Monthly Archives: October 2015

Black Chrome Emblems for the 2016+ ND Miata

Another quick post about some small details that makes my 2016 ND Demo Car (The Project REV9 Clubman) a more unique build. I’ve wanted to change my “MX-5” emblem for a “Roadster” emblem, but also add a nice classy touch to my exterior, so I’ve got myself the REV9 Black Chrome Emblems.

Here are some before shots:

The OEM emblems all have pins that leave holes in the bumper if you remove them. You gotta take your time with a heatgun when removing OEM emblems. You end up with some holes in your bumper and lot of glue to remove. Total installation time was less than 1 hour.

Also, when removing the emblems, we broke most of the OEM pins. They are very fragile. That’s why the Black Chrome Emblems are nice to have since they are brand new and re-use OEM pins (REV9 on the left, OEM with broken pins on the right).

As you can see, the finish of the black chrome is very subtle (left), but has a nice deep and elegant tone:

Once cleaned, I recommend fixing scratches that the emblems might have caused during removal using a touch-up paint.

Then, you just need to remove the self-adhesive behind the REV9 Black Chrome Emblems and install them using the existing holes left on your bumper. They all match up, so it’s super easy to install. Here is the final result:

Pretty glad I did the change, it’s very subtle but real nice touch to the look of the car.

You can follow our build on this blog using this link.

Red Seat Covers for my 2016 ND Miata

When I ordered my 2016 ND MX-5 Shop Car, I knew I wanted to have a more unique look than what Mazda offered. I choose the Autowear Seat Covers because they are in synthetic leather and the color is pretty vivid!

(Although I have red stitching on my seats as an option, I wanted something different).

I was not a huge fan of the tan leather option and wanted a bit of contrast in my interior. That’s why I got myself some Autowear Seat Covers for 2016 ND. It was available in Black Leather & Red Stitching, but I wanted to try something more “punchy”!
(With windows closed, it’s still a bit noticeable).

Installation was super easy, took less than 1 hour to install BOTH seats. I’ve never installed something so easily on my car. You can read the installation instructions here.(The look is pretty nice, contrasts really well with the Ceramic Metallic color).

The look of the seats is really neat. For “not so expensive” seat covers, they look really great and don’t “cheap out” your interior at all.(As you can see, the covers go under the plastics from the seats which integrate them very well to the interior).

Depending on the lighting, they will show as super bright red or regular red.

(The red is very vivid, as you can see).

It really gives a cool look to the vehicle, making it much more unique than before.

When parked indoor, the small amount of light these seats will receive really do brighten the interior!

(I gotta love that “evil look” picture)!

Here are some other shots for viewing pleasure:

As far as seating position, these sure add a small amount of synthetic leather between the original seat and you, but the most drastic part is that the center part of the seat is now a bit tighter and the middle “floats” a bit over the original seat, making it a bit more comfortable at the same time. The material of the seat cover is non-slippery which is nice and it feels very tight on the seats. Also, the seats do not reduce the sound coming from the headrest speakers by much. I still can hear people clearly when talking over Bluetooth.

These Autowear Seat Covers are available for the ND (2016+) Miata, but also available for the NA (1989-1997) Miata as well as the NC (2006-2015) Miata.

You can follow our build on this blog using this link.

The Shorty Antenna (S2000 Style) for ND 2016+ Miata

It’s not the most interesting post about my 2016 ND Demo Car Build (The Project REV9 Clubman), but I thought some would like to see what the TUCKIN99 Short Antenna looks like and how it’s installed on the 4th generation MX-5.

First of all, I’m not even going to make an installation instruction post about this one as it literally takes less than 30 seconds to install. You just unscrew your long “toy car” antenna and then screw in the short antenna by TUCKIN99.

Here is the before look:

And here’s the after look with the TUCKIN99 Ver1 Short Antenna:

And here’s a last full shot of our shop car with the antenna installed. You can follow our build on this blog using this link.

Instructions : Installing Seat Covers in 2016+ ND Miata

Installation time : less than 1 hour

Installation difficulty : very easy

Special tools needed : none

The new MX-5 comes with some pretty light and cool fabric seats, but I’ve always been a fan of leather. I was not a fan of the price Mazda charged for the top of the line model, though. When Autowear came with these awesome Seat Covers, I knew I wanted to run these in my shop car.

First, you have these OEM seats to start with:

Then, you have the Autowear Seat Covers:

(My seats are more wrinkled than usual. They stayed in my trunk for a long whole and I DO NOT RECOMMEND keeping them folded for a while as wrinkle may show).

I myself started with the bottom, but you can start with the top, it does not really matter:

You just need to take the top portion of that cover and bring it in between the reclining part of the seat. There is a Velcro and you just need to stick it as far as possible underneath your seat.

Then, you press the seat cover under the plastic parts of your seat so it integrates very nicely in your car. Autowear suggests to use a spatula to make it fit under the plastic.

