Speedanimal

Hello, I've been a lurker on this forum for a few years now, and have been throwing around this question for some time. Always have had a love for Rx7s, and have made it one of my goals in life to own at least a FD by the time I'm thirty.

I am about to graduate with an engineering degree and a good job, and I am finally in the market to get my childhood dream of racing a car as a hobby going. My girlfriend and her family race their cars, which includes a couple of Miatas, which I have had the pleasure of driving, off the track on plenty of occasions. I like her 95 NA, and have been on the lookout for one, due to their simplicity and popularity at the track.

Thus so far, I have been primarily looking into Miata for a fun weekend track or autocross car. But I constantly float back to the possibility of an Rx7, likely Fb or Fc in this case for price comparison. I'm trying to keep the initial car purchase under $3k.

So my question is, how would a Fb or Fc stand up to the on rails Miata in this scenario? Would they be just as welcome at most track days?

I'm not looking for a lot of power, because I know I'm not ready for it, so a n/a is most likely what is in store, since sticky tires, and a solid suspension are more important to me.

I am 6'2", and fit pretty snug in the Miata. I do hit my knee with my left hand when having to turn over that far. There would be no chance of heel-toe without a change in steering wheel. But otherwise, I am comfortable in the car. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone with an Rx... which means I can't talk rotaries with anyone I know. My racing would be primarily in Texas as well, with occasional trips to Hallet (Oklahoma), so the racing season would be hot.

Thanks in advance for any feedback. I have searched for some threads, but most seemed to be part swaps between Miata and Rx7.

GrossPolluter

iTrader: (1)

I think fc stands for financial crisis, and fd is financial disaster. As long as you have the money, I would totally get an fd.

Miata is going to be a lot cheaper, but I can't stand the look. Like you said, your 6'2". I love my fc, but I would ditch it for a fd anyday.

NA fc would be fun, but I believe it weighs around 2700lbs, maybe slightly lighter, but only 160hp for a s5. Rotaries aren't very torque until you get them spinning

rx7 SE

iTrader: (5)

Unless you have some extra cash lying around I'd say Miata all day. I own all 3 at the moment, FC, FD, and nb miata (3 years post getting an engineering degree) and the Miata hands down will out handle the FC. You also can have a lot of fun at slower speeds in that car. It just lacks considerably in the swag department compared to any rx7.

EDIT: FD on the other hand is outstanding and with it setup properly will be one of the strongest cars on the track and lap turbo miatas all day. But it can get expensive quickly if you don't know what you're doing.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Bang for the buck, it's hard to beat a Miata for the track. Granted, it's not all that fast in stock form, but that also means it's easy on consumables. The faster you go, the faster you use up wear items like tires and brakes. The other upside to a Miata is that they are used so much in racing today, you can get cheap slightly used track tires extremely easy.

Tem120

iTrader: (5)

I'm gonna have to agree with everyone here . I drive an FD and alot of my spare money goes into repairs rather then racing .

I used to own a miata and those things can take all kinds of abuse. depending on what kind of racing you plan to do its important for which miata you decide to go with ,

Also the miatas have the same double wishbone suspension design as the FD which makes them handle amazing , better then an FC or FB . But theywill be down on power compared to a ported FB or FC .

But you have added reliability.... which I cannot stress is very important specially for racing LOL

as a starter car I think the miata is the best choice , once you are more settled and ready for a bit more power upgrade to an FD . which is just a bigger faster miata .

Speedanimal

Thanks a bunch for the replies! I was expecting these answers, just wanted to know if an FB or FC would be close cost wise to the Miata since I like them so much. I will continue searching for the roadsters then, and when the time comes that my wallet is happy and my driving is ready it will be time for an FD.

For those that have had a Miata and Rx7, how much more leg room do you get in the Rxs? If my legs could stretch just a tad farther, like sitting in an MGB, I think I would be pretty comfortable in the Miata or any similar space.

