I got my feelings hurt!

[Theo]

Big four door Mercedes got on my bumper on my favorite winding road. Me, 93 LE, suspension rebuilt with poly bushings previous owner, all season Falken 912's. I literally was on a test run with these tires after five minutes earlier taking the Dunlop Summer tires off. Stayed on my side on the road, no tire squeal, maybe going 80 percent. Could not shake him. Don't hate me, but I think modern car technology has overtaken our little cars. My car has a magnaflow exhaust, too loud for me. I cant tell if it is the bushings, the exhaust, or maybe I have harder motor mounts(look factory to me), but I feel the car vibrate in the steering wheel even at idle. Drives me nuts. Thoughts on where to begin to correct it please and thank you. I was hoping it was the summer tires that is why I switched to the extra set of all seasons I had. Next I am hoping it is the exhaust vibrating the car and can easily revert back to stock. Changing bushings is beyond my skill and budget.

[Shwing]

eh dont think too much of it, modern cars are indeed alot quicker than they used to be but you can still surprise yourself and remember you have no clue if it was stock or not. i also didnt like my car loud so switching your exhaust back to stock will most likely make you much happier. as for the idle its common among miatas, could be the mounts but could just be vibration. I've tried to reduce mine and had good luck by going through and replacing the plugs and cables and cleaning out the MAF and EGR.

[Zadnak]

Come to the track and we can talk.

[Dr.Drew]

Couple of things, first is was a Merc. It's not like someone in a new minivan was keeping up. Second, you can be an amazing driver but there's always going to be someone who's better. I'm sure Sebastian Vettel could pass me on a mountain road with a worn out Dodge Neon. The person in that car might be some track day veteran who's very quick. Finally yes, modern cars are going to be quicker. Adaptive suspension, traction control, stability control; all this stuff is sold as a feature for a reason.

[Theo]

For me, I have always had to defend my little car by saying it is a racecar. Now all cars are racecars. With that being said, I never used my brakes. Just judged how much speed I could carry into each corner without having to brake. I feel more confident in my other Miata with stock bushings which gives me a smoother ride. I know it should be the other way around.

[Theo]

This was a big newer Mercedes, I just did not expect that from a 4 to 4500 lb car. I thought all that mass would make him sway in the turns.

[Shwing]

For me, I have always had to defend my little car by saying it is a racecar. Now all cars are racecars. With that being said, I never used my brakes. Just judged how much speed I could carry into each corner without having to brake. I feel more confident in my other Miata with stock bushings which gives me a smoother ride. I know it should be the other way around.

well just remember you also don't know how close to the limit he felt either. also it matters just winding the road is, if its just big swooping turns then a big heavy car can still stay planted enough to keep up, where a Miata shines are very tight short turn like what you see up in the mountains, a heavy car will start to have a significantly harder time with these kind of turns. and at the end of the day also matters what Mercedes were talking here, there are plenty of amg mercs that look very normal but are far from it.

[Sierra_Bravo]

Having driven on Falken 912's they really don't offer anything to write home about in grip and considering most German cars come equipped with grippy Michelin tires I wouldn't get too upset. I've lost track of how many Mercs I have passed on track though. It's a lot.

Ultimately, you should keep driving at the limit to the track. There's this nice Jzilla guy who coerces a whole bunch of us to instruct people on how to drive at his events. You should check it out. We will be at RA next Friday, June 16, and there are plenty of people who would be happy to take you for ride.

[Theo]

Having driven on Falken 912's they really don't offer anything to write home about in grip and considering most German cars come equipped with grippy Michelin tires I wouldn't get too upset. I've lost track of how many Mercs I have passed on track though. It's a lot.

Ultimately, you should keep driving at the limit to the track. There's this nice Jzilla guy who coerces a whole bunch of us to instruct people on how to drive at his events. You should check it out. We will be at RA next Friday, June 16, and there are plenty of people who would be happy to take you for ride.

Yep, I did not do anything stupid. I switched to the Falkens because I am selling my other LE soon and wanted the versatility of all season. How bad are Summer tires in the Winter. Super unsafe? I mean can you warm the tires up in cold temps or would you be better off taking your other car? I read 7 degrees Celsius is their limit which is like 40 something.

[Theo]

I am trying to switch my work schedule to experience a track day as a civilian first. I have a buddy who is a very good driver. He is always telling me to throttle out which is not my natural instinct. Any sense of trouble, and I am off the gas.

[eyeballs]

Cornering grip on a modern german car (on presumably fat summer tires) is way above a miata on 912's given equal drivers. And the electronics on the newer cars allow uber confidence to all drivers.

Summer tires are just fine well below freezing, though for 200tw and below I wouldn't take it out of the garage if it's near freezing or below.

In response to post 10...PLEASE take your car to an autocross as soon as possible!

[Beastinthebushes]

This one time. I banged a chick who did crossfit. And her stamina put me to shame. So I kind of understand your woes. Hang in there, you'll be okay.

[oldgrayfrog]

Summer rubber in the Winter is danger, danger Will Robinson, do not try this at home. I had R32 VW with Pilot Sports. It's an AWD, we got a dusting of snow...and I could not get up my driveway! Under 40 degrees, they're like hockey pucks!

Almost all the new big Mercs come with "optional" active suspension. I used quotes, because finding one without the pricey package they bundle active suspension with, is nearly impossible. With the active suspension, the car is using the sensors to change the shock settings several hundred times a second. The result, a 4500 pound whale that corners flat. The laws of physics aren't suspended, he still needs to get up to speed, but once at speed, he won't need much in the way of an engine to stay at speed. Kind of like how a Kia can still get to 90 mph, it just takes longer to get their than my 400 horsepower Lexus. Once there, it takes a fraction of the power to stay at speed. He will spend a metric ton more money on maintenance, repairs, not to mention consumables like tires and brakes!

Dont feel bad. When I was in school a Corvette could get to 60 in about 8 seconds. A legendary car Carrol Shelby stuffed a 289 Ford V8 in, went 0-60 in 4 seconds! Today a half dozen MB cars, non AMG ones go 0-60 in the four second range, some AMGs are deep in the 3's, a new Corvette can hit sixty in under 4, and a V6 Camry can hit it in 5.3! Heck that ridiculous new Dodge Polecat or whatever does a quarter mile in the low elevens. It's a golden age of motoring. Believe me when I say, you'll look back at all this wistfully one day. In the meantime, your miata is cheap to buy, cheap to keep and cheap to race. That's a damn rare combo.

[Dr.Drew]

This one time. I banged a chick who did crossfit. And her stamina put me to shame. So I kind of understand your woes. Hang in there, you'll be okay.

I imagine with a crossfitter you're more of a passenger than a participant.

[jester911]

I imagine with a crossfitter you're more of a passenger than a participant.

That's funny. I am reminded of a time years ago in my single days having a one night stand with an aerobic instructor. I felt like I was on a live jungle gym that worked me out. Don't get me wrong as it was great but I knew right away I couldn't do that on a regular basis. There may have been alcohol involved as well.:drunk: