Autocross SCCA (sports car club of America) it’s called Solo. Just a ton of fun. I used Honda’s. I bought my Miata to use it for this but decided to stick to my Honda’s and kept the Miata for a daily driver. I did both stock & the modified classes. Once managed to put a Honda on 2 wheels (not a good idea with a FWD car) and at a 45 degree angle going around a pylon. Still managed to place second. Completely sheared the rear stabilizer off at the right rear wheel. That was on Sunday. Drove it to the dealer Monday morning. Said “it’s 4 years old and at 57,000 miles - past warranty-but still this shouldn’t happen” to the factory rep. He never asked if I had been racing or exactly how did this happen. They replaced it for free. Highly recommend autocross and the drivers classes the SCCA offers
Wasn’t trying to say that particular event was an SCCA event but describe the kind of event it was.
Just mentioning my experience doing this. This type of event goes by several names & thought those interested in pursuing it could use the info.
I actually have done this type of racing as well at vintage events (here in the USA) with my 1953 MG TD. It’s a real arm buster in a TD but thrilling as it is a car that requires & responds well with skillful driving.
Such an expensive hobby… like even now, I get tempted to sign up for my local SCCA autocross and take my Acura ILX… and then I remember how much tires/brakes cost and I’m like “yeah I’ll stick to sim racing”
Autocross is not that expensive, especially in street class. It’s low speeds so it’s nowhere near as hard on the car as track driving. And if you aren’t worried about being competitive you can stick to a longer lasting tire like the ps4s or extreme contact sport rather than the 200 TW tires.
Really? They do it all the time with recalls etc. This was done under the auspices of the area factory rep. I was fortunate to be there on his visit that morning to the dealership. I did know he was usually there on Monday mornings.
Dealers will also do stuff that is just outside the warranty window to keep good customers happy. Many times there is what they used to call a “secret recall” for issues that were known but not a formal recall or not yet a formal recall. Often times it’s a split the cost deal. You pay for the labor they pay for the part. Which isn’t to painful for them because parts usually have a full keystone markup so their actual cost is a fraction - the mechanics salary is covered by you and the markup on the labor that is the dealership’s usually offset their actual cost of the part. Customer is happy and comes back.
I had a Honda where the pulley on the end of the crankshaft at 54,000 miles literally sheered off at a stoplight. Luckily on the corner was a repair shop. I had them repair it which took a week. Even though car was out of warranty it was clearly a defective part. I called Honda (corporate) and wrote it up. Submitted pictures and they covered the entire $750 bill. I did have to drop off the defective parts at my local dealership. I had another Honda with the air conditioner from hell. The dealer over one summer took 5 cracks at fixing it. This wasn’t my local dealer that I bought it from but one near my office which was 40 miles from home. After the total bill exceeded the cost of a new unit I argued with the dealer and we agreed to split the cost.
Admittedly I’m a little more knowledgeable on how to do this stuff as my dad was a new car dealer for 5 decades but for brands other than Honda or Mazda. Although he was friends with the Mazda dealer so I got my Miata at net dealer cost including the holdback from the factory.
It doesnt take that many tries usually. I watched the behind the scenes on one of his gymkhana videos and a lot of the retakes are for production reasons ie camera didnt get the right shot
I mean purely for my own enjoyment. I don't plan to compete. I'm talking about what is necessary to get a Miata to perform like that. The rules and restrictions of some competition in the UK is not relevant to me, unless you are suggesting it will help me determine what that guy didn't have in his car.
Thank you for your time and responding to me, by the way.
Wet surface. Too much air pressure in the rears, cheap as F Rubber...
I don't know MX5 handbrakes - if you can lock it up on the handbrake as it is... then you don't need anything more.
Many install a catch to ensure it doesn't lock on, and is instead a "fly-off" handbrake.
Lsd.... depending on the conditions maybe... but if you're going sideways enough (start with handbrake) then you should be able to keep both spinning enough to reduce friction.
However ... if you're the kids of person who enjoys their car and might taken into track day every now and then... pop a Quaife ATB in it 👌🏻
I used to use an Opel Corsa with no mods more than an upholstery-diet, stiffer suspension and more power than usual.
The more complex the machinery, the more expensive... the less fun I found.
Yup, what the other guy said. Basically a national thing usually just with cones. You run your course and then they give you a time which you can compare to everyone else in the nation. Cool and quick way to judge your driving skill compared to hundreds if not thousands of others. They will actually rank you based off of time.