TomU

iTrader: (11)

A non-Mazda budget friendly alternative might be an E36 BMW. They seem to be as popular as Miatas at the track and have more headroom.

BTW, are all Rex owners engineers?

TomU, PE

jacobcartmill

iTrader: (6)

ah, this brings back memories of being in my early 20s and having the whole world in front of me.

the one thing i realized after getting into tracking/HPDEs is that a relatively cheap car (FC or Miata) that you can pick up used in good shape for about 3-4k takes about 10k of total investment to be tracking "the right way." and a moderately expensive used car (like an FD) that costs ~12-14k to get one in good shape costs about 20k total investment to track it the right way and be reliable.

wheels/tires/pads/fluids(brake/oil/antifreeze)/helmet/tuning/fees/travel/etc. all adds up very quickly when you're taking a car to a track day.

if you're just driving it on the weekends and doing some autocrossing with buddies occasionally, it's a different story, and you dont have to have nearly as much money invested. but if you're doing full-blown track days, everything has to be "right" or you're going to have major problems and/or wrecks...

TL;DR: miata, then do one track day in the miata to see what you're really getting into and what's involved to do it correctly and safely.

please see the "regular car reviews" done by the guy on youtube. there's one about the miata that is amazing.

Tem120

iTrader: (5)

hoosiers bro?


Not much at all .. I've had both and I'm short only 5'10" and the legroom in the FD is not much better then in the miata .

But a bucket seat would help but i find these cars are pretty cramped

Natey

iTrader: (19)

I sold my supercharged Miata for an FD a few years ago. The FD is quicker around the track and the Miata is easier to drive at the limit.
When a trackday is coming up for my RX7, I go through the whole car, looking for ANYthing that might go wrong. Constant upkeep, but the most fun car I've even driven.

The Miata I would ride hard and hang up wet. It never let me down in 5+ years of flogging it. It didn't turn heads like the FD and it didn't have the power, but damn, what a fun little car. Drive one and you'll understand how they saved Mazda's *** in the early 90's.

I'm also 6'2". I did the seat bracket trick, got an extra inch or so of legroom, and fit fine in the 'yata. Never did a foamectomy. The FD has much more legroom, but the stock steering wheel is kinda in the way. Easily fixed with a Miata wheel, which looks better anyway.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

allow me to make a case for the FC. they are OLD cars (think MGB), but they are also very tough, we raced one back in the day, and we spent like $47 on it a season, put it away wet, and we have some class trophies somewhere...

if we treated it like the replacement honda, we'd have something that would be museum worthy*...

the FB is even better, they are a ton of fun, and its a very simple car....

the miata has a better suspension, but the rotary makes more power.

i personally think the miata is more complex, its also a B$&%h to get the engine or trans out of it, and you'll need to do that at some point. plus its got a timing belt, and valves, and the front alignment bolts loosen up....

*we've done a coupe 25 hour races with the honda, which needs basically everything replaced, and a roll of duct tape to run that long, its about $8k... x4, plus the initial build, we're easily north of 50k into it

rx7 SE

iTrader: (5)

Your profile says you're 31, did that much change already?

To stay on topic though: Everyone's advice so far has been pretty on point. The main thing you need to consider is how much are you willing to put into a track car and that should make your decision a lot easier.

Speedanimal

Great points. I'm not too worried about the additional upkeep costs, at least for the Miata. But I guess I don't know exactly how much those are until I do it. The car may see some autocross, but will probably see more track use.

