How NOT to ruin your Street Miata! - 4K! - FM Live 3-21-24 

"Playful on the street with slip angles while being responsible citizen" cracked me up 😂

This is one of the best videos that FM has produced, but for those who do not have the hour to go through it, here are the key points that Keith covered: General Tuning Advice: - Avoid extreme modifications that compromise daily usability. - Balance performance enhancements with street comfort and safety. - Consider the full range of use, from daily driving to occasional track days. - Make modification decisions with a full understanding of their impact. Tires and Wheels: - Choose tire size and aggressiveness suitable for both performance and daily driving to avoid issues like tramlining. - Be mindful of wheel offset and width; excessive changes can affect handling and comfort. - Consider the impact of tire choices on aesthetics and performance. Suspension: - Select suspension modifications that improve handling without sacrificing ride quality. - Avoid lowering the car to the point where suspension travel is overly restricted. - Use quality components to maintain or improve ride comfort and handling. Interior: - Modify the interior to enhance comfort and usability without detracting from the car's practical aspects. - Consider the impact of modifications like seat changes, steering wheel replacements, and removal of comfort features on daily drivability. Engine and Performance: - Be cautious with aftermarket ECUs and tunes; prioritize drivability and emissions compliance. - Consider the real-world implications of power increases, such as fuel type availability and the impact on drivability. Brakes: - Upgrade brakes with a focus on improving performance without introducing discomfort or noise issues. - Choose brake pads that offer a good balance between performance and street usability. Engine and Differential Mounts: - Assess the trade-offs of stiffer mounts, such as increased vibration and noise, against performance benefits. - Opt for mounts that offer improved performance without significantly detracting from comfort. Aerodynamics and Body: - Consider the practical implications of aerodynamic modifications, such as ground clearance and daily usability. - Use aerodynamic enhancements that improve performance without creating issues in normal driving conditions. Weight Reduction: - Pursue weight reduction strategies that do not compromise the vehicle's comfort or safety features. - Balance the desire for weight savings with the need to maintain a comfortable and practical interior environment. Exhaust: - Choose exhaust modifications that enhance sound and performance without excessive noise that can detract from daily drivability. - Consider the impact of exhaust modifications on neighborhood relations and long-distance comfort. Overall: - Prioritize a balanced approach to modifications, enhancing performance while keeping qualities as a fun, reliable daily driver. - Regularly reassess modifications to ensure they continue to meet your needs as your use of the car evolves.

I got this advice when I was younger but it fell on deaf ears. Now I know how true it was.

18 years of "enhancing" NBs trying thinking I was gradually creating the perfect dual use road and track car. Then the current car died and I bought a standard NBFL. What a nice car to drive on the road. And enough for the track.

There’s some SERIOUSLY great advice in here, for real; young people should take so much note of what has been said here. I learned exactly all of what has been said here by doing it the wrong way first and learning how bad ‘race car’ is on the road and then you really do stop wanting to use it and drive it because it’s uncomfortable and miserable as you’ve actually ruined it. Best Miata now is factory car with light mods; some uprated ARBs and sports springs with good tyres can be perfect road Miata. ND2 with the BBR 220bhp kit; cam upgrade, exhaust manifold upgrade & remap (FLying Miata sure do something similar) = Perfect do everything Miata. Drive daily, drive at weekend, drive across country, carve the canyon and country road, and drive on track lap after lap (add some good pads and braided lines). It will EXCEL at all those things like a normal Miata but turned up to 11 yet no compromise made to daily use ability and comfort so you will LOVE it and always want to drive it for any and every trip 👌

So glad you mentioned in the comments of the livestream that you were gonna upload the same video in landscape, I really didn't wanna watch an hour long unstabilized portait video on my TV, but I was excited about this video

Props to you guys for re shooting this video, Great content as always !

It's definitely good advice to be careful to not go too far on a street car. I had a front wheel drive car years ago that I wanted to get more direct acceleration from (it was an automatic, so kind of just making up for that somewhat, in my mind). I put in solid engine mounts. The car shook so much that when I had the steering wheel at certain angles at red lights, the keys would actually jingle if I didn't put it in neutral. It was funny at first, but after a few weeks it was pretty tiring to drive like that. At first, my wife thought maybe it was tiring because maybe I overdid the suspension, but just reverting to stock engine mounts just before selling the car, the ride quality was improved considerably to where the aftermarket suspension was totally not a concern. Wish I'd reverted the mounts sooner. But sunk cost fallacy had me thinking it would be a waste.

Recently got my first Miata! 1993 and rust-free, but I am now working on getting it even cleaner. Currently trying to make it look as if it just came out the factory. These videos are amazing. It's great to see so much new content about a 30 year old car.

The alignment specs you have on the site are great. We set everything to those specs as close as we could before my first track day and the car had so much to offer while cornering and under throttle and brake even while stock.

Great overview that applies to most cars and why we need to keep trade offs in kind when modding our daily driver. Years ago it was not a pleasant surprise to find out how my rear toe out for autocross made a rainy drive to the airport memorable for all the wrong reasons.

29:05 “It looks like it’s cold outside.” 😂😂👊🏽

Always love these types of videos. Thanks Keith and Flyin Miata.

Great content Keith, thank you.

Always appreciate these long format videos, thanks for all of the knowledge guys!

good stuff, thanks for putting this together!

Absolutely fantastic commentary! I've done the trackday street car build route on a 944 turbo and I found myself driving it less amd less on the street 😢

A great video. It made me more comfortable with keeping my 1994 NA stock when it came to replacing the shocks, etc. It is important to understand the tradeoffs.

Literally perfectly timed video for me.

