5 tech secrets of the 2016 Mazda Miata chassis

The tech secrets of the 2016 Miata chassis 

The tweaks that will make the roadster even better. 

The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata is going on a diet, thanks to Skyactiv tech. But if you think all the tweaks under the skin are purely for weight savings, you should remember that these are Mazda engineers we're talking about. The Miata is a part of the company's soul; getting the details right are essential. To suss out the details, our Road Test Editor Robin Warner set his engineer's eye on the chassis. This is what he saw. — Ed.

1. No big surprise, but the Miata gets electric power steering (EPAS). The good news here is that Mazda has proven quite clever at squeezing feel out of EPAS, and because the newest MX-5 weighs less, it shouldn't need as much feel-robbing assistance in the first place. It's also a very direct rack-mounted assist motor—that's the most effective way.

2. Different rear suspension design. We'll still get a multilink rear, but this time with two robust lateral links as the forward support and a diagonal link in the back. The benefit is more efficient use of rear subframe structure, hence lighter, shorter, and stronger links.

3. Aluminum uprights in front. Based on the images, it looks like the front uprights are now aluminum. That saves weight out in the corners, which is critical.

4. Sadly, the rear brakes are still solid, not vented. One change I personally would love to see is rear vented brake discs for better heat dissipation. Because the car is so light, this isn't a major problem, but that change would signify even more sporting intentions.

5. A lighter front subframe. Now, this is just a guess, but the front subframe also looks more efficiently designed. It looks like they're using different, lighter-duty mounting points for the frame. That means less weight. See a theme?

In general, it looks like a cleaner design. It reminds me of the transition from the C4 Corvette to the C5: everything was simpler, fewer parts, more straightforward. It's more iterative here, but Mazda achieved something similar. And now it's time for the broken-record part: The Skyactiv lessons learned on other cars, applied here, mean it'll have a stiffer chassis that weighs less. One more thing—looking at the bare chassis reminds me of the Lotus Elan. How cool is that?

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5 tech secrets of the 2016 Mazda Miata chassis