Zmanco Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I'll add that if you're serious about driving on road courses, the Miata's stiffer chassis will allow you to use the stiffer springs you need. An early Z (71-73) is a flexi-flyer and it's pointless to put 350+ lb/in springs on such a floppy chassis. That will limit how far you can take it without some serious chassis bracing. As itzgoten said, the Miata turns in better. We have a lot of Miatas running with us at our Z club track days and I've ridden in a few with a variety of mods. The one common thing is that they can crank the wheel at the last moment and the car just turns in. It takes a lot of modifications to get a Z to do that. As for motivation, there are turbo kits for the miata that will be comparable to a turbo Z in conservative tune i.e. ~250whp. Either car with that level of power is a very entertaining car at the track. Of course, if raw power is important, you can take the L28 farther than the Miata, but LS1 conversions are possible for the Miata as well. Having said that, like others, I have had so many fun conversations in parking lots and stop lights with people who had one, or had a brother/sister/boyfriend/girlfriend who had one, etc. It's special that young kids who have no idea what a 240Z is will still give me thumbs up from their mother's minivan. The car is a timeless beauty, and with some extra effort, can be made to run with more modern cars. Go with it because it makes you smile, not because it's a good investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 An S30 is a ravenous beast. Tame it and you will be greatly rewarded. A miata has multi link front and rear and is extremely predictable and easy to drive. A Z is more like an E30 BMW, but less forgiving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cameronqp Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Wow from what every one has said, I'm definitely going for the build. I'm a little concerned with the brakes. Has any one had significant problems with stop and go traffic or close "call stops"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamH Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Wow from what every one has said, I'm definitely going for the build. I'm a little concerned with the brakes. Has any one had significant problems with stop and go traffic or close "call stops"? No, but the stock setup heat soaks quickly. I upgraded two toyota 4x4 calipers up front with vented discs and it helped considerably Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComicArtist Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I just put coilovers on mine, and love it immensely. Definitely a needed upgrade. Of course, I was going from three blown shocks and worn out springs to brand new coilovers..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 (edited) The only real problem with the brakes is the rear drums. On old drums, its common for the brake shoes to move away from the inside of the drum as you drive, causing a squishy pedal on the first push. Any "close calls" would be caused by this. The front brakes are really fine. I'd recommend Hawk HP+ or something on that level for autocross, but definitely switch to a racing brake pad compound such as Porterfield R4 for the track, and running air ducts to the rotors is a great idea. Remember that the braking is really only limited by the tires until heat becomes a factor (should never be on the street). Besides that, all you can ask for when it comes to brakes is linearity and predictability so that you can best control them. Stainless brake lines help this as well as rear disks. Edited October 30, 2011 by Gavin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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