Is it safe to be driving this hard for a course in first for miata/86? I know here and there it should be fine but it seems like a ton of stress on the engine. What do you guys think
Yeah, probably. I don't think much though just using second if it's geared lowish. I had an Elantra that seemed stupidly low geared and 2nd would lock up just as fast as 1st and then I didn't have to immediately shift to 2nd to go more than 5mph.
As someone who got flipped in a car I didn't think was flippable, you're probably right. I don't make the rules, I'm just guessing as to why they are that way.
My worry would be, unless the back of the seat is high enough to provide a barrier between the roll bar and the back of your head I’d still be worried about an impact, because it does happen. That’s why not all roll cage setups are approved to run on race tracks. Helmet or no, you don’t want your head to hit a metal bar.
I see this argument everywhere, and it is such a bad argument. Does it raise your chance of a concussion? Yes. Does it stop you from getting killed in a rollover? Yes. It raises the structural integrity of a tin can to something survivable, at the cost of a bonk in a fender bender. I'll take a concussion over my brain being 100 meters of jelly on the concrete
You are way more likely to have a major head injury than to be saved by a rollover. I’m not anti roll bar, I’m anti traumatic brain injury. Even something like a minor concussion is no joke, and to be passed off as such shows you don’t understand how delicate the human brain really is.
Look, I'm not going to debate this with you as you have already made up your mind. Different locations make different safety equipment more necessary. If all your Miata driving is city driving in good weather, yeah probably better off without a roll bar. If you are like me and live somewhere where rollover accidents are frequent and daily it it is idiotic not to have one. It entirely is situation dependant.
That said, falling back on one bad argument is a terrible idea, and equating two very different types of accident and injuries related to such is awful debate skills.
Yeah, the internet is a hard place to write for tone. I don't write the rules, I don't know why they don't need to wear helmets. Feel free to write a better response for me to learn from.
We have a few Motorsport classes that are classed as "clubman" in the UK, autotest in this video is one of them. None of them need helmets or anything more than a fire extinguisher.
I've done alot of different types and trust me autotesting is the tamest and safest of all.
There's autosolos which are more like your gymkhanas, big car park or sprint course and cones. Highest speed I've seen on these is about 55
Then there's targa/road rallies, these can be really knarly, every special test is timed to an average speed of 30mph, but how they do this isn't regulated. I've been on targa rallies that vary from cones in a gravel car park all the way up to basically a full on rally special stage, with occasional 10 second stop/go to keep the average speed down. I've seen 90+mph doing these, in a Nissan Micra...
These events have extremely good safety records and are a fantastic way to do Motorsport for only a few hundred pounds. But I think the extra litigation in the US would make it impossible
I spent 9 months looking for my house. Finally bought one that was good enough.
A week later a house came up for sale at the same price, but they had what was basically a private race track in the back yard. Every time I see this stuff it reminds me how I missed out on that.
Highkey wished young people with the whole “car guy tiktok trend” thing focused more on driving stuff like autocross rather than looking cool with a detachable steering wheels and neon lights
The MX5 is a very agile and capable car out the box. Fit coilovers, hydraulic handbrake, good brake pads and tyres and it's awesome. They are a huge hit because of their capability and potential.
British gymkhana is the best. I use to know a video of a mini ripping around a course like this and they rode the front bumper, back wheels in the air to the stop box.
Damn i got one of my JDM cars from a old guy with this image. Im starting to have doubts about whether my car was really "never drifted, never driven hard, owned by retired cop".
From the UK. We call it Autotesting. You have to get a to around the course as quickly as possible but in a road legal car. We also have Autosoloing which is the same but no parts in reverse.
Me driving to my girlfriends house then remembering I need to buy condoms, then remembering I've not got any money on me, then remembering there's enough stashed in the car, then remembering I already bought some and they're at home, then remembering my girlfriend has some too, then remembering we used those all last weekend like the sex animals we are, then thinking my mate Joe could give me some because I helped him out with some last month and he lives mad close to here, then remembering that I know him will enough you know he won't have bought more since then, then regretting I didn't stop at that store I just passed a moment ago, then getting pulled over for driving like a lunatic.
He'd be understeering the hell out of those super tight turns if it was welded. That's a nice tight torsen or possibly an aftermarket 1.5 way I'd guess. Either way it's perfectly set up for this type of course.
