Six options for steering wheel audio controls on the Mazda MX-5 NB Miata

[@thegabrielirlanda]

This is awesome!!! Its annoyed me for so long not having buttons on my wheel, couldn't find the Mazda 323 buttons anywhere here in the UK but we can get them Mazda 6 wheels so I'll be doing that soon. Thank you for all the info on it 👍🏼

[@mx5info]

Thanks! You might also be interested in how the experiment with the Mazda 6 cruise control will go. The OEM cruise control for the NB cannot be used on a RHD car, but the Mazda 6 cruise control might be able to solve that problem for you. Since, you will have those buttons on the steering wheel anyway, it would be best to get them to work as well. Do you agree?

[@edulorenzo2559]

Excelent video Jeroen! Thanks a lot for the information!

[@diegudio6537]

Excelent video and very detailed explanation. Thanks for sharing!

[@mx5info]

Thank you for providing that feedback. It is always nice to notice that the efforts are appreciated.

[@mrw40]

Wow I have been having this exact idea on my mind but for my NA, my thought was also on the line of getting the clockspring of an NC and also the steering wheel, however I just want the audio controls since I don’t have cruise control on mine

[@mx5info]

Thanks! Is your NA a US spec car or from somewhere else in the world? Does it currently use a clockspring or just a slip ring for the horn? The reason for asking is to determine what combination switch the car has. Does it have straight levers or bent levers? In any case it will be quite a challenge. You might need to swap towards an NB steering column to make it happen.

[@mrw40]

@@mx5info where I live all NAs were imported from the US, since Mazda dealerships started to offer the miata until the ND version, so I’m guessing it would go the same as any US model, but I would have to verify if it does use a clockspring and bent levers, but also is the 93 base model so no idea how many corners mazda decided to cut on those. So far all the maintenance I’ve had to do on it has not included removing the steering wheel. It will likely be a bit of a hassle to change the steering wheel to a more modern one, what I’ve searched so far has not yielded many positive results but a few threads in some forums and I think so far nothing in yt, until this video was recommended to me, still it is a project down the road without much priority at the moment, but nonetheless a very welcomed video

[@mx5info]

@@mrw40 Over here they were always called MX-5. The EU spec NA is very different than the NA Miata. The question about what is feasible on the original NA Miata keeps popping up. I would like to investigate that, but probably would need a local NA Miata owner to work with me on the experiment, or buy one myself (preferably low cost) ☺ But first one of the other NBs has to go. That will happen soon, as I am parting it out right now.

[@mrw40]

@@mx5info it was my understanding that the mx-5 and miata differences were not many, mostly the indicators on the sides and on some trim levels the fog lights (also well the driving side on the british versions), yet I’m not fully familiar with the euro NA other than those small changes, not sure on other internals; hopefully you’re able to experiment on an NA, since all the information available regarding the steering wheel is mostly replacements and not (as I call this kind of change) QoL (quality of life) upgrades. Somehow it has remained as an unexplored area on these cars, despite all the other upgrades and different pieces available to them.

[@mx5info]

@@mrw40 the European NA is more like the Canadian NA. They had no airbag and a different combination switch. The steering column has a smaller diameter because of that combination switch. It look a lot like the combination switch from the B2200 and B2600 pickup trucks. Instead of using relays, a lot of current goes through the combination switch. They don't use a clockspring, but a slip ring, only for the horn. There will be many other differences I am not yet aware of.