I'm building my setup at the moment and I'm wondering about traction. I'm doing a modest 200whp build. All my experience is with front drive or awd turbo setups. When does traction start to become a problem in a miata.

My old front drive drag car would spin the hell out of 205's at 180whp by just rolling on it in 2nd. It was fun but not rwd fun where the car actually moves. At approx what power level does the miata want to break the tires loose by just rolling into the gas. Do the 225's make much of a traction difference?

Edited for less noobness.

 

Asking what horsepower to shoot for is subjective. How much horsepower do you want?

Traction will depend on your suspension, sidewall height and tire compound. Assuming you're talking about straight line traction. Just having a 225 won't mean anything if it's a **** tire, but I'm sure you know that since you mentioned some experience beforehand.

We could use some more information on your car, purpose of said car, etc..

 

Around 400whp, but you need the proper gauges for that amount of power.

 

Which gear, which shitty tire, which life of solitude and closet homosexuality?

I will admit that on 205 Nitto Neg Gens I sometimes spin the tires in 3rd on concrete without knowing it. I almost wrecked the car once when reaching for something in 3rd gear due to tire spin, and I'm only making 248whp. For the record, I can run over a coin and tell you how much it was worth with NT-01s so I'm not a total retard.

 

I'm not asking what to shoot for. I'm on 205 nitto neo's at the moment with megan ez streets. I only street drive the car and hit the drags a couple times a year.

My old front drive had an LSD and it was a tire fryer with the small t3. The miata hooks up so well, I'm curious to know approximately when the power overcomes traction.

I already know I should be high 12's or low 13's on the quarter and around 110mph with 200whp.

 

Power over can overcome traction anywhere depending on the camber, tire width/quality, rearend ratio, temperature ect ect

But useless fact: 300whp will spin 205's in 3rd no problem

 

all of it.

 

Edited the post....I should not be posting that late at night I guess.

Better question. 1.8 and torsen swap, Sr20 turbo setup at approx 200whp,205 nitto neo's, ez streets, camber at 0. Is the car going to just get up and go like it does now or will it break the tires loose?

 

My car hooks in 3rd-4th and sometimes even in 2nd with 320 bench horsepower (haven't made it to a dyno yet) with little 235's

 

Shocks make a huge difference with traction. When I had the flex, I could roll the tires in 4th gear at 248whp/235wtq. Today, on the same, older tire, I have to drop it down into 2nd for the same effect.

 

Try low-mind 13s at 102mph, if you're a good driver.

 

sav's completely right and that's a big IF too

 

In my car wheel hop is a problem, and if you run into that problem, there is a really good thread on here that will help you out. Also, I hear that a little bit of positive camber can help if you plan on drag racing.

 

Thanks for the info. I guess I should stay with the 205's.

My old car was running 13.3 at 107. It was a lot of spinning and 2.30 60'. I think the track I run at must run fast. My buddies stock 2011 mustang gt auto runs 12.9 there.

 

Thanks for the tip, I will check it out. I wish there was auto cross or road races up here. The drag track is still a 4hr drive but it's a good weekend.

 

As a fellow straight line performance enthusiast, I must recommend a set of MMR differential mounts. The miata gear box is already like sex and the mounts are lubricant. You will find it much easier to slide your stick into the gear hole, even during exuberant shifting.

 

You're on drugs if you think that....unless you're car weights like 2000lbs with you in it. Try more like mid to high 13's if you're lucky and that's with the best launch and 60ft ever at 200 whp.

 

Stop talking and take your car to the track and find out for sure. Then post up your time slips so we have something substantial to go by when offering advice. Without that we can guess what to do just as easily as you can...

 

Relax, the miata weighs less than my old car does and it ran 13.3 with 180whp with very poor street tires. I was guessing at the numbers based on the weight of the car and the given HP. I would think the miata should be able to pull 60 foots lower than 2.30 but that is also just a guess.

My track could be fast or my dyno could be low. I have heard that the track runs down hill a bit but I can't confirm that. Numbers are just numbers and I'm going by past experiences. Give me 6 months and I will tell you how it runs for sure.

Thanks for the tip, I will check out the mounts. I was curious about wheel hop with more power but right now it won't even spin the tires. I have to do some more reading to figure out what I'm going to do back there.

 

My best pass at 200whp:

60ft 2.22
13.759 @ 100mph