Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Volume 26 Issue 2
February 2015
What’s Inside
Page 2 Curves Ahead (cont.)
Page 3 More 4th Gen. MX-5 “photos”
Page 4 2015 Regional Events
Page 5 Windy City 25th Anniversary
Celebration
Page 6-8 Our “Not So” Technical Pages
Page 9 Advertisers
Page 10 2015 Club Events
Advertisers
Controlled Over-Steer … By Tom Lewis, President
We had a great turnout for our first quarterly Board Meeting of 2015, and Annual President’s Luncheon on Saturday, January 24th with nearly 30 members in
attendance at Daddy Jack’s Restaurant on Indy’s North Side. Most encouraging, the
majority of those in attendance came early and participated in the Board Meeting,
offering good feedback and ideas for the upcoming year. Special recognition goes to Tim Miller, who drove all the way from Valparaiso, Indiana, a nearly 3 hour
drive. One way! But this isn’t anything unusual for Tim – he’s in attendance for
just about every event on the club’s calendar, whether it is a drive, mingle, or
board meeting. Thanks for your dedication
and participation, Tim! As mentioned in the last month’s Open
Road, I’ve set a goal of 14 events for this
year’s Indy Miata Club calendar, and I
believe we’re going to get there, maybe even early in the year. Excluding the
President’s Luncheon on January 24th, we
currently have 12 events listed on the Events page and this will likely grow. We
do, however, need someone to host 3 of our
annual Mingles – the Night Before the
Indy 500 Mingle, the Night Before the
Brickyard 400 Mingle and the Night
Before the MotoGP Mingle. These are
extremely easy to organize – simply choose your favorite spot that has enough space for
a dozen or so Miatas to park and show up!
That’s it! Past Mingles have taken place at Culver’s Frozen Custard, Dairy Queen, Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt, and other restaurants. Kind of a pattern here, you see –
we seem to really enjoy those frozen treats! So, how about it? Can you help out
and throw your name in the hat to host one of these Mingles in need of a coordina-
tor? Contact Ken Koehler at [email protected] and we’ll get you on the calen-dar!
Realizing we have many members who may not know how to put together a
driving event, our experienced Rally-Planners will be organizing and hosting a continued on page 2
The Official Newsletter of the Indy Miata Club
Your membership
Absolutely, Positively
expires this month.
RENEW NOW!
——————————
Do you read our website
regularly? You should.
There is a lot going on
——————————
Plus—Please
check the information on
your member page. Send
corrections or revisions to
Leavenworth Inn weekend! April 10-12, 2015. See our
website for information. Make your room reservations NOW!
Indy Miata Club Officers
2014
President Tom Lewis
Vice-President Ken Koehler
Treasurer Ken Rabbers
Membership Director Darlene Evans
Secretary Joan Rabbers
Website Editor Sara J McBride
Newsletter Editor Steve Crouse
The Open Road is published monthly for the members of the Indy Miata Club. The Indy Miata Club assumes no liability for any information contained herein, or injury or damage resulting from the use of this information. The ideas, opinions, maintenance or modi-fication tips expressed are to be used at the reader’s discretion. Individual contributors and/or the editors express no approval, authentication, or en-dorsement. Thank you.
Page 2 Open Road February 2015
Controlled Over-steer, cont.
Rally Planning Seminar during the month of February. This casual get-together will show members how to plan a route utilizing available resources like maps, the internet
and past routes. The goal is to provide first time rally-planners with the tools, resources
and mentoring from those experienced in planning events, and enables them to host their
first, and hopefully many more, driving events. Watch your email and the club’s Event Page for date and details.
