Lincoln 'Spring Nationals' Pre-Show

   Recently I've had a few inquiries about my build and the parts I have chosen for my STR Miata.  Aside from being thrifty and on a moderate budget, my idea is to keep it simple, easy to drive, and reliable.  Almost everything added to the car is a readily available off the shelf part, with only minor fabrication needed to fit the driver's seat and to mount the battery.  The only custom parts are the upper shock mounts from PES which have been carefully designed to allow a great balance of bump/rebound shock travel at various ride heights without bottoming out or binding.  Autox is all about minimizing mistakes, both in driving and build execution, and special attention to a few key parts is what can make the car more forgiving and ultimately faster.

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   So a few weeks after the El Toro Pro I find myself unemployed and decide to take a little break and prepare to head off to Lincoln, NE for the "Spring Nationals" which is a four day SCCA event scheduled for the Memorial Day weekend of May 25-28.  Friday and Saturday consist of a Pro Solo with Sunday and Monday being a regular Tour.  I have an appointment to replace the clutch on Monday, May 21st at Rocky's Miatomotive with a planned departure for Lincoln at 6am Tuesday morning. 

   My biggest decision regarding this trip is what tire to use. Actually, tire choice has been my biggest issue during this whole build (aside from the poor ECU service from DPTune). Both the Toyo and Hankook leave me frustrated because neither one is a great tire and both work best at completely opposite temperatures and feel and drive differently.  For this event I will bring my used 75+ run 195 Toyos on 15x7.5" 6UL wheels.

   Although the Miata is one of the few cars in class that can fit the 195 Toyo, I believe the Dunlop SS Z1 is a superior tire and easier to drive in a wider variety of conditions.  Available in a decent 205/50-15 size, actual same day comparison testing is needed to determine if the Dunlop is quicker than its competition.  The 225/45-15 Toyo R1R is also a good tire and I successfully used this tire on a 7.5" wheel on my 1995 STS Miata.  A wider 9" wheel would compliment the 225 Toyo and this could be the combination to have.  In the meantime, I will primarily use the 195 Toyo on a 7.5" wheel because it is relatively cheap, pays contingency, works well in the wet, and is fast on the first lap.

  So while I was typing this post UPS delivers two boxes; one from Mazda containing a 2001 Miata EGR tube and the other from Racing Beat containing a 2001 Miata 4-1 header.  The NB2 (2001-2005 Miata) parts were ordered because the 99-2000 RB headers are not in stock at this time.  The only difference between the two is the connection of the EGR tube to the header; one has male threads, the other is female.

   Due to the poor fitment of my eBay OBX header the original egr tube was bent and modified to fit so a new replacement tube would be needed anyway.  Plus, the new egr tube is compatible with the  2001+ OEM tubular header which makes an easy stealthy swap for SMOG inspection.

 









   I bought the Racing Beat header in anticipation of the upcoming clutch replacement knowing that the header needs to be removed completely to best complete the job.  Since I had to fight the OBX header install, I decided to hit the easy button and get a header that I know will fit the first time without frustration, and of course the RB header has been well developed and proven to make power.