ND Miata Alignment: Optimising Your MX-5

Unveiling the Alignment Secrets of the ND Miata

The Mazda MX-5, affectionately known as the Miata, has long been celebrated for its sublime handling and driver-focused experience. Mazda's latest iteration, the ND chassis, continues this legacy, designed to be a versatile performer on both the street and the track. However, as with many performance vehicles, unlocking its full potential often requires a deeper dive into its setup, particularly its alignment. This article explores the intricacies of ND Miata alignment, from factory settings to performance-oriented adjustments, ensuring your MX-5 handles as beautifully as it looks.

Factory Alignment: A Starting Point, Not an Endpoint

When your ND Miata rolls off the production line, it's not necessarily aligned to its absolute optimal settings. Mazda, like many manufacturers, aims for a balance that caters to a wide spectrum of driving conditions and owner preferences. The factory alignment specifications are designed to be broad, allowing for variations that occur during vehicle assembly and ensuring the car remains within acceptable parameters. This means that while your Miata might feel competent straight out of the dealership, there's often significant room for improvement.

The ND Miata's alignment is adjusted using eccentric (cam) bolts located at the inboard ends of the lower control arms. These allow for adjustments to caster, camber, and rear toe. At the factory, these eccentric connections are typically set to a neutral position, pointing straight up. While this results in a car that is considered "in spec," it often means that the car isn't performing at its peak. Early experiences with the ND often reveal a tendency for the car to feel a bit "skittish," particularly at higher speeds or during spirited driving. A common symptom is uneven tyre wear, specifically on the outer edges of the front tyres, which is a clear indicator that an alignment is needed.

The Case for a Performance Alignment

Our project car, a 2016 Club-spec ND Miata, highlighted these very issues. After initial track sessions, it became evident that the car, while agile, was suffering from a lack of stability and excessive wear on the outer front tyres. A visit to Automotive Specialists in Austin, Texas, revealed that the rear toe was slightly off, and there was a mix of positive and negative camber readings. This is not uncommon, as the wide factory specifications can allow for such variations.

The solution involved a comprehensive alignment tailored for performance. The team set the car up with traditional Miata performance settings: zero toe all around for predictable handling. To maximise grip and reduce body roll during cornering, they dialled in the maximum available negative camber at the front and, crucially, the maximum positive caster. Caster, when increased, helps to improve steering feel and stability, and also introduces dynamic negative camber into the front wheels as the steering is turned, further enhancing grip. For the rear, they opted for a half-degree more negative camber than the front. This setup aims to keep the tyres flatter on the road during hard cornering, improving grip and reducing wear.

Alignment Specifications Explained:

The results of this performance alignment were significant. The car felt considerably more predictable and planted, especially at the track. Lap times at Harris Hill Raceway dropped by a remarkable seven-tenths of a second. Crucially, tyre wear became much more even, indicating a more efficient use of the rubber.

Addressing Body Roll and Camber Gain

While the initial alignment made a substantial difference, further testing at the high-speed Circuit of the Americas revealed another characteristic of the ND Miata: its tendency to roll onto its rear bump stops in smooth, sweeping corners. This phenomenon limits the front wheel's ability to maintain negative camber under load, hindering ultimate cornering grip.

Keith Tanner of Flyin' Miata's research highlighted that the ND's front suspension gains less camber than the rear as the body rolls. Combined with the rear bump stops engaging prematurely, this creates a situation where the car is neutral in steady-state cornering but ultimately limited by front camber. The solution? Addressing the body roll itself.

The most effective way to combat this is by upgrading the anti-roll bars (ARBs). A larger, stiffer front anti-roll bar can significantly reduce body roll, keeping the suspension within its optimal operating range and preserving precious negative camber. While OE-style bars are available, for maximum effect and adjustability, a "circle track" style splined bar is often preferred. These bars allow for fine-tuning of stiffness through different mounting points.

Our project opted for the Karcepts circle track-style anti-roll bar, specifically designed for the ND chassis. These bars offer multiple adjustment positions, allowing for a wide range of stiffness. We found that even on a middle setting, the Karcepts bar provided a substantial improvement. Lap times at Harris Hill dropped by another full second, and the car became more confidence-inspiring, allowing for deeper trail-braking into corners and better power application on exit. Tyre wear continued to improve, with the rear tyres now wearing evenly and the fronts showing less excessive wear on the outer edges.

Tyre Choice: The Next Frontier

With the suspension and alignment sorted, the next logical step for enhancing performance was to upgrade the tyres. The stock Bridgestone Potenza S-01s, while competent, were replaced with Michelin Pilot Super Sports. Chosen for their all-weather versatility and strong performance in extended sessions, these tyres offered a significant leap forward. While not the absolute quickest for short, dry time trials, their balanced performance across various conditions and their contribution to a quieter, more comfortable ride made them an excellent choice. The result was another full second shaved off lap times, demonstrating the profound impact of tyre selection.