One of the best investments ive made when changing the exhaust was getting a good quality slip in baffle for long trips/early mornings the poor mans active exhaust

Hi all! Thanks for sharing all this info! I'm on ITBs stock exhaust, and sometimes its a little bit hard the long trip on highway, but it becomes wow in twisty roads, tried hard engine mounts, waste of money(too many vibrations everywere everytime) take the OEM and a external absorber, like a ministrut! Poly bushings are great, on diff as well! ecu...speeduino (buy something else if you feel the need of tune) is too simple and sometimes becomes frustrating because on tunerstudio you could have so many things to tune. Lower eibach prokit, and tein with adjustable dumper, love them(because never tried something else) lowness is not a big problem. no power stearing, meeeh you feel everything and I mean everithing, buuuut the downside is that you will have a heavyer steering wheel, always! Zoom Zoom

Thanks for another Outstanding video! Brake dust shield delete??? Best Always, Chris Zinn

*TEIN EDFC 12K/8K *Header back, no cats, tuned *Full Aero(pic not up to date) *One piece Bride seat *Fully braced, caged. Still drive it every day at 40, love every minute of it. Would love to sit down at MATG over dinner and discuss all this at length.

First Miata, I made all the mistakes loud exhaust and a ridiculous suspension with high spring rates, I also had a lot of fun. Second Miata, only touched what needed touching and didn’t go too far (and went too far for most people) but it’s fast and still nice. 2002 SE voodoo2

The Recaros in my '21 Club daily driver are great...except when I can't move my back around on a long trip. I don't mind going grocery shopping in my Miata, but I don't have kids in the house anymore so the groceries fit just fine. I do run RT660s in a 225 on the street, but I have a truck to drive in bad weather. I didn't lower mine as it is a daily driver. I haven't tracked or autocrossed this car as I don't trust the longevity of the transmission. I feel the ND is the best Miata Mazda has made for the driving experience, but at the same time it makes me not want to buy another Miata. I say that as I just had to have my soft top replaced at 20k miles under warranty as it was literally falling apart. All of the transmission problems may be overblown, but they affect the way I use the car. The trim pieces flying off the windshield even when people have not had their windshield replaced. The fragility of the finish on the Recaro's, the steering wheel, and the trim around the windows on my car. This is my 4th Miata over 25 years starting in 1997....and sadly probably my last Miata.

I love My 2004 Miata and the most needed option was my hard Dog M2 sport roll bar. It can save your life , I'm 5'7 and my head is below the top of my seats so i don't worry about hitting my head on the bar.

Flying Miata will definitely get my money if I ever modify my ND, honest suggestions that arent barely hidden sales pitches are so very very appreciated from an aftermarket parts producer. Around the 38min mark, does the blue ND, great color by the way, I had a 3 hatch in that color, have a nail/screw in the tire? If so I hope it got spotted before the owner drove home after the shoot.

I kind of like that Grey ND. I was thinking getting an ND but will be used as a daily and the occasional track. Appreciate this video

Is fox compatible with Stance universal air cup kits? Appreciate you sharing your thoughts, experience, knowledge, Boss Tanner. Stay safe stay blessed, y'all ❤

I remember from another video the NC has a rear shock top that allows more travel. Is there any way to do something like that for the NB? I already have the koni's about 3/4 turn from soft in the rear & sways full stiff to save my fillings.

What do you think about lightened flywheel on street cars? I guess the tradeoff is between quicker revs and higher idle speed?

I want to get a lightweight aftermarket muffler but most leave a void which people claim acts like a parachute and/or creates instability even at highway speeds. There’s the diffuser solution, but then it’s adding back weight and potential complexity. Thoughts?

Re: can't have brakes too big- there's a point though, where your brakes are oversized for the stock sized bore of the master cylinder. I've not seen a replacement master cylinder available from anyone that sells a BBK (mostly looking at NCs) and I'm hesitant to upsize if I'll just get a mushy pedal.

I think performance wise I'm just doing oil catch can now since I'm dailying and trip driving this 2023 ND GT.

Helpful stuff. It would be amazing if you guys could start adding chapters to your videos. The FM Live videos are great, but they are also very long and cover a lot of topics. I often avoid them because I know it will take too long to find the info I'm looking for. Adding chapters would increase the views per video for sure.

Speaking of bump stops and shocks. Do you sell bump stops by themselves? Also, years ago i put koni yellows on my 91 and i had to drill out the hole for the shock top if i remember right. Would that still work when i replace them this summer? Have they updated the konis?

need the active exhaust for for my supercharged na asap!

I onky have a cam angle sensor on my na 1.6. Is it necessary to get a crank angle sensor too when going standalone/turbo?

49:02 The owner's manual of my 1993 says the never tow anything with your Miata.

Ohlins DFV? Rated? Vs Fox. For street and occasional track.

I'm so tempted to build my Miata but I gotta keep reminding myself it's a daily. My FRS is the build. But it's just so tempting lol

Would you say that a mx5 2001 nb1 1.6L would be able to handle a turbo without causing problems?

What color is that blue ND in the back??

My mechanic told me something interesting... that coilovers will ALWAYS be less comfortable than stock suspension. Is that true, even for like Ohlins R&T coilovers??

What carbon fiber front lip is on the blue ND?

I avoid a lot of mistakes by calling you guys 😂

Gimmie my race car on the street. I got the cx9 for "drivability" and kids. 😅

But merely a mention of "All Season" PP4's tires.

Strangely, (I guess) I tend to tramline on purpose, allowing it tofollow that natural line

You haven't mentioned changes to sway bars

Would you buy a 97 Miata with 100k miles for $8000 or a 94 M edition with 80k miles for $11000?

Can we get a summary please? I love the content but don’t have an hour to kill unfortunately

What’s the durability issue with carbon panels?

NC?

Keith still has Baby?

Turn your Miata into a Lotus Elise the best way you can

no NC? no watchy, bye