Racing and Sports Car Chassis Design

Racing and sports car chassis design
Miata road holding capability
The 1990-2005 Mazda MX-5 Miata uses a double-wishbone suspension.

The double-wishbone suspension has the attribute that, as the chassis rolls, the suspension
changes the angle of the tires to compensate for that roll. Well, nothing is perfect in life, so the
compensation is only about 50% effective, but it's far better than most other suspension designs
(namely a strut-type suspension, which are found on most production cars).
Here is a graphical representation of how the SLA suspension looks in a turn, compared to a few
MacPherson strut cars (Volkswagen).
Degrees of negative camber on vertical axis, relative ride height on the horizontal. You can see
that up to a point, the Miata suspension (blue curve) will gain nearly 0.5 deg of camber per
degree of body roll. If you can start with, say, -1.0 to -2.0 deg camber when the car is stationary
(static camber), and then the car rolls 4 degs in a turn, you can maintain a reasonable contact
patch. This promotes better grip, better tire wear, and more predictable handling than a car with
MacPherson struts.
Miata Weight Distribution

Wheel base 2,265mm (89.1)
Length 3,950mm (155.5)
Width 1,675 mm (65.9)
Curb Weight 940kg (2070 lbs) Wikipedia
LF: 583 RF: 545 - Front bias 52%

LR: 536 RR: 503 Rear bias 48%
Left bias 51.7%, Right bias 49.3%
Diagonal split 50%
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=32139
NA Miata center of gravity
Center of gravity 17
Miata Weight Transfer
Sprung Weight
Unsprung Weight
Rim Weight
The 1990 through 2005 Mazda Miata is VERY sensitive to unsprung weight. The factory designed
and sold it with factory rims that were as light as 10 pounds each! Our STRONG advice for owners
of 1990-2005 Mazda Miatas is to only buy similarly light wheels and avoid any rims that are over 15
pounds each. The lighter the better! We sell 15 inch rims that are under 10 pounds and most users
can feel a change as small as 3 pounds of unsprung weight per corner. Buying wheels over 15
pounds will seriously degrade the ride and performance of your Mazda Miata. We have had too
many customers call us only AFTER their purchase of 15-20+ pound wheels elsewhere asking how
their Miata can be fixed now that it rides rough, crashes over potholes, and is no longer fun to drive!
Asking your Mazda Miata suspension to lift 15 to 20 pound rims with each bump and still feel fun to
drive is like asking your own body to run with ankle weights and still be fast--heavy rims will hurt
your Mazda Miata's performance just like the ankle weights would hurt yours. Don't accept the
representation from the average tire shop that the rim they are trying to sell you is "light." Know
exactly what the true weight is before you buy! Note that there is a lot marketing hype out there and
few distributors bother to actually check the advertised weights of the wheels they sell, relying
instead on exaggerated or atypical claims in the marketing materials produced by the wheel
manufacturers. Because we actually weigh the wheels we sell, our weights will often be higher than
what the wheel manufacturers list on their own websites. It is VERY COMMON to find other
vendors selling 15 pound rims yet telling their customers those rims are 12 pounds and lower. Here,
we weigh every rim we sell and report the actual weights in the product listing for each wheel.
The 2006 Mazda MX5 has a more sophisticated suspension but the user seeking to improve
performance should nonetheless remember that weight is still the enemy. The brakes on the 2006
are too large to accommodate 15 inch rims which means that 16 inch rims are the minimum. We
use 16 inch rims for both street and race track duty to keep the unsprung weight as light as
possible.
Rim Sizes
Our preference for 1990-2005 Mazda Miatas is 15 inch rims for both street and race track use. For
the pure street user the 15x6.5 size helps keep unsprung weight low and the user can select from a
wide selection of 195/50/15 and 205/50/15 sizes. For the user planning track racing or autocross
work we recommend a 15x7 and 205/50/15 as the starting setup. Feel free to consult with us on tire
choices The 2006+ MX5 Miata has brakes that are too large for use of 15 inch wheels. On the 2006
Mazda Miata we use 16x8 inch rims with 225/50/16s for daily driving and 245s for track racing and
autocross work. See our forum for details and pictures.
Wheel Offsets
This issue causes a lot of confusion. Here is a simple explanation. If the rim is 6 inches wide, and
the mounting surface of that rim (backside of the bolt holes), is 3 inches from either outside edge,
that rim has a 0 offset. To the extent that a rim's mounting plane is offset from that zero position,
that offset is measured in millimeters for Japanese cars. For the 1990-2005 Mazda Miata the
factory offsets are 45mm for 14 inch wheels and 40mm for factory 15s, 16s, and 17s. Street users
should stick to the factory range of 40-45mm. Note that there is a popular book on the Mazda Miata
still sold that indicates the factory offset is 45mm only...that book is a decade out of date and should
be discarded. Moreover, you will notice offsets in our wheel section of 35mm, 30mm, etc., and
those are for race application. Please consult with us if you have any questions on appropriate
offset for your intended use.
Hubcentric Rings
We sell hubcentric rings for those that want them. They are not required. They are a convenience
item. They are NOT a load bearing item which is why they are typically made from nylon reinforced
plastic. Their job is to roughly center the wheel while the user tightens the lugs. The lugs do the final
centering. Racers will often skip the hubcentric rings because they do not want to take the chance
of them dislodging and getting stuck on a hot hub during a fast trackside tire change on race day.
Racers will typically squat and use their knees to hold the wheel roughly centered while they spin
the lugs on. Street users usually don't want to worry about it and pay the $18 for a
http://www.good-win-racing.com/mazda/miata/technical-faq.html
Ok, searches didn't yield this information, so I'm putting down what I've got for the rear at least while
I'm in here.
Rear spindle (fully loaded with bearings, brake caliper, pads): 24.1 lbs
Daisy wheel with aquatred tire: 28.8 lbs
Rear upper a arm: 3.1 lbs
Rear lower a arm: 10.1 lbs
Half shaft (shortened 4 inches each side but stock cv's): 11.4 lbs
Other
R1 shock (incl) spring: 4.9 lbs
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=14788

Racing and Sports Car Chassis Design

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What are the advantages of the double-wishbone suspension used in the Mazda Miata?

What factors affect the unsprung weight of a vehicle and why is it important?

Racing and sports car chassis design

Miata road holding capability

The 1990-2005 Mazda MX-5 Miata uses a double-wishbone suspension.

Miata Weight Distribution

LF: 583 RF: 545 - Front bias 52%

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