Temptation, Trepidation and Precipitation - 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Convertible Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

Temptation, Trepidation and Precipitation - 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Convertible Long-Term Road Test

While road-tripping in the Edmunds long-term 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata, we get caught in both sandstorms and rainstorms.

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longtimelurker

"It was strong enough that I had to downshift to fifth gear in order to maintain my speed." Whoa...and that's a pretty short sixth, too.

Don't think I've ever faced a combination of headwind and modest power that required me to do that.

carguydaryl

you get some gnarly headwinds out here in the west, where power really doesn't make that much of a difference. I've driven against such crazy headwinds in my Silverado that require it to downshift to 5th or 4th, and that's with 315 hp!! granted its got the aerodynamics of a brick, but on the highway wind can be a killer out west.

agentorange

So much fail in this post. Playing with the phone while you try to drive in those conditions? Really? :-(

longtimelurker

carguydaryl said:

you get some gnarly headwinds out here in the west, where power really doesn't make that much of a difference. I've driven against such crazy headwinds in my Silverado that require it to downshift to 5th or 4th, and that's with 315 hp!! granted its got the aerodynamics of a brick, but on the highway wind can be a killer out west.

See what you mean, but if you have anything like a standard-range final drive, like a 3.42, you are turning like 1650 rpm at 70 mph in top gear, and just under 2200 in fifth...both engine speeds are way below your 5.3's torque peak. Your truck probably is not making even 40% of peak at 1650 rpm. Those are some long gears.

The Miata @70 has almost 2900 on the tach...yes, its peak torque is at a higher rpm than in your Silverado, but at 2900, it's making 125 lb/ft against a peak of 138, on a chassis dyno...that's over 90% of peak torque.

Problem is, 125 just ain't a lot.

wheelmccoy

In the rain, I can guess, but in the sandstorm, did you have the top up or down?

g_k1

How many "Eastern Sierras" are there on your map? I think a careful perusal would show that there's only one - the Sierra Nevada. Common mistake, but still a mistake.