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Experience in colder climates?



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 19th 13, 03:10 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
Don Q[_3_]
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Posts: 13
Default Experience in colder climates?

Just wondering about suitability...

Anyone in a colder climate use yours as an only car?
Weather protection and heater adequate?
Any mechanical gotchas?
Rust?

Thanks.

Don


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  #2  
Old December 19th 13, 09:22 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
Don Q[_3_]
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Posts: 13
Default Experience in colder climates?

On 2013-12-19 10:34:19 -0500, Jim > said:

>
> On Wed, 18 Dec 2013 21:10:03 -0500, in rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata, Don
> Q > wrote:
>
>> Just wondering about suitability...
>>
>> Anyone in a colder climate use yours as an only car?
>> Weather protection and heater adequate?
>> Any mechanical gotchas?
>> Rust?

>
> I have a 93 purchased new in August, 1993. For the first 3-4 years it
> was my only car and driven in Ohio and Indiana all year round.
>
> The heater is more than adequate. Unless you have an older miata, you
> don't have the plastic rear window issues (tended to shatter in cold
> temps when scraping - based on stories I heard). The first winter I
> didn't have snow tires - big mistake. The OEM tires had no grip in
> snow. After that I purchased snow tires and mounted them on a set of
> steel wheels. They served me well for the remaining years I drove in
> the winter. Starting in 97/98 I had another vehicle and put the miata
> in the garage for the winter.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Don
>>

>
> You're welcome,
> Jim


Snow tires. That's a really helpful tip!!!
Having driven only FWD cars with all-seasons for the last 20+ years,
that could have led to an expensive reminder as I would not have
thought of it right off the bat.
You're a Good Guy Jim!

Don

  #3  
Old December 25th 13, 05:25 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
[email protected]
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Posts: 3
Default Experience in colder climates?

On Thu, 19 Dec 2013 15:22:20 -0500, Don Q >
wrote:

>On 2013-12-19 10:34:19 -0500, Jim > said:
>
>>
>> On Wed, 18 Dec 2013 21:10:03 -0500, in rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata, Don
>> Q > wrote:
>>
>>> Just wondering about suitability...
>>>
>>> Anyone in a colder climate use yours as an only car?
>>> Weather protection and heater adequate?
>>> Any mechanical gotchas?
>>> Rust?

>>
>> I have a 93 purchased new in August, 1993. For the first 3-4 years it
>> was my only car and driven in Ohio and Indiana all year round.
>>
>> The heater is more than adequate. Unless you have an older miata, you
>> don't have the plastic rear window issues (tended to shatter in cold
>> temps when scraping - based on stories I heard). The first winter I
>> didn't have snow tires - big mistake. The OEM tires had no grip in
>> snow. After that I purchased snow tires and mounted them on a set of
>> steel wheels. They served me well for the remaining years I drove in
>> the winter. Starting in 97/98 I had another vehicle and put the miata
>> in the garage for the winter.
>>>
>>> Thanks.
>>>
>>> Don
>>>

>>
>> You're welcome,
>> Jim

>
>Snow tires. That's a really helpful tip!!!
>Having driven only FWD cars with all-seasons for the last 20+ years,
>that could have led to an expensive reminder as I would not have
>thought of it right off the bat.
>You're a Good Guy Jim!
>
>Don


Temperature last night -18c or close to Zero F
So cold that the lawyers put their hands in their own pockets.

Plenty of snow. 4 feet wall just outside my driveway.

The law requires that every car must have snow tires by Dec 15 Without
them forget it.

I have 2 cars. The other is a Mercedes 500SL in the garage . $500 per
snow tire. No Winter driving.

I installed the snow tires in the 2006 Miata and the dealer told me
that I am one of the rare people that drive the Miata on the Winter.

Since I don't have the hard top, I find it convenient to have a hat on
my head. It's cold on the top.

Driving the car (with snow tires) was difficult but after I squeezed
an extra wheel on the trunk, there is no problem.

I am going to replace the wheel with a couple of sand bags for more
weight that the wheel and I believe everything will be fine.

The extra weight on the rear is absolutely essential

John
  #4  
Old December 28th 13, 01:57 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
Don Q[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 13
Default Experience in colder climates?

