I Built An Off-Road Monster Out Of A Mazda Miata. Here’s What Went Wrong

My first big “You done fucked it up” moment with Buddy the Off Road Miata was a broken axle. I was wheeling with some very well-built Toyota Tacomas in northern Nevada and had been keeping up pretty good for a day or so. This is when the car was still naturally aspirated and only had a three-inch lift and KYB shocks. I don’t even think I had added the 5.38 rear gearing yet.

I tried to scramble up a steep hill and bounced over a rock, but didn’t let off on the throttle at all. The rear tire came down and BOOM, the axle sheared itself off inside the differential, leaving me stuck in the middle of the hill. My pals rescued me and I spent the next 150 miles on a strap until we could get to civilization and a trailer. Good times.

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There are others who have lifted their Miatas, but nobody I know of has built one for actual desert racing. So far, Buddy and I have won the Gambler class at the Mint 400 twice, raced with the big trucks in the Desert Challenge at King of the Hammers, taken on the short-course Rage at the River, and participated in multiple HooptieX events.

But it hasn’t been easy sailing. Here’s a partial list of things that have gone wrong and some tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way.

Get Swoll

You don’t necessarily need to do major suspension upgrades to lift your Miata. A simple lift kit from Paco Motorsports gives you the ability to explore some light trails and even take a jump or two. However, you do need to add plenty of reinforcement if you want to go racing.

First of all, get those shock mounts off the body. At my final event last year, I blew through the upper mounts, even with a reinforced top hat, after 50 miles of racing in Laughlin, Nevada. The shock didn’t come through the whole mount because we caught it early enough, but it was bad enough that I didn’t finish. Now everything is off the body on chromoly support bars that can take the kind of abuse the desert can dish out.

The undercarriage is just as important. Even with a suspension lift and 12 inches of ground clearance, Buddy will still drag his belly when out there in the ruts. Skid plates over the engine, oil pan, and differential are a must, and I also found that plating the center section is a good idea. This protects the driveshaft and helps the car glide over rocks and sand.

However, the center plating also covers the catalytic converter and all the heat just comes right up into the cabin. Heat shielding can help, of course, and I did cut some slats into the skid plate for air circulation, but I’ll likely just straight-pipe it at some point. For now, it’s nice to have a little bit of extra warmth, but it’s a sweaty bitch in the summertime.

Oh, and keep in mind that once you install a front skid plate, that will interfere with airflow to your radiator. I recommend upgrading to a larger, aluminum cooling unit. Actually, you should do this on all Miatas as stock Miata radiators are garbage. Add a coolant reroute kit for total peace of mind.

Weights and Measures

Now, let’s talk tires, wheels, and unsprung weight. Once you lift your Miata, you’ll want larger shoes to take on the rough stuff. Buddy currently runs 29-inch BF Goodrich KO2s with a Bassett steel wheel. I love my tires. I hate my wheels. They are heavy and difficult to balance– but hey, at least they were cheap– but haven’t found any off-road wheel with a 4×100 bolt pattern.

Yes, I could get an adaptor but that adds a failure point. Yes, I could get a set of Method wheels custom-drilled but the center bore is too big. Yes, there are plenty of 15-inch Miata wheels out there, but I need something strong enough to keep its shape when I hit the inevitable rock. Feel free to go down the wheel rabbit hole to prove me wrong, but aside from rally wheels that cost $800 each, the pickings are slim.

Instead, I’m stuck with a wheel and tire package that weighs 55 pounds, so tie rods and ends are consumable parts. The lower arms are steel and have held up surprisingly well, but I swapped out the front UCAs for a set of custom chromoly ones with uniballs for more durability. And I should probably look at the rack and pinion too as all that weight can’t be doing it any favors and it’s likely original to the car.

Light ‘Em Up

If you decide to lift your Miata you’ll likely want a set of auxiliary lights as well. At the very least you should install a rear-facing amber light so people can see you through all the dust you’re kicking up. A blue light might also be a good idea as it’s an indicator that you’re a slower car. Just remember that it’s illegal to run it on pavement. Light pods up front are a must as stock lamps are no match for the desert night.

With all this auxiliary lighting, do yourself a favor and get a switch panel. Although you can repurpose some switches– my second radiator fan is connected to the air-conditioning switch– there aren’t too many places to cram in a switch and have it sit flush on that curvy dash. I currently have a switch in what used to house the airbag on/off key and there are random toggles all over the place, including one in the door. It’s also a good idea to install some kind of auxiliary fuse box. I call mine the soap dish and it’s located near the OE fuse box. Otherwise you’re wiring everything to the battery– a recipe for disaster.

The Current Big Problem(s)

I’ve been having a problem with Buddy’s brakes which I think, and hear me out, is linked to the front hubs. I’m currently running stock front hubs and the thin flange flexes just enough with the heavy wheels and tires sometimes that I get brake pad knockback. Sometimes my foot goes to the floor when I brake, but one pump brings them back up and working and yeah, it’s just as scary as it sounds. I’ve talked to the folks at Flyin’ Miata, 949Racing, and even Mazda HQ and they all agree the hubs are the likely culprit. I can get very fancy front hubs for a mere $600 each but I’m on the waiting list to get a set that is halfway between stock and the spendy hubs in both price and engineering. Hopefully, that will fix the problem. For now, I just give the brakes a light tap before I really need them. Safety 24th, y’all!

Finally, and maybe I’ve buried the lede here, Buddy is currently only running on two cylinders. He was burning oil and my fear is that I caught it too late but we’ll know for sure when it gets cracked open. Thankfully, my pals at Advanced Engine Dynamics have a rebuilt 1.8-liter with zero miles on it ready to go for a good price. I’m trying to view it as a positive as I’ll be able to clean up the engine bay a bit and finally figure out how to get a better air filter in there. Plus the Jackson Racing supercharger is still good and we can probably tune it for just a bit more horsepower. I choose joy, people!

As always, big thanks to my pals Mark Naugle, Michael Seidman, Dave Coleman, Lucas Hand, and Steve Jones for their help. Thank you, Cesar Galleta, for your custom fabrication work. Buddy also has support from BFGoodrich, Advanced Engine Dynamics, Fox, Hyperco, Pro Eagle, Rigid Industries, Rugged Radios and Perry Parts. In 2025 Buddy and I should be racing in three or four events throughout California and Nevada. If you see me, please stop and say hi –  or better yet, get your lifted Miata built and come racing! We need some competition.