And Natey, I totally forgot about the seat bracket removal, thanks for that! I think just one more inch would get my knees off the steering wheel just enough to make stuff work. I suppose it would also help me fit with whatever roll bar I choose too. I assume all Rxs don't have tilt wheel?

jacobcartmill

iTrader: (6)

it was a decade ago. things were much different... things are good (actually better) now, but completely different. you'll see

jacobcartmill

iTrader: (6)

nicely said. i am the same way.

i sold my G37S coupe 6MT (tracked it once at Barber) for my FD and another DD. the G was actually kind of boring.

the FD is wayyy more fun and just has so much of a "cool/sporty" feeling than the G did, especially on the track. the only problem is i have to get OCD/crazy making sure everything is prepared for the track.

it's also fun being the only FD at the track and being about the same speed as the corvettes and 911 turbos in an old *** rotary car.

the miata could be thought of in a similar way, but a lower budget, lower risk car, but still with the same cool/fun factor.

i actually have a track day this coming saturday at Putnam Park in indiana. i am taking the FD and my good friend will be there is his turbo 95 miata. it is an awesome little car. (gt38r turbo, 12psi, AEM ems, etc.) i'll make sure to post some videos (and his videos) if anyone cares to watch.

Speedanimal

That would be cool! I would like to see the videos if you don't mind, would be great to see the speed difference.

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

There's a difference between racing and track days. For racing, the FB and FC are the way to go for RX7. The Miata is also a great race car. All work.

For track days, I'd say FC or Miata if you are building one. FC b/c the suspension and steering is better than the FB as is parts availability. Although, you can get a fully race prepped FB 1st gen for the price of a street Miata or good FC.

Natey

iTrader: (19)

My FD broke down at Buttonwillow one day (the main engine fuse shorted out and killed the car mid-turn at the Bus Stop)

Lucky for me 7's Only Racing is right there at the track. What a cool bunch of people. They took care of my car for me quickly. When I went to pick it up a few days later it was running great and fully detailed. Two thumbs up for 7's Only!

I'm going somewhere with my cool story. lol. They also sponsor a full racing series featuring guess what kind of cars?
MazdaGT Championship Series

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

You know, if you stretch the budget to ~$4-5k, you can probably find an early RX8. That is a much better chassis than the FC or FB. More comparable to the FD in terms of chassis. Might need less work and $ to get track worthy also.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

the key word was in your other post, they all work. the Rx8 is a good option though too. you need to be kind of zen about the 8 though, there isn't much you need to do, because there isn't much you can do.

jacobcartmill

iTrader: (6)

^ here's a good video of that. RX8s are awesome track cars for the money.

this is my good friend's RX8. just has KW coilovers and 17x9 wheels with 255 ZII tires. we ran the exact same times because i can't drive:

Speedanimal

Great video, car looks very stable! I would love to stretch my budget to an rx8, however I don't know as much about them as I do the 7s or the Miata. Also, I've heard rumors of weak engines at relatively low miles with those cars. Is that rumor true?

evo_koa

iTrader: (2)

i would go with a fc. but like everyone says miata parts are cheap and readily avaliable. I autox my fd, and i am in the process of getting a sa22c to track some to.

Gian

iTrader: (3)

Good and bad:
FB, solid inexpensive easy to work on, low maintenance, quick bolt on HP. If you learn how to drive it. It will teach you to be a better driver.
The bad, Parts availability, out of the box is not a great handling car (but fun). As a street car it's a pain (cold starts, poor mileage and smog).

Miata: Great handling, Fairly low maintenance, easy to drive fast, lots of Miata folk.
The bad, Harder to work on then the FB. low HP (but can be pumped up fairly easy) and you have to do the ***** tuck when you wear your bikini while driving with the top down to the beach...lol.

patman

iTrader: (3)

I am in the miata camp. Zero 'cool factor', but much easier to track and more reliable. Also VERY important IMO is that there are so many spec miatas out there that there is a huge knowledge base and a huge parts market. You can also graduate into spec miata racing once you get tired of track days.

I love the RX7 but I think it takes a serious commitment to make one into a usable track car. I also own an RX8 and IMO it is too slow and way too unreliable to be a good choice. Peace of mind is an important thing when you are trying to juggle a full time job and a family and a car addiction. It is worth a lot to know you can load the car up and take it to the track any time with minimal prep work. My tack car is a Lotus though, so maybe I'm spoiled. OTOH, I am only about 8 years out of engineering school as well, I just got lucky and married a girl who likes cars almost as much as I do.