On 2013-12-25 11:25:29 -0500, said:

> On Thu, 19 Dec 2013 15:22:20 -0500, Don Q >
> wrote:
>
>> On 2013-12-19 10:34:19 -0500, Jim > said:
>>
>>>
>>> On Wed, 18 Dec 2013 21:10:03 -0500, in rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata, Don
>>> Q > wrote:
>>>
>>>> Just wondering about suitability...
>>>>
>>>> Anyone in a colder climate use yours as an only car?
>>>> Weather protection and heater adequate?
>>>> Any mechanical gotchas?
>>>> Rust?
>>>
>>> I have a 93 purchased new in August, 1993. For the first 3-4 years it
>>> was my only car and driven in Ohio and Indiana all year round.
>>>
>>> The heater is more than adequate. Unless you have an older miata, you
>>> don't have the plastic rear window issues (tended to shatter in cold
>>> temps when scraping - based on stories I heard). The first winter I
>>> didn't have snow tires - big mistake. The OEM tires had no grip in
>>> snow. After that I purchased snow tires and mounted them on a set of
>>> steel wheels. They served me well for the remaining years I drove in
>>> the winter. Starting in 97/98 I had another vehicle and put the miata
>>> in the garage for the winter.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks.
>>>>
>>>> Don
>>>>
>>>
>>> You're welcome,
>>> Jim

>>
>> Snow tires. That's a really helpful tip!!!
>> Having driven only FWD cars with all-seasons for the last 20+ years,
>> that could have led to an expensive reminder as I would not have
>> thought of it right off the bat.
>> You're a Good Guy Jim!
>>
>> Don

>
> Temperature last night -18c or close to Zero F
> So cold that the lawyers put their hands in their own pockets.
>
> Plenty of snow. 4 feet wall just outside my driveway.
>
> The law requires that every car must have snow tires by Dec 15 Without
> them forget it.
>
> I have 2 cars. The other is a Mercedes 500SL in the garage . $500 per
> snow tire. No Winter driving.
>
> I installed the snow tires in the 2006 Miata and the dealer told me
> that I am one of the rare people that drive the Miata on the Winter.
>
> Since I don't have the hard top, I find it convenient to have a hat on
> my head. It's cold on the top.
>
> Driving the car (with snow tires) was difficult but after I squeezed
> an extra wheel on the trunk, there is no problem.
>
> I am going to replace the wheel with a couple of sand bags for more
> weight that the wheel and I believe everything will be fine.
>
> The extra weight on the rear is absolutely essential
>
> John


I hear you about weight and traction!
Also, bags of salt weigh less than sand but can do double duty in a fix.

I'm just a wuss when it comes to cold since you are effectively
motionless and unable to get any kind of blood circulation going. Back
when I had the MGB I ended up buying a snowmonbile suit as the heater
would not put out anything worth mentioning for the first 20-25
minutes. Maybe I should make sure I get one with a hard top.

Don

  #5  
Old December 30th 13, 09:33 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3
Default Experience in colder climates?

On Wed, 18 Dec 2013 21:10:03 -0500, Don Q >
wrote:

>Just wondering about suitability...
>
>Anyone in a colder climate use yours as an only car?
>Weather protection and heater adequate?
>Any mechanical gotchas?
>Rust?
>
>Thanks.
>
>Don
>

I hesitated between salt and sand and actually purchased 60 kg of sand
I should purchased 2 bags of 30 kg because provides a better
distribution and would be easier to remove.
Salt in the trunk eventually leeks and promotes rust.
The dealer suggested that I look for a used hard top. A new one will
set you back close to $500.00.

John
  #6  
Old February 9th 14, 02:33 AM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
Bruno, Copenhagen - Denmark
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Posts: 24
Default Experience in colder climates?

I guess I am a bit late to this thread :-)

On 19-12-2013 03:10, Don Q wrote:
> Just wondering about suitability...
>
> Anyone in a colder climate use yours as an only car?


Bought my 1999 NB a little over 7 years ago and it's been my daily drive
here ever since, which means 4-5 months per year on winter tires. Now
much of the Winter here in Denmark may be more about wet roads with
temperatures just around the freezing point, but in many ways it's a
tougher climate on cars than constant freezing.


> Weather protection and heater adequate?


Yes. Some winters I have been using a hard top, but the vinyl soft top
works well and if one is a little gentle it can be put up and down even
when it is freezing. In the winter months we don't have much daylight
and even less sun, we had just 14 hours in January, so being able to
make to most of it is great. The heaters in the car are powerful enough
that top down driving in the Winter can be done without going to
extremes clothing wise.


> Any mechanical gotchas?


Nothing special. Just as with other cars cold starts calls for a battery
in good condition and it's a good idea to lube the locks and rubber door
seals.


