Why the Miata is My Favorite Car

Go ahead...get it over with right now.

Yes, I mean the homophobic jokes, hairdresser jokes, and the "Yo bro, how many hair dryers you got under the hood?" kind of jokes.

But really, the Mazda MX-5 Miata is my favorite car. Possibly ever.

I can totally understand some of the hate the Miata gets. It's small, it's not exactly the fastest car, and...okay, yes, it looks like a hairdresser's car, but so does a Beetle.

Think of it this way though. The Miata has nearly 50/50 weight distribution that accounts for some of the best handling in any car. Ever. I'm dead serious. It came with a limited slip differential as an option on some models, which makes for some smoky tire fun. Yes, the 1.6 and even 1.8 aren't the beefiest power plants out there, but the platform is so good. Aftermarket support for these cars is phenomenal. Everything from simple catback exhaust systems to full stage 2 turbo kits are readily available.

Chances are, if you aren't into compact 2 seat roadsters, you won't like this car. The size of this car is PERFECT for someone of my size. I feel about right for size in my SVT, but sometimes it feels a little roomy. When I sit in a Miata, I fit perfectly. Everything is in easy reach and I feel comfortable.

Love convertibles? This is your car.

Hate convertibles? Buy a hardtop. Plenty of options for that.

Miatas are great because they are so versatile. They are used as track cars for road course races, autocross, drag racing (don't ask me why), drift, and...even rally? Yes...there's a few crazy people out there that do.

Not to mention some very, very cool show cars and stance cars.

The Miata is up there on the list of platforms that can do just about anything. People drop crate motors into them...

It joins the S13 240SX and the Foxbodies, particularly the Mustang, as the best platforms to build a car off of. At least, this is my opinion on the MX-5.

My Love For Cars Expanded

Cars have been a big part of my life ever since I was playing with my Matchboxes and Hot Wheels on the mat in my room. I have always dreamt of owning fast, cool looking cars. One of the ones I was particularly intrigued with during that time was the somewhat newly released Ford Focus ZX3.

I had no clue at the time that this was a Ford, or even a domestic car for that matter. I thought it was a sleek Japanese hatchback, for a while, I actually thought it was a newer Honda Civic. I saw the sleek, curvy body lines and how to me as a young child, the car looked like it could easily take down fast American muscle with just slight modification.

I saw these cars when they were brand new off the lot and was immediately in love.

For a while, I started to absolutely obsess over Mustangs. Man, did I LOVE Mustangs. My favorite one as an uneducated car enthusiast, which actually still is one of my favorite body styles, is the 2007-2009 body design. My friend's dad had and still has one with a Super Snake kit. I loved the deep, throaty growl of the V8. I thought, that is the definition of a man's car.

Back then, I obviously didn't know much of anything about cars. I didn't know how engines worked, how transmissions work, how the suspension worked. All this knowledge and enthusiasm has come within the last 4-ish years of my life, particularly the last year and a half.

My mom got a 2004 Focus ZTW wagon back in 2007. In 2014, after my first car, a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan, was...um...put out of commission, I got to drive this wagon. I LOVED that car. That was my first real car that I got to drive for more than 2 weeks. It didn't feature as sleek of body lines as the hatchbacks, but for me it was close enough. I had a car very close to the ones I dreamt of owning all those years prior. It didn't take long for me to begin making payments to buy the car off my parents.

As a kid, I always thought that wagon was sporty in its stock form...HA. When I got it, I knew it was nothing super special except for the rare 2.3L Duratec platform engine it sported, unfortunately with an automatic transmission (for those that don't know, the ATX in the Focus is an absolute slushbox). So I knew if this was to be my unique, fun, cool wagon, I needed to modify it.

This is when I got into modifying.

Well, "modifying." My first move was to dip the wheels. They were stock 15" alloy wheels, but I wasn't rolling on stock steelies at least. The next move was a resonator delete on the exhaust. I then moved to remove the crappy, restrictive PZEV airbox and put a pod filter on for better throttle response. I had a black front bumper cover because the stock one was smashed up from a ditch dive the previous winter. Black out the tails, interior LEDs, all the things a high school kid does to mod their cheap cars.

Finally, I got my head on straight and did some things right. I completely deleted the muffler and resonator and made a side exit exhaust. Having 2 catalytic converters, it actually was pleasant sounding, with lots of popping and gurgling and hardly any drone. I had plans to put 17" Focus SVT 5 spoke wheels on, lower it about 2-2.5", and work towards building a faster car with a MTX-75 manual.

