>buy a miata because /o/ told me to
>have been driving it around 4 months
>want to get it more power so i can track it
>decide to go to an event with my friend who drives a honda prelude 1998
>we get there
>its fun, talk shit with other people
>coo at miatas
>friends goes around the track
>he beats all of the miata driver's times
>what the fuck
>asks me if i want to try a turn since im just standing around
>agree
>drive the prelude around
>what the fuck
>it feels so much better
>its tight
>its supple and responsive
>it sounds satisfying
>even feels better to sit inside
>it feels grounded, to the ground
>on center
>check my time and compare
>despite not even owning the car and not bringing my A game i still am near the top of the miata pack
>plan to finish turbo my miata and bring it back in a month and see if i can beat the time
What in the absolute hell is going on here /o/?
>>14954396
Is his car stock?
>>14954396
It's fwd though.
how heavily modified was the prelude? doubt it was stock, they're kinda sloppy stock
if you mod up your miata (turbo, coilovers, brakes) it will be better than that
>>14954400
the only thing he's done to it so far is give it the ol maintanence tune up
This was pretty much just his trial run
>>14954396
Miatas are not fast. The only people that tell others they are good cars are 18 year olds who have NEVER driven something actually fast.
The miata is a great 'my first RWD car' to learn how to handle RWD. But once you get that lesson you discard the car and upgrade to something faster.
Only a complete idiot would spend money upgrading one. Honestly you might as well make a pile out of that cash and burn it for warmth. You would get more value out of it.
>>14954401
It literately took me owning a miata to realize that
doesn't matter worth a fuck.
Too weak to really drift stock and for the price of
making it a good drift car, you could own a better drift
car. Outside of drifting, FWD/RWD is not nearly as big
of an issue as people make it out to be.
>Buy Fox Body Mustang
>Literally spend $500 and a weekend
>Eat up Miatas for breakfast lunch and dinner
>>14954444
>>14954444
>those numbers
Tfw no fox mustang
>>14954444
Quads confirm fox mustang is god machine
>>14954479
My name is fox
>>14956347
>>14954396
>falling for the miata cuckold
>giving a shit about lap times
Master the Miata
Then buy a used M3/Corvette and master the competition. Or strap the biggest turbo you reasonably can.
Besides if you cant get any pointbys in a Miata on a tight course you probably suck at driving or everyone else has modern $50k+ sports cars while you're in a shitbox on all seasons and stock suspension
My 5th Gen SH felt very solid when it was on coil overs and with a few other suspension mods. The ATTS is by far the only way a Prelude can compete in the track.
>>14954396
>grounded to the ground
Stopped reading there
>>14954444
As somebody who actually owns one, lol no. Stock, it is the most terrifying cornering experience you'll ever have. It doesn't stop. The rear end wanders around underneath you and you can feel it. The steering ratio feels like garbage because of the lack of ackerman. Theyre fun, but they're not corner carvers.
>>14957347
> Implying I don't own one
> Implying I didn't say $500 and a weekend
> Implying there's any need to pass a Miata in a corner
>>14954440
The great thing about Miatas are they're fun to drive no matter what you're doing. When you're driving a car near its limits almost every sports car is more fun, but the Miata feels pretty fun even when you're just putting around.
>>14957381
500 dollars doesnt fix our awful brakes, horrid suspension geometry, and weak unibody.
>>14957393
It'll buy subframe connectors and a panhard bar if that's what you put at the highest priority, although I meant a cam and Explorer heads. Throw another $300 at doing a rear disc swap if you really can't stop but I don't think the drums are all that bad myself.
>>14957411
Rear disks alone don't fix our stopping power.
>>14954444
>>14954469
>>14954479
>>14957411
>all that work
>still get beat by stock GM F-bodies at the autocross
>>14957140
>he thinks it was just lap times
>>14957382
They really aren't though. If you are really pushing it they are darty and unpredictable. It's an 8/10ths car.
>>14957566
Not my experience with them, unless they're old and beat up. Maybe take a look at your suspension. get an alightment, etc.
