Easy Ways to Add Lightness! with Keith Tanner - 4K - FM Live 8-22-24

[@JETZcorp]

I managed to take about 50 pounds out of my NC2 since I bought it, without changing comfortability. 15 of that was via aftermarket exhaust and shock tower brace. The other 35 was from 12 weeks of keto.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Nice! There's definitely more than one way to achieve a goal.

[@AcoAegis]

these are awesome videos, thank you for being so awesome!

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

@AcoAegis Thank you for watching and for your kind words!

[@2007MXV]

I took 44lbs out of my ND (most of it all unsprung) by changing to FM’s FOX coilover suspension, FM’s Little Big Brake kit (F&R), and 949Racing’s 17x9 6UL wheels. Since then another 6lbs by MiataSpeed’s 2-piece brake rotors (F&R).

[@jonathancortez9781]

How much of a difference did the wheels make? Did you have the Club BBS wheels prior to changing?

[@2007MXV]

@@jonathancortez9781 those older 6ULs were 2lbs or so lighter per wheel despite being 2” wider than stock.

[@RichardDekker-s9l]

@@jonathancortez9781 the 17x9 6UL wheels / 235/40-R17 Toyo tires were 2lbs lighter each than the OEM GT 17x7 wheels / 205/45-R17 Bridgestone tires. That generation of 949Racing 6UL is long out of production, and I'm unsure on how their weight relates to the newly redesigned 6ULs.

[@KidNato]

Keith Tanner, Miata influencer. Has a bit of a ring to it

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Boy! Is there an age limit for an influencer?

[@KidNato]

@@FlyinMiataVideo same age limit for Miata owners... so it is quite high ha ha

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

@@KidNato truth!

[@pierreheck5637]

What do you think of removing power steering on NA or NB?

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

It will make the steering heavier or you will have to go to a slower rack. Generally speaking, Keith prefers the lighter effort of assisted steering because there are no prizes for working harder.

[@pierreheck5637]

@@FlyinMiataVideo Ok thank you. I thought it would have a small impact on these lightweight cars.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

@@pierreheck5637 It depends on you. On my (Ethan) car, removing the power steering freed up a bunch of space in the engine bay and made maintenance a tick easier for trackside stuff. Lower radiator hoses are offensively easy for me now! The weight difference at speed is notably heavier than a power rack, but it's not too bad once you get used to it. It's probably a good 20ish pounds of weight taken out, too.

[@nicolashuffman4312]

I really love my depowered and welded steering rack. The car just has so much more feedback. You can easily feel paint markings on the road. You can feel the grip change if you go over a wet spot or a little sand. Reduced grip in the rain is very apparent. The steering is heavier in a parking lot, but not that much in an autocross. The first time you drive a depowered rack it feels like the steering is broken though. I got used to it in a couple days and would never go back.

[@daveburch235]

I missed any mention of a power increase with this setup. Have you measured that in any way?

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

When lighter parts are used on your car, the peak dyno numbers won't change but you'll probably see a quicker acceleration to X (depending on what parts are installed). If this is for your "fun" car, you will notice a difference while in the driver's seat. If you're a consistent track driver, your lap times will decrease.

[@rb2530]

I did a quick check online and, in case any OCD people want to know, E85 is about 1/4 lb heavier that TOP TIER 91 Octane. Corn Whisky is heavier than oil, go figure 😜

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Thanks for watching!

[@LukeEvans55]

Is there a relationship between chassis stiffness and recommended suspension spring rate? I find that running 9kg/6kg springs on an NA6 on good coilovers (sorry, they're SM Tecnas) can be quite punishing on UK roads but many NB drivers run the same setup and say it's the most comfortable suspension they've ever run. I've purchased a lot of your chassis mods to try and compensate but it's still not there for me.

[@JETZcorp]

@LukeEvans55 I'm not an expert, but I'd say that poor chassis rigidity is going to limit how much spring you can get away with running. Dave Coleman from Mazda once said that one of the reasons Miatas come so soft is to make the car feel more solid. Firmer suspension puts more force into the structure, causing more of that uncontrolled flexing. The spring rates you need to deal with cornering forces and bumps are still the same, but if the structure is weak, it just may not be able to control those forces without bracing. Your NA6 is not very stiff at all from stock, and it's also well lighter than an NB. Both of those things will make it harsher at a given spring rate.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Good answer, @JETZcorp. The stiffer your springs, the more important chassis rigidity is otherwise you're just pushing the chassis into different shapes when you hit bumps. Do make sure your ride height is tall enough to keep you off the bumpstops, too.