I didn't realize it, but I was delving into a world of great people. I joined WCEC and immediately was happy with that decision. After I was rear ended, I got a Focus SVT, and my love for cars and modifying them is as strong as ever.

WCEC

Earlier, I believe I made a reference to WCEC.

If you are outside of the Midwest, you may not have heard of this group. WCEC is the Wisconsin Car Enthusiast Club. With more than 27,000 online members, WCEC is one of the largest car enthusiast groups in the Midwest.

Stance, street, track, rally, crawling, mudding, you name it. WCEC includes trucks, bikes, and cars of all kinds, stock and heavily invested in, street and off road.

Meets sponsored by WCEC are held statewide throughout the car season. Meet and Greets that bring in up to a thousand people and meets like Top Shelf, held in a parking ramp, are many ways that WCEC connects the car culture throughout Wisconsin to bring it together.

Involving local police departments is another way that WCEC has a largely positive impact in the car community and in local communities. Officers attend events, providing security, showing people features of the patrol cars, and talking to attendees about their rides.

It is a hugely positive group, and I am proud to be a part. I haven't gotten to any major meets yet, but you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be at many next year, with pictures and coverage on this blog.

I Owe An Apology

My apologies for some misinformation in my article on the Focus RS.

It was regarding the new Honda Civic Type R. Apparently, the information I received about it being front wheel drive was incorrect. It will be all wheel drive, and will hit the US market around the same time as the Focus RS.

That is all, carry on.

My SVT Focus

I have yet to introduce my car! I don't know how that got put off.

I drive a 2003 Pitch Black Ford Focus ZX3 SVT.

The story of this car begins with my first Focus. Before this, I used my mom's 2004 Focus ZTW wagon for a while. Eventually, I started making payments to her for it. I found out that it had the 2.3L Duratec, a very desirable engine in the Focus. About all I had done to it was plasti dip, a couple of lighting mods, and a resonator delete. That was this past summer. I loved that car. It was to be my year-round daily. 

Come winter, I did a full on muffler delete. So the exhaust setup was a header with a cat, a cat after the flex pipe, and then just straight pipes to a left side exit. I loved the sound.

Then, tragedy struck.

On January 6th, I was turning left at a 2-way stop. I was in the no-stop road, waiting for oncoming traffic to pass. Then, a Nissan Pathfinder came up over the hill behind me at 35+ mph. Car=totaled. I was devastated.

Being the positive thinker that I am, I decided that an upgrade would only be sensible in this time. I started shopping for SVTs, knowing I could probably find a good one. I found this one at Speedway Auto in Maribel, WI. I traded him my salvage-titled wagon and $2500 cash for this.

This is in its stock, unmodified form.

2 weeks into ownership, the engine blew. $1400 and a few months later, and she was back on the road.

Now, she looks like this: 

So far, I've done the following:

SRI

Powerstop drilled and slotted rotors with carbon ceramic pads

Maximizer High Performance Type R exhaust system

OZ Racing wheels with all-season tires

FRPP lowering springs

heavier shift knob

Currently working on wiring in a rearview mirror with a compass and temp reading.

Much more to come!

Stance and Your Attitude In the Car Community

Hellaflush! Stance nation! Camber gang!

All these phrases typed out by stance bros on the internet are the reason stance is hated on. Taking a super cheap car that is barely working mechanically, cutting the springs by a full coil and a half, and throwing wheels worth twice to three times more than the car on are why stance is hated on. 45 degree anglef camber with super-stretched tires is why stance is hated on. Perfectly good track cars "ruined" by slight stretch and camber is why stance is hated on.

What do I think about stance? It goes for every style of car modifications: I respect a person who has a tasteful build with a lot of their own time and hours put into it.

If you buy the car like that, but intend to fix, modify, or change things yourself, I respect that.

If you buy it modified and it is done tastefully, I respect that.

For example, one of my friends from my old hometown bought a nice 1987 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, similar to the car above. It had a Borla catback exhaust, lowering springs that made it one of the lowest cars in the city, Stance Encore wheels with slight tire stretch, and a roof rack. I loved that car.

Bottom line for me is that I appreciate good track builds, good trucks, good muscle cars, good sports cars, basically any car where the owner is a dedicated enthusiast who is respectful and gives back to the community. This includes stance. If it is done right and clean, I love the car.

Bottom line, it's all about your attitude.

2016 Ford Focus RS: I am just as excited as you are, if not, more!

Good morning everyone!

For my first informative post, I'll be discussing one of the newest car releases that has been all the rage lately: the 2016 Ford Focus RS. I am extremely excited about this, as I am a huge Focus enthusiast.

