What kind of accident are you planning to have?

I was interested in the boss frog double hoop roll bar for protection what do you think of them being used for safety in my new Miata? is it necessary?

Sha Drouet, South Pasadena CA

Not for me.

But don't forget that we're talking about your car and you have to live with it, so you have to make that determination.

bwob

You don't want to know what "Brian" means in Svardian

I recently heard that the Japanese word "Miata" actually means "bat guano". This is from a very reliable source. True or false?

Brian O'Connor, Ft. worth, TX, USA

You need to find more reliable sources.

bwob

Color-keyed license plates

I'm the owner of a 1990 Mariner Blue (190,000 miles and counting). You've stated many times that Mariner Blue is your favorite color and I've heard others of the original design team share your opinion. I recall hearing once that the particular shade of blue choose was inspired by the color of the late-80s California license plate. Any truth to that rumor?

Alan Dahl, Federal Way, WA, USA

Inspired by California license plate blue? More like copied, actually. We snipped a corner off a California plate (license number 'N CHA', with the plate 'donated' from the front of my 1978 Isuzu Gemini) and sent it to Japan as a color sample. They did a real good job of matching it.

So while it's not a rumor, being a fact provides it with a reasonable degree of veracity.

bwob

Yes, but which two-and-a-half seasons?

I live in the Chicago area and recently purchased a 2002 Miata..Any recommendations on an all weather tire for the snow belt..I have the Toro's on the car now that came with it..Thanks ,Ric

Ric Bessey, Streamwood, IL USA

Recommendation? Yeah, don't.

I have yet to come across what I consider a decent "all-season" tire. At best they're three-season tires, at worst maybe two. Additionally, the Miata's rear-drive layout alloyed to its light weight really needs an exceptionally good snow tire (studded, if local regulations allow) to anything approaching the sort of sure-footed character most people who've lived with front- or all-wheel drive cars are used to. Knowing how the snow can and does fall in and around The Windy City, I wouldn't be driving a Miata there without snow tires. And damn good ones at that.

So if you want a specific recommendation on an all-season tire, you'll have to look elsewhere, I'm afraid. Despite what may be written on the sidewall or said from manufacturers, I have yet to come across a real all-season tire.

bwob

Speed still costs money

I have a 1994 Mazda Miata and I want to change the engine out of it because it has 150,000 miles on it and I wanted to know what is the most powerful engine that I can put in it (rx7tt,1999 and up Miata,etc.) or if it would be a good idea to just rebuild the engine with forged rods and pistons and other parts to handle a FM III turbo. I also wanted to know if I went along and did rebuild my engine with all the parts if I can drive it around without a turbo for awhile and if it would damage the engine or not?

Bobby, Puebo,Co U.S.A.

It all depends upon how much money you are able to spend and if you want to kludge things or do the work properly. If you have lots of dosh, you can put something in with, say, 400 to 500 horsepower. If you don't have as much money, you won't get as much horsepower. If you've not already sussed to the fact, there's a direct relationship between horsepower and money.

So the most powerful engine you can put in a Miata is the most powerful one YOU can buy and install in the car. With a budget of US$20,000 that engine will be a lot more powerful than with a US$500 budget.

bwob

Hell no, I won't go...to Hell

Will I be consigned to Hell for having purchased an RX-8?

Dick Carlson, Kansas City

No. That honor is reserved for Enron executives, pedophiles and S2000 buyers.

bwob

Can we play too?

Hi Bob - nice car!
Just moved to California and found that a 96 Miata (150k and going strong) suits both me and the climate very nicely. The Dunlop tyres on it are getting a little elderly though, which got me wondering about whether Mazda involved any particular tyre company in developing the MX5, and if so, what characteristics you were looking for in a tyre?

Simon Gibbons, Huntington Beach, CA, US (formerly London, UK)

Three companies, actually. Initially we had just talked with Bridgestone and Yokohama and provided them with specs (size, performance criteria, maximum weight and a price window) of what we wanted. Dunlop heard about the project (Dunlop and Mazda used the same bank) and just about begged to get in. They were provided with specs as well, and all three companies submitted tires for evaluation.

Bridgestone submitted a single tire which worked well and was priced right, but they sweetened the deal by producing the tire in the 'States. Yokohama submitted two tires, one of which beat the Bridgestone in all areas except price and was extremely lightweight, the other which tied the Bridgestone in most areas. We opted for the latter Yokohama because the first one was way too expensive as far as the accountants were concerned. Dunlop got involved later, so their submission came too late for introduction when the car debuted, but they came aboard as a supplier in early 1990.