[@Moriggia]

​@@FlyinMiataVideo with coilovers 10kg f and 4kg r the underbracing does a noticeable difference? Thank you

[@gearswitch5692]

Can you share what product/brand you used for heat shielding your trans tunnel? I removed my carpet recently and can really feel the heat in the summer, especially with no AC. Thanks!

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

What you can see is Thermo-Tec Cool-It, but what really made the difference was lining the inside of the tunnel with DEI Floor and Tunnel insulation.

[@jtland4842]

If you want to go quite a bit farther then swapping for a light weight battery, swapping the iron block engine out of the NA and NB cars can save quite a bit of weight. Basically any aluminum block 4 cylinder will be a fair bit lighter or you can even go put a bigger engine in like many V6's and still be lighter or at least not much heavier while making a whole lot more power.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

True but I think I'll stick with a 15 min battery swap for a lot of reasons. Remember, we're focused on easy things. Thanks for watching.

[@LARSENBISQUITS]

Colin’s world of the 60s is much different than ours. Peoples interpretation of the concept is misunderstood. Colin’s whole deal was kit cars to save $. Cars you could assemble your self in a shed. Its emphasis is lack of amenities. Only what’s needed for the joy of driving. Key word is “joy” not speed. Street not track. Very important difference. This type of vehicle should not be your only car. If that’s the case than the easiest and cheapest way to save weight is not to buy a car with all the options to start with. Then throw all the light weight modification parts described here on top of that and you end up with a light car in modern terms with out having to “gut” stuff and making every body panel flimsy, or have no interior. I am talking street cars here not track. Another effective way to loose a few is exhaust and tubular headers especially if you have the cast iron manifold to start with. A great way to add weight and ruin your ride is “lighter” wide wheels and tires. I don’t know how many Miata’s are out there running on turbos or V8s and making a ton of power but your don’t need 8” wide wheels and 215 wide tires with 110 redline hp at the wheel. 9/10 times it will be heavier than stock guaranteed. Then people wonder why their ride is so crap and they rattle and twist driving down the road. Oh now I need frame rails and strut tower bar and door bushings and all this other stuff that “ adds weight” because you upset the balance. You now have more mass bouncing back up into the wheel well and your avg “coilovers” are crap and your spring are rock solid and you slammed it so much that your travel is down to a 1/4” and your bump stops are getting more pounding action than your girlfriend could ever imagine is possible. Life is good and balanced. Another Miata ruined.

[@ClarkyXPH]

Probably my favourite video ever! (And I watched how not to ruin). Absolute gold. Carbon Miata specify weight savings on their pages are they to be taken with a pinch of salt? (NB specifically)

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

We've never weight Carbon Miata parts, so we can't give you an educated answer. That said, carbon is much lighter than steel and at least slightly lighter (usually) than aluminum and fiberglass. I bet they're probably not far off on their weight estimates.

[@ClarkyXPH]

@@FlyinMiataVideo thanks. It was more Keith’s statement about carbon panels not saving much because Mazda panels are Aluminium. I assumed NB were all steel panels. The CM site does state factory weights as well as their carbon weights and the savings seemed reasonable.

[@ClarkyXPH]

Out of curiosity I priced up all the carbon miata body panels and their stated weight saving. I paid $13k AU for my NB2 this year and all the panels came to $13k AU exc shipping. The combined weight saving was 95kg.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

@@ClarkyXPH That's impressive on the weight and overall cost savings when you're able to purchase a car with these mods already installed.

[@ClarkyXPH]

@@FlyinMiataVideo oh no. I haven’t got them. I would need to double my investment in the car to save that weight. It’s all factory at the moment

[@royanderson535]

On my ND2 if i swap out my stock battery for a lithium battery will i lose my sirius/xm on my infotainment. What precautions would i need to take?

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

It should not have any effect on your infotainment settings.

[@weedytc73]

I really love this type of video 👌 For an nbfl with big brake kit, do you know how many pounds Willwood was lighter?

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

It depends on the exact brake kit you choose, but our Wilwood Powerlite calipers save a total of 14 lbs of unsprung weight, or a little over 3 lbs per corner.