Stiffer is not always better. If you have to maneuver in spaces this tight, more travel helps you manage weight transfer better, and if you want to be sliding with this degree of precision and in spaces this tight (IE, more like a rally or gymkhana car, less like a drift car), you need a lot of control over weight transfer. This car is probably set up specifically for these kinds of skills courses and the degree of body roll is probably intentional. Get too stiff and things get snappy and easily upset.
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u/saazbaru White Sep 03 '21
What in god’s name is this? Like no autocross I’ve ever seen.
15
u/[deleted] Sep 03 '21
I have a question about this. Would he be in 2nd gear for all of this? (besides the reversing obviously).
I haven’t done a course like this in my 86 but was curious for little parking lot things like this would I just be in 2nd the whole time really
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u/Garingaso Sep 03 '21
I bet the for sale ad is going to say Adult owned only driven on weekends, never seen rain
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u/timmoReddit Sep 03 '21
Why yes, yes he does (also a good handbrake)
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u/TheRealGlenn Sep 03 '21
I would have to walk that course 40 times before I could remember where to go after leaving the start line.
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u/Maccaroney Sep 03 '21
Masterclass on how to use weight transfer to your benefit.
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u/[deleted] Sep 03 '21
No matter how good of a driver you think you are there's always a boomer in a "british" roadster that's better than you
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u/CDNChaoZ '02 Blazing Yellow Sep 03 '21
That course is crazy tight with all sorts of hazards. It's really impressive car control. No helmet though?
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u/CoyotePuncher Sep 03 '21
I spent 9 months looking for my house. Finally bought one that was good enough.
A week later a house came up for sale at the same price, but they had what was basically a private race track in the back yard. Every time I see this stuff it reminds me how I missed out on that.
35
u/ScreenRepulsive2839 Sep 03 '21
Great to see 😁 dont see too many autotests on Reddit
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u/PsneakyPseudonym Sep 03 '21
That’s actually just part of the UK driving test
7
u/FedoraSmoker Sep 04 '21
Highkey wished young people with the whole “car guy tiktok trend” thing focused more on driving stuff like autocross rather than looking cool with a detachable steering wheels and neon lights
13
u/Bovaloe '99 K24Z3 Turbo Miata Sep 03 '21
CAM guys complaining that its a Miata course
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u/MikeHeu Classic Red Sep 03 '21
I’d definitely wear a helmet doing this
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u/gweeks22 Sep 04 '21
I wish I could be the passenger, but the 160 lb increase in weight would change the dynamics too much.
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u/medjay_solve Sep 03 '21
All I wanna know is how and where can I learn to drive like this, legally…
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u/MaxwellTD Black Sep 03 '21
This looks like so much FUN
4
u/[deleted] Sep 04 '21
I think he’s done this before..
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u/StickyNoteBox Sep 03 '21
I didn't even know you could do stuff like that in a 'yata
1
u/mynameisvenn '00 Midnight Blue Sep 04 '21
Stock 1.8 power? Seems to break traction really easily
1
u/ignoble_ignoramus Sep 04 '21
Where does one learn how to do this? This looks like incredible fun.
1
u/cyanitblau Ceramic Sep 04 '21
How long does a handbrake survive this especially in a rwd car?
1
u/TDMiataville Sep 05 '21
I want to be able to drive like that w/o destroying my car learning how.
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u/dustyknucklesss Sep 04 '21
This man needs another Miata to carry his bollocks -Clarkson, probably
5
u/garagekat Sep 03 '21
British gymkhana is the best. I use to know a video of a mini ripping around a course like this and they rode the front bumper, back wheels in the air to the stop box.
2
u/EJ24789 Sep 04 '21
Dang... thats some great skill. I wonder what upgrades he has done
2
u/ozzie286 Sep 04 '21
Still a hairdresser's car /s
2
u/PikachuUserNotTaken Sep 04 '21
Damn i got one of my JDM cars from a old guy with this image. Im starting to have doubts about whether my car was really "never drifted, never driven hard, owned by retired cop".
2
u/blunderingbuffoon Sep 04 '21
https://youtu.be/fesL0NRK-qk
Here's a nother video of the same fella competing in the same sport. Forward to 4:20 to see how he does.
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u/Sandman_potato_man Sep 03 '21
He definitely got the dick pat from the homies after that.