Now, you just need to remove the seatbelt guide (2 bolts) from the top part of the seat:

Then, you will just need to slip the cover over the existing seat. It’s not so easy as it’s very tight. Take your time and “massage” the seat to make it fit tight and nice.

Finally, all you need to do is to take the bottom part of the top cover and slip it in the middle of the reclining part of the seat and connect the front and back Velcro as tightly as possible:

Massage, massage and massage the seat. Sit on it, look at it and just enjoy!

These Autowear Seat Covers are available for the ND (2016+) Miata, but also available for the NA (1989-1997) Miata as well as the NC (2006-2015) Miata.

REV9 Autosport ND Demo Car Project Debut

If you haven’t noticed lately, we’ve been adding a lot of ND parts to our web shop. We’re pretty much the #1 source of ND parts worldwide at the moment. Since the launch of the vehicle, we knew it would be our next shop (demo) car. In May, I went to Japan to be one of the first to test the production model (it was 1.5L) for a road test and I was so amazed that once I came back to America, I placed an order at my local Mazda dealership, without even knowing the price of the car. That’s how much I liked it.

I first ordered a 2016 Black ND Base Model (GX) with manual transmission. Then, I felt like I needed some change (from always having Black Shop Cars) and ordered a 2016 Ceramic Metallic Base Model (GX). Long story short, I was supposed to receive it in late July/early August, but it delayed A LOT. During the wait, I changed for a 2016 Ceramic Metallic ND Sport Model (GS) because I wanted to have the navigation, black leather with red stitching accents, leather steering wheel and, most importantly, the LSD. It also came with a Bilstein Suspension and Front Strut Bar, but those will be upgraded anyways. So, here is the car the day I’ve got it.

It was one of the happiest day of my life… my very first brand new car: (Sorry for the dark picture, but my car was delivered at 7:00 PM)

Now here are some pictures at day light. I absolutely don’t regret going with Ceramic Metallic, it’s such a beautiful and unique color. Everyone tells me how great it looks during the day as well as night or when it’s raining… color always is changing depending on lighting.

Front view: (So aggressive, the black housing looks just great on a white colored paint)

Side view: (If you compare the 2 last pictures, you can clearly see a difference in colors because of different lighting)

Rear View: (Mazda really cleaned up the lines, but as of now, I think the rear of the car does not match the “aggressiveness” of the front end)

Interior: (As you can see, the whole interior is very clean, console is minimalistic and everything is super easy to reach. They did an awesome job with the red stitching accents and leather wrapped “crash pad”.)

Engine Bay:

(Pretty neat and not that cluttered, actually.)

Options:
Since I bought a non-base model (GS), I’ll show what was included with it: (17” Gunmetal Wheels & Black Side Mirrors) (Touchscreen Infotainment, Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel & Red Stitching Accents) (Red Stitching on the fabric seats) (Bilstein Suspension & Sport Springs) (Mazda Noise Enhancer (pipe coming from the intake) & OEM Front Strut Bar)

This shows pretty much what is the base of my project. I think it’s worth getting the GS over GX model simply because of all the leather accents, infotainment & LSD. The upgrades might just bring the cost to the same and you’d still be missing leather accents.

The Project REV9 Clubman
As with many folks, I don’t live anywhere nearby a race track. I don’t plan on building this car for the track, but mainly as a better version of what Mazda created. I am aiming for ~200 hp at the engine and lighter overall car than OEM. The project is to build a nice gentleman (classy) Roadster with many details that will make it better than the factory edition.

Car would still be able to do track days and perform, but that’s not the main purpose. It’s my pride and I want the best possible look without compromising quality over quantity.

Definition of Clubman : “One definition of “Clubman” is that of an amateur enthusiast, someone willing to partake in his sport without necessarily being a winner or serious contender, for the love of the sport. The founder of the Olympic Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin said: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part: the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.” (Ref; http://theclubman.com/blog/2014/4/7/what-is-a-clubman)

I want to build a car that my customers, friends and fans will recognize not as the fastest “form over function” winning car, but a car that will try, through selection of beautiful and functional items, to be an overall better car that still can compete against more “serious” racers.

Build Wishlist
Wheels : 17×8 +35 Ultra Lightweight & Forged
Brakes : 4pot Front Big Brake Kit
Suspension : Coilovers with tons of adjustability for street and track
Aerodynamics : Front lip, side skirts, rear diffuser, duck tail spoiler & hardtop
Engine : REV9 ECU tune, ram air intake, header & exhaust
Interior : leather seats, upgraded steering wheel, weighted shift knob, checkered floor mats & metal accents
Chassis : sway bars, front + rear strut bar & some more chassis bracing
(Some items might appear or disappear, but it gives you an idea of what I am aiming for.)

REV9 Blog

Showing the latest and nicest Mazda MX-5 Miata parts!