Miata Mailing List: January 1995, Message #172
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   From: Greg Vantreese 
Subject: Re: Miatas - where is the edge?
   Date: Thu, 5 Jan 1995 15:22:03 -0500

Jim Andreas  wrote:
> The question is:  How to you "feel" the edge of the handling
> envelope in the Miata?   When will the car actually start
> to spin out on you?  How close to the "edge" do folks actually
> drive their cars?

I'm a relatively new Miata owner, with a 1993 Classic Red B package.  I've
only approached the "edge" once or twice.  I've not yet had the opportunity
to attend a driving school, so my only real knowledge of technical driving
is what I've read.  As such, I don't really drive as close to the edge as
some others might.

However, my Miata is the first car I've ever driven where, with my lack of
formal training, I can begin to feel some of the things that I've read about.
For example, I had read about drivers using the throttle (with understeer and
oversteer) to help with steering in corners.  While driving my Miata, I
became aware one day that by pressing harder or softer on the accelerator, I
could really control how I was going through the curve.  What's more, in my
Miata it was very easy to experiment and figure out how this worked.  I was
thrilled to finally be experiencing some of the stuff that the "serious" car
guys talked about in the books and magazines.

In short, I'm thrilled almost every day by something that my Miata "teaches"
me about driving, just by driving it.

P.S.- This is my first post.  I found out about Miata stuff on the Net almost
by accident, and I've been following this list for a few days now.

____________________________________________________________________________
Gregory W. Vantreese                                    Software Engineering
Naval Air Warfare Center                                      Code 457240C26
Aircraft Division                                        Phone: 317-322-2687
Indianapolis, IN 46219-2189                    E-mail: vantreg@indy.navy.mil