Last year I borrowed Phil Sproger’s NA Miata so that I could test various parts in the A2 wind tunnel. Phil’s car has the full catalog of parts from 9 Lives Racing, and so we were able to set up the car in real life exactly as it’s been tested in CFD. But we didn’t stop there, we also tried various combinations of parts, including the following:
- Splitter diffusers, spill boards, and tire spats.
- Canards in various locations and combinations.
- Closed windows versus open, plus modifications to reduce drag and turbulence from the open windows, including wickers, mirrors, and venting the rear window in two different locations.
- Singular hood vents fender vents.
- Brake ducts, NACA ducts.
- OEM hardtop with and without a rear window spoiler, versus a CCP fastback.
- Blackbird Fabworx spoiler at different angles/heights.
- Wings from 9 Lives Racing, Wing Logic, and a couple prototypes.
The report is over 50 pages long and includes all of the wind tunnel data, plus explanations on how each part contributes to drag and lift. I then assemble the parts into logical builds, so you can see the lift-drag ratio and aerodynamic balance of the entire car. And I give you the details on how to do that, so you can build your own custom Miata and know its values. The report concludes with racing simulations using Miatas of different power levels on different race tracks, so you know the most important thing: how different aero parts affect lap time.
The Miata wind tunnel report costs $35. After paying, you’ll get a download link.
I talk about the wind tunnel test and go over some of the results in an episode on The Blind Apex podcast. If you listen to that, you might wonder “where’s Johnny?” Well, we invited Mister 9 Lives Racing, but he was a no-show! Which was surprising because he was a guest of mine at the wind tunnel, and could have provided some color commentary. I also had some follow up questions on how we can use my data as a feedback loop for better CFD, and move the science of Miata aerodynamics forward.
I share some of the data from the wind tunnel in the podcast, but please don’t take that as a sign that you should do the same. It was expensive and a lot of work testing parts and putting the data together in a whitepaper. Thanks for caring and not sharing, and supporting this website and future wind tunnel tests.
Occam's Racer 
Miata wind tunnel report. The image shows what appear to be yarn tell tails on the experiment Miata. Doing less rigorous wind speed and direction detection work trimming boat racing sails, old 8 track tape seemed to be more sensitive and reactive than the usual yarn. Color contrast improves by spray painting the tape appropriately before application. Wind tunnel air speeds likely aren’t destructive to the tape. Something track testing may reveal.
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