Byakuya's 2020 Miata RF GT

4072 Views 55 Replies 12 Participants Last post by Byakuya, 3 mo ago

Byakuya

Discussion Starter · May 10, 2022 (Edited)

10

Hey everyone,

Work has been keeping me beyond busy, so I haven't had much time to spend on here lately. It's also just getting to the end of winter here, so I haven't had too many chances to get out and enjoy the road. That being said, most of my driving over the last month has been via our new Mazda adventure.

My wife and I finally got the finances in order to get ourselves our dream car: a 2020 Mazda Miata RF Grand Touring in Soul Red Crystal! We drove 800 miles (12 hours total) through mountain passes and multiple snow squalls to get this thing before it was scooped up. The car only has 7400 miles on it and is hands down the most fun car I've ever driven.

The 6 isn't going anywhere, and neither am I (6club is my home), but this thing is definitely going to be getting the majority of the attention in the near future. Plus, the 6 is exactly how I want it at this point, so I don't see any more mods coming for it in the near future. It's SO good to be driving a stick again.

Exterior Mods:

XPEL Front Bumper/Hood protectant.
Black ABS spoiler.
Carbon Fiber Plate Frame
LED license plate lights.
Smoked side markers.

Interior Mods:

Hardwired Rexing V1P front/back dash cam.
Custom red carbon fiber shift knob.
- With modified OEM silver plastic bottom.
RBG LEDs in footwells and behind seats.

Eventual Mods:

Front Splitter
Side Skirts
Rear difuser or canards
Painted calipers.
(Maybe) Red Lugs

Wheel Tire Sky Cloud Car

Car Wheel Sky Land vehicle Tire

Tire Wheel Cloud Sky Vehicle

Sky Cloud Land vehicle Plant Vehicle

Hood Automotive lighting Automotive design Car Gear shift

Vehicle Motor vehicle Automotive battery Car Hood

Automotive parking light Vehicle Automotive lighting Grille Car

Tire Wheel Car Vehicle Automotive lighting

Sky Cloud Wheel Tire Land vehicle

See less See more

Reactions: 5

1 - 20 of 56 Posts

bdc101

· #2 · May 10, 2022

Right car
Right color
Right transmission

Good work👍👍

Reactions: 1

jman

· #3 · May 10, 2022

..."our" dream car.... yeah, right !

Congrats !

Reactions: 1

Byakuya

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 10, 2022

jman said:
..."our" dream car.... yeah, right !

Congrats !

Actually, it is lol. I sold her on this car when we rented it on vacation a few years ago - she's been drooling over it as much as I have. Next: teaching her how to drive a stick

- Not worried at all though, she can operate heavy equipment.

Thanks!!

Reactions: 3

bdc101

· #5 · May 10, 2022

When we bought a Miata about 12-13 years ago (a 93), my better half "obtained" it as her preferred vehicle. She had never taken to any of my other fun cars (MR2s of all vintages and an S2000). That is the only downside I can think of for buying a 4th gen Miata in the future.

Reactions: 1

Byakuya

Discussion Starter · #6 · May 10, 2022

bdc101 said:
When we bought a Miata about 12-13 years ago (a 93), my better half "obtained" it as her preferred vehicle. She had never taken to any of my other fun cars (MR2s of all vintages and an S2000). That is the only downside I can think of for buying a 4th gen Miata in the future.

That's awesome though - at least she can appreciate the Zoom Zoom.

TalonTsi90

· #7 · May 10, 2022

Byakuya said:
Eventual Mods:

OVT...

Byakuya

Discussion Starter · #8 · May 10, 2022

TalonTsi90 said:
OVT...

Maaaaybe - I mean, I've got a car that has the same whp as my 6, is rwd, redlines 1.5k higher, and weighs ~1000lbs less - I'm enjoying it as it is lol.

Reactions: 1

TalonTsi90

· #9 · May 11, 2022

Byakuya said:
I'm enjoying it as it is lol.

Thats what i said before i started doing the logs...

Reactions: 1

Mz6GreyGhost

· #10 · May 11, 2022

I'm still a fan (of course!), but it just looks sooooo much better with the top down.

Considering also that Mazda has succumbed to peer pressure and has given up on the "Zoom-zoom" for the SUV craze, I'd enjoy it as much as possible while you can. My 6 will be my last Mazda unless they get their head out of their ass...

