecessary. I could probably get away with 1.6L brakes, but half of the fun is doing ridiculous stuff and getting away with murder on the brake pedal.

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2014 3:29 pm

Jordan Normark wrote:

Karl Shultz wrote:

- RB front bar with reinforcement blocks

Which bar did you get? You may find with time that you will need to replace your front sway bar mounts. In my opinion, the blocks are a rather weak band aid fix to the flexy stock mounts. I built some mounts last year for my car, but unless you just like fabricating things, there are several bolt on replacements available.

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=13762&hilit=miata+sway+bar

1 1/8" hollow.

I looked at this stuff at one point:

http://www.iscracing.net/swaybar.html

But the instructions for mounting those brackets described things like removing material from a radiator mount, drilling out spot welds, that kind of thing. It didn't strike me as being very stock class legal.

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