![]() ![]() ![]() They’re uber-sticky, boast long life, and are cheap and easy to find in southern Ontario. Radiator & Caps Circuit Sports Aluminum Coolant Reserve Tank V2 - Miata NB 99-05 Koyo Hyper V-Core Racing Radiator - 06-14 Mazda MX-5 Miata MT Koyo Aluminum. These were paired with Hankook’s latest extreme performance summer tire, the RS4 in a 225/45/15 size. Nearly one in six amateur race entries on any given weekend is a first- or second-generation Mazda Miata, and more than 3000 Spec Miata conversion kits have been sold to date. In this 15×9” size, they’re incredibly light at just 12.5 lb per corner. These are the Dail-In model, which are flow formed for maximum strength and lightness. Wheels were kindly provided to us by Konig. Needless to say, it’s now the prettiest part of the car.Īt this point, all the car needed was a set of wheels, sticky tires, and a track-spec alignment. That’s when we decided to cut our painting careers short and hand the valve cover over to our friend JP at Stripping Technologies for some powder coating love. As a result, our dirty hands made it look awful after months of wrenching. We threw a can of red rattle-can valve cover paint on our valve cover before it went into the car, but didn’t give it nearly enough time to dry. Hoping to maximize the Ecotec’s potential and, if I’m honest, improve its exhaust note, I picked up an ISR cat-less exhaust, modified it to fit the car’s custom downpipe, and added a Vibrant Performance GESI high-performance catalytic converter. We ended up breaking the car’s factory exhaust during “spirited testing,” right where our custom downpipe met the factory catalytic converter. Naturally, this meant installing sending units in the Ecotec engine’s oil pressure feed hole, and a water temp sensor in the car’s coolant bleed port (the hole that was tapped in part 2). Rather than wiring up the stock Miata’s water temperature and oil pressure gauges, we installed a set of Stewart Warner gauges along with an AEM Wideband gauge in the center console. The Miata’s stock steering wheel is massive, making getting in and out of the bucket seat difficult, so in went Project Feint’s PF MOTO 1 steering wheel along with a Daikei Boss Hub. Next, we focused our attention on the interior. Keep in mind that when using a thicker radiator with an aftermarket sway bar and the Ecotec Miata swap kit’s front sway bar relocation kit, it’s common to run into clearance issues between the factory radiator fan and the front sway bar, so we also purchased a CX Racing duel slim-fan kit. Rather than throw another factory radiator into the car, we decided to go with an all aluminum radiator from CX Racing mainly because it was cheap, and proven to work well on turbocharged Miatas.įactory radiators have been proven to work well with this swap, but this solution future-proofs the car in case we ever decide to bump up horsepower later (read: boost). When we replaced the car’s timing chain and tensioners, we ended up cracking the factory radiator’s coolant hose outlets. The Spec Class Miata felt like an experienced athlete in their element, which makes this build a huge success.With our Ecotec Miata up and running, it was time to start prepping for the race track, starting with a new radiator. Everything from how well it was able to handle the course, to the new track-specific tires sticking to the pavement. Once the final bolt was fastened, the Miata’s performance on the track was almost like night and day. What the guys did for their build, in particular, included fabricating a fully-functional roll cage from scratch, upgrading the suspension by replacing the springs and shocks for improved performance on the track, adding a performance clutch, and adding subframe reinforcements. To avoid violating the rules, every modification done to the 2005 Miata had to stay within the parameters of the Spec class. Thankfully for us, because this build does not require much, we were able to source all of our parts from Summit Racing. Once it is fully upgraded and racing against other cars, the real factor that wins the race is the driver. That means that Carcass is limited to the kinds of upgrades they can add, like tires, brakes, exhaust, etc. But not just any regular race car, we’re talking about building a cheap, yet very reliable race car by using a bone-stock 2005 Mazda Miata, and transforming it into a Spec Class Miata. ![]() After building the Honda Rally Civic and the OBS Truck, they came to the conclusion that there is always room for another race car. ![]()
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