Mazda Miata Roadster Tuning

The Mazda Miata transports us back to the days where lightweight, minimalist sports cars roamed the land. It is a "pure" sports car with compact dimensions and just enough output to make the chassis rotate when you want. These characteristics also make the Miata a sublime tuning platform in that small upgrades provide great improvements in overall performance.

Within these pages, we've covered a number of U.S. Miata tuners. This time around, we're shedding some light on their Japanese counterparts. Several of these Japanese tuners are worth more than just a brief mention. While it's more difficult to source components from these vendors, doing so is bound to raise a few eyebrows at the next Miata club gathering.

Garage Vary (Photos 1-5)Garage Vary is at the forefront of Miata (or Roadster, as it's called in Japan) body kit design. Garage Vary has three offerings for the first-generation (NA) Miata and one for the second-generation (NB) Miata. The Type 1 NA body kit is comprised of a more aggressive front bumper cover, side skirts and a pronounced rear spoiler. Type 2 is a relatively subtle design, incorporating a Lexan-covered fixed headlight conversion and a small rear lip spoiler. Type 3 adopts the same headlight treatment as Type 2, but is more specialized for competition use with larger radiator cooling ducts and enhanced aerodynamic bits.

Another popular option for NA body kits is Garage Vary's "Aero Hood," which is designed to drop underhood temperatures by as much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit-a good upgrade, considering how hot things can get in this otherwise poorly ventilated engine compartment.

Garage Vary's NB body kit offering is dubbed the "Winding Dancer" and transforms the Miata's modest appearance into one of sheer aggression, characterized by its daunting front grille, generous intake scoops, brake ducting and conspicuous rear spoiler.

Pit Crew Racing (Photos 6-11)Unlike Garage Vary's, Pit Crew Racing's body kits are reminiscent of the '60s-era British roadsters. Surely some Miata owners want their Miatas to do more than remind them of old Lotus Elans. Why not modify the Miatas to look like them? This body kit consists of a traditional 7-inch round headlight conversion, new slanted fenders and a completely revised rear fascia with chrome bumpers. OK, so it's not for everyone.

Manatee (Photos 12-13)Focusing more on performance and less on visual appeal, Manatee has quite a slew of unique offerings. As we all know, Miatas are extremely capable in the handling department; even more so with upgraded coil-overs and beefier anti-roll bars. But this isn't good enough for Manatee. Adopting a full array of pillow ball mounts, threaded adjustable suspension members and just about anything a shameless suspension geek can think of, Manatee's offerings are unique to say the least, right down to its cockpit adjustable brake booster.

Maruha Motors (Photos 16-19)Yet another popular Japanese racing series is the Fuji Championship 1600cc race, which requires a maximum engine displacement of 1.6 liters and unchanged bore and stroke measurements. If this isn't limiting enough, the rules also require carburetors. Maruha Motors' Eunos Roadster is a top contender in this series, which also includes Toyotas and Nissans. Sponsored by model carmaker Tamiya, Maruha's racing Miata is dressed to kill. The Miata is said to put out upwards of 210 hp with heavily reworked cylinder heads. With a Tilton 5.5-inch twin disc clutch, a massive three-row aluminum radiator and enough oil cooling to satisfy a Formula One racecar as well, the race Miata is a very serious contender for the title.

DSK (Photos 20-21)Finally, DSK is a hugely popular Miata tuning shop in Japan. Like Maruha, DSK specializes in engine tuning and offers, among other things, individual throttle body induction systems. Designed to maximize naturally aspirated output in racing endurance conditions, DSK's induction system is a complete and well-engineered performance package. Complementing the intake hardware are oversized titanium intake valves, lightweight pistons, shortened connecting rods and an appropriately re-mapped engine computer. According to DSK, maximum engine output is limited to a healthy 190 to 200 hp due to ever-present and super-stringent emissions regulations.