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Questions from a new owner

Hi,

I just bought a '93 'V-Special' Edition Miata, and had the following questions:

1) The suspension has been lowered slightly by the previous owner, but I remember driving a Miata with a stock suspension setup last month, and I prefer that 'softer' ride. I was wondering if deflating/inflating the tyre pressure would help here. Can someone suggest an appropriate pressure (in psi preferably?) Or another way to soften the ride other than altering suspension?

2) Parking on a steep hill with the handbrake up causes the Miata to make a horrible screechy noise for a good few seconds. It also has to be pulled right up, very hard, to get it to stop rolling back. Engaging first or reverse helps, but its like it wants to roll down! Is this normal, given its a fairly steep slope?

3) The rear plastic on the softop (to see out of the back) is in terrible condition and requires replacing. The manufacturerar quotes a sum of about $500, and I was told doing it from anyone else risks water leakage. Is there any truth to this, and do the majority of owners use side mirrors rather than the interior?

Thanks for your help,

M
Reply to
Max
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You're in Hong Kong, right? I'm not familiar with that model, but if it's like the U.S.-market 1993 LE (black with red interior and BBS wheels) it has Bilstein shocks, which are a bit harsh.

No, it's not a good idea to delate the tires to soften the ride. 28-30 psi works well for most Miata owners; don't go softer than 26 psi. Some tires ride much better than others--the Toyo T-1S is one of the best, as well as one of the best performing. But lowered Miatas tend to hit the bumpstops a lot, which produces a jarring ride, and the only solutions are raising the ride height or fitting stiffer springs.

Not normal. Perhaps the rear brake calipers need to be adjusted. Look in the miata.net Garage section for instructions.

Replacing the rear curtain will not cause leaks; it's not a particularly challenging task, and you could do it yourself. However, for $500 you could replace the entire top. The cheap solution, if your zipper is still in good condition, is to visit an auto top or boat upholstery shop and have a new piece of plastic sewn into the top, without removing the top from the car.

Reply to
Lanny Chambers

The parking brake need to be adjusted. The adjustment is under a bolt on each rear wheel hub behind the brake caliper..

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has a garage section that should describe the needed operation.

You will also find niformation detailing various top and rear window replacements and alternatives. The reference to leaking is undoubtedly related to a plastic part that often cracks when removed top replace a top or rear window. Eithe the plastic part is replaced when it cracks, or it can possibly be sealed with a non acedic form of RTV. The part referred to is not visible until the nuts around the bottom rear of the top are removed, and the metal top retainer is also removed, allowing the bottom of the top to be loose, and not bolted to the car body. Naturally, all of this is under the rear deck carpet, so the first step is to remove the cross brace behind the seats, then the carpet. You will likely need a tool to remove all the plastic buttons holding the carpet in place. On an older Miata, you can expect several of them to shatter, requiring replacement. Fortunately, the usual black ones may be available at a parts store. The other colors are likely to be a dealer order item. Trussville mazda is a discount dealer with web presence. Again, I'd refer you to

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for a list of various vendors.

Reply to
chuckk

This rain rail is going to be impossibly brittle at that age. I would suggest, if you do not simply want to follow Lanny's suggestion, to drill out the rivets holding the curtain right where they are and never further touch the rain rail (plastic gutter) again. You *do not* have to rivet the curtain back on the rain rail, or even cover the rivet holes with electrical tape, as some sources claim (like the Mazda Workshop Manual).

This is the way the upholstery shop that replaced my curtain did it, and it never leaked in years in Florida. The less you touch the rain rail, the less the chances of leaking due to damage.

Leon

Reply to
Leon van Dommelen

I'd also find it prudent to mention that once it's adjusted, there's no reason to pull it up as absolutely hard as you can. Just pull the handle up until it feels firm. I've got a good friend that *insists* on using all his upper arm strength to pull up the lever, and he's always loosing tension on the cable.

Reply to
tooloud

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