If the production volume is right or the car has a sufficiently high profile or strong image, many of the world's tire makers can be coerced into producing a specific tire for you. Mazda did a pretty good job of keeping the Miata program under wraps, but once word started filtering through the industry, we had local tire companies knocking on our door asking if they could help. In general most companies were eager, though Bridgestone and Dunlop both thought we were joking when we warned them that we were going to be stroppy about tire weight.

bwob

Top condition

Bob,
I just bought a 99 10 AE. The original brochure and most of the pictures I find of it show the top to be a real blue color top. Mine (at least to me) looks close to black. I am under the belief it is the original top. So...
1. Is mine that dirty or do they really not come as blue as the pictures?
2. The products I have been looking at to care for it seem to be specific to either cloth or vinyl. Which is mine?
3. What products would you recommend to clean/restore/care for it?
Thanks

L.H., Richmond, VA

There's a third possibility - the top's been replaced by a black one by a previous owner.

This makes your second question a tough one to answer, since aftermarket tops are offered in both vinyl-coated fabric or cloth.

As regards any available miracle poultice to clean/restore/care for a convertible top, I am a long-time believer in warm water and mild soap and nothing more.

bwob

Likes and dislikes

Hey bob let me ask u this: do u favor rotary or pistons? how about n/a v8 vs turbo inlines? sorry if someone ask this already.

Jan Michael Pilario, Guam USA

It depends upon the car. I like atmo fours in Miatas, turbocharged in-line sixes in Skylines and rotaries of either persuasion in RX-7s and NSU Ro 80s. SUVs I like in wrecking years. Horses for courses. The only things I like with no qualifications are blonde Asian women who wear Barbie pink microskirts with matching thigh-high boots. Even then I'm kinda spoiled, since I somehow found an available one to marry.

bwob

Hardly an 'automatic' choice

I was just wondering are all Mazda Miata's stick shift? I was hoping they would be built in automatic too!

Hannah Miller, Severna Park MD USA

There are Miatas with automatic transmission - an option - though they're not especially popular (only about 10 percent of Miatas are fitted with automatics, compared with 90 for most other cars) so many dealers don't keep them in stock. This lack of popularity is also why used ones don't come across all that often and you have to be patient and go looking for them.

bwob

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

If there was one thing that you could go back and change on the MK1's original design after all these years what would it be? Maybe something that has only become apparent after 13/14 years which was never thought of at the outset?

Glyn Handley, UK

Well, I don't think there's much wrong with the NA, particularly as far as the average punter is concerned.

I've been on the record - for a couple of decades - as not being a fan of the pop-up lamps (we'd pitched a set of oval fixed lamps with an eye on simplicity and keeping weight down), though I am not convinced the NB solution is an improvement. I was also in favor of the door handles being color keyed, having chrome rings around all the gauges or none of 'em, and planting the rear number plate in the bumper rather than the rear panel between the taillamps. But none of these would substantially improve the car, just make things the way I wanted 'em. I'll be the first person to say that the way I want a car to be is not necessarily how it should be, with the Miata proving that rather conclusively.

bwob

Hey, at least the Ibuki was BLUE

Why are so many concept cars displayed in silver and not a more exciting color like red or yellow?

Mick, Atlanta, GA

Good question!

There are a number of reasons, actually. One is that silver may be unexciting to some people, but it's not polarizing the way red or yellow - to use the two you mentioned - can be. With things like reds and yellows, you can find that for everyone who likes, say, red, there's someone who can't stand the color. Since concept vehicles must have a pretty broad appeal, strong colors often don't make the cut for cars bound in major shows such as Frankfurt or Tokyo. As the wild hues on some of the hardware at the SEMA show hints, that's not so much of a factor at a specialized exhibition like SEMA. But for mainstream shows the color palette tends to be less adventuresome.

Another reason for the frequency with which silver is used, it's often an attempt to deal with lighting conditions on motor show stands which are less-than-ideal. For this reason many concept cars get light- to medium-value colors, with silver tending to look better in poor light conditions than many (most) other shades.

For what it's worth, I am sick and tired of silver concept cars.

bwob

Hey, don't forget the Tabasco!

I recently found the interview in which you suggested what should be done to the person responsible for the fake oil pressure gauge (you remember, it involved the creative use of a length of barbed wire, among other things). Very impressive. When I become World Dictator, I will need someone to devise suitable punishments for people who have annoyed me. Would you care to apply for the job? There's no salary, but you would get to watch guilty people suffer.

Allan Beattie, UK but living in Spain

What he Hell, it'd be better than watching US-style 'reality' TV. I'll take the job.

bwob

Do you want power or do you want to go faster?

Bob,New to the sight. What can I do to get more horse power out of my engine? Change the chips?
Thanks, Mike

Michael J Boyce, Villa Rica/Ga/USA

I know that it's bad form to answer a question with a question, but please bear with me on this one.

Do you want more horsepower or do you want to go quicker/faster? If you want more horsepower, turbocharging will probably deliver the biggest increase in terms of hp per $.

If you want to go quicker/faster, a performance driving course will provide the biggest benefits versus cost. And by a huge margin.

bwob

Too many thanks!

Well, if it HAS to be in the form of a question: Have I said "Thanks Bob" lately? No? Then, thanks.

Jason Boggs, Charlotte, NC USA

No, no..thank YOU!

bwob