Gonna be doing a lot of stuff to my 91 Miata soon and I just thought it would be fun to see how many out there love to do the same. Ive got an '01 transmission in the garage and the new replacement clutch and rear main seal are on the way from Mazdaspeed. Anxious to get that underway. Also going to replace the fuel filter along with the timing belt, water pump, cam seals, front main seal, CAS seal, and as soon as I can order them and get them in, the rear Bilsteins to go along with the ones I received the other day for the front. I'll be doing all the work myself and I cant wait to get going. To me, the feeling of a job well done is really great and I love a challenge. I know its never all fun and games, but it pays off when the job has been completed correctly. Got my first race event in sight (Sept 15th) and I cant wait to get all of the work completed. All of the people that have been skeptical are finally seeing that I will be racing. It's just a SCCA SOLO evsnt, bit to me it's just the beginning. I have team support to help me build the Miata to a one day track dog and I feel very proud of how far it's all come so quickly. Just thought I would share with all of the fellow drivers, enthusiasts, and gearheads on here.
Ian F
UberDork
6/9/12 7:01 a.m.
The one thing I can add from personal experience is be careful with the mods and upgrades. Will that '01 trans bump you into a different class? Yes... It's easy to say, " I'm just doing this for fun." I said the same thing, but running a car that has no hope of being competitive (without cubic $$$$ spent sometimes) tends to get old real fast.
Running in SOLO events is more to get my feet wet in racing. Hopefully it doesn't bump me up to the next class. Either way, i will run. My main goal is getting in Spec Miata.
Ian F speaks the turth about getting bumped in class and it getting old really fast. I built my civic for fun and the street and when I decided to run in an occasional autox I was classed in Street Mod. geez it was embarassing, still fun but embarassing.
I'll find out come Sept 15 what class I'll be running in. Hopefully, i wont be bumped up for the kill. That would sucketh. The main mods i will have done are the transmission, sway bars, and the shocks.
An 01 transmission isn't allowed in Spec Miata, either.
If Spec Piñata is the goal, you should build the car to those rules. Someone randomly modifying it now and then having to rebuild it to conform to Spec Miata rules will only increase the expense.
I'm slowly modding my Miata into something I like but my "lofty" goals with this car are basically to participate in SCCA PDX and Club Trials. The rules in those classes are much much looser than in a spec series and I still started by reading the rulebook and asking the local tech guy a bunch of questions.
I'm building it to the race spec as I go. I want to get into club racing and maybe dabble in some road rally. That seems pretty fun too. I was told that NB transmissions in NA Miatas are totally legal in SM. I shall look into that to make sure. I could always get the one that's in the car right now rebuilt in the future too.
What the difference between the 2 transmissions? I'll assume we're talking two 5-speeds, not a 5 to 6 speed swap.
The NB transmission is just a better overall transmission. Its beefed up with the syncros and such. Two grooves in the shifter instead of just one. Yes, the trans is still a 5. Not swapping to a 6.
the trans is the same for all intents and purposes if both are 5 speeds
Not according to the rules. If you want to be serious about competing with a car, it has to match the ruleset for the class(es) you plan on racing. At the very least, the trans swap will land you in Modified for Solo II racing. Read first, then build.
No need to wait for Sep 15 - the solo rules are online.
Ok. I will read up on the SCCA regulations on swaps n such. Glad I'm getting the feedback on this. Either way, I'm gonna give it my all to compete. I have tomorrow off so I'll look into the rules and stuff on the classes.
Does the NB trans give a gearing advantage? If it's just a reliability upgrade, most folks at the local won't care.
Its the same gearing, 4.30, but its got a substantialy tighter feel through the gears. Feels a lot more solid. I've read several things online calling it one of the best transmission/ gearboxes of all time. Its just a way better transmission. No gearing advantages, but its a much better gearbox than the NA.
