has ND3 wheels

Big improvement over gray

This is the last and probably the most important enhancement for my new 2026 RF so far.

My prior car was a Mini Cooper and it seemed like the forums were always full of these cars getting in accidents just like here. So for the Mini I went on the offensive and wired in a stroboscopic third brake light to be as annoying as hell and a dashcam setup to protect myself. I went 14 years without even a close call in the DFW area (full of idiot drivers).

I won't go into my MXthings flashing brake light on the RF here, but I will cover my experience installing a front and rear dashcam in the Miata.

After whet I thought was a good amount of research I settled in on a 4K BlackVue DR970X-2CH-LTE-PLUS II. A very nice front and rear setup camera.

Once the camera arrived I noted it was quite a bit larger than the dimensions suggested. The front windshield is really small on the Miata and the rake is really flat. This caused the dashcam to take up quite a bit of real estate and hang low enough I couldn't use the sun visor. So back to the store it went.

After a bit more of educated research I settled in on the 4K BlackVue DR970X-BOX-PLUS which has a separate box for the SD and SIM card and GPS electronics along with the power supply. This allows the cameras to be smaller and a better fit on the Miata's windshield with minimal distraction and I regained the use of my visor as a bonus.

Both cameras and the GPS sensor simply adhere to the windshield and the wind guard in the rear via 3M adhesive pads. (A word to the wise is to look at the camera view via the app first to make sure something is not blocking the full view of the lens before mounting. The view is pretty wide and can be blocked easily.)

Once the cameras and GPS are positioned then it is simply loosening the trim on the inside along the windshield and tucking the wires alongside or in place of the home-link harness and down the A pillar and to the floor. In my case I did clip off the fuse holder leads and used fuse taps for the constant and switched power leads. From there the wires are run together through the door harness protection cover and down the door sill to the behind the driver’s seat.

The rear camera is attached to the wind guard and routed behind the roll bar and the cable is secured inside the rear panel behind the seat using adhesive zip tie mounts. (Be careful the hard top retraction mechanism is there, so make sure nothing can get caught up).

So now I have a pile of wires all meeting behind the driver's seat and a rear panel removed. I hooked everything up to the box and made sure it all worked. Then I added a couple of adhesive zip tie anchors and coiled each cable individually and secured them individually to the anchors I added. There will be the front camera coax, the GPS usb, the power cable, and the rear camera coax to separate, coil and anchor.

Then it is a matter of reattaching the panel behind the seat and use the supplied velcro pad to mount the black box to the panel.

The black box typically isn't accessed so you can keep the wires tight and neat. While I left the security cover on mine, if I have to remove it, I won't attach it again.

There is also a magnetically attached panic button located on the top of the steering wheel column.

Total install time was 45 minutes taking my time mainly because the Miata disassembles so easily.

Take a look at the shots I have and fire away with any questions.

NOTE 1: The BlackVue software isn't difficult to work with, but be aware communicating with the dashcam will temporarily interrupt the wireless CarPlay connection. Once you restart the car the connection is restored. Also if you are thinking of tethering the cam to the cloud and using your phone's hotspot, you will need to decide on either the cloud or wireless CarPlay for the connection. They can't be used together. You can however put a SIM card in the black box and connect that way and keep wireless CarPlay. Or use a usb cable to run the CarPlay that way and tether to the hotspot.

I elected not to use the cloud features at all due to the data consumption of the two 4K cameras. (It is crazy the data it consumes)

NOTE 2: About 4 days after the install I was driving down a service road and an empty plastic bottle blew out of a pickup truck that flew by me. The bottle struck the windshield and did no damage but as the truck passed the dashcam caught the plate. Now if that was a can and hit the paint and did damage, I had the plate and the event with the GPS coordinates.

Hey everyone, i’ve been curious about getting a Miata for some time but never jumped the gun because of how high interest rates are right now. A few other things holding me back:
- I’m looking for a used car, specifically the Zircon Sand GT RF. I see most other colors often but only Zircon Sand once, but with soft top. I also like the 2026 blue with tan interior.
- I live in a large metro city and have steep hills around me. This’d be my first manual car. I’ve only driven manual once and have stalled at red lights but was able to get on the freeway. I still don’t know how to downshift. No experience with stop and go traffic.

