170 HP 2006 Miata : fact or fallacy ?

Dana H. Myers wrote:

> wrote:
>
>>Over the years, Mazda has been well known for making overstated claims
>>about the amount of horsepower produced by its Miata engines. I'm
>>wondering if the 2006 model really belts out 170 HP as they claim. I
>>would like to hear from mechanically knowledgeable people on this
>>subject. Thanks for any info.
>
>
> Well, I don't know about the absolute number but I'm willing to
> believe that (a) this Miata makes about 20% more power than the
> preceeding 1.8L models and (b) this probably equates to about 130hp
> on a rear-wheel dyno.

Which would be about 156bhp for normal RWD coastdown losses. Hmmm.

kgruber wrote:

> The new Miata will STILL have far less power than a Corvette and STILL get
> worse gas mileage. The original thought of making a modern Lotus Elan sure
> was flushed down the toilet early in the history of this car.
>
> KG
>
>
> > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>
>>Over the years, Mazda has been well known for making overstated claims
>>about the amount of horsepower produced by its Miata engines. I'm
>>wondering if the 2006 model really belts out 170 HP as they claim. I
>>would like to hear from mechanically knowledgeable people on this
>>subject. Thanks for any info.
>>
>>Googleheimlich
>>
>
>
>
The new ones are more economical than my old NA. That was well under
30mpg US.

Zog The Undeniable > wrote:

>kgruber wrote:
>
>> The new Miata will STILL have far less power than a Corvette and STILL get
>> worse gas mileage. The original thought of making a modern Lotus Elan sure
>> was flushed down the toilet early in the history of this car.
>>
>> KG
>>
>>
>> > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>>
>>>Over the years, Mazda has been well known for making overstated claims
>>>about the amount of horsepower produced by its Miata engines. I'm
>>>wondering if the 2006 model really belts out 170 HP as they claim. I
>>>would like to hear from mechanically knowledgeable people on this
>>>subject. Thanks for any info.
>>>
>>>Googleheimlich
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>The new ones are more economical than my old NA. That was well under
>30mpg US.

The EPA list the Corvette at 18/28. The 28 is apparently for the coupe
version, the convertible must be much worse. The Z06 is listed at 16/26,
coupe only.

The NA was 24/30, respectively 23/29. The new one is 23/30. That is not
much of a difference between Miatas over the years. Better ECU programming
has presumably cancelled the increase in cubic inches.

Regrettably, big engines, like the Corvettes have, use more fuel, even
if you get the same power out of the engine. You cannot fill the cubic
inches that you are not using with clean air; you must fill the entire
combustion chamber with $$$ vacuum. The relatively acceptable fuel
usage of the Corvette on the highway, compared to a Miata, is clearly
due to the sport scar gearing of the Miata: Miatas run quite an rpm on
the highway. I have no doubt the Corvette is geared like an Impala under
EPA highway conditions.

Leon
--
Leon van Dommelen Bozo, the White 96 Sebring Miata .)
http://www.dommelen.net/miata
EXIT THE INTERSTATES (Jamie Jensen)

(Leon van Dommelen) wrote in
:

> Miatas run quite an rpm on the highway. I have no doubt the Corvette
> is geared like an Impala under EPA highway conditions.

Does the 6 speed make any difference?

While sometimes I think the 6 speed would be nice I really have no
objection to the 5 speed, it does just fine out on the highway although
it does turn more RPM than I'd like at 75mph+, the tradeoff is being
able to pass w/o downshifting most of the time.

Now if I could just do something about those taillights.... but the
URLs in the "Taillight Hack" have proven to me there are two options,
either stock or REALLY ugly!

Here's the one conversion I could really like, although there might be
a slight reduction in gas mileage:

http://tinyurl.com/4c4ld

OK, it might not say Miata on the front but it's still a Ford!

I am pretty sure that the final drive is the same for both the 6 speed and
5 speed.
meaning, on the highway in top gear you will be turning the same rpm.
the advantage of the 6 speed is to be able to have more control of the
powerband .


