Controlled Over-Steer

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1 The Official Newsletter of the Indy Miata Club Volume 26 Issue 3 March 2015 What s Inside Page 2 Membership update Controlled Over-steer (cont.) Page Club Events Funny Stuff Page MX-5 Miata News & Views Page Regional Miata Events Page 6 Windy City 25th Anniversary Celebration Page 7-8 Our Not So Technical Pages Page 9 Advertisers Page 10 Post Tax Blues Rally Reminder March Calendar Dates Advertisers Controlled Over-Steer By Tom Lewis, President As I write this, the Spring Equinox will arrive in just over 3 weeks on March 20 th. Looking out the window, there is absolutely no indication that that date will bring with it the warm temperatures that will allow us Miataphiles to bring our roadsters out of hibernation to drop the top and enjoy the beginning of the driving season. Not, at least, before we must endure a few more days of sub-zero overnight temperatures and, perhaps more snow as predicted by our meteorological prognosticators. But Spring will eventually arrive and we can certainly look forward to what is turning out to be a very Event-Full year! In my first article this past January, I set a goal of 14 Events on the calendar this year. As of this date, we have reached our goal! Thanks to all those who have answered the call of duty and stepped up to host an event. But let s not stop there - there are still plenty of dates to fill with YOUR driving or social event! We do, however, still need volunteers to host our annual Night-Before mingles for the Indy 500, Brickyard and MotoGP. Hosting one of these events is as simple as choosing a place (Dairy Queen, Culvers, Orange Leaf, or any other location you d like) and showing up, and will earn you big Brownie Points with your club President! Willing to help? just drop an to our Vice President, Ken Koehler, at vicepresident@indymiata.org and we ll take it from there. Thanks in advance for your willingness to contribute to the greater good of the club this year! Spring also brings with it the need to prepare our roadsters for the driving season. For many of us, myself included, it means new shoes for our Miatas. Over the past 15 years of Miata ownership I have lost count of how many sets of tires I ve purchased for the 5 Miatas Laura and I have owned, including Laura s 1996 and my 2001 that currently reside in our garage. And as luck would have it, this spring, 3 of the 4 automobiles we own are in need of new rubber, including both of our Miatas. Over the years, I ve had great success in securing some pretty reasonable prices by pitting Discount Tire and Tire Barn against each other to see who will go the lowest with their out-the-door pricing, this year being no different. It seems each will endlessly outbid each other until it becomes a matter of how long I want to keep it going. This year Tire Barn will again earn my business for new tires, with a great all-inclusive price that includes the uber-important Roadforce Continued on page 2 Leavenworth Inn weekend! April 10-12, See club website for detail updates. Please register on webpage. Make your reservations at the Inn NOW! Rooms at the Inn will only be held until Mar. 20th.

2 Page 2 Open Road March 2015 Indy Miata Club Officers 2015 President Tom Lewis president@indymiata.org Vice-President Ken Koehler vicepresident@indymiata.org Treasurer Ken Rabbers treasurer@indymiata.org Membership Director Darlene Evans membership@indymiata.org Secretary Joan Rabbers secretary@indymiata.org Website Editor Sara J McBride webmaster@indymiata.org Newsletter Editor Steve Crouse editor@indymiata.org Thinking of planning a club outing? Please reserve a date with Event Coordinator, Ken Koehler ASAP. Contact him at events@indymiataorg. Controlled Over-steer, cont. Membership Update: 63 members. Welcome to new members: Jeff Hartling/Pam Finfrock Michael Mullen balancing of the tires and wheels. With Miatas being so sensitive to an accurate balance of wheels and tires, the Roadforce balancing is critical for a smooth ride and avoiding the dreading 65 MPH shimmy. While speaking with Jared, the manager of the Noblesville Tire Barn, located at 141 st and State Road 37, I d mentioned Indy Miata and how several members had mentioned to me that they, too, would be looking for tires this spring. Upon hearing this, Jared offered up several 15% off discount cards to Indy Miata Club members, indicating he d throw in the Roadforce balancing. So, if you are shopping for new tires soon and are willing to drive to the Noblesville Tire Barn location, contact me, and I ll be more than happy to mail you a discount card. I do highly recommend this location, as it s a new, purpose built facility, only a little over 2 years old, with all new state of the art equipment, including an alignment rack. me at President@IndyMiata.org, first come, first served! And what better way to break those new tires in than on the wonderfully curving and undulating roads along and near the Ohio River in Southern Indiana and Northern Kentucky? Of course I m referring to the highly anticipated Weekend in Leavenworth, April 10-12, 2015, hosted again by Steve and Kathy Crouse, and this year assisted by our own Rallymasters-extraordinaire, Roger and Nancy Burrill. If you have not yet signed up for this event, be sure you do! It is one of a couple of annual club events not to be missed. And not to worry if all the rooms at the Leavenworth Inn are full. You can either put your name on the waiting list in the unlikely event that there will be a cancellation, or join the over-flow crowd at one of the hotels in the close-by town of Corydon, Indiana. The bonus for those staying in Corydon is the fabulous mile drive over to Leavenworth on Old Forest Road. Fun, fun, fun!! So, think positive, warm weather thoughts and begin to make your checklist for getting your Miata ready for the upcoming driving season. Yes, the snow will melt and the temperatures will rise, and soon enough, we all will be able to put the tops down and feel the sunshine on our faces and warm air all around us! I can t wait! The Open Road is published monthly for the members of the Indy Miata Club. The Indy Miata Club assumes no liability for any information contained herein, or injury or damage resulting from the use of this information. The ideas, opinions, maintenance or modification tips expressed are to be used at the reader s discretion. Individual contributors and/or the editors express no approval, authentication, or endorsement. Thank you.