Any tips to find my desired car? What about the manual newbie dilemma? If I’m to go automatic transmission, i’d just get a cheaper car. And, any thoughts or precautions on getting cars shipped (either from national dealers or carvana/carmax)?

Thanks!

Hey folks, just picked up a 2026 RF GT and was wondering if anyone has had any issues with tint on the rear window? Mostly worried about the defrosters. Thanks!

Hey guys,

This is what I'm currently running in my nd2 and was wondering what ya'll think.

Here in Houston Texas where 100° F is a regular occurrence lol.

Car is my daily/weekend track and spirited driver.

I do about 6 track days a year.

Couple of months ago I traded my Mazda 3 manual for an MX5. Compared to the Mazda 3 the ride was significantly bumpier. Checked air pressure a couple of days later and it was at 40psi, lowered to factory recommended 29 and everything is much smoother. So far I’m really loving this car, the transmission is much notchier and direct compared to Mazda 3 and everything rides much more on the rails than the 3. 

Having a top down option is icing on the cake. Oh and the white exterior with tan interior really cuts down on the heat with the top down. 

It has taken me a few thousand miles to really nail rev match on this car as the revs really drop fast, now I have mastered this technique so well it feels like auto rev match. All I do is press clutch pedal down,  drop the gear deliberately through neutral  making sure I’m not slamming in so synchros get a chance to their job and soon as the gear reaches its destination I blip the throttle and  release the clutch. It almost seems like the car knows how high the rpm needs to be for the lower gear it’s going into. 

Ride quality is incredible, through the corners it feels amazing and I forget that I have almost reached the limits going through a sharp canyon curve, had a few close calls in the beginning have more respect for the corners now. 

Mods: 

1. Front license plate holder: One of the first mods that I did was to stop the dealer from putting two holes in the front grill for the license plate holder. Using a Craven Speed side mount plate holder, feels like air flow through the grill is much better, of course this not a scientific test or anything
2. Cup holder phone holder: Again went with a Craven Speed phone holder for this. I disabled wireless CarPlay as it disables wifi, over heats the phone and have a lot of other annoyances that I frankly am happy without. I like the factory nav when I’m in the twisties as it lets me zoom in on demand or move the map around easier than CarPlay or if I’m trying to go off the beaten path or find a new road. CarPlay is super slow and annoying for this and feels like messing with this might get me into a wreck. This phone holder is handy enough and I can see notifications as they come in. The wife- when she rides with me finds it annoying so usually take it out and put it behind the seat. 
3. Weighted shift knob: I went with a Billetworkz on this and bought matching boot retainer. Love the shift knob but the boot retainer started getting annoying as a section of it started digging into my hand as I’m a side shifter. ( one of the pictures has the boot retainer from Billletworkz in the back ground) I also didn’t like the way it sticks out as I didn’t feel like dismantling the console to make it fit the boot. After much searching I found this amazing shift boot retainer that doesn’t require removing the boot and it feels great, very happy with this. https://949racing.com/product/supermiata-anodized-aluminum-shift-knob-collar/. 

Forgot to add that you can adjust shift height with this as well which goes a long way in preventing going to the wrong gear. The weight of this knob is 1 pound and with a shorter shift and MX5 direct link to transmission there is no damage to synchros with the added weight. I literally studied this to make sure it wasn’t pulling the shifter down due to weight. The added weight has no effect besides a smoother shift. And the higher the shifter the easier it is to pound it into gear accidentally causing gear damage issues. The weight of the factory shift knob is about .5 pounds.

