+1 agreed maybe a stronger clutch to cope with the added power and torque

 

Power:
Turboback exhaust (with HFC for DD) = Combined with a tune, this gives the largest HP gain without getting too technical.
Drop in filter = Aftermarket intakes are not worth it without a larger turbo, but hearing your turbo spool is always nice with aftermarket intakes.
Tune = To customize everything for your car.

Suspension:
Springs = Gives a subtle drop for aesthetics, and stiffer springs can increase performance
Tires = Tires are what connects your car to the road...Increase performance all around.

With just these few mods, the evo is totally different. The evo will be meaner and more aggressive. These mods should have been in effect from the factory!

 

I'll give the unpopular answer

Driver mod first and foremost. Go to a racing school or performance driving school. Then go to some HPDEs. Become a better driver.

Nothing else is "absolutely necessary" because the overwhelming majority of owners can't even out-drive a stock Evo. Once you can out-drive the car, that's when you go crazy and get the mods that can make the car faster.

 

I completely and utterly disagree. Better seatbelts. Then off to driving school. tee hee

 

+1. Only thing I'd add to that is brake fluid for those HPDEs. That fluid will definitely boil, especially with a new performance driver.

 

+1 I would agree with you 110%. I never say this answer cause i personally feel it's not an option, it's mandatory. by the sounds of it, it seemslike the OP has some track experience with his MX-5. Regardless I would still take some form of HPDE to learn the dynamics about the Evo X as it is a completely different platform than the MX-5. I always take a basic HPDE refresher course when ever I get behind the wheel of something new. It's like that old saying "slow down to speed up." don't just go out there and go flat out and hope you'll be fine with the experience you have in a different car. Take some time to learn your car before you unleash it, in the end you'll be much faster, more understanding of the car, and more safe to the drivers sharing the track with you. best of luck with your Evo X

 

I really like this forum. I love how you guys think. Been spending too much too over at miata.net and I forget people think differently there.

Let me clarify… It's obvious this forum tends to think about "going faster" and "more performance." That's all great, but the main reason for this thread is BALANCE as a street car and not necessary a full performance oriented setup.

Not discrediting HPDE and Auto X, the main reason for this thread is to improve the car for the street.

This may not sound very shocking, but the reason I say this is because I suspect that starting at stock, the Evo X needs less mods to satisfy on the road than the NC MX-5.

The MX-5 NC is too soft, so a full suspension upgrade is important, even for a fun daily. Springs alone are not enough for this car to really improve. Sounds like the Evo can get away with a decent set of springs and keep the owner quite happy. Swapping springs on the MX-5 does not cut it IMO because the dampers are too soft and the travel is very short. You need a full suspension upgrade on it, whether it's shocks/springs and sways or full coilovers.

By the same token, a turbo back exhaust and a tune in an Evo goes a long way. An catback exhaust and a tune in an MX-5 wakes up the car, but does not offer huge gains. It does sounds awesome though. I love the sound of the MZR engine revving high.

If you want to have an idea of what I'm talking about, I wrote an article about the necessary mods for the NC Miata. Mind you, it is a long piece and I'm not sure you guys would care to read through the whole thing… But it'll give you an idea. It's here: http://rallyways.com/specialty/mazda...ssential-mods/

I'm trying to draw a list, just like this for the Evo X. Not simply to write an article, but also because I'm considering selling my 2011 MX-5, keeping my '95 Miata and buying an Evo. (I was at this point last year by the way). So, I doing the math as to how much more (or less) I'm going to spend on mods compared to the NC. So far, it actually seems modding the Evo to a good street car "balance" would actually be less money than the MX-5 believe it or not.

 

Well I read your article (not bad BTW), and I see what you're looking for.

So the first half of your Evo article would read just the same: springs or coilovers depending on budget.

The next part is tires, but I think far more important on a 3500 lb AWD car than a lighter RWD car.

Then a tune, you can get a lot out of a tune, responsiveness, more power, less soot on your bumper, and even a little better MPG.

I think this still reads the same as my previous post, but I feel your article clarified a bit as to what you're looking for.

 

Will that AMS kit pass inspection and emissions?

 

I would say drive the Evo first and you'll see that, for the most part and I'll be honest, mods are even less necessary for driving on the street especially compared to your previous Miata experiences. To reach the driving limits of an Evo on public roads would require driving at speeds far beyond legal limits, and well, that's just plain silly. Out of the box, the Evo can handle anything a public road can throw at it. If someone needs to go faster, they should be taking it to the track anyhow.

 

Now, keep in mind, I'm coming from the POV of performance driving. There are plenty of aesthetic mods for the street (lowering springs, wheels, etc, etc) that are all personal preference and one should create their car to look whatever way makes them happy

 

I would say yes seeing as it uses the factory cat. Not to mention the tune that comes from AMS in the accessport probably is setup to not throw any CEL's. There's an option at the bottom to purchase a AMS test pipe or AMS high flow cat in addition to the kit.

 

@atombomb33

^^^ Exactly my point. You're talking from a performance POV. I'm more focused on a "feel" POV. ---> How the car makes you feel on the road and on the twisties. Not how fast you can go, or how many seconds you can chop off, or how fast you can take that bend.

Meaning, the MX-5 feels a bit soft and somewhat bland driving stock on the street. Changing the suspension, the exhaust and tuning to tighten up the response makes the car way more visceral. This, even on stock tires. Or even on good, but narrow tires. This all makes the car more fun on the street, whether or not it's faster is a different story. I know, because I've driven a properly modded NC on the street and it's a huge difference. The thing is huge fun. Even the oil used in the transmission will change the feel of the shifter in a good way.

That's what my focus is on the Evo. How is makes you feel on the road. How's the exhaust note? Throttle response? Pitch and roll? Sensation of speed? Etc.

To me, anything past that is not a necessary mod.

Will I ever put the Evo on the track? Yes… But will it be a track car? No. The '95 Miata is much cheaper to run on the track anyway.

So, to me… mods that enhance the car on the track are not necessary mods… Unless of course, becauseracecar.

The reason I'm being very critical of this is because I'm doing the research well… before I buy. Trust me, I don't want to get rid of my MX-5 NC. For less than $25K is a HUGELY fun car on the street. Modded to my liking it would still cost less than a stock Evo

So I want to make sure that I'm going to like the Evo as much. And calculate the cost of bringing it to the streetable level it should be. The reason I'm considering the switch, is because with 2 Miatas, the need for back seats and a roof to hold a rack is slowly becoming more and more of an issue.

 

You should seriously consider looking into a used, clean, stock, low mileage evo 9 of you want something fun on the street with the ability to make better. Not to mention is gonna be a lot cheaper than picking up than a evo x. and if visceral is what you're after then you just can't go wrong with the evo 9. Consider it

 

To me an important part of performance is how the car feels. So, a little bit one in the same.

The Evo is a completely different feel than your Miata you're used to. All the research in the world can't replace getting behind the wheel and feeling the performance and driving experience.