There are several notable events already on the 2015 calendar. We’ll usher in the
driving season on April 10th with one of Indy Miata’s most looked-forward-to events each year, the annual Weekend in Leavenworth. Rally Master extraordinaire, Steve Crouse and
his equally talented and tolerant wife, Kathy, are teaming up with the over-qualified rally
planning team of Roger and Nancy Burrill to put together another memorable weekend of driving, eating, driving and eating some more, and lots of socializing at the historic
Leavenworth Inn overlooking the mighty Ohio River in the don’t-blink-as-your-passing-
through town of Leavenworth, Indiana. Keep your eyes on the Events Page on Indy
Miata’s website as the details unfold, but you may want to contact the Leavenworth Inn immediately to reserve a room - the Inn fills up very quickly. But, don’t worry if none are
available by the time you call – there are plenty of overflow accommodations a short drive
away in the Original State Capital town of Corydon, Indiana. You simply do not want to miss out on this fabulous weekend of fun with your Miata friends as we enjoy the days on
great roads along the river and evenings in the family room of the Inn, playing cards
games, socializing, perhaps enjoying a glass of wine or other adult beverage if you’re so inclined. It’s kind of like a weekend in a Miata frat house with a bunch of reasonably
well-behaved grown-ups! Register on the website now and call the Leavenworth Inn right
away to reserve your room (812-739-2120) – be sure to let them know you’re with the
Indy Miata Club so you’ll receive the lower winter rates. Looking further down the calendar, we have a tentative date of April 18th scheduled for
another annual event, the Post Tax Blues Rally. The month of May means racing in Indy,
and Indy Miata will be heading to the track for Community Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The weekend of June 26th is scheduled for another annual event, Marietta
Madness, when Indy Miata sends a delegation of members to the southeastern Ohio River
town of Marietta for the premier driver’s weekend event of the year. The roads surround-
ing Marietta offer some of the most thrilling curves and scenery you’ll experience outside of the famous roads in and around Deals Gap and the Tail of the Dragon. The difference
is that the roads in SE Ohio are not clogged with every other sports car and motorcycle
known to mankind. Join us for a weekend of spirited-driving-roads listed on Car and Driver’s magazine’s list of the “Best Roads to Drive Before You Die”!
We’ll keep updating the calendar as new events are planned, so keep checking back to
the Events Page at www.IndyMiata.org. It looks like we’ll easily reach my goal of 14 events on the 2015 calendar – how about we go for a record number of events this year!
Membership Update: 45 Renewals.
Welcome to new members:
Phil & Marilyn Fitzpatrick,
James & Kathleen Lockwood
Thinking of planning a club outing? Please reserve a date with Event Coordinator, Ken Koehler ASAP.
Contact him at events@indymiataorg.
Page 3 Open Road February 2015
I really hope they make some of these
colors! How about
you?
What would you say to a coupe of the new ND
MX-5?
Regional Miata Events in 2015
Page 4 Open Road February 2015
Here are some of the regional Miata events scheduled for the coming year. If you haven’t
attended a BIG Miata rally, you are missing a grand gathering of
Miata-philes. Need help finding information? Contact one of our club
officers, or search Miata.Net.
March 26-29, Miatas at Myrtle Beach IX, Triad Miata Club
June 4-7, Zoomin' the Mountains of East Tennessee, Tri-Cities Miata Club
June 5-7, 25th Anniversary Celebration, Windy City Miata Club (see next page)
CORRECTION—July 24-26, Miatas at the Gap (MATG XIX)
August 7-9, Canada's Capital Miata Meet, Underground Miata Network
October 8-11, Surf 'N' Safari 2015, San Diego Miata Club
Coming to Road Atlanta, April 24-26, 2015
The first ever international invasion of V8 Miatas at Mitty!
This will be a world record-breaking event, with the most ever V8 Miatas gathered in one place! No, really,
we have a couple cars coming from Canada and the old record is 13, so we should break it...
If you know of any V8 owners, please give them this info and come check out the V8s at Mitty!
Here is the website for more information: http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=562167
Page 5 Open Road February 2015
Fun, Friends, Folly A party that has been 25 years in the making!
A week-end long celebration of the Miata and the People who love them!