The RS comes from a history of excellence in the hot hatch world. Its lineage begins back with cars such as the Ford Sierra XR4i, Sierra Cosworth, Escort RS2000, Escort RS Cosworth, and other noteworthy rally cars produced by the Ford Motor Company throughout the 80s and 90s.

As the 90s drew to a close, Ford wanted a car that would market well in Europe, knowing their success with the Escort line. They wanted to produce something that would leave the 90s behind and begin a new age of automotive design. Enter the Ford Focus.

The first generation of Focus, or MK1, was launched in Europe in 1998. In 1999, it made its US debut under the 2000 model year. It was a massive success. The "New Edge" body lines and interior and superb handling gave it an edge over many competitors from the same model years.

Ford saw this success, and decided that they needed to make a performance model. Enter the European ST170, known in the US as the SVT Focus. The ST170 received tighter suspension with McPherson struts, Ford's Zetec platform engine with variable exhaust cam timing with larger cams, upgraded header, Forged internals, oil squirters, high-flow catalytic converter, 2 1/4" full exhaust system, a dual stage intake manifold, larger airbox and snorkel, 6 speed Getrag transmission, 4-wheel disk brakes with massive rotors up front, 17" alloy wheels, upgraded fascia, and leather Recaro seats with all black interior trim (optional in the US as the EAP, or European Appearance Package). Off of this spurred an even better model that only Europe got, the MK1 Focus RS.

The MK1 RS was everything the ST170 was and much more. Only 4501 units were built from 2002 to 2003. It included the Zetec platform engine, but it was turbocharged to 212 hp and 229 lb-ft of torque. It included racing parts such as Sachs dampers, OZ Racing alloy wheels, a Quaife ATB differential, the bulletproof MTX-75 5 speed manual transmission from the standard Focus models, Brembo brakes, forged internals, AP clutch, upgraded widebody fascia, and Sparco racing seats and interior trim pieces. This started an absolute legacy.

The MK2 Focus RS was offered only in Europe and non-US countries.

Again.

Ford...why? I guess good things come to those who wait.

Anyways, the MK2 RS offered upgraded fascia, a Volvo 5 cylinder engine with a Borg Warner K16 turbo pushing 20.3 psi of boost from the factory, variable valve timing, air to air intercooler, forged crankshaft, silicon-aluminum pistons, graphite coated cylinder bores, Quaife Automatic Torque Biasing LSD, and McPherson RevoKnuckle struts up front. This RS produced 301 hp and went from 0-62mph in just 5.9 seconds. A very limited upgraded version of this RS, the RS500, was produced in 2010. Only 500 units were made. The Volvo 5 cyl was upgraded once more to produce 345 bhp. 0-62 was only 5.4. Torque was upped to 340 lb-ft. It was only offered in matte black.


And now, enough of the boring history. We will have this globally in the spring of 2016: the MK3 Focus RS.

This monster uses Ford's 2.3L Ecoboost inline 4 engine used in the 2015 Mustang. It has been tuned up from the 315 hp that it produces in the 'Stang to 345 hp. Heh. "Eco" boost, more like it.

Just take a good look at these pictures here. That's right, absorb the awesomeness of this car. You know how there really wasn't an all wheel drive American tuner that could compete with the STi and Evo? Well, here you go.

This car utilizes a new torque-vectoring all wheel drive system. This system can transfer up to 70% of the power at the transmission to the rear wheels, and of that 70% rear wheel power, up to 100% can be transferred to whichever wheel needs it most.

As most car enthusiasts know, Ken Block, WRC championship driver and creator of the Gymkhana YouTube drift video series, was a major influence in the making of this car. It shouldn't surprise you, therefore, when I say that this car has a drift mode in its four selectable driving modes. At this time, I am not aware of what the other modes are, but I would venture to say that there is a normal mode, Sport, and Track.

Heck, I just want to drive one. I know I'm not going to be able to get one myself.

6 speed manual transmission, racing seats, large wheels, boost gauge, and the looks and design that just remind me of an F-22 fighter jet when I look at this car. What more could you ask for out of the most anticipated hot hatch of the decade, if not ever?

I am extremely excited to see how this car stacks up against the Golf R, STi, and Evo. I'm not even going to mention the new Type R. Nobody's gonna buy a FWD "Rallye" hatch, Honda.

(Disclaimer: I do not bias when it comes to cars. I respect all brands, types, and builds. Just knocking on Honda for not making an all wheel drive rallye trim car. If it was AWD, it would compete way better, and I am sure of that.)