If you guys got the HB platform in the states, it well worth having a look. In either rotor or the many piston power options they are largely underated cars.. its effectively a GT version of the RX7's

 

hi guys, i had a miata before the fc also and i regret a bit to have exchange, i would have prefered to have both car together...

The miata is just a gokart once you put coilover, strut bars and plyurethane bushes... Even though i had really wide wheels, the car would handle like a charm, drifting when i wanted, gripping when i wanted. Even if i'm no pilot at all.
and driving the top down, at slow speed in city center , on a lowered mx5, with cool music and a straight through exaust... some people might think it makes you look like a dick, but i loved it...

on the flip side, the fc sounds terrific, usually my friends refer to me as the Messerschmitt driver... That's a mental car, the sound is no match to anything, it's fast, once the chassis is properly modified and set (took me a while to find something that i like) it's really efficient... but it's heavier and feels heavier than a mx5... and when you put the key in, you never know if it will start or not... (I'm exagerating sorry).

For the moment, the fc is my fun drive, and my daily drive is mazda 323 (protege in US) with 1.8l with no cat, so a close match to mx5s but a traction...

Drawback to the mx5, is the rear fender that got really rusted usually (mines were cutted by the rust on over 10cm, and there was also rust near the door hinges on the front...). Also i don't know if you've had it in the us, here some later NA model came with a 90hp engine that is just dull... the last thing that took me a while to get used to was the fact that if you roll over you'll end probably dead... but that's part of the game...

 

mx5 is a hairdressers car, dont let anyone tell you different. in other words an mx5 is not cool.

fc and rowtree for life

 

One thing about MPG that many people seem to have wrong is that shifting high in the rpms is will result in bad mpg.

This is only true when you are accelerating hard into another stop. If I know I won't be slowing down anytime soon, then I always rev to at least 5k rpm, if not more, to accelerate.

Think of it like this, you need to get up to speed somehow. Whether you work the engine hard for a short amount of time, or easy for a long amount of time, you're going to burn about the same amount of fuel. Gasoline engines are most efficient at high load (make the most power per unit fuel). There are other factors like engine friction that come into play, but that won't kill your mpg. Rotaries are top end performers with not that much engine friction anyways.

In my opinion, the most efficient acceleration range is going to be where you have the most torque, and so you should try to sandwich your torque peak between shifts (hence why I shift at around 5k). At the torque peak, you are making the most power per rpm, which means that you have the most efficient flow through the engine (optimal ratio between air velocity and air volume).

Accelerating slower does have the advantage of giving you more time to time things that may cause you to need to slow down, such as red lights and traffic, and use your brakes, which turns your kinetic energy into heat (and probably some noise). This is the main reason why you'll get worse mileage in town.

I don't mean to ramble, but fuel efficiency is pretty interesting to me.

Here is a link to the sort of mileage I get with my FC:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/5310442/198...%20mileage.xls

 

The only uncool people are the ones who give a **** if people think they aren't cool

 

A 2400lb 250 - 300whp Miata that can corner incredibly well well is far from a hairdressers car aha. Also, about the gas mileage, I now get 30+ on the highway but only get 12 max in the city, even if I dont drive like an idiot anymore either. I just cant get better than that. I also do more engine braking, I believe they have a fuel cut out during deceleration right?

 

The "car media" called the Miata better suited for women when the Miata first came out but only idiots listen to the media. I think the Miata/Mx-5 has made its mark. I would love to buy an mx5. But I love Rx-7s too much.

 

Miatas are awesome, you definitely not fell like a hairdresser when your drive it, unless you are taller than 6', or if you question your sexual orientation. No other car are more fun under 40 mph, its super easy to modify, and as Modified magazine puts it: "No single model is raced more frequently or more competitively at road courses across America than the Mazda Miata."

Let's face it you want one, you want to race with one, and you would love to own one, even against the judging of your male friends.

I was driving cars for a living, and I can tell you that every rookie at my job would stop breathing on the passenger seat while I was driving a miata. Its incredibly nimble, and a passenger can easily **** his pants in it, if you drive it in corners... especially between concrete walls!

BUT, I would choose an FC over a miata anytime. I would choose an FC over any car any time if its for my own enjoyment. I would choose an FC over a Ferrari, over a Porsche, over anything. I am an Fc maniac, its passionate, its insane, and its uncontrollable. Its my favorite car, I would own 20 of these before buying an expensive exotic car. I've chosen to buy one over an FD. Don't ask why, I won't tell you, as I am not sure I know why!

You can do whatever you want, I don't care, but everybody seriously need to stop judging car by their look. How you feel in the car, what it can do or not, and what you want to do with it are the only things that should matter.

 

The thing is a Miata is more for me, I drive 90% city, have a girlfriend, hate carrying other people. So a small car that's good on gas and carries one person is perfect. The FC is great at everything but the gas mileage. I just can't afford a car that achieves 10-13mpg city.

 

I have owned a 1.8 miata, reliability is fantastic, mpg is great. handling is very good. It felt a little tight with the top up. Need more power, a good turbo or supercharger would have made it a "keeper"