> Rust?


Unfortunately yes. I'd say having the car given a good rust protection
is mandatory and even so there will likely be problems over time. Weak
points is is the area in front of the rear wheels, the frame around the
wind screen and the rear edge of the trunk lid.


Overall I find the car to be working well winter time and driving in
snow and ice can be a lot of fun. It's so well balanced that while FWD
is perhaps less demanding using it has not been an issue for me and I
have not felt the need to lug around extra weight to add rear grip. But
winter tires is a must and it is not just about snow, it is also about
grip when in near freezing conditions as the rubber on most sportier
tires doesn't work well in the cold.

Greeting from Denmark
Bruno
  #7  
Old February 14th 14, 07:51 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3
Default Experience in colder climates?

On Sun, 09 Feb 2014 02:33:49 +0100, "Bruno, Copenhagen - Denmark"
> wrote:

>I guess I am a bit late to this thread :-)
>
>On 19-12-2013 03:10, Don Q wrote:
>> Just wondering about suitability...
>>
>> Anyone in a colder climate use yours as an only car?

>
>Bought my 1999 NB a little over 7 years ago and it's been my daily drive
>here ever since, which means 4-5 months per year on winter tires. Now
>much of the Winter here in Denmark may be more about wet roads with
>temperatures just around the freezing point, but in many ways it's a
>tougher climate on cars than constant freezing.
>
>
>> Weather protection and heater adequate?

>
>Yes. Some winters I have been using a hard top, but the vinyl soft top
>works well and if one is a little gentle it can be put up and down even
>when it is freezing. In the winter months we don't have much daylight
>and even less sun, we had just 14 hours in January, so being able to
>make to most of it is great. The heaters in the car are powerful enough
>that top down driving in the Winter can be done without going to
>extremes clothing wise.
>
>
>> Any mechanical gotchas?

>
>Nothing special. Just as with other cars cold starts calls for a battery
>in good condition and it's a good idea to lube the locks and rubber door
>seals.
>
>
>> Rust?

>
>Unfortunately yes. I'd say having the car given a good rust protection
>is mandatory and even so there will likely be problems over time. Weak
>points is is the area in front of the rear wheels, the frame around the
>wind screen and the rear edge of the trunk lid.
>
>
>Overall I find the car to be working well winter time and driving in
>snow and ice can be a lot of fun. It's so well balanced that while FWD
>is perhaps less demanding using it has not been an issue for me and I
>have not felt the need to lug around extra weight to add rear grip. But
>winter tires is a must and it is not just about snow, it is also about
>grip when in near freezing conditions as the rubber on most sportier
>tires doesn't work well in the cold.
>
>Greeting from Denmark
>Bruno


Place a 60Kg bag of sand in the trunk . It makes a big difference.
Otherwise the trunk wntes to run faster than the engine
I should have purchased 2 bags of 30Kg .Easier to remove and to fit.

The dealer tells me that I am an odd ball . One of the rare people
that drive a Miata in the Winter.
Drive a MB 500SL in the Summer.

Greetings from Canada

John
  #8  
Old April 7th 14, 03:39 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
miker[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3
Default Experience in colder climates?

I'm also quite late - in my defense, I just subscribed to the group today.


I drove a '96 NA as my only vehicle for four years in Minnesota. The old
hard tires it came with were awful, almost zero traction, but I still made
it thru the first year. (Earlier I'd driven an '86 Corvette thru a winter,
much the same.) The next spring I bought a new set of decent tires (not
snows) and they were much much better in the winter. Still a light
rear-drive car, but perfectly workable most of the time.

Heater, starting, and everything else, no problem at all. Mine was garaged
so I seldom dealt with scraping snow off, can't speak to the rear window
durability.

Just bought a 2003 NB last fall, but it's a play car and won't be doing
winters.

miker


  #9  
Old April 11th 14, 09:38 PM posted to rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata
Alan Baker
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Posts: 2,026
Default Experience in colder climates?

On 2013-12-19 02:10:03 +0000, Don Q said:

> Just wondering about suitability...
>
> Anyone in a colder climate use yours as an only car?
> Weather protection and heater adequate?
> Any mechanical gotchas?
> Rust?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Don


I bought my Miata when I lived in Edmonton and used it every day until
I left two years later.

The heater was adequate even at temps down around -30C.

The only concession to the climate was that the car had a block heater,
and I kept it plugged in both overnight and while at work.

 




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