Reactions: 1

Byakuya

Discussion Starter · #11 · May 11, 2022

Mz6GreyGhost said:
I'm still a fan (of course!), but it just looks sooooo much better with the top down.

Those pics are coming! It's still in the 30s here and snow showers regularly, so we haven't had a chance to enjoy the top down yet.

Mz6GreyGhost said:
Considering also that Mazda has succumbed to peer pressure and has given up on the "Zoom-zoom" for the SUV craze, I'd enjoy it as much as possible while you can. My 6 will be my last Mazda unless they get their head out of their ass...

Yeah, they're doing all they can to survive in a market that cares more about being "green" (without fully understanding what that entails), and having way more stuff than they need.

Unfortunately, there's nowhere you can run at this point as the sedan is a dying breed everywhere. I can't see Mazda ever getting rid of the Miata, so I'll stay with them as long as they make it haha.

Cdn17Sport6MT

· #12 · May 13, 2022 (Edited)

Byakuya said:
Hey everyone,

Work has been keeping me beyond busy, so I haven't had much time to spend on here lately. It's also just getting to the end of winter here, so I haven't had too many chances to get out and enjoy the road. That being said, most of my driving over the last month has been via our new Mazda adventure.

My wife and I finally got the finances in order to get ourselves our dream car: a 2020 Mazda Miata RF Grand Touring in Soul Red Crystal! We drove 800 miles (12 hours total) through mountain passes to get this thing before it was scooped up. The car only has 7400 miles on it and is hands down the most fun car I've ever driven.

The 6 isn't going anywhere, and neither am I (6club is my home), but this thing is definitely going to be getting the majority of the attention in the near future. Plus, the 6 is exactly how I want it at this point, so I don't see any more mods coming for it in the near future. It's SO good to be driving a stick again.

View attachment 246053 View attachment 246052
View attachment 246054
View attachment 246055
View attachment 246056
View attachment 246057
View attachment 246058

Eventual Mods:

XPEL Front Bumper/Hood protectant.

Custom matching red shift knob.

Front Splitter

Side Skirts

Rear difuser

Small trunk spoiler (like the 6)

Painted calipers.

(Maybe) Red Lugs

LED the things.

I auto-slalomed a '20 RF 6mt in a Mazda drive event 2 summers ago. It was really nice, and I ran it pretty darned intensively during that event. It didn't disappoint 😊. Also did the same with a 6mt softtop version. Equally nice. The RF will allow its use in the Eastern Seaboard states (or maybe you've moved?) all year round if you should so choose, albeit with four gnarly snows. I'd put the Xpel film on the hood, frt fenders, bumper... sooner rather than later.

Very nice car. Congrats!

Reactions: 1

Byakuya

Discussion Starter · #13 · May 13, 2022

Cdn17Sport6MT said:
I auto-slalomed a '20 RF 6mt in a Mazda drive event 2 summers ago. It was really nice, and I ran it pretty darned intensively during that event. It didn't disappoint 😊. Also did the same with a 6mt softtop version. Equally nice. The RF will allow its use in the Eastern Seaboard states (or maybe you've moved?) all year round if you should so choose, albeit with four gnarly snows. I'd put the Xpel film on the hood, frt fenders, bumper... sooner rather than later.

Very nice car. Congrats!

Nice!! And yeah, haven't actually tested it much yet at this point, still in a break in period, but it's so much fun to drive. I was shocked to see the redline over 7500 RPMs - they really want this thing humming haha.

We're in Montana now so our winters are longer and colder than back in New England (we prefer it this way) - The RF will be seeing the light of day only when it's sunny and not wet out haha. Garage queen all the way. And I booked my Xpel whole hood + fenders + mirrors on Wednesday! It's due to be put on in June since they're so heavily booked.

Cdn17Sport6MT

· #14 · May 13, 2022

Good... I would have said go for four Nokian Hakkapeliitta snows (that are the cat's b*m in prairie snow) - but if she'll be a garage queen, well, better yet.

Seeing as she's well-nigh new I would under-seal the car with a waxy, self-healing under-seal, and a waxy cavity seal. Just recently Bilt-Hamber rust protective products became available 'Stateside. Their waxes and polishes were, for some time, but recently the undeseals became available. Their rep is stellar in the UK. Underseal UB or UC (first is brownish, 2nd is clear) and their Dynax S-50 cavity sealer. Re the supposedly phosphated- and E-Coated suspension members, subframes (typically poorly protected in Mazda's) I'd first scuff-up and brush-paint best I could, apply S-50 with its spray wand to boxed-in areas of wishbones, etc that can't be reached by brush, then use UB or UC to do the whole-rest of the non-boxed-in areas of the undercarriage. Do this, and it'll last and last and last in low-humidity Montana 🙂.