>>14957584
>if your miata isn't godlike then you're just doing it wrong
>>14957584
I've driven 20 different cars. I had a 4 year old NB with 60k miles and fresh suspension. Honestly you probably haven't driven anything good so you don't realize how limited a Miata is. People have been talking about 'cowl shake' and the floppy chassis on miata.net for over a decade.
And yes I have driven a mazdaspeed with extra bracing (FM butterfly) it was noticeably better but still had the same tendencies.
Ultimately they are a beginner car to get your feet wet and learn some technique in something slow. When you really try to extract those last couple 10ths the car falls on it's face because SURPRISE it didn't originally cost enough to be refined where few people drive.
Built miatas are worth it. Id stick with it for now.
Itll never be as comfortable as most other cars. But once boosted id be surprised if you care
>>14957507
Maybe if it's a 350 and the guy in the fox doesn't know how to downshift right
>>14958060
I think he'll care when the car becomes twice as difficult to drive and only drops a couple seconds on lap times.
>>14957140
>Master the Miata
>Then buy a used M3/Corvette and master the competition.
Actual good advice.
>>14958141
You say difficult, I say fun.
To each his own of course. But im just saying if he likes the car now I can't see why he'd suddenly hate it with a bit more power.
>>14958240
If you aren't very good at driving you will think an imprecise car is 'fun' or 'entertaining'. This is because you are not good enough to keep a car balanced on the limit. So you stay away from the limit and keep the car where it is 'settled'. Of course this is boring so you add more force (power, brakes, sticky tires) until you feel stimulated enough to be entertained.
>>14958352
Get a load of this smug faggot, chasing rainbows
>>14958388
I was where you are now 10 years ago. I am calling your capabilities right where they are, am I not?
>>14954396
sell the miat and get a crx.
>>14958141
>turboing a miata without chassis stiffening, suspension work, brake work, and good tires
ISHYGDDT
>>14954396
what track was this?
>>14958553
OP's fantasyland or perhaps an oval.
>>14958488
You're implying that there is such a thing as a perfectly balanced car at all, let alone that there is some kind of continuum of perfectly balanced cars for everyone to go from one to another as their entire skillset improves and that this is also a weekend/track day tier car to boot. Go ahead and tell us what magic car you drive that always has exactly the right amount of grip stability and power for every hypothetical situation "at its limit"
>people this upset that drivetrains aren't as important as they think they are
still waiting for OP to name which track
>>14958678
You do not understand at all.
Tires work best when they are slipping just a little bit. In the beginning when you are learning you paint that threshold with a very broad brush, all you know that it is somewhere between gripping and full on drifting... a weird place where the rear is gripping but feels like it is floating. As you get better that threshold becomes narrower and narrower until you can feel the difference between a degree or two of slip, you can feel that tiny little zone where the tires are producing their maximum lateral grip.
There is no such thing as a perfectly balanced car, there is weight shifting and variable forward/backward load being placed on the tires by acceleration and braking. What a very good car does do is enable you to consistently stay in that sweet spot by manipulating your inputs and it always produces consistent responses (or fails benignly) road surface permitting.
Before you get into this you first have to learn (in the gross sense) how to work with and exploit the platform (front engine, RWD). And the miata is great for that, it is cheap and responsive and it offers lots of feedback. Once you have your tool box defined and you start building the nuance to your technique, a miata is just not a suitable platform. It is too unprecise and too unpredictable at the limit.
Currently I drive an E36 M3. I bought it because I like the way that the rear suspension geometry strokes. It is also a very forgiving car which is bad for a novice, but once you know the dos and don'ts (from a car like a miata or BRZ) the forgivingness gives you a safety margin to play around with how rapidly you can develop the desired slip angle on corner entry. If you overdo it the car wont just say fuck you, instead you will make it around the corner it will just be slow. I'll probably be moving onto a Porsche 986 next, getting the front end settled and pointed in just right is the next thing I want to learn to do really well.
>>14959481
RWD objective best
>>14954396
There was a comparison in 1997 that included both the Prelude and Miata. The Prelude outhandled the Miata and won the entire comparison.
They handle really well, but get ignored on /o/ sometimes because "lol FWD"
>>14959909
I've been in a few preludes they aren't bad
I wouldn't buy one. I'd rather have a CRX or a civic hatchback if i were getting another honda.