June 5-7, 2015, Pheasant Run Resort, St. Charles IL Windy City Miata Club is pleased to present a 25th anniversary event to celebrate our favorite sports car and the club dedicated to it. Windy City Miata Club has over 300 members and over 200 Miatas, making it one of the largest Miata clubs in the country, and we are passionate about the Miata. Come join us from near and far for a weekend to celebrate all that is great within the Miata community with old friends and new. The weekend will start on Friday June 5, 2015, at Pheasant Run Country Club in St Charles, IL. Pheasant Run is a resort with indoor/outdoor pool, bars and restaurants, an indoor Bourbon Street, golf, tennis courts, and more! Come early before registration for a round of golf (optional). Before leaving for dinner we will have a meet and greet/ welcome reception. We will take a short drive to dinner. Dinner will be buffet style (cash bar) with activities such as volleyball, horseshoes, bags, wiffleball, and bocce ball. Saturday morning breakfast will be on your own, Pheasant Run has various options to choose from or other local restaurants. We will enjoy a group drive having fun in our favorite little cars, followed by lunch out on the road as a group. We will make our way back to the resort to relax and shine our cars for a car show. Our dinner Saturday night will be at the resort. Raffle prizes valued at over $2,000.00 will be given away; along with our 50/ 25-25 cash raffle will be drawn at Saturday night dinner. 50% will go to the Northern IL food bank and the other 50% will be split between 2 winners! Car show awards will also be given away. A live band will be performing for your entertainment. Sunday, grab a cup of coffee and head out to our Miata parking lot. We will have the Miata version of “Cars and Coffee.” We will then make our way to Autobahn Country Club for a day at the track. Autobahn Country Club is a private race track that contains a clubhouse, two racetracks, and a karting track all in one location. We will be enjoying time on the track having a spirited track tour in our Miatas. After all are they not the greatest little sports car ever! No helmets are required for this event, and you can have a passenger riding along with you. There will be many cars at the track that day. Lunch will be catered at the track, so grab a bite to eat and have fun watching all the excitement on the track. WCMC hopes that you will join us in this weekend long celebration of 25 wonderful years of the Mazda Miata and the Windy City Miata Club.
Need more information?
Link from our website,
non-IMC page.
Page 6 Open Road February 2015
Our “Not So” Technical Page This month I’m including some articles published in the Gateway Miata club’s newsletter, the
Miata File. Both of these articles contain some basic information that can be useful to the
most inexperienced automobile owner. Take some time to read these. I’ll try to find some
more for our future newsletters.
Cleaning Your Intake Manifold By Doug Allen, Gateway Miata Club
“Recently I had service at the dealer, and the mechanic drove my car into the garage. He did the service,
and then contacted me about the rough takeoff when driving the car. He said the induction system needed to
be cleaned. I asked the price, and he said normally $140.00 but because you just had service we will lower it
to $100.00. I must say it was the best $100.00 I have ever spent on my car. He raised the hood, and suspended
a pressurized container of cleaner. He then disconnected the intake hose, and inserted the hose from the
cleaner tank. He sat in the car and kept the RPM about 3000. The process took about 20 minutes and he
showed me the after of the intake, which was then shiny and clean! I drove away and was amazed at the
smooth take off in first gear. I recommend this procedure to all members! Gas is NOT as good as years past. It
is unstable when old in just weeks. Get that intake system cleaned and enjoy smooth acceleration and better
gas mileage too!”
Doug’s comment on his “engine cleaning” reminded me of our Tom L’s report on his use of the SeaFoam
products, rejuvenating his M Edition and mosquito “fogging” his neighborhood.
Tom passed me a YouTube post on “How to SeaFoam a Miata”, (https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW5Rf1Wg-Vs), which covers a couple of different
products, and includes a demonstration of the fogging (starting at minute 6:40).
Just beware that there are supporters and naysayers on the use of SeaFoam.
Let me add that I too endured poor running with our ‘99 at one time. My
regular shop tried some kind of cleaner on the intake system with only moderate
success; it still hesitated and bucked after this “cleaning”. Only after removing
the intake and cleaning it thoroughly by hand was the rough-running eliminated.
So, if your Miata isn’t running smoothly, a good intake cleaning may solve
your problem. Trying the DIY/cheap route surely won’t hurt. But don’t be
disappointed if you have to go to the next step or two for the results you want.
Steve C.