[@weedytc73]

@@FlyinMiataVideo I looking for Little big brake kit. I have an NBFL svt with 6 speed manual bilstein and big brake kit. Wilwood little big brake kit really improves this braking system? And what's the weight difference between this setup. And last question, I need 10 inch or 11 inch kit? Thank you very much for your response I really appreciate 🙏

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

@@weedytc73 The 4 wheel Little Big Brake kit (flyinmiata.com/products/flyin-miata-four-wheel-little-big-brake-kit) will save a little over 3lbs per corner. You'll need to measure the diameter of the rotors you have installed to know which kit you'll need - for 10" rotors, choose the 10" kit and for 11" Sport rotors, choose the 11" kit.

[@twrcrew8852]

now that many JDM icons in the Kei car segment have made it to our shores, often being even more extreme than miatas (Suzuki Cappuccino for instance), will there be any investigation going into those platforms? I wonder this because as a light car enthusiast, I assume flyin miata was founded on the passion for what was at the time a unique japanese sports car that stood alone in it's segment in the US market as the lightest sports car for the money with the proper setup. Looking at the Cappuccino, it has almost the exact same ingredients for such a miniaturized version of an FR sports car with the exception of turbo and playing on a scale 1 or 2 levels below that of regular sized cars. They are double wishbone all around, weigh 5/8 what the miata does, and are also enjoyable as a convertible/t-top/targa all-in-one. (either a really small and slow sports car or a demonically fast golf cart)

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Messing with Kei cars would probably be a lot of fun, but likely not very profitable. We'll leave that to other folks.

[@SaadyAb]

Don’t forget people, losing a few pounds in the belly area is a great way to save weight!

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

True, but sexy red brake calipers are so much cooler.

[@Mike-Home-Cook]

Carbon fiber doors save a ton of weight at the same cost as a hood

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

If you strip a stock NA door down to just a skin and a latch, it ends up at 14lbs. That's about 5 lbs heavier than a carbon skin according to what we've heard. But there is no side impact protection remaining so this is only recommended if you have a cage with door bars. A stock NA door is 32.5 lbs, that's without glass IIRC.

[@izziddalzero6655]

I took 65 pounds off my ND by exercising and eating less.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

That's great! Although, cake is good, so this is less realistic for a good portion of folks.

[@izziddalzero6655]

@@FlyinMiataVideo too bad, they’re missing out on “free” performance. Their wallets might be grateful too

[@baribari600]

At what point is a battery too small for a race car? When you need an extra battery to start the engine more than once? $450 to take 20+ more pounds out of my car would probably be a reasonably good investment, as long as I take 20 pounds out of myself first.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

For Miatas, the Antigravity that we offer should start your car a whole lot more than once. To answer your question directly, it depends on whether the advantages outweigh the negatives. I could see that this wouldn't be a big deal at some race venues but for others, it would be a deal breaker. People complain about the price of the Antigravity and I agree that it's expensive but I doubt you'dll find a more cost and time effective way to reduce weight.

[@rb2530]

👍👍

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Thanks for watching!

[@bgrigg07]

The fastest way I know to lighten my Miata is go on a diet! 😀

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

I think I'd rather buy wheels but you're not wrong.

[@bgrigg07]

@@FlyinMiataVideo That's the easiest way! I went with Enkei PF01 15" replacing the 16" "Twisties" OEM. LOL

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

@@bgrigg07 That's a good start!

[@malcolmwhite6588]

I think that contravenes the laws of physics - you can’t add lightness! you can only take away weight,!😂🎉

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

one lightness + one lightness= two lightness. Or is this that new math they're talking about? ;)

[@malcolmwhite6588]

@@FlyinMiataVideo ah brilliant ! That will explain it-you see I’m too old school to understand that😂😳🇳🇿🍻

[@martinlyons7373]

Im old and not Really good on internet stuff , is there a link a can send you a video or pictures of my car ??? It may make you laugh 😂😂😂 From the UK 1990 JDM Eunos

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Feel free to send us an email! ([e-mail])

[@martinlyons7373]

When I was a club motorcycle racer I got my body weight down to just under 10 stone At 5’10” I was skinny 😂😂😂🇬🇧

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Yeah, the car and driver are one so we do need to keep that in mind.

[@malcolmwhite6588]

I think that contravenes the laws of physics - you can’t add lightness! you can only take away weight,!😂🎉

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Ahhh...yep! Thanks for watching.

[@malcolmwhite6588]

@@FlyinMiataVideo cheers you can see I love my corny dad jokes!😳🏆🇳🇿