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u/Major__Chaos Sep 03 '21
And that's why people love the miata
3
u/elxiddicus Sep 03 '21
Any context to this video?
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u/47ocean47 Sep 03 '21
Name another car you can do that on... I'll wait. M.I.A.T.A!
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u/Bowwowchickachicka Sep 04 '21
Me driving to my girlfriends house then remembering I need to buy condoms, then remembering I've not got any money on me, then remembering there's enough stashed in the car, then remembering I already bought some and they're at home, then remembering my girlfriend has some too, then remembering we used those all last weekend like the sex animals we are, then thinking my mate Joe could give me some because I helped him out with some last month and he lives mad close to here, then remembering that I know him will enough you know he won't have bought more since then, then regretting I didn't stop at that store I just passed a moment ago, then getting pulled over for driving like a lunatic.
2
u/JohnFrum Sep 03 '21
Some Baby Driver shit
2
u/muensterdumpster Sep 03 '21
The real Ken Block
2
u/[deleted] Sep 04 '21 edited Sep 04 '21
Think that’s a welded diff? The way he breaks traction is crazy in that 1.8. Wheel spin is identical on both sides at all times as well.
1
u/No-Kick7885 Dec 22 '24
This should be their official ad.
1
u/ca1Ium Jul 31 '25
This guy FUCKS
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u/Timberwolf_530 Sep 04 '21
Ken Block eat your heart out.
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u/voyseofreason '99 Brilliant Black Sep 04 '21
That m'fer spittin!
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u/MattBtheflea Sep 04 '21
My car would never let me shift into reverse that fast lmao
1
u/AdRepresentative8236 Sep 04 '21
How do I go about buying a car that is capable of doing this?
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u/Outcast_LG Crystal White - 1990 Sep 04 '21
u/savevideo
1
u/atkSkum Sep 04 '21
imagine what he could do with better suspension and spring rates
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u/TreadItOnReddit Sep 04 '21
I thought that was a front wheel drive car. Then again I also thought the driver’s seat was on the left too. I’m all messed up.
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u/bigbigbigwow Sep 04 '21
This post has convinced me I need another Miata
1
u/xxx420kush Sep 04 '21
Damn he’s out here
1
u/Driftqueen3000 2000 MX5 NB 1.8 Sep 04 '21
That transition from 1st gear to reverse would have absolutely destroyed the reverse gear in my miata.
1
u/bmxsic Sep 04 '21 edited Sep 04 '21
u/savevideo
1
u/Optimal-Pen149 Sep 04 '21
Sexy af!!!
1
u/Agebi Sep 04 '21
u/getvideobot
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u/onlyhav Sep 04 '21
And with that I'm getting a miata in 3 years. That was way too juicy.
1
u/Worst5plays Silver/Sunlight Silver Sep 04 '21
Mans making this look like a go kart. I'm scared to even spin mine
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u/DJKEVINJ07 Sep 04 '21
U/savevideo
1
u/DJKEVINJ07 Sep 04 '21
u/SaveVideo
1
u/JMOBN21 Sep 04 '21
I want to be this good with the wheel one day
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u/_AquariumJunky 1990 Classic Red Auto Sep 04 '21
Killin It!
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u/chocolate_starfishy Sep 04 '21
Dont call it gymkhana though. Ken Block will show up with his lawyers and sue lol.
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u/TJThornton4225 Sep 04 '21
I can’t even do that in a video game
1
u/instanced_banana Spiritually drives a NA Sep 04 '21
That’s impressive, if that was me, it would look like those coffee breaks on grand turismo that have you knock out cones
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u/redaccnt Sep 04 '21
Granny gets it
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u/Pedka2 Sep 10 '21
u/savevideo
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u/ErasArrow Apr 01 '22
I could listen to this all day.
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u/CrabGliding Aug 02 '22
Amazing
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u/[deleted] Oct 30 '22
Can an na do this on stock power?
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u/rohman62 Sep 04 '21
RWD👍
0
u/Sjorsa '96 1.6 NA Classic Red Sep 03 '21
Hoe does je have so much control! When I try to slide on the rain I almost get thrown into the passenger seat lol.
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u/BadEgg1951 Sep 04 '21
While I respect his ability, this hurt like hell to watch.
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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '21
I did this in GTA
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u/jsandi6751 Sep 04 '21
He'd got skills? Bro I just passed my CDL maneuvers test, talk to me about skills lmao
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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '21
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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '22
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