Here' s How Mazda Quietly Saved More Weight On the 2019 MX-5 Miata CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News Here' s How Mazda Quietly Saved More Weight On the 2019 MX-5 Miata

Here' s How Mazda Quietly Saved More Weight On the 2019 MX-5 Miata

Aug. 14, 2018 10:21 AM ET by Jared Rosenholtz / 2 Comments Unfortunately, we had to learn the hard way. If you've read our recent review of the updated 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata, you likely remember a lyrical tale of belting through the twisting roads of the Angeles National Forest with the sound of a redesigned 181-horsepower SkyActiv engine providing a glorious soundtrack for a glorious day. Unfortunately, our day driving the Miata wasn't quite as perfect we made it out to be. Approximately 10 turns into the Angeles Crest, well beyond the point where cell phones lose their reception, we hit a rock on the apex of a blind corner. The air in our tire immediately departed and as we learned the hard way, the Miata doesn't have a spare. This isn't surprising, as nearly one-third of all new cars have ditched the spare tire in exchange for weight reduction and increased fuel economy. Of course, this meant we had to rely on a can of fix-a-flat and a portable air compressor. We'll give you three guesses on how that worked out. We ended up having to hobble the car to a local ranger station where we called Mazda to come to our aid. This is when we learned that the company had secretly removed even more weight from the car. Those geniuses over at Mazda never stop obsessing over the smallest details. We were finally rescued with a brand new BBS wheel to fit our Club car, but changing the tire wasn't as simple as we had anticipated. In a bid to further reduce weight, Mazda has quietly switched from a 21-mm bolt to a 17-mm one. Our rescuers had to quickly run over to the hardware store to get a new socket, then we were on our way. It may be a minor change with a minimal effect on overall weight, but it just proves how devoted Mazda is to keep the Miata as one of the lightest sports cars on sale today.

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Mazda MX-5 Miata Jared Rosenholtz Editor-at-Large After graduating with an MBA, Jared pursued his love of cars by becoming an automotive journalist. An internship with CarBuzz grew into his current position as Editor At Large. Jared now spends most of his time evaluating new vehicles and chasing the latest news stories in the automotive industry. When he’s not attending Cars & Coffee events on the weekend, Jared loves to watch NFL football and cruise around with the top down in his German convertible. Contact Jared @Carsnbites @jar_rosenholtz LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top