The whole reason you get the "lol fwd" meme is you can't really do "teh hectic skids" in them without torque steering into a tree.
For a cheap fun car fwd work just fine just don't try to put tons power into them unless you want to drag it
The whole reason the miata gets the recs from people here past the memeing is the 50/50 weight distribution throw on some power mods and do the hectic skids
>>14959909
stock miata's handle like shit because their target audience are old people
you upgrade the suspension on a prelude and nothing much changes, on a miata though...
>>14959988
50:50 is just crap people parrot because they have no idea what they are talking about. Most open formula competition cars are rear biased, not 50:50
>>14960054
>you upgrade the suspension on a prelude and nothing much changes, on a miata though...
It becomes bumpy and darty. Nothing much changes.
The chassis is floppy and crap. The End.
>>14960054
they don't handle like shit stock. they just don't really have a ton of grip and they tend to have a lot of body roll, but they have predictable and pretty neutral handling.
>>14960054
'
>nothing much changes
this mother fucker...
/o/ is all children
>>14954396
effu effu can't handle real power
>>14960080
>>14960118
>>14960104
>itt people who haven't driven a properly set up miata
>>14960118
yeah, no amount of suspension swapping is going to get rid of that shit weight
>prelude is literally 700-800lbs heavier than a miata despite it being fwd
KEK
why do you think all the big japanese tuners prefer the civic?
>>14960181
uhh we were discussing stock miata performance. I drive a well set up miata imo I know how they are
>>14960181
>>14960219
MIDF please.
>>14960219
This is why the lightest cars hold all the track records.... oh wait
>>14960181
This is why miatas hold all the track records.....oh wait
>>14960553
track records just require shittons of aero
>>14960553
This is why the lightest cars hold all the track records.... oh wait
yes you fucking retard
https://nurburgringlaptimes.com/lap-times-top-100/
>>14960615
>https://nurburgringlaptimes.com/lap-times-top-100/
>Fastest street legal car is a 918 @ 3600lbs
rekt.
>>14960635
those Radicals are street legal too m8
>>14960647
Maybe in your backwater country, but not in the developed world. Not something you could ever consider for daily use anyway, and Radicals have nothing to do with Miatas. One is a purpose built car for racing, the other is a basic RWD built for boomers.
>>14960773
their newer model is street legal in the states, it's gonna be going to the burger ring soon apparently
http://www.carbuzz.com/news/2014/1/25/Radical-RXC-Now-Street-Legal-in-the-US-7718243/
>>14957411
> discs on the rear to increase stopping power
anon you have no idea what you're talking about. just stop
>>14960635
the radicals are lighter and faster.
street legality isn't what you were talking about, stop moving the goalposts you fucking shit for brains
Really wish I could give a fuckheuge list of mods on my NB, but
Harddog roll bar
Racingbeat sways front and back
poly bushings everywhere
Tokico shocks
Racingbeat springs
Delhrin bushings
Complete underbody stiffener bars
I literally have everything but Frog arms and tower braces. Car feels VERY planted compared to stock. I am not saying that these modifications make me go around corners quicker... I believe they do, but this is based on the fact that the car communicates better than the stock chassis does.
If I had a dry spaghetti noodle and wiggled it around, it would wiggle more than a dry lasagna noodle, yes?
>floppy chassis roadster
Whats there to expect? The Prelude outhandles a E36 stock.
>>14961365
Gt3 cats are faster than the radical and weigh much more
Moll yourself
>>14961451
>The Prelude outhandles a E36 stock.
it outhandles a 318ti... so not as impressive as you think
>>14961499
The compact is actually a better car for conefaging than the sedan.
>>14961551
e36 m3 was rated a better handler than the NSX, Viper, 911, Corvette, Supra by Car and Driver.
318ti isn't significant
miata gimped from factory but has far more potential than prelude
>>14961613
>potential
OH BOOOOOY
The secret here is that the Prelude is actually a really good car.
>>14961647
it's pretty good for a sporty econobox. like a celica gt-s
>>14961613
>M3
Who said anything about an M3?
