Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata

I thought I would post some facts about the new Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata for those of you who were interested.

The all-new Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata features 178 horsepower--36 more than its tamer sibling--to spur it through the quarter-mile in 15.2 seconds. The Mazdaspeed Miata has a factory developed turbo kit, unlike the Mazdaspeed Protege which is developed by Callaway. It also features a heavier-duty clutch and revised suspension compared to the MSP. It has 17-inch Toyo Proxes R28s, which are a little loud compared to MSP tires. We all know that the MSP has a 450-Watt Kenwood Stereo System, but the Mazdaspeed Miata features a 225-Watt Bose Stereo System with a CD-Changer. I will let you make the judgement on that. It also features a few of Mazdaspeed's signatures--an exhaust tip, a unique front air dam, Racing Hart wheels--to put the finishing touches on a desirable product. Probably the best overall feature is the price. The Mazdaspeed Miata with standard features costs $26,020. The Miata LS--with leather, but without the 6-speed transmission, turbocharger, or suspension upgrades--cost just $827 less or $25,193.

Vehicle Type: Rear-Wheel Drive
Estimated MSRP: $26,020
Engine
Type...............................turbocharged and intercooled inline-4, iron-block
and aluminum head
Displacement..............................................................112cu in, 1840cc
Maximum Boost..........................................................................7.3psi
Turbocharger.........................................................................IHI RHF5
Power (SAE net).....................................................178 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Torque (SAE net)..................................................166-lb-ft @ 4500 rpm

Drivetrain
Transmission................................................................6-speed manual
Final-drive ratio.........................................................4.10:1, limited slip

Dimensions
Lenght/Width/Height..................................................155.7/66.1/48.0 in
Curb Weight............................................................................2540 lb
Ground Clearance.......................................................................4.0 in
Fuel Capacity.........................................................................12.7 gal

C/D Test Results
0-60mph.................................................................................6.7 sec
0-100mph..............................................................................18.3 sec
Standing 1/4 mile.......................................................15.2 sec @ 91mph
Top Speed (redline limited)........................................................127 mph

Great info but tell me....how is a 6-speed transmission redline-limited at 127mph? I mean really, our crap high-revving 5th gear doesnt hit redline until above 135.

the miata is such a small car. no need for it to be going 135. it's made more for spirited driving rather than top speed.

yep, its redline limited... it's got a 4.10 rear, along with the tranny from teh Rx8 (which has a 9000rpm redline and 4.44s) and a redline of only 6500 compared to teh non-turbo miata with 7,000.

it's not a high speed car... life gets freaky feelin' above 100 in a 2500lb car with little aero anyway... (just ask anyone who owns a 1st gen Rx7)

Just enjoy it.. how many times do you need more than 127mph in the USA anyway??

I drove one today at mazda rev it up in Irvine CA. It was the first turbo car I have ever driven. It was cool, but it had quite a bit of turbo lag. In high rpms, it pulls hard, and because it is rwd, it has no torque steer (awesome) . The suspension is incredible, no body roll and it seemed that no matter how hard I pushed it, the tires would not lose grip. I personally would never buy one, but it was pretty dope. I chose it over the rx-8. I waited in line for 45 min. and the rx-8 was almost twice that. I cannot wait to se what ms does with the 3.

hey i live in irvine! haha... still hoping to get a miata~ i love that car~

hitting 115 w/ the top down is pretty fun, but very scary...i'm hoping that mazda rev it up in san diego will be good. i wanna drive the MSM and see how it feels...probably a lot tighter and solid than my '91

I'm confused...Road & Track says boost is 7.5 psi & the Mazda site says 8.5.

Their site also says their Racing Harts are lightweight. I've never seen anyone who knew the weight of ours, but I weighed mine with the tire & it was 44lbs. :wtf:

rx7gslse said:

yep, its redline limited... it's got a 4.10 rear, along with the tranny from teh Rx8 (which has a 9000rpm redline and 4.44s) and a redline of only 6500 compared to teh non-turbo miata with 7,000.

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I did not know that...

it's not a high speed car... life gets freaky feelin' above 100 in a 2500lb car with little aero anyway... (just ask anyone who owns a 1st gen Rx7)

Just enjoy it.. how many times do you need more than 127mph in the USA anyway??

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Preach on brotha!!

miatadrftr27 said:

still hoping to get a miata~ i love that car~

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You can do it!! Make it happen man, you won't regret it!

It's funny, yesterday a guy at a gas station approached me looking all glossy eyed at the miata asking me how I like it. Of course I gave him an earfull about how great the car is. He listened very intently.

