now that i bought a miata

Brian, I just changed the tires on my '01 this week. I went from thr factory Bridgestones to 205/45HR-16 Kumho ECSTA AST XLs. I got them from TireRack.com for about $68.00 ea plus shipping and road hazard. I think it was just under $400.00 total. This is the fourth car I've put them on. They have an aggressive tread pattern, stiff sidewalls (so they corner well), and they handle very well in wet and dry situations. If you have factory alloys, I wouldn't bother changing them unless they have severe road rash (or you just hate the oem look). The factory alloys are fairly light. To get GOOD lighter aftermarket alloys you'll spend at least $250.00 per wheel. (not a good investment in my humble opinion) I am having mine stripped and re-powercoated in a slightly different color though. As for the bolt on upgrades, I don't know... Consider a highflow exhaust / header setup and an aftermarket turbocharger. It's going to be signifigantly more than $1,000.00 to do it. However on most of my cars that has been a worthwhile upgrade. As for 'other' stuff... Front and Rear strut / shock crossbraces to stiffen the chassis.(If your car doesn't already have them, my '01 came with a factory front brace.) A rollbar from Hard dog to protect your head and stiffen the back of the passenger compartment walls and a thicker skidplate (to replace the factory one) are also good optional pieces of kit to consider.

Good luck and congratulations on the new car! Karl North and Maggie Mae

Brian, Congrats, these are great cars! In my opinion, the previous owner of my car did what I think is probably about the best inexpensive performance upgrades: header and Monsterflow intake. If you've got to pay someone to install these, maybe your $1k is about gone, if you're a do-it-yourselfer, you can probably keep playing a bit. The sound is incredible and I think it has just a bit more punch. Not lots but remember these cars are not designed to simply go fast in a straight line but go fast in the curves. There's all the research you could ever hope for at miata.net as tires and wheels can go on for volumes. If you do mess with these try to stay light, it's important to the cars handling characteristics. Good luck,

Chris

"1) what should i add to get a few more ponies for around $1,000 or less" You can spend a lot of money and gain just a few HP. The factory did a fairly decent job to begin with. Perhaps the most HP per $ will be a nitrous system. Naturally, there are some serious drawbacks.

ok... i think i will be getting a dual exhaust and intake for the 2000 miata, what is the best combination and place to get the parts? also, will a cold air intake help as well?

brian

Brian, My car has the Jackson Racing header, factory cat and I installed a Borla dual exhaust system. It sounds incredible under acceleration and just slightly louder than stock when cruising, it's a nice combo. The Monsterflow intake and the header made just about as nice a sound under acceleration even before the exhaust but now, the exhaust dominates and I can't discern the intake sound. Good luck, Chris