Next Miata Targeted at 1760lbs?
06-08-2011, 10:42 PM
#1
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Next Miata Targeted at 1760lbs?
The future is looking bright for the next-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata. According to Inside Line, the head honchos at the Japanese automaker have instructed the company's engineers to strip a whopping 720 pounds from the vehicles already comparably light 2,480-pound curb weight. If successful, that would put the new comer into the feathery 1,760-pound range, which is 400 pounds less than the first-generation roadster. How do they plan to do it? Engineers are turning to high-strength steel for the vehicle's chassis and contemplating a smaller-displacement engine.
A turbocharged, direct-injection 1.4-liter four pot could work its way under the hood, though IL reports that the vehicle may also be considerably narrower than the current car. Other clever weight-saving moves include the deletion of the dashboard glove box and the replacement of the traditional paper owner's manual with an electronic copy on a USB stick.
Here's hoping you've got your laptop on you the next time you need to check your service intervals.
The report claims that the engineers at Mazda aren't entirely sure they can hit the weight target, but the vehicle will be much closer to the waif-like 2,178-lb 1989 Miata than the heftier 2011 model.
A turbocharged, direct-injection 1.4-liter four pot could work its way under the hood, though IL reports that the vehicle may also be considerably narrower than the current car. Other clever weight-saving moves include the deletion of the dashboard glove box and the replacement of the traditional paper owner's manual with an electronic copy on a USB stick.
Here's hoping you've got your laptop on you the next time you need to check your service intervals.
The report claims that the engineers at Mazda aren't entirely sure they can hit the weight target, but the vehicle will be much closer to the waif-like 2,178-lb 1989 Miata than the heftier 2011 model.
06-08-2011, 11:11 PM
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I wonder if this story came from the same source that said the Corvette would get a 3L 10k rpm turbo V8?
I could see the next Miata getting lighter. 1760, BS. That would remove too much of the creature comforts that the less hard core buyers (probably over half the Miata sales) want.
I could see the next Miata getting lighter. 1760, BS. That would remove too much of the creature comforts that the less hard core buyers (probably over half the Miata sales) want.
06-09-2011, 03:12 AM
#5
Yeah its hard to believe since the Elise ~2,000 lbs and is made of aluminum and fiber glass.
It will also need to meet the latest crash standards, which is one reason cars tend to get heavier.
It will also need to meet the latest crash standards, which is one reason cars tend to get heavier.
06-09-2011, 04:31 AM
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First I have to say, if they shave any weight off of it, it is a step in the right direction
Second I have to say that 1,760 pounds sounds like a weight that will never be achieved, but works to grab headlines
Third I'll say 1,760 might possibly be achieved, but if so it would be at the cost of safety and amenities
Fourth I'll say if 1,760 is achieved and safety and amenities are not lost, then it will have to built out of exotic materials and the price will make skyrocket
Second I have to say that 1,760 pounds sounds like a weight that will never be achieved, but works to grab headlines
Third I'll say 1,760 might possibly be achieved, but if so it would be at the cost of safety and amenities
Fourth I'll say if 1,760 is achieved and safety and amenities are not lost, then it will have to built out of exotic materials and the price will make skyrocket
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06-09-2011, 05:30 AM
#8
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This article is stupid. More media BS. It'll never happen. There's no way they could build a sub-2K lb Miata that would pass crash testing and meet other safety standards (airbags, etc).
06-09-2011, 06:12 AM
#9
Do they just sit there and make things up all day? 
Cutting 760 lbs from an already-light roadster is impossible without doubling or tripling the cost. It would mean doing the basic Elise formula and then some. Bonded aluminum + carbon fiber chassis, no amenities, no interior room, no sound deadening and smaller motor, to name a few. I'm not sure a turbo 1.4 would weigh any less than the current 2.0L, even, after you consider the cooling upgrades and extra plumbing vs a slightly larger block.
Cutting 760 lbs from an already-light roadster is impossible without doubling or tripling the cost. It would mean doing the basic Elise formula and then some. Bonded aluminum + carbon fiber chassis, no amenities, no interior room, no sound deadening and smaller motor, to name a few. I'm not sure a turbo 1.4 would weigh any less than the current 2.0L, even, after you consider the cooling upgrades and extra plumbing vs a slightly larger block.
06-09-2011, 06:22 AM
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