Spaz Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 The one Auto-X I don't make it to and this guy shows up!!! Mr Nathan U... owner of the 2009 Westfield SEi from I think Lansing, MI. Please post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaz Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 (edited) http://www.rideroom.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3043&page=1 Mr Nathan U... I have found your build log... Edited July 7, 2009 by Spaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usher Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 That's my car. It's one of the first Westfield kits sold in America that uses a Miata donor. The drivetrain is from my 1993 Miata: 1.6 liter engine, 5 speed transmission, 4.3:1 viscous limited slip differential. It's all stock with 180,000 miles on it, except for the lightweight flywheel and new clutch. The car uses a lot of other parts from the Miata including wiring harness, gauges, suspension uprights and brakes. I even kept the ABS system from the donor car. I just had the car weighed yesterday, and it's 1,396 pounds with a full tank of gas and spare tire on the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 That looks really nice. I think the Westfield/Miata comobination is a great one - I almost went down that road myself. So many upgrade options are available with that engine. I have never heard of a 7 with ABS. How difficult was it to install in the car? How well does it work given the much lighter weight of the Westfield (over the orginal Mazda)? I would have thought you would need to dial back the sensors to compensate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usher Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 The ABS was really easy to install, since the kit uses the suspension uprights and brakes from the Miata. It would have been more work to try to remove the wheel speed sensors than it was to just install the rest of the system. The ABS worked really well at the wet autocross I took the car to, only engaging when it should. My Miata donor was a '93 model, which was before they started to make the system too "smart." I'm pretty sure the system only looks at the differential speed between wheels, and not at deceleration rate, or vehicle weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaz Posted July 8, 2009 Author Share Posted July 8, 2009 You made your own battery, thats hardcore! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usher Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I did make a battery, but I haven't installed it yet, aside from putting it in once to test. The maximum float charge on the battery is 13.8V, but the stock Miata alternator puts out 14.0-14.5V. It might be okay to put it in as is, but to be safe I need to drop the voltage coming out of the alternator by almost a volt. I bought another used Miata alternator in the hopes of modifying the voltage regulator, but it uses an IC regulator, so I might not be able to do it. I'm planning to play around with it this weekend and see if I can get something to work without too much trouble. For anyone who is interested, the battery I made contains 12 A123 Systems lithium iron phosphate cells. It has 360A peak current output, and is 6.9Ah. The total weight including my waterproof enclosure is just under 3.5 pounds. http://www.msu.edu/%7Eushernat/IMG_0056.JPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I’ve heard of people doing all kinds of creative things with se7ens (paging Slomove ), but two things I’ve never heard before are ABS and a roll-your-own battery. I’m impressed! -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usher Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I was sent a few more pictures from that autocross. The Hoosiers had a lot of grip on that lot as long as I stayed where the other cars had driven. If I got even a little bit off to the side into the loose dirt and gravel, I pretty much lost all traction, though. http://www.msu.edu/%7Eushernat/start.jpg http://www.msu.edu/%7Eushernat/slalom.jpg http://www.msu.edu/%7Eushernat/spin.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaz Posted July 10, 2009 Author Share Posted July 10, 2009 The Auto-X before this one that the Furrin Group put on was at ABC Auto Auction. I was in heat one and felt like a street sweeper, rocks going everywhere, it was not fun and killed my rear fenders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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