3 Page 3 Open Road March 2015 Indy Miata Club Events in 2015 April 10-12, A Return to Leavenworth (IN) weekend April 18, Post Tax Blues Rally 2015 May 20, Indy 500 Festival Community Day (Late Afternoon this Year) May 23, Night before the 500 Mingle June 26-28, Marietta Madness weekend July 18, Dream Cars at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (with Cinti club) July 25, Night before the Brickyard 400 Mingle August 1, Scouting Out Columbus IN August 8, Night before the Indianapolis MotoGP Mingle September 5, PKD Rally for a Cause! September 11-13, St Louis Fireworks weekend October 2-4, French Lick Concours and rally November 7, Hidden Drives Rally December, IMC Christmas Dinner-Party Volunteers are needed to organize the highlighted events. Here are EASY opportunities for you to contribute to the club s success. Don t be shy. You ll enjoy it. Our Favorite Cars! Birds Bees FUNNY STUFF? Hazards of owning a convertible!

4 Page 4 Open Road March 2015 These are the ND colors for the Japanese market. The 1.5 liter ND engine. Another shot of the ND interior. Would a 3-door shooting brake MX-5 Miata interest you?

5 Page 5 Open Road March 2015 Regional Miata Events in 2015 Here are some of the regional Miata events scheduled for the coming year. If you haven t attended a BIG Miata rally, you are missing a grand gathering of Miata-philes. Need help finding information? Contact one of our club officers, or search Miata.Net. March 26-29, Miatas at Myrtle Beach IX, Triad Miata Club April 24-26, V-8 Miatas at Road Atlanta May 1-3, Miatas in May, Foothills Miata Club June 4-7, Zoomin' the Mountains of East Tennessee, Tri-Cities Miata Club June 5-7, 25th Anniversary Celebration, Windy City Miata Club (see next page) July 12, Gilmore Car Museum Mad Dogs & Englishmen British Car Faire, Lake Effect MC July 24-26, Miatas at the Gap (MATG XIX) August 7-9, Canada's Capital Miata Meet, Underground Miata Network October 3-4, Miatas at Mazda Raceway 2015 October 8-11, Surf 'N' Safari 2015, San Diego Miata Club March 26-29,2015 Registration form at Who: YOU! You own a Miata, you love Miatas, you enjoy driving with the top down, even if it's only cruising around. What: Miatas at Myrtle Beach IX - This will be the 9th time we have gathered to Kick off Convertible Season When: March 26th - 29th, 2015 (That's a Wed-Sunday. Although, Sunday is just our pack up to go home day) Where: Sea Mist Oceanfront Hotel and Resort, 1200 South Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach, SC Why: To continue to provide support to The Children's Home Society of North Carolina, and to have fun, meet with friends new and old from all over the Eastern region of the United States, and get to kick off convertible season! Here is our Hotel group reservation #: Call the Hotel on their Group Sales line: Zoomin' the Mountains of East Tennessee IX June 4-7, 2015 HOTEL Reservations are being taken for Zoomin' The Mountains Of East Tennessee, at the Holiday Inn Johnson City, Tn 101 W. Springbrook Dr., Johnson City More information at We attended this last year. It was a blast!