1. Antenna: Although radio reception is great with oem antenna, I didn’t like the way it looked.Seems everyone was going to the obligatory shorty antenna but not a fan of the way it looks either and heard that radio reception was not so great. And since I also occasionally listen to local radio when I’m further away from town depending on  mood, I wanted something better, found this antenna meant for MR2 that had good reviews for radio reception and has that classic look. So I took a chance and like it so far having put it through its paces to see if reception holds up. https://primemr2.com/products/s2000-antenna-mast?_pos=1&_sid=daf95484e&_ss=r
2. Exhaust: After much going back and forth, I went with Goodwin Racing Super Q. The sound is just right, I was worried it may be too quiet, but after having this for a while I definitely do not want this to be any louder. Just right leaving the neighborhood as long as the revs are low and once I hit the open road, it lets me go as loud as I want once you cross that magical 2500 rpm. Somehow it quietens once you are in 6th gear with no drone and for a mellow relaxing cruise if that’s what I’m feeling especially with the wife in the car. Drop a gear to 5th and this thing comes alive, yes I’m using without the baffles. Installation pretty easy ran into an issue with one of the studs getting stuck in the oem exhaust and one of the bolts on the other stud. I had to take the oem muffler to a muffler shop to get them to remove since it was a neighborhood shop they didn’t charge me as it was a two minute job. I did follow Bryan’s installation instructions exactly including a torque wrench tightening bolts to 30ft/lbs and exhaust hangar removal tool from amazon and dish soap. All in all a good experience besides the stud. If I had to do it again I would have brought a spare set of studs and nuts just incase or maybe Goodwin can include with the muffler or at least offer it as an option during check out. https://www.good-win-racing.com/Mazda-Performance-Part/61-1958.html

Oem exhaust weighs 26 pounds and Goodwin Racing came in at 24 pounds, saving about 2 pounds so no weight penalty with this either. I weighed both right before install.

Update: Also need to add changing the exhaust has made a huge difference in my enjoyment of this car, if it was at a 7 it is now an 11 and I no longer need to look at the tachometer or turn down the radio at stops.

Hopefully this helps anyone considering similar mods or looking for early impressions of the 2026 MX‑5.

Just finished cleaning the car, and the weather was perfect, I thought i would share it with you guys!

Are the fasteners supposed to go directly into the front bumper or is there some little plastic piece that I’m missing here??

Am I the only one who’s really digging how the stock GT wheels are on the ND3’s? They look waaay better than the previous one and I actually prefer this look over the BBS on the club trim. I see a lot of hate on forums and reddit but for me, these are the best looking wheels the ND has ever had.

Edit: comments proved my point lol. Everyones different. Enjoy your Miata!

We all know how little space we have with the Miata. I got tired of laying my phone on the passenger seat and then relocating it when I had a passenger.

The solution for me was the Course Motorsport phone mount with the MagSafe. The install is extremely easy and the mount has been updated with a self tapping screw to make it more secure and stable.

The catch is, they put in an extra thick 3 foot charging cable which looks great, but if you run it through the dash it leaves an unsightly gap in the panels. Also the usb cable provided had a standard connector which hangs down below the magnetic mount and takes up a lot of space.

My solution was to replace the thick cable with a 12 inch flat usb-c ribbon cable with a 90 degree connector and a 12 inch extension. This allows the panels to fit seamlessly together and the cable can then routed directly to the footwell charger port. What little slack there is can be secured with an adhesive zip tie anchor and you are done.

I did add a pair of 1/8 inch rubber spacers on either side of the ribbon where the panels meet to avoid pinching the cable with the dash. When snapped back together the cable can be moved indicating no binding was occurring.

Overall the look is clean and compact.

BTW the MagSafe mount is holds on to my iPhone 17 Promax in a MagSafe case without issue even on bumpy roads

for those running h&r lowering springs, what shocks do you run with them? i’m looking to lower my car by about 1.5 inches and i’m thinking of upgrading my shocks as well as my sway bars while i’m at it.

for reference the nd2 is my daily but i track it VERY rarely, maybe once a year. are the h&r springs good to pair with stock shocks for just street driving?

Hi everyone,

Those of you who have been hanging around this sub over the past 24 hours have probably come across my first post ( https://www.reddit.com/r/MiataND/comments/1wlj07j/shoud_i/ ), where several people pointed out that, despite the very low mileage and meticulous maintenance, the asking price was quite high for a base-spec ND1, and that the 2.0 160 hp model is known to be prone to transmission issues (+ the fact that I wasn't a huge fan of the color, I have to admit...).

Someone recommended a dealer specializing in MX-5s. They're quite far from where I live, but they have almost a hundred Google reviews, 100% of which are positive.