Importance of fuel octane rating. By Scott Hrbacek, Gateway Miata Club
A few weeks ago, I was at a car show when a fellow Miata
owner came up to me and asked about my car. We exchanged
some information about our vehicles, both being of similar
vintage, 2003 vs 2002. He then asked me about the type of fuel
that I use in my car. I told him that I use premium, because under
the fuel door, there is a sticker that indicates “PREMIUM
RECOMMENDED”. Specifically, I use QT premium fuel,
because they advertise it as 93-octane, for the same price as other
brands 91 rating. He said that he runs the cheap fuel in his car
and it seems to run poorly at times. I told him to try a tank or two of the 93-octane fuel to see if he can feel
Page 7 Open Road February 2015
any difference. Why would a vehicle have a sticker under the fuel door indicating premium fuel is
recommended? There is a logical explanation. It has to do with the way the engine is configured. First, a
little theory to start the story and the boredom.
Think of an engine as an air pump, air goes in, air goes
out. It has a piston that moves up and down in a cylinder
pulling air and fuel into the cylinder, compressing it, igniting
the mixture, driving the piston down, then pushing the
burned gasses out the exhaust. Pretty simple, eh? The
volume of air above the piston when it is at its lowest point
of stroke (BDC or Bottom Dead Center) divided by the
volume above the piston when it is at its highest point of stroke (TDC or Top Dead Center) will give you a
value that is called the “compression ratio”. Broadly speaking, the higher the compression ratio of an engine,
the more power the engine will be able to develop. But, like many things in an internal combustion engine,
there is a limit to this. Getting technical, we can use the Ideal Gas Law (PV=nRT) to help explain how air
heats up when it is compressed. In the aforementioned equation, “P” is pressure, “V” is volume, “n” is the
amount of gasoline in the system, “R” is the ideal gas constant and “T” is temperature. As the piston moves
up, the pressure increases and the volume decreases. The amount of gas stays the same. As the process can be
considered sealed in this experiment, “R”, the constant will not change. As the pressure rises inside the
cylinder and the volume decreases, it also increases the temperature of the cylinder charge. An example of this
is to feel an air compressor that has been running. It will feel hot to the touch. This heat can be somewhat
contributed to friction inside the cylinder, but mostly it is from compressing the air. The more you compress
it, the hotter it will get. An engine is no different. As it compresses the fuel/air charge, it heats up. In a
perfect world, the mixture will be ignited by the spark plug and the engine runs as designed. But if the fuel/air
mixture is compressed enough, and the temperature rises to a point that the mixture ignites (auto-ignition)
before the spark plug fires, you have pre-ignition, which is a very bad thing. Why is it so bad? Because the
mixture starts to burn, and the gasses start to expand, pushing against the piston while it is still moving
upward. Also, the pressure waves developed inside the engine can damage engine components like the pistons
or valves. Somewhat backwards to what you might think, the octane rating of the fuel actually indicates its
resistance to burning. The auto-ignition temperature will increase as the octane rating increases. The higher
the temperatures and pressures inside the engine, afforded by a higher compression ratio, the more power the
engine can develop. Higher octane fuels are required in engines with these higher compression ratios. Our
2002 Miata has a static compression ratio of 10:1. Most standard engines designed to run on 87-octane will
have a compression ratio of about 9:1. The extra heat developed by that difference in the compression ratio
requires a fuel with higher pre-ignition resistance.
A clean combustion chamber is also very important to avoid this pre-ignition. A higher octane fuel may not
necessarily have any more detergents than a lower grade fuel, as one would have believed in the past. Some
call minor pre-ignition “pinging”; while major pre-ignition can cause “knock”, as the pressure waves are
bouncing off the cylinder walls. If the combustion chamber is dirty and contaminated with deposits of carbon
on the piston top or valves, these deposits can absorb heat from the combustion process, creating a hot spot
(ignition point) for the next compression stroke. This hot spot can act like a small glow plug inside the engine,
pre-igniting the air/fuel mixture. Using a quality fuel can help clean out the combustion chamber.
Another factor is the variable valve timing on the 2001-2005 engine. This feature adjusts the timing of the
FUNNY STUFF ?
