The Slow Lane

A popular thing to do for STS2 Miatas is convert them to “Base Models” that did not have power steering or radios or power windows. This is done to make the car lighter. And the absence of a power steering pump frees up a horsepower or two. I have been debating whether or not to [...]

I should have written this post back in January when it really was the off season since there has been a few test & tunes already. None that I’ve been able to go to though. Typically the winter is spent planning what you are going to do to the car, or I should say planning [...]

Well the racing season is over. 11/11 was our last event of the year. Also our last event at Ripken Stadium, EVER. We lost the log b/c the city of Aberdeen feels we are damaging the lot. They are effectively throwing out three clubs. Washington DC Region and a non-SCCA club Autocrosser’s Inc also use [...]

I received the rod ends from McMaster Carr on Thursday and installed them on Friday night b/c my next autocross was Saturday down at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, MD. The mods worked. The understeer was gone and the brake vibrations were gone too. The emergency brake needed to be adjusted. I could pull it all [...]

I really am trying to get you caught up with the developments of the car because I would like to blog about other things besides the Miata. But I don’t feel right about doing it when I’m three weeks behind with the updates. And so with this post we should be up to date. After [...]

A little after the sloshing wet rain event I managed to find a diff for sale online. My plan was to just call up Planet Miata and buy a Viscous Limited Slip Differential from them. I did call them and they first told me the diffs did not come with a rear housing. That is [...]

The first event I got to run on my pimpy new suspension was a Philly SCCA event at Boeing in Ridley Park, PA. The Boeing lot is small and the courses tight so not the best test for a new setup. It rained off-and-on the whole morning, including 30 min where it poured and an [...]

It’s finally back on the road!! After a whole month on jack stands. The only part missing was the one outer tie rod end. I bought it from Mazda Motorsports with my newly opened account. I also picked up some rod end sway bar end links from Mazdaspeed since my old ones were all rusty, [...]

Over the next week my task was to find those elusive castle nuts. Luckily for me, that week my Mazda Motorsports account was opened. Mazda offers racers a special motorsports account where they can get OEM parts at a discount. You have to prove that you have raced twice a year. It’s a great thing [...]

So during the next week my task was to find replacements for everything that broke. The castle nuts for the front upper ball joints, some new nuts and bolts for the rear shocks, and the alignment bolts for the rear. Sounds easy enough right? I started to realize the castle nuts would be a problem. [...]