6 Page 6 Open Road March 2015 Need more information? Link from our website, non-imc page. Fun, Friends, Folly A party that has been 25 years in the making! A week-end long celebration of the Miata and the People who love them! June 5-7, 2015, Pheasant Run Resort, St. Charles IL Windy City Miata Club is pleased to present a 25th anniversary event to celebrate our favorite sports car and our club dedicated to it. Windy City Miata Club has over 300 members and over 200 Miatas, making it one of the largest Miata clubs in the country, and we are passionate about the Miata. Come join us from near and far for a weekend to celebrate all that is great within the Miata community with old friends and new. The weekend will start on Friday June 5, 2015, at Pheasant Run Country Club in St Charles, IL. Pheasant Run is a resort with indoor/outdoor pool, bars and restaurants, an indoor Bourbon Street, golf, tennis courts, and more! Come early before registration for a round of golf (optional). Before leaving for dinner we will have a meet and greet/ welcome reception. We will take a short drive to dinner. Dinner will be buffet style (cash bar) with activities such as volleyball, horseshoes, bags, wiffleball, and bocce ball. Saturday morning breakfast will be on your own, Pheasant Run has various options to choose from, and other local restaurants. We will enjoy a group drive having fun in our favorite cars, followed by lunch out on the road as a group. We will make our way back to the resort to relax and shine our cars for a car show. Our dinner Saturday night will be at the resort. Raffle prizes valued at over $2,000 will be given away; along with our 50/ cash raffle, to be drawn at Saturday night dinner. 50% will go to the Northern IL food bank and the other 50% will be split between 2 winners! Car show awards will also be given away. A live band will be performing for your entertainment. Sunday, grab a cup of coffee and head out to our Miata parking lot. We will have the Miata version of Cars and Coffee. We will then make our way to Autobahn Country Club for a day at the track. Autobahn Country Club is a private race track that contains a clubhouse, two racetracks, and a karting track all in one location. We will be enjoying time on the track having a spirited track tour in our Miatas. After all are they not the greatest little sports car ever! No helmets are required for this event, and you can have a passenger riding along with you. There will be many cars at the track that day. Lunch will be catered at the track, so grab a bite to eat and have fun watching all the excitement on the track. WCMC hopes that you will join us in this weekend long celebration of 25 wonderful years of the Mazda Miata and the Windy City Miata Club.

7 Page 7 Open Road March 2015 Our Not So Technical Page This month we have another article from the Gateway Miata club s newsletter, the Miata File. This article has some interesting information on fuel injectors. Take some time to read these. I ll try to find some more for our future newsletters. What about the Fuel Injectors? by Louis Pfleckl, Gateway Miata Club Sooner or later your car seems to be less responsive, mileage goes down, and you think maybe it's time to get a new one. You decide to check it over first, and do some basic maintenance. You change the air filter, fuel filter, oil and oil filter, check for dragging brakes and other components, and still little to no change. You take it into the dealer for an Induction System Cleaning (intake decarbonizing) and still not right. What's left? Maybe you should check the fuel injectors. Here's the mostly non-technical explanation of injectors and their function. There are four fuel injectors in a Miata. They're about half the length of a ball point pen, though fatter, and they shoot fuel into four engine cylinders above the pistons. They regulate the amount and spray of the gas through tiny electrically controlled pins called pintles, also called needle valves. These pins are about the size of, and look similar to, the first 1/2 inch of a ball point pen refill. They get dirty and wear out, resulting in poor performance and decreased gas mileage. Sometimes they can be cleaned by special injector cleaner forced through the fuel rail (not intake manifold). Some claim that putting cleaner in the gas tank every 7500 miles helps (Techron Concentrate Plus Fuel System Cleaner is popular with many mechanics.). If these methods fail, the injectors should be replaced or rebuilt. Price of new injectors range from about $40 to $100 each, depending on the brand. Or you can have all four of yours rebuilt, including added costs of shipping and insurance, for less than $90. So what's it cost to remove and replace the injectors? Depends on how much you (or the club) want to spend on food and drink at a Gateway Miata Club Tech Session! I recently sent injectors from another vehicle (clocking 155,000 miles) to Mr. Injector in Idaho and was pleasantly surprised. Quick turnaround, before and after electrical, leak, flow, pattern and performance reports, and inexpensive too! It's worth checking out their video and further information at (Disclaimer: This is not an endorsement for just this vendor. I chose Mr. Injector, but there are others who also perform this service.) Now I don t have to push the accelerator down 1/4 or more before the car seems to get going (called Dead Pedal). It also has a much quicker accelerator response, like when the car was new. Gas mileage also increased to as new - for a while. With increased response and overall performance, I soon put my foot into it. That fixed that!

