Any previous Miata owners out there?
 

Hey, just wondering how well the FRS/BRZ is in stock form compared to an older Miata that's been modified. Let's say coilovers, some 6ul's, performance tires, small turbo kit, rx8 injectors, megasquirt ecu, roll bar, and front FM sway bar.

That still puts the cost of an NA miata around 10k with such modifications if the parts are sourced carefully second hand. I know there's gotta be some previous Miata owners who can chime in on whether the FRS/BRZ was worth the upgrade in stock form. I'm sure that the chassis would be much stronger and better built but comes at a huge premium.

Yes, it will probably be more practical due to the cargo space available and the really tight space behind the front seats. I'm pretty short and know a ton of short people as well so I think it might be alright fitting people in the rear seats but would like to hear the opinion of some owners.

Compare how? On track or for daily driver status?

Stock FRS/BRZ vs. track modded NA/NB Miata? With a good driver, the miata will be faster on track than the stock FRS/BRZ (all stock). Start putting tires and suspensions mods on the twins and things start getting a little more interesting.

A turbo miata will absolutely kill an FRS/BRZ depending on power output, even with the FRS having suspension and tires. Granted, all of this is driver dependent.

For a car to do everything with (daily, track, autox, etc), the twins are the clear winners.

I just sold my lightly track prepped 94 miata last week. We're currently working on a K24 miata, which will no doubt beat even a mildly modded FRS around the tracks we run at here in the midwest.

So the twins would be much more practical for daily use due to the extra cargo room and fuel economy I'd assume.
Modding the FRS whatsoever also comes at a premium so I guess the better choice as a weekend/fun car would be the Miata.

How much work is the K24 swap? What drive train are you using? Why the K24 swap and not the LS1?

You can see the build thread here - http://www.k20a.org/forum/showthread...08#post1778708

Yes, the twins are much more practical, but also more expensive. If it's going to be an only car, it makes sense to have one of the twins. If for a fun car, miata all the way in my mind.

K24 swap should be easy. There will be kits available that let you do it in a weekend. We are currently using the miata trans and stock 4.3 torsen rear end.

K24 vs LS1? In our minds, the LS1 is a great swap, but not a great swap for a racecar. It simply makes too much power to be able to put down any good lap times, let alone be able to drive quickly for a 3-4 hour enduro event. We love the LS1 swap for street car, but no so much for our uses.

Comparing the FR-S to the two stock NB Miatas I owned, the FR-S is better handling. Modded I'm sure things might be different. Either way a guy can't go wrong.

Comparing my autocross times in RTR with my BRZ to the guys I used to run against in STS with my Miata that ran similar times to me when I ran STS, the autocross times are about the same. My Miata has AST coilovers, 15x7.5 wheels with 225 RS3s, intake, header, exhaust, weighed about 2020 lbs in STS trim, and put 110 whp down on the dyno. So basically I spent $27k on my BRZ to run the same times I was already running in my Miata.

Your talking about apples and antelopes.

I had a modified miata - setup for STR autocross. While the times may be similar, a modified miata and a stock BRZ behave and react fairly differently.

As far as DDing, I will take a BRZ 99% of the time. The 1% is for nice drives through the woods on sunny, warm days. That's when I'll opt for the miata. So I sold the miata.

Of course I am, but I was giving a direct response to the OP who was asking for comparisons between modified Miatas and a stock BRZ/FRS.

I was referring to the OP. :fistbump:

So comparing the two as far as overall experience goes, which one was more exciting to drive? I know the Miata always puts a smile on my face when I take it to it's limits.

More exciting? A turbo/modded miata. A stock twin is fun, but not nearly as exciting IMO.

I had a competitive CSP prepped Miata that I had for over 15 years and 170k miles. I just ran my first autox with the BRZ (no mods) last weekend and my times sucked. Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun but I was constantly shifting between being sideways and understeering around the course. The stock Michelin's have got to go. For a daily driver I'm much happier with the BRZ. I like the larger cabin, the padded storage bin behind the front seats that folds down to accommodate two sets of golf clubs or a pop-up, chairs and a cooler for a track day, and a IMO better styling inside and out.

My only experience with a miata was a 1.8L swapped turbo NA that made about 275whp. Needless to say that thing was a lot faster than my FR-S, however I can say that overall I think the FR-S is the more "fun" car for me.

The FR-S is such an easy car to drive its handling predictable and forgiving when driven over the edge. The miata on the other hand was twitchy, had to be very careful with the throttle, if you weren't completely straight when that power kicked you would quickly find yourself doing circles. The FR-S is much more forgiving and is easy to recover when the rear end walks out on you.

Assuming a non-turboed NA miata, I'd take the FR-S over a miata any day for daily driving or dual purpose.

For a dedicated track or autocross car id take the miata though. Lots of parts available, relatively cheap, proven platform. My only gripe would be the lack of power, but if you are looking for high horsepower the twins aren't exactly the best option either. From a simple cost vs speed perspective the miata definitely wins.

i think a big issue is that the frs has a roof. with the miata, you need a rollbar. a rollbar means you need a harness and a harness means you need a racing seat. those things take so much of the daily drivability out of the car. having a fixed roof is the reason i would be making the switch.