From Track to Autocross: Adapting the ND

The journey didn't stop at track performance. The goal was to create a "Triple Threat" Miata, equally adept at autocross. This required a shift in focus, prioritising grip in short, sharp bursts and responsiveness to driver inputs.

The first step for autocross was fitting dedicated autocross tyres. The Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R, a proven performer in this discipline, was the choice. In a 225/45R17 size, these tyres offer excellent grip and a slightly larger overall diameter, which can provide a minor top-speed advantage in certain autocross classes. Crucially, the RE-71Rs perform well even when fitted to narrower 7-inch wide wheels, a common requirement in autocross classes like SCCA's Street category.

Wheel selection also played a role. Lightweight, strong wheels are essential for reducing unsprung mass. The Enkei RPF1 is a popular choice for its balance of weight, strength, and price. However, fitting wider 225mm tyres to the ND Miata, especially with the optional Brembo brakes, can be challenging. The factory BBS wheels that come with the Brembo package offer a narrower inner mounting pad that clears the calipers. For the RPF1s, a slight modification or the use of a small spacer might be necessary to ensure proper clearance. In our case, a 5mm spacer was used, along with a minor outward adjustment of the calipers in their mounting holes to achieve the required clearance. While this resulted in the calipers slightly scuffing the wheel's paint, it was a legal and functional solution.

Fine-Tuning for Autocross Success

Initial autocross testing revealed that while the car was now more capable, it still exhibited some nervousness during quick transitions and lacked crispness on turn-in. A simple adjustment of adding a quarter-inch of front toe-out immediately improved turn-in response, bringing the car closer to competitive times.

Further refinement involved re-evaluating the alignment. By removing some of the positive caster, more static negative camber could be achieved at the front. This, combined with utilising slight tolerances in the upper control arm mounting points to push the control arms outwards, provided an additional half-degree of negative camber. These adjustments translated to another half-second improvement in autocross runs.

The next significant upgrade was the installation of Koni Sport dampers. These dampers are renowned for their ability to improve ride quality and handling, particularly in autocross applications. Their low-pressure gas design allows for a lower ride height, which, on a double A-arm suspension like the ND Miata's, can further increase static negative camber. The ability to adjust damping, even with a twin-tube design, offers valuable tuning potential.

The Koni dampers provided a noticeable improvement in ride quality on the street, replacing the OE Bilsteins' sometimes jarring "jiggly" feel with a more connected, compliant ride. On the autocross course, their performance was even more pronounced. By experimenting with the front anti-roll bar settings and the Koni dampers, we found the optimal balance. Adjusting the Koni dampers to be firmer in the front tightened up steering response and kept the car off the bump stops during aggressive manoeuvres. A further revalve of the Koni dampers, increasing both rebound and compression damping, provided even greater responsiveness and control.

The Verdict: A Truly Versatile Miata

While we may not have won the ultimate autocross championship, the development process proved that the ND Miata is an incredibly capable platform that can be successfully adapted for a multitude of disciplines. A well-executed alignment, coupled with strategic upgrades to the anti-roll bar, tyres, and dampers, transformed the car. It became a truly versatile machine, equally at home on a challenging racetrack, navigating a tight autocross course, or cruising the open road. The improvements were not just marginal; we saw lap time reductions of over 3.5 seconds on track and the ability to compete at a national level in autocross. This journey underscores the importance of understanding and optimising your vehicle's alignment and suspension setup to unlock its true potential.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q1: Are ND Miatas aligned from the factory?

A1: Yes, ND Miatas are aligned from the factory to meet manufacturer specifications. However, these specifications are often broad, and a performance-oriented alignment can significantly improve handling.

Q2: What are the common alignment issues with an ND Miata?

A2: Common issues include a tendency for skittishness, uneven tyre wear (especially on the outer edges of the front tyres), and a lack of stability during spirited driving. This is often due to the factory alignment not maximising negative camber and caster.

Q3: What are typical performance alignment settings for an ND Miata?

A3: Performance settings usually involve maximising negative camber at the front and rear, maximising positive caster at the front, and setting toe to zero all around for a neutral feel.

Q4: How does an anti-roll bar affect ND Miata alignment and handling?

A4: A stiffer front anti-roll bar reduces body roll, which helps maintain negative camber during cornering. This improves grip and stability, particularly in sweeping turns and during transitions.

Q5: Can I fit wider tyres on my ND Miata?

A5: Yes, fitting wider tyres like 225mm is possible, but it may require careful wheel selection and potentially minor modifications to ensure clearance, especially with the Brembo brake option.

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