Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter)
Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
8/15/21 9:10 p.m.

In reply to maschinenbau :

Does anyone offer a trunk rack for the ND like they had for NAs?

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
8/16/21 10:04 a.m.

I'm impressed the Fiat took that cooler. I don't think any generation of Miata would swallow it other than maybe the NC. The soft top ND has a different trunk lid but I don't think it would be enough to make a difference. The Fiat didn't need room for a folding hardtop roof, so they had some extra volume available and the tail is longer.

Time for a soft sided cooler :) I've always maintained that it works better to pack a Miata trunk directly instead of packing things and trying to put them in the trunk...

ShawneeCreek
ShawneeCreek HalfDork
8/16/21 10:21 a.m.
Keith Tanner said:

I've always maintained that it works better to pack a Miata trunk directly instead of packing things and trying to put them in the trunk...

Yeah, but it is really hard to carry the packed trunk into the hotel...

:)

Katya4me
Katya4me New Reader
8/16/21 10:34 a.m.

We prefer hard sided coolers and didn't have any that would fit the ND's trunk.  I ended up getting this one and really like it: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Coleman-48-Can-Party-Stacker-Cooler-Blue-3000005342/203321675  No wheels, but surprisingly roomy and definitely happy with the purchase. 

Also picked up a pair of collapsing camping chairs that would actually fit in the trunk with the cooler.

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
8/16/21 10:36 a.m.
ShawneeCreek said:
Keith Tanner said:

I've always maintained that it works better to pack a Miata trunk directly instead of packing things and trying to put them in the trunk...

Yeah, but it is really hard to carry the packed trunk into the hotel...

:)

Just grab what you need! Squishy soft sided bags are acceptable, but a quantity of smaller bags is easier to pack than two monolithic ones.

Ian F (Forum Supporter)
Ian F (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
8/16/21 11:27 a.m.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I've been using soft bags for luggage for awhile, but I'm coming from the MINI and Triumph worlds with similar packing challenges. I use a custom made bag my ex- used to sell that is designed to fit in one half of a R53 cargo area behind the rear seats.  As far as I know, my ex- still uses her ND as a fair weather DD.  She'll probably drive it on vacation to Watkins Glen in a couple of weeks. She is a wizard at packing light (even for 10 days), so the small trunk isn't too much of a big deal for her.

Wow that RF looks nice.  The dark blue with white interior looks amazing.  

rustomatic
rustomatic Reader
8/16/21 2:55 p.m.

Them seats are pretty kinky looking.  Perhaps locate matching shoes and belt.

maschinenbau
maschinenbau UltraDork
8/17/21 12:03 p.m.

First performance mod. They were only able to get 1.2 degrees camber, otherwise matching the Flyin Miata recommended numbers. Stock it came with zero front camber and you could tell. I did the same thing to my Fiata and it makes a big difference. First autocross Sunday. This will be the second car I've autocrossed with dealer tags this year...in the same class. 

maschinenbau
maschinenbau UltraDork
8/21/21 11:59 a.m.

Hit 1000 miles in the north Georgia mountains. This is what it's all about!

Even fjorded a creek. Thankful for that LSD and stock ride height!

Autocross tomorrow

ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter)
ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) HalfDork
8/21/21 6:21 p.m.

I know all those roads well except the creek crossing. Where was that?  Looks like a great day.  I usually try to get up to the Gaps early in the morning to beat the bikers and crowds. What part of ATL are you in?  I'm in Marietta, would love to come check this machine out sometime and sit in it to see if I fit. 

maschinenbau
maschinenbau UltraDork
8/22/21 9:34 a.m.

In reply to ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) :

I'm down in East Point. I was up there before 8, which was perfect timing. The fjord was Helton Creek falls, between Neels and Hogpen gaps.

You're welcome over anytime for a test fit/drive. I also autocross regularly if you want to co-drive sometime. 

maschinenbau
maschinenbau UltraDork
10/2/21 6:38 p.m.

I definitely don't fit as well in the Miata as I did in the Fiat, probably because RF top, so something had to be done. I splurged on the Aurora low profile seat mount, which although pricey as hell, keeps the forward-backward slider and is overall a very nicely made product. It's also a permanent mod, because you have to cut part of the Mazda bracketry. I was skeptical about the benefits, and leery about taking an angle grinder to a brand new car, but holy hell it makes a huge difference in comfort and forward visibility! Install was pretty difficult, especially with white leather seats and grubby hands.