I asked him if he was going to get one and recommended a local Mazda dealer. He said he will more than likely get one, but that the only thing holding him back was his wife. I said "Oh really? What does she say?" I was shocked when he said she made fun of the miata calling it an "old man's" car and said he should get a 350Z!!!

He said he just isn't interested in any other car except the miata, not even more powerful cars like the Z or a vette, ect. I straight up told him to not blink an eye and go spend his hard earned money on what HE wants.

ahhh....Mazda luv...

Black Majik MSP said:

I'm confused...Road & Track says boost is 7.5 psi & the Mazda site says 8.5.

Their site also says their Racing Harts are lightweight. I've never seen anyone who knew the weight of ours, but I weighed mine with the tire & it was 44lbs. :wtf:

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they updated the specs... Originally it was to have 7.25psi, but they changed it last minutes so it's actually 8.5

Still wiating to hear what the wheels weigh.. the MSP's are on teh order of 23lbs. (boom04)

8.5 on a non-ball-bearing center section. that's why it's 8.5. 7.25 was on the ball-bearing turbo

Its too bad they ditched the ball bearing turbo. Lag on a low boost turbo these days is kind of rediculous. Anybody know how big that turbo is? Is there at least a decent amount of headroom?

And for the record, with a little suspension work, my Mia sits very nicely at 118mph with the top down

Miatas are fun.(drive)
turbo Miatas are funner!(rockon)
i had a blast in my '96. I had Eibachs and the car loved the curves even at higher speeds. In my more retarded days I have done 120 down BeeCaves Rd. west of 360. Car felt "sorta" stable, I think I actually should have died.(braindead

OK, here comes my review:
I test drove a MSM today, although it was wet outside so I will not comment on how it handles.
First off, I drive a MSP, and running at 8.5psi, full exhaust with no cats, FMIC and intake.
At the dealership i had to look at the exhaust tip, since it barely had any miles on it. IT WAS BLACK, like my msp's, so not sure about mazda fixing the rich issue.

I was not impressed with the power at all. When i first take off, i automatically realize that i have to apply more gas then in my MSP, probably cause it's just not as sensitive. So I take it around a block slowly at first, seeing how quite it was. Beign a new car it was about the same DB's as my MSP. Not sure about freeway though.
Noticed some stumbling on accelaration when apply gas too quickly. Kind of like MSP, but not as bad. It might have been that it was bad gas or something.
Finally i hit about 30mph and let it loose, to my surprise it was barely anything, no sudden surge of power, and it felt like NA. I did notice that switching gears in that 6-speed is much easier, but you have to do it way too often.
Also, for some reason there's some kind of extra power at about 5k-6krpm.
I let it loose through 2-4 gears and it didn't feel faster then my MSP at all.

But good things I've noticed about the MSM is that it was built to be upgraged. Like FMIC, could be easily replaced with larger less embarassing one. Don't even need to replace piping, just cut some off the stock ones.
Also, piping looks strong, and ofcourse the bypass valve looks like it could be easily replaced.

Finally, got back to the dealership, got in my car slowly drove out, waited for my valves to stop ticking, hit the high button on my profec, and whoooosh.
That's what I'm talking about.
That's about it.

BTW, dealer wanted 32k, I told him 26k and he laughed. So 27k is doable. Still not worth it in my opinion. 12k more for less car then MSP is just not worth it to me.

Vik

jared said:

Miatas are fun.(drive)
turbo Miatas are funner!(rockon)
i had a blast in my '96. I had Eibachs and the car loved the curves even at higher speeds. In my more retarded days I have done 120 down BeeCaves Rd. west of 360. Car felt "sorta" stable, I think I actually should have died.(braindead

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(lol2)
you're crazy Jared.

jared said:

Miatas are fun.(drive)
turbo Miatas are funner!(rockon)
i had a blast in my '96. I had Eibachs and the car loved the curves even at higher speeds. In my more retarded days I have done 120 down BeeCaves Rd. west of 360. Car felt "sorta" stable, I think I actually should have died.(braindead

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WOW, I used to live there for 14 years. I miss Austin.

Black Majik MSP said:

WOW, I used to live there for 14 years. I miss Austin.

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Ditto. I lived there for 27 years of my life. At least I am close enough to visit often (Lubbock is a 6 hour drive). I would love to live in Florida!

I moved to Austin from Houston about 4 years ago and absolutely love it. The roads here are amazing! The drivers on the other hand leave something to be desired. I had no idea hippies drove so slow (stoned)

if he wants 32k he is hunting for a very rare breed of idiot