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#21
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Hard top opinions?
John McGaw wrote:
> On 5/3/2010 6:39 PM, pws wrote: >> John McGaw wrote: >>> On 5/2/2010 9:49 PM, Don Q wrote: >>>> On 2010-05-02 16:51:48 -0400, John McGaw > said: >>>> >>>>> When I bought my '91 I paid the extra for the hard top. When I traded >>>>> it in on a new MX-5 in 2006 I figure that it had probably been on the >>>>> car for 30 days total. >>>> >>>> Interesting! >>>> >>>> Is it because the soft top is adequate for your needs, or is it because >>>> you are top down 90% of the time? >>>> >>>> (I used to know an Alfa guy who pretended he didn't know there was a >>>> top >>>> under the tonneau. LOL) >>>> >>>> >>> >>> The soft top was more than sufficient. And because I garaged the car >>> almost all the time it was never exposed to the intense sunlight which >>> seems to be the main factor which kills tops in the long run. I gave >>> it no special care rather than washing. After fifteen years the top >>> looked as though it would be good for at least five more. As for >>> keeping the top down, the best I ever managed was about thirty days >>> straight (I lived in Alaska at the time so this is a rather amazing >>> run). >> >> John, do you have the link for your Miata trip around the United States? >> >> Thanks, >> >> Pat > > http://johnmcgaw.com/trip_intro.html > http://johnmcgaw.com/trip_redux.html Thank you sir. This is great reading, (and pics!), for anyone who has not seen it before. Pat |
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#22
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Hard top opinions?
On 2010-05-04 18:49:56 -0400, pws > said:
> Don, > > I would recommend checking out this page. It can make a world of > difference in the handling, especially with this car. > > http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html > > Pat Very useful article, thanks! Umm, skimming through, this caught my eye: > A neutral Miata will oversteer on a trailing throttle! How abrupt is the transition? Catchable? An instant 180 on the slightest liftoff or a gentle nudge of several inches coming off the pedal completely? |
#23
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Hard top opinions?
Don Q wrote:
> On 2010-05-04 18:49:56 -0400, pws > said: > >> Don, >> >> I would recommend checking out this page. It can make a world of >> difference in the handling, especially with this car. >> >> http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html >> >> Pat > > Very useful article, thanks! > > Umm, skimming through, this caught my eye: > >> A neutral Miata will oversteer on a trailing throttle! > > How abrupt is the transition? Catchable? An instant 180 on the slightest > liftoff or a gentle nudge of several inches coming off the pedal > completely? Lanny, as well as a few others here, can answer this better than I can. When I purchased my first Miata in 1999, I took a printout of Lanny's specs to the alignment shop after buying new tires. It truly felt like a different and much improved vehicle. After that, I upgraded the shocks, sways, put some additional bracing on, etc., but nothing came close to making the kind of difference that a good alignment did. Pat |
#24
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Hard top opinions?
In article >, Don Q wrote:
> > A neutral Miata will oversteer on a trailing throttle! > > How abrupt is the transition? Catchable? An instant 180 on the > slightest liftoff or a gentle nudge of several inches coming off the > pedal completely? Depends on how close to the limit you are and how you lift. A partial lift will increase the front tires' grip and decrease the radius of the turn. At the limit, a large, abrupt lift can cause a spin. Conversely, increasing throttle will cause mild understeer and a wider radius. All but the most egregiously-understeering Miatas will do this to some extent. In my experience, most owners don't really want a neutral car; it means oversteer under some conditions, and that may be too scary unless they've developed the appropriate reflexes to respond with *more* throttle to make the rear stick. -- Lanny Chambers St. Louis, MO '94C |
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