Reactions: 1

bdc101

· #15 · May 13, 2022

Do they salt the roads in montana? Or do they just use mag chloride? If they just use mag, there is no reason to seal the underside. I agree that your Miata will be a beast in the snow with some proper studless tires.

Reactions: 1

Byakuya

Discussion Starter · #16 · May 13, 2022

Cdn17Sport6MT said:
Good... I would have said go for four Nokian Hakkapeliitta snows (that are the cat's b*m in prairie snow) - but if she'll be a garage queen, well, better yet.

Seeing as she's well-nigh new I would under-seal the car with a waxy, self-healing under-seal, and a waxy cavity seal. Just recently Bilt-Hamber rust protective products became available 'Stateside. Their waxes and polishes were, for some time, but recently the undeseals became available. Their rep is stellar in the UK. Underseal UB or UC (first is brownish, 2nd is clear) and their Dynax S-50 cavity sealer. Re the supposedly phosphated- and E-Coated suspension members, subframes (typically poorly protected in Mazda's) I'd first scuff-up and brush-paint best I could, apply S-50 with its spray wand to boxed-in areas of wishbones, etc that can't be reached by brush, then use UB or UC to do the whole-rest of the non-boxed-in areas of the undercarriage. Do this, and it'll last and last and last in low-humidity Montana 🙂.

I'll definitely look into it! Going to do my best to preserve this as long as possible......or until they forcibly remove fuel from the world as they seem so hell-bent on doing.

bdc101 said:
Do they salt the roads in montana? Or do they just use mag chloride? If they just use mag, there is no reason to seal the underside. I agree that your Miata will be a beast in the snow with some proper studless tires.

Depends on where you are. My area is mostly sand because we're in an ancient lakebed and get very little rain, so we do our best to preserve water as much as possible.

And there's no way this thing is trudging through snow unless absolutely necessary; that's why I have the 6 with dedicated snow tires

TalonTsi90

· #17 · May 14, 2022

Byakuya said:
or until they forcibly remove fuel from the world as they seem so hell-bent on doing.

Not sure how they think thats gonna happen, you can make an ICE run on almost anything, but when you run out of lithium, youre not going anywhere.

Byakuya

Discussion Starter · #18 · May 14, 2022

TalonTsi90 said:
Not sure how they think thats gonna happen, you can make an ICE run on almost anything, but when you run out of lithium, youre not going anywhere.

Hey, don't ask me, I'm not part of the gang pushing for the rapid decimation of an industry that has propelled human advacement more than anything else in history (petrolleum). And I'm all too familiar with the finite precious materials (that take an absurd amount of energy/effort to mine and refine) used to create technology that is used up after 20 years and dumped on some 3rd world country because it can't ever be recycled.

....But I digress. I've been shocked to see that this little thing is getting 35+ MPGs regularly. Been trying to whittle down the regular fuel the dealer put in it so I can get some premium in there since it's recommended by Mazda.

Reactions: 1

Byakuya

Discussion Starter · #19 · May 16, 2022

Well

Time to get a dash came for this.
I know the brakes work really well!

Took the roadster out for a nice drive yesterday and had the top down. Was at a redlight in some traffic, went green and I started going with traffic. Wasn't good enough for the guy behind me (apparently), and he started going ballistic (like, I've only ever seen a few people this visibly angry). When we came to a stop at the next red light 200 meters away, I gave him a slow clap for having gotten so angry over me having the nerve to not get him to the next red light 3 seconds faster.

Next green, he floors it around us in the other lane, gets in front and slams on his brakes. Thank God for this car's brakes. We smiled and waved to him as we went our separate ways. I hope that guy had a wonderful rest of his weekend.

In lighter news, got the plates on it finally! Took forever for the stealership to send the title to our DMV. Plates are for a non-profit that aids in Search and Assist efforts in the area (we get a lot of lost adventurers around here).

Automotive tail & brake light Automotive lighting Motor vehicle Automotive parking light Bumper

See less See more

Reactions: 2

Cdn17Sport6MT

· #20 · May 16, 2022

That's pretty scary... Says it's 'way better not to engage. That's easy for me to SAY, not so much to PRACTISE.

Reactions: 1

1 - 20 of 56 Posts