Ecomodding 2015 MX-5 Miata

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

That's an interesting car. Though I'm not sure if you would be willing to try it, had it been me picking something with this engine, I'd be quite tempted to try running it on heavy fuels, like some sort of updated Hesselman engine.

I'm not even sure I can regularly get ahold of heavier fuels in New Zealand - diesels seem to be on the way out, there. I'll keep an eye out though. It would certainly be interesting, though the tuning might be out of my reach.

You might find Mazda's newer Skyactiv-X engine to be of interest. It's a gasoline direct injected engine that uses compression ignition, like a diesel. It has a very high 16:1 static compression ratio, and controls compression ignition both with a supercharger and by running extremely lean. I imagine the MX-5 will be getting this engine in some future model year, but it hasn't yet, and I am not willing to pay new-car money for a car, no matter what the car.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Ecky

I'm not even sure I can regularly get ahold of heavier fuels in New Zealand - diesels seem to be on the way out, there. I'll keep an eye out though. It would certainly be interesting, though the tuning might be out of my reach.

There is not such an overwhelming demand for Diesel-powered cars there, and at least until around 2011 there were still some gasser versions of the Mazda-derived Ranger sold there and the Isuzu-sourced Holden Colorado, yet Diesel is still more usual for trucks and SUVs than for cars there. As fuel and road tax are charged in a different way between Diesel fuel and gasoline, with Diesel being exempted from road tax at the fuel stations, road tax was charged on a way which seems too annoying for most New Zealanders to be willing to deal with.

You might find Mazda's newer Skyactiv-X engine to be of interest. It's a gasoline direct injected engine that uses compression ignition, like a diesel. It has a very high 16:1 static compression ratio, and controls compression ignition both with a supercharger and by running extremely lean.

The tuning might be an issue but, as I guess you remember, both Mercury and Evinrude were able to make kerosene-fueled outboard motors for the military, and at least the Evinrude ones could also resort to Diesel fuel for a short time at an emergency.

[hayden55]

Whats up with the fuel economy ratings? 21/27 here locally

[Piotrsko]

The Gov't allowed an immediate increase in alcohol to 25% couple weeks back? I noticed my mileage totals were all over the place on my road trip depending if I bought new fuel versus "aged" fuel from stations that had low diesel turnover. Old fuel had a lower price and was in smaller towns. Mileage varied as a result: from 49.8 to 46.7 lifetime display.

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by hayden55

Whats up with the fuel economy ratings? 21/27 here locally

The new 2015 update in NZ didn't land in the US until 2016. In the US it's rated for 27 city / 36 highway, because the US only got the "big block" muscle car 2.0L engine, not the smaller one available in other countries.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

The Gov't allowed an immediate increase in alcohol to 25% couple weeks back?

IIRC only Brazil has such a high ethanol content on regular gasoline.

[Ecky]

Updated the first 3 posts, please go back and re-read them. Today I plan to get a tyre inflator and pump them up to a more reasonable pressure. It'll be a few weeks before I get to any real modding, as I'm still settling in.

[Ecky]

Turns out the tires only had ~23psi in them! I'm going to start with 40 and see where I end up.

[Gasoline Fumes]

Beautiful scenery! How's the transition to right-hand drive/left-hand traffic?

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by Gasoline Fumes

Beautiful scenery! How's the transition to right-hand drive/left-hand traffic?

It's quite disorienting, and nevermind that the road rules are quite different. It still feels a bit like writing with the wrong hand, but after a few days things "flipped" in my head quite suddenly, and now when I see pictures of left-hand drive/right-hand traffic, they look backwards to me.

Most traffic routing is done by roundabout. There are triangles on the road which look like arrows, but point in the opposite direction from the way you're supposed to drive. Turning on a red light is not allowed. Pedestrians always have the right of way, legally, but it seems cars still do in practice. Sometimes there will be 5 lanes of traffic going in one direction, with only one in the other. The roads are terrifyingly narrow, and people park on both sides making them more narrow still - sometimes there is barely enough room for one car to pass down the middle of a two lane road. Speed limits really are limits here, and people rarely exceed them. They also seem to be much better drivers, on average.

I think a part of me misses some of America's wide streets, though once I'm out of town it's incredibly fun - every drive is tail of the dragon. It almost makes more sense to have an ebike for around town here, as the MX-5 feels like a massive thing to be navigating the roads with.