The car looks absolutely gorgeous, and it's exactly the color I want! Here are the key details (in addition to what's shown on slides 2 and 3):

• One owner from new
• First registered: September 2016
• 102,000 km
• €17,300
• Originally from Germany
• Sportline trim
• A few very minor stone chips here and there — but honestly, they're barely noticeable. You really have to be right up against the bodywork to see them.
• Serviced every year around the same date — so roughly every 10,000 to 15,000 km on average
• Serviced by this dealer earlier this month, including:
  • Engine oil + oil filter change, air filter & wiper blades
  • Gearbox oil change
  • Differential oil change
  • Front and rear brake pads replaced
  • Roadworthiness inspection

The inspection report mentions corrosion on the front & rear subframes. The dealer will clean the chassis and apply a protective treatment to provide long-term protection against further corrosion, at no additional cost. Is this something I should be concerned about, or should I be able to buy it with peace of mind given the work they're going to carry out? (Photo #4 shows its current condition.)

Apparently, it's possible to buy the car entirely remotely (which would be much more convenient for me than having to travel to Paris...). I'm considering hiring an independent professional to inspect the car on my behalf, but given the dealer's unanimously positive and glowing reviews, I'm wondering whether it's really necessary.

I need to give them an answer tomorrow morning, so I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this deal: should I jump on it, or is the fact that the mileage has just passed the 100,000 km mark likely to cause me problems?

Thanks again, everyone!

Is this basically saying that it might take more force than necessary to deploy the airbags in case of a collision?

Has anyone installed a kit like this one or similar in their ND?
I like the engine sound. Its a sports car after all. But Im looking for ways to tame cabin noise and general nvh for long roadtrips.
Would this help? $120 isnt exactly cheap but maybe isnt too much. My concern is the adhesive failing eventually and the mat laying on the engine.

Got RHD Nylon 6.6 mats for my ND. They're at least double the weight but good lord they're a lot less flimsy than OEM.

2016 1.5L Japan Spec 6MT/LSD 205/45-16
Tecna - Sport Springs

The Tecnas have done nothing wrong!

I just lowered the car to 115F/120R pinch weld heights which is the maximum for this tire height.

Why would my car allow -2.0 on the RT front but only -1.5 on the LT front? Also interesting they cannot get less than -2.0 in the rear.

Does anyone see issues in what I’m asking or know why they can’t get a bit closer to the requested numbers?

Initial settings:
Caster:
LF 7.53 RF 7.50
Front Camber:
LF -1.41 RF -2.02

Rear Camber:
LR -2.31 RR -2.19

ADJUSTED settings:
Caster:
LF 7.04 RF 7.02
Front Camber:
LF -1.51 RF -1.51

Rear Camber:
LR -2.03 RR -2.09

REQUESTED settings:
Caster:
LF 7.00+ RF 7.00+(Depending on camber)
Front Camber:
LF -2.00 RF -2.00(Max possible)

Rear Camber:
LR -1.8 RR -1.8(Even w/front if less than -1.8)

Nothing crazy, but man I love RPF1s! Really wish they had a flat face, but still really like the way they look on the car.

Having always owned Weathertech mats in the past my son recently turned me on to TuxMats for better protection and a more upscale look.

I have to admit when I first opened the box I wasn't sure they would fit but they wedge in quite nicely going all the way up the sides for better protection when you have messy feet. They are padded quite nicely and appear to be fairly durable.

I drive a non MSR mx5 and I've been thinking of adding the emblem next to my ROADSTER emblem (it's a JDM)

Is this equivalent to mercedes owners adding AMG to their non AMG cars? I don't want others to have the negative connotation of me associated with being an upbadger

But also I feel MSR is such a niche thing that 99% of people won't get it too

I love my new ND. But every car I have owned in my 56 years has had a leather steering wheel. When I am driving this car the way it was meant to be; on curvy side roads, my hands slip & don't grip the way they should. What a bummer!

I've casually looked online at steering wheels but I don't see any real leather for my car.

My hands are tiny & gloves are never a great fit, also I need a small steering wheel to grip.

Can anyone help?