95 replies to this topic

[Bench Racer]

Dave, a comment of 2 trans and 1 engine per year would cost $7,000.00 to a budget, hence the tangent. Could happen but could be scare info for a perspective SM person. 

[av8tor]

Never happens


Too far Kevin?
http://treasurecoast...ansmission.html

J~

I love Wes, and we race together every weekend so he brings the parts to me.  But I think this counts as a tangent.  Back to the question.

I think I speak for only myself.  Spec Miata racing is more fun for the dollar than any other form of racing!!!  The guys on this forum however, will drive you crazy with all their sage advice and experience.   Honestly, the knucklheads on this forum, while completely full of themselves, will make the move very easy for you.  Just understand, this is a gateway drug.

[Jim Drago]

hey, I know a guy

http://eaststreet.com/east_retail.htm

 

Year
Part
Model Description Miles Part 
Grade Stock# US
Price Dealer Info 2004
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 M.T., 5 speed-48K 48,000 A e1096 5512 $495.18 East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
1999
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 M.T., 5 speed-113K 113,000 A e1096 5658 $395.18 East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
1999
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 M.T., 5 speed-113K 113,000 A e1096 5674 $395.18 East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
2001
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 M.T., 5 speed-110K 110,000 A e1096 5647 $395.18 East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
2002
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 M.T., 5 speed-87K 87,000 A e1096 5694 $395.18 East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
2003
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 M.T., 5 speed-114K 114,000 A e1096 5774 $395.18 East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
2004
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 M.T., 5 speed-159K 159,000 A e1096 5758 $395.18 East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
2003
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 @70k 5-speed 70,000 A e2050 BB0229 $Call East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
2001
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 CLEAN CONF 5-SPEED 168,000 A e2050 BB1084 $Call East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
1999
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 1.8 5SPD 98K 98,000 A e1070 35162 $Call East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
Year
Part
Model Description Miles Part 
Grade Stock# US
Price
 

[Johnny D]

Don't you want to price by health, not mileage ??   

And that's mileage of the car it came out of, not the tranny, correct ?

J~

(the guy buys a lot ad space here and has a ton of race parts in the classified too)

hey, I know a guy
http://eaststreet.com/east_retail.htm
 
Year
Part
Model Description Miles Part 
Grade Stock# US
Price Dealer Info 2004
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 M.T., 5 speed-48K 48,000 A e1096 5512 $495.18 East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
1999
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 M.T., 5 speed-113K 113,000 A e1096 5658 $395.18 East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
1999
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 M.T., 5 speed-113K 113,000 A e1096 5674 $395.18 East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
2001
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 M.T., 5 speed-110K 110,000 A e1096 5647 $395.18 East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
2002
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 M.T., 5 speed-87K 87,000 A e1096 5694 $395.18 East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
2003
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 M.T., 5 speed-114K 114,000 A e1096 5774 $395.18 East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
2004
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 M.T., 5 speed-159K 159,000 A e1096 5758 $395.18 East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
2003
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 @70k 5-speed 70,000 A e2050 BB0229 $Call East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
2001
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 CLEAN CONF 5-SPEED 168,000 A e2050 BB1084 $Call East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
1999
Transmission
Mazda Miata MX5 1.8 5SPD 98K 98,000 A e1070 35162 $Call East Street Automotive USA-TN(Memphis) Request_Quote 1-901-774-5374 Request_Insurance_Quote
Year
Part
Model Description Miles Part 
Grade Stock# US
Price

[LarryKing]

"A 1999 mistress may land you in jail. That's rather pricey!!"

 

​1999 mistress is compliant in 2017. Priced by the health, not the mileage.

 

Frank, are trannies cheaper than mistresses too?

 

 

​

[Qyxz]

lol you guys are crazy. 

[FTodaro]

lol you guys are crazy. 

Now your getting the idea.

[ChrisA]

"A 1999 mistress may land you in jail. That's rather pricey!!"

 

​1999 mistress is compliant in 2017. Priced by the health, not the mileage.

 

Frank, are trannies cheaper than mistresses too?

 

  Are you healthy enough for the '99?     

[LarryKing]

I'm sick dude

[mhiggins10]

As a semi-new, small timer, I'd give you the following advice.  Take a good look at the events in your area/region and figure out how many you realistically want to attend.  If you're doing it on a budget, you're doing it yourself and by the time you take the time to prep the car, load it, haul it, race it, haul it back and store it again a 2-day race weekend turns into a VERY busy time.  More if you intend to run practice days prior to race weekends.   I swore I'd run a full season of 8 races, but the 6-hour hauls to NOLA and Hallet, and the trip to Dallas (all from Houston) just don't work for me (yet...)  Far too much time investment and I'm not sure it's worth the expense just yet.

