Basic maintenance... gotta do it! New Filters and Synthetic Oil

Oh that lovely service time rolls around and what do you do?  Hopefully you don't just dump in some old dino oil and a crappy filter... NOPE!  gotta go synthetic and a high-quality filter!  It's great insurance to keep your engine running clean and frees up more ponies under the hood :)

This time around, I got a great deal on some Pennzoil Platinum Synthetic 0W-20 and Mobil 1 M1-102 Extended Performance Oil Filter filter!

  

Also, next time you check your air filter - I recommend switching to a K&N Filter - they last FOREVER and with our service, I clean them once a year! The spray bottle of cleaner and re-oil has lasted me over 5 years!  This is the model to get for the Mazda MX-5 K&N 33-2335 - direct drop in filter and LOW maintenance while keeping your engine clean!

Our next service will include 3 Quarts of this stuff Genuine Ford Fluid XT-M5-QS Full Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid - it's supposed to be the best oil to use that removes any notchiness from the shifter in the Mazda MX-5.  Lots of folks recommend this gear oil!

oh, this is just exhausting... LOL

What a punny title - eh? LOL  ok I crack myself up...

Our next mod - somewhat a Christmas gift for my wife (she asked for it!) - is the Roadstersport Super-Q Axle-back Exhaust from Good-Win Racing  - it should be a great addition - a little more sound (like we're used to with our older 2000 Miata) but without the drone or BOOMing sounds you normally get from bigger exhaust mods... this was the key as it's her daily driver!

Granted - by itself, this isn't really a power adder, but adds a little bump... any little bit of power increase in this little car is pretty noticeable - even 3%!

It even has removable baffles if you want more sound - it's a SUPER-Q nice setup! Check out the baffle video below...

Once we get it installed - 2 bolts and 4 hangars - that's it!  We'll evaluate sound and modify accordingly...  I've been really impressed with Good-Win Racing's service - placed my order and it showed up in 2 days!

Sweet brakes!

Since my last post, the Michelin PSS have been broken in pretty well - for a daily driver.  The car sticks like GLUE!  A bit of suspension float, but that should be fixed in some upcoming updates (hopefully!)

Our front brakes were a little warped and the pads were 50% (or less) so I found a great deal on some new rotors and pads!  Just getting the existing rotors turned and leaving the pads would have cost about $100 - so for less than 1/2 the price I got new drilled and slotted rotors and low-dust ceramic performance pads as well!

Power Stop (K4098) 1-Click Brake Kit 

only $182 after $50 MIR

Ok - first off, I think they look pretty darned cool - slotted/cross-drilled rotors are a nice shiny touch.  We're still breaking them in a bit and bedding the brakes - but the performance is a nice upgrade!  The slots should keep the pads clean and the zinc plating on the rotors give a nice shine!

Definitely pick some up - fantastic price!

First mod - Michelin Pilot Super Sport Tires!

Our new (to us) MX-5 had one mismatched tire in the rear and both rears were pretty much near the end of life so fortunately there was an $80 Michelin rebate going on...  The Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires are one of the best (if not THE best) street tire for a daily driver if you're in a climate like ours in Northern CA.  Sun and rain is about all we get and the PSS is a PRO at both wet and dry traction!

I've never been one to settle for 'stock' setups so I opted for a slightly wider 215/45-R17 tire (versus OEM 205 width) - so we get 10mm wider tread pattern onto the road to hold our little Zoom Zoom around the sticky corners :)

We got them mounted and balanced at the local America's Tire store - they know us so well...  Can't be happier with the setup, these tires are amazingly tractable.  Highly recommended for those of you looking to carve up the corners and have a nice pliable ride.

Next time we need a set, we're probably going to widen the stance with a set of Enkei PF01 17x8 wheels... but that's for another blog ;)

In with the NEW!

From our prior Mazda Miata experience, my wife wanted to update her daily driver to something a bit newer and a hardtop - so we shopped, and shopped, and SHOPPED around!  The Power Retractable Hard Top (PRHT) cars move REALLY fast - we'd see one listed and it would sell in 3 days or less...

We finally found a 2011 Mazda MX-5 Sparkling Black Mica PRHT 6-speed Special Edition.  

Limited to just 750 units, the Special Edition begins life as a loaded, retractable-hardtop Grand Touring model with Premium package. That means the SE has Bluetooth, satellite radio, xenon headlights, keyless entry and start, and electronic stability control. Also standard is the Suspension pack, which nabs Bilstein shocks, a limited-slip differential, and sportier suspension geometry.

To make the Special Edition, Mazda stretches gray-stitched black leather over the steering wheel and parking-brake handle, and then installs gray leather seats, gray door trim, and chrome around the air vents and instrument cluster. The exterior can be sprayed one of two unique colors, Sparkling Black Mica or Dolphin Gray Mica.

They gray interior was a big bonus for us, since the gray leather won't get as blazing hot as black leather will get in the summertime.  And the heated seats are a very nice addition - she loves driving to work in the morning - top down, and seat heaters on!  :D

More posts coming!!

out with the old...

My wife and I really enjoyed our 2000 Mazda Miata... we've had it for 2.5 years and my wife daily drives it to work ~32 miles each way...  it was a choice to buy this car to save gas money, instead of driving the Denal XL.  In usual fashion, we did some tasteful mods and maintenance on our NB Miata :)

949Racing 6UL 15x7 wheels with Kumho PA31 195/50-15 tires 

UberTechnic Hubrings - 54.1mm Hub to 67.1mm Wheel - Centering Rings

Rotella T6 Synthetic Oil

Mobil 1 M1-108 Extended Performance Oil Filter

Fram FV289 Positive Crankcase Ventilation PCV Valve

Polk Audio DB651 6.5-Inch Coaxial Speakers

DEI 050330 Boom Mat 6.5" Round Speaker Baffle

NGK (9160) ZE21 Premium Spark Plug Wire Set

4 New NGK Iridium IX Spark Plugs BKR5EIX-11 # 5464

Prestone 373K4 Premium Serpentine Belt

Prestone 347K4 Premium Serpentine Belt

Dynamat 10435 Sound Deadener Xtreme Door Kit

K&N 33-2676 High Performance Replacement Air Filter

Cobalt Axle-Back Muffler

Teflon Window Guides

Jaws Grilles by IL Motorsport

Chrome Fuel Lid

Kenwood KDC-BT752HD CD Receiver 

 

the only real 'gripe' is in the wintertime where it rains here (no snow) - so we decided to make a little upgrade... so we upgraded to the 2011 (see next blog post)