"XS11E" > wrote in message
...
> (Leon van Dommelen) wrote in
> :
>
>> Miatas run quite an rpm on the highway. I have no doubt the Corvette
>> is geared like an Impala under EPA highway conditions.
>
> Does the 6 speed make any difference?
>
> While sometimes I think the 6 speed would be nice I really have no
> objection to the 5 speed, it does just fine out on the highway although
> it does turn more RPM than I'd like at 75mph+, the tradeoff is being
> able to pass w/o downshifting most of the time.
>
> Now if I could just do something about those taillights.... but the
> URLs in the "Taillight Hack" have proven to me there are two options,
> either stock or REALLY ugly!
>
> Here's the one conversion I could really like, although there might be
> a slight reduction in gas mileage:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/4c4ld
>
> OK, it might not say Miata on the front but it's still a Ford!
>
>
>
>

"Kevin Anderson" > wrote in
:

> I am pretty sure that the final drive is the same for both the 6
> speed and 5 speed.

I looked it up, the 5 speed is .814:1 in 5th, the 6 speed is .832:1 in
6th, both use a 4.10 rear end so the 5 speed actually turns less RPM on
the highway than does the 6 speed!

This info applies to the new MX5, don't have the info on previous
models.

In article >,
XS11E > wrote:

> I looked it up, the 5 speed is .814:1 in 5th, the 6 speed is .832:1 in
> 6th, both use a 4.10 rear end so the 5 speed actually turns less RPM on
> the highway than does the 6 speed!

However, the 5-speed comes with 205/50-16 tires, while the 6-speed uses
205/45-17, yielding about 1% fewer revs per mile and slightly reducing
the difference.

I'm amazed I'm the first to post this incredibly-important factoid. Leon
must be sleeping in this morning... :-)

--
Lanny Chambers
'94C, St. Louis
http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html

Lanny Chambers > wrote in
:

> In article >,
> XS11E > wrote:
>
>> I looked it up, the 5 speed is .814:1 in 5th, the 6 speed is
>> .832:1 in 6th, both use a 4.10 rear end so the 5 speed actually
>> turns less RPM on the highway than does the 6 speed!
>
> However, the 5-speed comes with 205/50-16 tires, while the 6-speed
> uses 205/45-17, yielding about 1% fewer revs per mile and slightly
> reducing the difference.
>
> I'm amazed I'm the first to post this incredibly-important
> factoid. Leon must be sleeping in this morning... :-)

Leon is calculating the increase/reduction of ion drag if the car is
not white but rather off white!

BTW, your figures on tire size are correct but your change in RPM may
not be. Tires vary greatly from one manufacturer to another even
though they are the same size. The "larger" size tires may or may not
have a larger circumference.

I have had both a 5 and 6 speed. In top gear, the 6 speed
seems to cruise several hundred RPM lower than the 5 speed.
That is the only thing I like about the 6 speed, however.
From new, it has clunked (grated when cold) going into 2nd.
The dealer (a mechanic who supposedly raced Miatas) put ATF
in the transmission because "a thinner fluid would make the
synchros work better". It didn't and I replaced the ATF
with regular lube. At 27,000 miles, it still clunks going
into 2nd.


"Kevin Anderson" > wrote in message
...
> I am pretty sure that the final drive is the same for both
the 6 speed and
> 5 speed.
> meaning, on the highway in top gear you will be turning
the same rpm.
> the advantage of the 6 speed is to be able to have more
control of the
> powerband .
>
>
> "XS11E" > wrote in message
> ...
> > (Leon van Dommelen)
wrote in
> > :
> >
> >> Miatas run quite an rpm on the highway. I have no
doubt the Corvette
> >> is geared like an Impala under EPA highway conditions.
> >
> > Does the 6 speed make any difference?
> >
> > While sometimes I think the 6 speed would be nice I
really have no
> > objection to the 5 speed, it does just fine out on the
highway although
> > it does turn more RPM than I'd like at 75mph+, the
tradeoff is being
> > able to pass w/o downshifting most of the time.
> >
> > Now if I could just do something about those
taillights.... but the
> > URLs in the "Taillight Hack" have proven to me there are
two options,
> > either stock or REALLY ugly!
> >
> > Here's the one conversion I could really like, although
there might be
> > a slight reduction in gas mileage:
> >
> > http://tinyurl.com/4c4ld
> >
> > OK, it might not say Miata on the front but it's still a
Ford!
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>

"BCRandy" > wrote in
:

> At 27,000 miles, it still clunks going into 2nd.

My guess is that it's not going to change, why not get a CD of the 1812
Overture and time your shifts to coincide with the cannon shots, then
nobody will ever know it clunks?

Don't laugh, this makes every bit as much sense as Leon's "photon drag"
theory and it's more practical! ;-)