 

Once you figure the number of weekends, you can work up your costs.  It's really not THAT bad if you want to get out and just have fun.  Unless you're the next coming of Michael Schumacher you won't run up front off the bat anyway.  Here are my typical costs for a weekend:

 

UHaul trailer rental: $150

Gas (tow vehicle and racecar): $100

Fluids: $75-100 (change the oil, brake fluid, diff and trans after each weekend)

Entry fees for 2 days: $450 (depends on the race- majors cost a little more)

If you want to add on a test day, or reserved parking spot under a cover or some such, figure adding on another $200

 

I run tires until they cord (10-12 heat cycles, sometimes up to 15 if I'm really lucky and just ran DEs or something), so a set will last me 3-4 weekends.  I am NOT running up front at all, so I don't care.  New stickers are $900 mounted and balanced and I usually get a set each year.  Takeoffs are hit and miss - I find the piece of mind knowing I'm taking care of them is worth it.

 

My car was shockingly reliable, until it wasn't.  I've had to replace the rear diff (upgraded from open to a 99), and late last year the engine blew (original to the car with 109k miles). Diff was ~$1500 and engine was $2k, both prices are installed/turnkey/ready to run.  Just recently had to do the master cylinder ($200), so little things will go, but I really don't think there's a set schedule for these things that you can plan on replacing unless you just want every HP possible and do regular teardowns/rebuilds.  

 

Hope this helps- it is somewhat expensive (moreso than golf, certainly), but $5k a year or so should get you 4-5 events per year, assuming the car is reliable.

[Steve Scheifler]

Do your wallet and the environment a favor, don't change fluids every weekend, unless those are 24hr enduros.

[mhiggins10]

Do your wallet and the environment a favor, don't change fluids every weekend, unless those are 24hr enduros.

How often should they be changed?

[davew]

See my other posts on oil. If you use street oil, change every weekend. If you use a true race oil you can go 2-4 weekends depending on condition of your engine. I change trans and diff every other oil change on race oil. Every 4-8 weekends. I also use length of events as part of my calculations. A double weekend with 2 classes and a test day, do not equal a one day regional. Take into consideration both the previous and upcoming weekends.

[Qyxz]

What kind of fluids are you guys running?

 

On my DE car, I use Mobil1 for engine, Redline for trans, and Mitsubishi OEM gear oil for center and rear diffs (it's an Evo). 

 

I changed engine oil every 5 track days (or equivalent of 1 trackday per 1000 miles), and verified the oil was holding up through blackstone labs.  I changed driveline every 25k miles period , with no consideration for track time. 

[davew]

Use the search function for this one

[Qyxz]

Will do, thanks.  Dave, where can I find your book?  

[davew]

www.advanced-autosports.com

 

We are doing some fixes on the new site. May be down until this afternoon.

[mhiggins10]

See my other posts on oil. If you use street oil, change every weekend. If you use a true race oil you can go 2-4 weekends depending on condition of your engine. I change trans and diff every other oil change on race oil. Every 4-8 weekends. I also use length of events as part of my calculations. A double weekend with 2 classes and a test day, do not equal a one day regional. Take into consideration both the previous and upcoming weekends.

Thanks Dave- I'm going cheap on street oil (Mobil1 synthetic) and don't mind changing it.  What about brake fluid?  

[davew]

I have had great luck using the Schaeffer oil that I also sell. Lasts as long as anything else and at only $7.99 a quart it rivals Mobil 1 in price. Plus it does not need to be changed every weekend. And it is a true race oil with the proper additive package. $32 (4 schaefer) is less than $48 (8 M1 at $6) if you get longer service life. Sometimes cheap is not the least expensive over the long run.

 

I use Castrol LMA/GT brake fluid. Inexpensive and works great. We have the 2 hardest tracks in the country (Road America and Blackhawk) for brakes in my back yard. If it lasts there, it will work anywhere.

 

Dave

[Qyxz]

I know I'm the SM newbie here, but for brake fluid I like Torque RT700.  It will last me an entire season (approximately 10 track days) on a heavy car (Evo X) with track pads and RE71Rs.  This is compared to ATE200 which was getting soft after each run and I was changing out after every 2 track days.