>tfw you need semislicks and springs to just keep up with a mostly stock BRZ S through the corners
>tfw everyone else disappears on the straights
>tfw no driver aids means you die if you get it wrong
>tfw your car pops a hose and overheats on the drive back
It's fucking impressive when you consider that I paid next to nothing for it though.
>>14961289
It's pretty obvious I was speaking euphamistically, fucking pedant. There isn't really such a thing as inadequate "stopping power" beyond the 60s other than a few choice 70s cars. I'm looking at you, Toronado.
>>14961939
>tfw you found an old shitbox rally car that cost nothing because nobody knows about it
>tfw it easily destroys mostly stock BRZs with all season tires
>tfw BRZ drivers lose their minds that they can't ditch a shitbox
>tfw it is so inherently stable and controllable you don't miss driver aids
feels good evaluating things for yourself and not buying into memes
Your car is probably just worn out. Replace your wear parts (ball joints, buhsings, etc) before assuming that it's just the nature of the car. New wear parts make just about any old car feel like a totally different machine.
>>14962865
what shitbox?
FF is counter intuitive and by in large unresponsive to direct input
New bushings, tires and coilovers will make your miats handle 1000 times better
>>14961647
Nah preludes are pretty mediocre. Integras are better, a decent Miata should drive better than a prelude. OP's miata is probably tired and beat to shit.
>>14962965
>reading comprehension
Care to read the OP again you nigger?
>>14962898
volvo
>>14963013
Nothing the OP said contradicts what I said, cuck
it feels like all the miata drivers in this town got theirs out of the garage in the last week or two
SO MANY miatas
>>14963026
>>14962865
>miata thread
>assumes I'm talking about a volvo
>there are no volvos in my picture
>I own a miata
>that is my miata
>I was talking about my miata
Please stop breathing from your mouth.
just buy any mustang dumbass... the older ones are cheap af, even for a v8 (i own a 97 gt so i'd know) and they're way more fun
also i can definitely take out a bigger crowd of people than a miata ever could.
ALSO dat sound
>>14954396
>stock miata
>track day bro
>>14961786
M3s aren't that much more expensive. ($7000-12000).
318Tis are pretty much E30 318is with a newer body and 100-200lbs. They're good, newer alternatives to E30s. Swap everything from the M3 into one if you want to have a fun car, a M3 swapped Ti is pretty much a Z3M Coupe on a budget.
The problem with Preludes is that they're fucking FAT and anything you can do to them a smaller Civic/Integra can do better. You can literally swap everything over from a Prelude onto a better Civic/Integra and go faster, and weight differences are magnified more when you're dealing with FWD
Which also reminds me on that note built Hondas are also terrible at putting anything over 200whp down on a tight circuit, and they're ultimately not that fun (I'd get the BMW if I wanted to have fun, the Honda if I wanted to go fast) just because you can't power out using the throttle and if you put a big engine in them its wasted because it won't have enough traction to turn out of a corner and accelerate hard.
Its why I ditched my built Honda for a E36 M3. A built Honda will also have to make a ton of compromises in streetability to perform well. Stiff springs, loud boomy exhaust, stiff motor mounts, etc.
>>14959481
To be fair, the E36 M3s are probably one of the FEW cars that are so forgiving as a FR. Only the RX-8, FRS/BRZ, and 944 really compares, maybe a older E30/Ti if you redo the suspension on it (they're only snappy from old control arm bushings making the camber/toe funky under limit).
I actually felt my Miata was pretty controllable for a beat to shit stock car at the limit. It never "snapped' at me further than I could take it, and I could always bring it back mid corner (worst case I'd do a big smokey slide). And it was on beat to shit original suspension and Sumitomo HTRZ all seasons. The problem with that IMO is that like the Honda you tend to give up a lot of the streetability/predictability to go fast. I'd still watch out for one that's properly set up though.
I can't believe people are still responding to this, this is blatantly obvious bait.
>>14960054
>Tfw you see your friends' Miatas get posted
wew what a feel
>>14963387
Wew
>>14963387
it went from miatas suck lol to a debate about how good or bad are miatas when properly set up relative to other cars
it improved
>>14954460
>facebook.com
