Miata Mailing List: June 1996, Message #170
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   From: dans@dmscomp.com (Dan Scolnick)
Subject: Re: Red '90 vs. Red '90
   Date: Tue, 4 Jun 1996 00:54:10 -0400

Dirk,
        After you have checked & done the obvious stuff like timing, fuel &
air filters, state of tune, if your miata is still slow I offer the two
following theories.  
        Over the years I've had the opportunity to play with quite a few
'sister' cars both in personal cars and fleet cars (even raced identical
mail delivery jeeps!), what makes one faster than the other?

2.  I believe the 2nd 'intangible' is the day & hour it was built.  I'm not
saying that a Scorpio car is faster than a Taurus, um make that a Capricorn
car.  I am saying that i've noticed some corrolation between friday
afternoon engines and monday morning engines and say like a tuesday just
before lunch engine.  I know it sounds weird but it's an observation.

1.  i believe the MOST important thing is that the car is broken in and
driven correctly.  If you baby your car and drive like grandma ( merely an
expression, not a politically incorrect perpetuation of stereotypes ), the
little old lady from pasadena excepted, your car will never run fast.
'grandma' cars are notorious for having only like 22k miles on them after
being driven almost daily for like 10 years.  This is the MOST severe
service an engine can be subjected to without actually abusing it.  Buy a
car like that and rev it up once and you're looking at broken top rings.  It
will run fine with broken top rings but not fast.

      So if you engine has been babied all it's life, it may be a little
slow (due to an overprotective mother!).  If you want an engine to run fast,
drive it hard, it's the nicest thing you can do for your car.  I make a
point to break in all of my cars with PLENTY of WOT but not high revs & not
lugging for the first 1200 miles.  I make a point to run to redline through
the gears at least once after warm up EVERY TIME I TAKE IT OUT.  Every car
i've owned has gone well in excess of 200,000 miles.  Treat it right, as
Phredd says, keep the revs up!


>I had the opportunity to drive another Miata for a day.  It was the EXACT
>same car as mine:  1990, all stock, obviously maintained well.  The only
>exception was that it had about 45,000 miles while mine has just turned
>68,000.  Mine was built in Jan. of 90 and this one was built in June.
>
>Why the hell is it peppier than mine!?  I mean it was VERY obvious that it
>was much quicker.  After driving, it mine feels hesitant at starts and
>trying at speed.  I've driven new ones as well and shrugged off the
>quickness of them because of the 1.8L.  Do I have a slow Miata?  Any
>suggestions as to where I might start to look for any problems?
>
>*****************
>Dirk R. Williams
>dirkrwms@coil.com
>Columbus, Ohio
>*****************
>
>
>
>
>
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/^\dan & Tweedle the Heretic a '94 'R'ed  -  EMBRACE HYPOCRISY
TEAM VOODOO & SHORT SHIFTER         -   Remember Humpty Dumpty
'70 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 SixPack
1991 Hobie Miracle 20' - 'Hazardous (when wet)'
1996 Hobie Magic 25' - HOLD ON . . .(to what?!)'
Writing to you from the capital of the world-
New York, New York (So dangerous we warn you twice)
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