Page 8 Open Road February 2015
intake camshaft in relation to the crankshaft. It is a small amount of adjustment, but it helps to develop more
torque at lower engine speeds and more power at higher engine speeds. The engine computer can also make
adjustments to the ignition timing. If running a lower octane fuel in a car that recommends premium, the
computer may make adjustments to the ignition timing to reduce pinging, which would reduce the power
output of the engine. Specialized sensors in the engine listen for pinging or knocking and inform the computer
if drastic adjustments need to be made. Chances are that the car will run ok on the lower grades of fuel, but the
computer is designed to adjust the timing based on a higher octane fuel.
A week later, the same fellow dropped by to tell me that changing to the higher octane fuel made the car
drive much better, and it seemed to be much more powerful. The few extra cents per gallon seems to have
made quite a difference with his car.
Newer vehicles, like our Mazda6, are being equipped with “Direct Injection”. This means the fuel is
injected directly into the combustion chamber instead of
upstream of the intake valve. Why does this make a
difference? This means that as the piston is moving
upwards, it is compressing only air (similar to a Diesel
engine), not a fuel/air mixture. There is no risk of
pre-ignition as there is no fuel present. The fuel injector
sprays the fuel into the chamber when the piston is close to
TDC, right before the spark plug fires. This procedure has a
benefit of cooling the air in the chamber. Since pre-ignition
is no longer an issue, the compression ratio can be increased, in the case of the 2.5L engine in our Mazda6, to a
number like 14:1. This higher compression ratio allows for the efficiency of the engine to be increased, all
while using standard 87 octane fuels.
Now celebrating 40 years!
Exclusive Discounts for Indy Miata Club Members
Tom Roush Mazda, Indiana’s first Mazda dealer established in 1972 has not only the most experienced sales and service staff in town, but also is the highest volume dealer in Indiana. We hope to serve you in our next 40 years as Indy’s premier Mazda dealer. In support of the Miata Club member’s we would like to offer the following benefits:
15% off regular door labor rate
15% off any accessory purchase
S-Plan pricing to eligible customer’s Extended Saturday service hours 7:30—3:30
US 31 North @ 169th Street Westfield, IN 46074 800-891-3056
Page 9 Open Road February 2015
INSURANCE GROUP
Tom Lewis
Hughes Insurance Group is an Independent Agency representing over 35 insurance companies.
Our ultra-competitive rates assure that you receive the most value at the best price for all of
your home, auto or business insurance needs.
For a limited time, I’m giving away a $20 gas card with an insurance review and quote for your home, auto or business with no obligation! If I’m competitive, consider allowing Hughes
Insurance Group to write your business. If I can’t provide you with a better value, you’ll have
the peace of mind knowing you’re properly insured at a fair price.
Call or e-mail Indy Miata Club member Tom Lewis today!
317-984-9228 [email protected]
Have a few dollars invested in upgrades? Ask about Agreed Value Coverage for your Miata!
Page 10 Open Road February 2015
Benefits for Indy Miata Club Members -First year dues to the Indy Miata Club after
purchase of any Mazda
-S-Plan Pricing to Current Members
-15% off All Parts & Accessories -15% off Labor Rates
-Maintenance for Life with the purchase of
Any Mazda -Saturday Service Hours 9:00 AM to
1:00 PM
-Free Cookies!! Contact Lauren Auld for more information.
(Tentative) Club Events for 2015 April 10-12, “A Return to Leavenworth (IN)” weekend
April 18, “Post Tax Blues Rally” 2015
May 20, Indy 500 Festival “Community Day”
May 23, “Night before the 500” Mingle
June 26-28, “Marietta Madness” weekend
July 18, “Dream Cars” at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (with Cinti club)
July 25, “Night before the Brickyard 400” Mingle
August 1, “Scouting Out Columbus IN”
August 8, “Night before the Indianapolis MotoGP” Mingle
September 11-13, St Louis Fireworks weekend
October 2-4, French Lick Concours and rally
November 7, “Hidden Drives” Rally
December, IMC Christmas Dinner-Party
Volunteers are needed to organize some of these events. Here are opportunities for you to
contribute to the club’s activities.
Feb. 14, 2015
Feb. 2, 2015
Presidents’ Day, Feb. 16, 2015
February Holidays