8 Page 8 Open Road March 2015 ivillage.com: What Does Your Car Color Say About You? Black: Powerful, Classic, Elegant It s the ultimate power color. So it s a person who is not easily manipulated, says color consultant and trend forecaster Leatrice Eiseman. They love elegance and appreciate that which is classic. And they re usually this way in everything else that they choose. This is a person who probably wears a lot of black in their wardrobe because that color really speaks to empowerment. White: Pure, Pristine, Direct White car owners are hard to please. There s a degree of fastidiousness, says Eiseman. These are people who generally like things to be very pure and pristine and clear and direct. There s nothing you can hide under the color white. The woman who chooses a white ride is more likely to keep her car super clean. And she lives the rest of her life this way, too. Silver: Futuristic, Prestigious, Elegant Those behind the wheel of a silver whip have several things going for them. Silver has a rather cool, futuristic connotation, yet with a dash of preciousness, says Eiseman. Because anything that s a true metallic - like silver or gold - there is this perception that it s worth more. So this is not the kind of person who would be satisfied with gray. They would have to have that metallic finish because they want it to look more prestigious. This is the kind of personality that appreciates elegance with a bit of flash. Red: Sensual, Dynamic, Outgoing There are two different kinds of reds: vibrant and deep-blue. Both express the same traits. But those who go vibrant are bolder. There s definitely an element of sensuality that goes with red, Eiseman says. There s that dynamic quality and high energy. They like to be seen as someone who really stands out and they like to call attention to themselves. They don t shy away from it. It s definitely an outgoing individual. Those who ride around in a deeper bluish-red (wine or maroon) have the same inclinations, but are more subtle. They want to be perceived the same way as the red but they re far less obvious about it, Eiseman explains. It s not in your face. It s underlying. You have to look a little deeper to find the true meaning of who they are. Gray: Neutral, Sober, Practical What you see is what you get with the straight-forward owners of gray cars. It s a color that is obviously very neutral, says Eiseman. So it s really rather sober. The person who chooses it is usually very practical, very pragmatic. They re people who make lists and talk things out. Light-Mid Blue: Calm, Faithful, True; Dark Blue: Confident, Credible, Authoritative It s probably safe to trust the driver of a blue car, no matter what the shade, though there is a distinct different between light and dark hues. Light-to-mid blue is always considered cool to the touch, cool to the eye, says Eiseman. Those who drive this shade like the coldness of it in the metal. And they re the kind of people who have a calm demeanor to the point of really being unshakable. They re very faithful. This is the kind of person that if it s your friend, they re going to be your friend forever. And NYPD Blue wasn t just a show title. The dark blues are much more confident, Eiseman says. The drivers like being credible, an authority figure. Yellow: Joyful, Sense Of Humor Expect the owner of a yellow car to be young at heart. They have a sunny disposition, shares Eiseman. A person who chooses yellow really knows that they re going to be noticed and they usually have a great sense of humor. Dark Green: Well-Balanced, Trustworthy, Traditional; Light Green: Organic, No-Fuss, Understated Someone seated in a green ride usually leads a well-balanced life. Green is the most-balanced color in nature, says Eiseman The deeper the green, the more trustworthy, and also the more traditional. Unless it s a year where teal is big - and that lasts for a few years and then goes away. But I m talking about Jaguar green. That was a classic color and that feeling of the traditional still hangs on with that particular green. Anyone opting for a lighter, yellowish green has a connection to nature. So you ve got a person who likes to be thought of as no fuss, very simple and understated, says Eiseman. There s nothing artificial about it.

9 Page 9 Open Road March 2015 Benefits for Indy Miata Club Members -First year dues to the Indy Miata Club after purchase of any Mazda -S-Plan Pricing to Current Members -15% off All Parts & Accessories -15% off Labor Rates -Maintenance for Life with the purchase of Any Mazda -Saturday Service Hours 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM -Free Cookies!! Contact Lauren Auld for more information. Now celebrating 40 years! Exclusive Discounts for Indy Miata Club Members Tom Roush Mazda, Indiana s first Mazda dealer established in 1972 has not only the most experienced sales and service staff in town, but also is the highest volume dealer in Indiana. We hope to serve you in our next 40 years as Indy s premier Mazda dealer. In support of the Miata Club member s we would like to offer the following benefits: 15% off regular door labor rate 15% off any accessory purchase S-Plan pricing to eligible customer s Extended Saturday service hours 7:30 3:30 US th Street Westfield, IN

10 Page 10 Open Road March 2015 Post Tax Blues Rally April 18, 2015 Sign up on the event webpage. Be there or Be.... Audited! 2 A.M., Sunday, March 8. Tom Lewis INSURANCE GROUP Hughes Insurance Group is an Independent Agency representing over 35 insurance companies. Our ultra-competitive rates assure that you receive the most value at the best price for all of your home, auto or business insurance needs. For a limited time, I m giving away a $20 gas card with an insurance review and quote for your home, auto or business with no obligation! If I m competitive, consider allowing Hughes Insurance Group to write your business. If I can t provide you with a better value, you ll have the peace of mind knowing you re properly insured at a fair price. Call or Indy Miata Club member Tom Lewis today! tom@hughesinsurancegroup.com Have a few dollars invested in upgrades? Ask about Agreed Value Coverage for your Miata!