Miata Mailing List: January 1993, Message #71
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   From: (none)
Subject: Re: Exhaust Noise and Exhaus
   Date: (none)

        Reply to:   RE>Exhaust Noise and Exhause T
Hi Herb,

Holy cow man! just turn up the stereo!! (big smilie goes here!) 
or get an italian car, any italian car, you will be permanently 
cured! little nuances like this will never bother you again.
(Reminds me of how Spaulding Gray claimed he cured himself
of all psychological ills after going to Russia and witnessing
how screwed up things were there.)

I , too have an early (sept-89) model, I got the exhaust shield
replaced and the cat. replaced under warranty. Things got alot
 quieter after I install the BBR turbo, which really sucks 
because I love exhaust notes.
 
Here are the things I don't like about Miata, i.e. problems 
experienced:

- Clutch slave cylinder whines
- Passenger seat rattles
- Busted rear window zipper, this got re-furbished by the
 dealer with  an after market zipper, works much better.
- Dash rattles like crazy.
- Motor seems very sensitive to gasoline quality, Techron
 helps a great deal here, as does Texaco or Exxon gas.
- Weak clutch which also vibrates alot.
-  The power steering sucks beyond description, THANKFULLY,
 I don't have it on my car. The evil thing completely ruins the car. 
- The motor much too weak, but the BBR solved the problem in a 
hurry, pun intended.
- Rear end shimmy at ~65 mph, this is completely cured by the 
Track bar .

About my car, I got a basic package with LSD and AC. Here are the
 things I have done to it.

- Panasport 15" wheels with 195-50ZR15 Yoko A509. Really hot tires, 
required with the added BBR, since the stock tires are inadequate with
additional torque and power.

-  The Track bar, which really cleans up the rear end is HIGHLY recommended.

- The Miata Club shift knob is also great, it shortens the shifter by  
about .5", and feels better, too.

- I use RedLine MT-90 in the tranny and it is god sent, so far no problem 
shifting what so ever, and it's wicked cold here in Boston. 

- I have used both Mobil-1 and Castrol Syntec, they both feel smoother
than the cheap oils.

- I also use the Mecca coolant.

- Lastly, the BBR kit is awesome, after 6k miles, I highly recommend it.
It makes the car very driveable, just DON'T expect 911 performance
 here, but it feels like a true 2 litre motor, just quick and fast enough for
all occasions. On the down side, it makes the car too quiet for my taste, but
hey, I do have a tape of a Columbo V-12 at speed. 

- Steve.