Miata report
 

This is really a follow-up to "My wife can't drive". I finally used up most of the gas in that tank and filled up yesterday. The car only used 9.3 gallons in 339 miles! That's almost 36.5 mpg. The combined EPA estimate is 23 mpg.

I managed this with everything stock (except the tires were pumped up), 100% in town driving, top down most of the time, and about 50% of the driving at night. There is no instrumentation except my highly calibrated and sensitive butt.:thumbup:

Now it's got me wondering just how far I can go if I ......

I find it just too damn tempting to get on it. Especially with the shortened gears. I also have the ECU overclocked for 8k redline...which does not help midrange torque due to either Timing or Fueling adjustments being incorrect for max power... With that said, being abusive in a miata gets you like upper 20s! And that is a motor with 165k abused miles!

my miata motor has around 500 miles on it and I get 10mpg. Be happy :)

That is my kind of miata....waiting for the EMs to attack!

My Megasquirted NA 1.6 makes 4.8~5.2 l./100 (45~49 USMPG) when driving like the granny at 90kph (55 mph) in fifth, this with a 14.5:1 AFR at those conditions.

At higher speeds however the bad aerodynamics take their toll, 150kph (91 mph) mean ~10 l./100 (23.5 USMPG).

I made some small experimenting on cruise leaning and this engine runs fine leaned to 18:1 in cruise, although of course throttle response sux bigtime then.

Also this engine loves advancing the ignition below 5500 rpm & 75 kPa.

http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/471...kner001sz7.jpg

I wish I fit in a miata (but I don't wish for the insurance the car would cost me :p)...... With the soft top up, my head pokes through the canvass :( I have an unfortunately long "neckular" region :p I do fit if I slouch down/lean back uncomfortably - but I'm not going to do that unless I'm getting 400+mpg as a result of it :p

I'm 6'5" with a 32" inseam (and could stretch to look over the windshield of an early miata). There are a few ways I've heard of fixing a miata/MX-5: Removing stuffing from the seat, replacing the seat (perferably with a drag-racing seat that bolts to the floor), and replacing the seat and removing the "ribs" at the back.

Personally, in the unlikely event that I consider this when I buy my next car, I would find somebody who has done these modifications (try your local autocross) for a "test sit".

I don't normally envy "the little people", but they do get at least one more cool car.

My 1995 geo metro is $15/more a year in insurance than my 94 miata. my 2001 miata is not much more and its my primary vehicle with collision.

and im 6'1, the miata is not a tough car to fit in. i have friends that are 6'4" and 230 lbs that race with me. and beat me soundly.

That may be your problem: what you call slouching down & leaning back is the normal semi-reclining posture that most sports car designers intended. I confess I've never sat in a Miata, but I've owned a bunch of other sports cars including an Austin-Healey Sprite, and at 6' I fit quite comfortably.

Indeed, I find the semi-reclining posture both normal and comfortable, and the bolt-upright seating of American cars & SUVs not comfortable at all. I suppose it's all in what you're used to...

Alas, this is a case where total height doesn't matter so much as where that height is located.... I have relatively short legs - so we might be close in height while sitting, but if your legs are longer than mine, I'm going to be taller sitting :/

I guess I should say that I have no clue about the newer mx-5....

I've got no problem with reclining... I ride a recumbent:D and am always wanting a more supine position. But slouching, no - that's fatiguing as your body shouldn't be offset. I do fit in a Lotus Europa (such that I get full vision), which is much smaller than a miata (and much more reclined). It's all a matter of anthropometric design.

So, maybe I shouldn't have said leaned back in my original post to avoid confusion :p

most women move my seat back when they get in the car after me. I have long legs but I sit impossibly close to the steering wheel. I prefer to drive like I'm in a gokart, at least when I'm racing.

With regards to the current-gen MX-5 Miata: the upper limit for drivers seems to be around 6'4". It can accommodate passengers as tall as 6'6".

At 5'10", I've never had a problem, but I have two very differently-proportioned 6'6" co-workers who can't drive my car.

Looking forward to seeing how far you can push your Miata's FE, Ed!

I have the opposite problem: I'm only 6' tall but am kinda leggy, 35" inseam. I sat in the Miata when they just came out (and almost bought one) again in 2000 at an auto show (came close to buying one again) I just couldn't see getting my legs comfortable, my left leg would want to get wedged between the steering wheel and the door panel with my left foot hovering over the clutch pedal. I saw no room to redo the seat track to slide the seat back any further because of the rear bulkhead (without changing to a seat with a thinner seatback).

I might give it another try someday, the aluminum drag seat is a good idea. I love the look of those little MX5's, good to know you can get good FE with one.

One would think that a car like that has 40+ mpg potential for sure. Maybe the gears are just too short? I have a 2002 Civic Si hatch, short gears, 60 mph is like 3050 rpm. I commend you taller ones for considering such a small car. I know many who INSIST they need an SUV because of their size.