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
10/2/21 6:43 p.m.

Interesting! I didn't know Moti had put those together. His stuff is never cheap but it's always well designed.

maschinenbau
maschinenbau UltraDork
10/2/21 7:08 p.m.

I actually ordered them a week or two after buying the car, but supplier issues delayed them over a month. I called up Aurora and Moti answered the phone and let me know about their struggles to get parts (lots of that going around). He seems like good people. Well worth the wait, but I'll admit that price was hard to swallow compared to the Paco kit. 

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
10/5/21 11:42 a.m.

That color is perfect. 

stanger_mussle
stanger_mussle UberDork
11/21/21 9:38 a.m.

In reply to maschinenbau :

Have you received the seat lowering brackets yet? I ordered just the driver's side like 3 weeks ago but I haven't received a shipping notification yet.

My buddy had an ND2 and used the Paco kit. It was nice but missed the adjustability of the stock rails. He said getting the rear seat bolts installed was nearly impossible.

maschinenbau
maschinenbau UltraDork
12/13/21 3:14 p.m.

First oil change today at 5,000 miles. $91 freaking dollars! Also first time ever paying someone to change my oil. I decided to let the dealership do the first few to establish a relationship (since I bought out of state) in case I need warranty work. Greasing the skids, so to say.

They also informed me there is an A/C hard line that is prone to cracking and letting all the cold out, for which Mazda is currently on revision C. They said mine was built with revision B, so watch out for that. I was already aware thanks to the Miata.net forums, and it's an easily accessible replace-and-recharge fix, so I'm not too worried. 

The car is pretty solid and I'm loving it! No plans to change or modify anything at this point. After selling the orange Saturn, I ended up withthe Advanti Storm S1 wheels that are perfect for C-Street autocross (same size and lug pattern by chance!) To be honest though, the Bilsteins ride pretty rough for daily-driving on rough urban streets that surround me. I sometimes consider swapping to the base model shocks, but that doesn't seem like a very Miata thing to do.

dannyp84
dannyp84 Reader
12/13/21 3:19 p.m.

You chose the best available color on the ND for sure, I sometimes consider selling the wagon to daily one of these..

z31maniac
z31maniac MegaDork
12/13/21 3:29 p.m.

In reply to maschinenbau :

Thanks for the update! The blue over white combo is just fantastic. 

I continue to refuse to go drive an ND2 because I fear I would buy one on the spot. I know Emilio from 949 said, "Don't go drive one unless you're prepared to buy one."

So I'm trying to prevent myself from having a 4th Miata.

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
12/13/21 3:34 p.m.

Man, I said that. But everyone keeps giving credit to Emilio :D

 

I might have been shopping black RFs over the weekend. Gonna wait for the price to settle a little first, though.

WonkoTheSane
WonkoTheSane UltraDork
12/13/21 7:44 p.m.

Yeah, I'm about 5k into ownership of my RF, and I gotta say it's the perfect commuter car.   The only mod I've done is the smart top control, which was totally worth it.  It's a perfect car for every situation, unless the situation calls for picking up more than one kid from dance class...

maschinenbau
maschinenbau UltraDork
2/25/22 10:37 a.m.

Can't believe I used to have these on an old Saturn challenge car. I love the look! Not just the wheels (I love silver wheels) but also the meatier tires. Autocross test-n-tune Saturday, so I'm going burn up what's left of these worn Rivals. The difference in turn-in and handling compared to stock tires is incredible. Stiffer sidewalls make a difference, also 225 vs 205 and 200tw vs 300tw.

6,300 happy miles

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
2/25/22 11:54 a.m.

Apologies for not going back to check this, but have you had this thing aligned?

maschinenbau
maschinenbau UltraDork
2/25/22 12:15 p.m.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Yes, I gave them your target specs but they could only get 1.2 camber all the way around while maxing caster. It made a big difference though, just like it did on the Fiata. Some of the wheels were slightly positive from the factory! Stock sport suspension (Bilsteins).

02Pilot
02Pilot UberDork
2/25/22 12:45 p.m.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Forgive my ignorance, but where might one find the specs you recommend? I haven't had mine aligned, but I figure it might be a good thing to do when I pull it out for the spring. I don't have any complaints about the current alignment, but then I have nothing to compare it to either.

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