TravisR

iTrader: (9)

I'm looking for new product ideas.

So far the things that have that should be out in the next couple of months or are out... High performance coil on plug ignition kits for all three generations BP miata. Dwell reducer kit for the toyota cops users without dwell adjustability, Lightweight cam gears, lower crank assembly and pulleys. ITB kit with plenum for turbo cars, and a multi-stage intake manifold for low end grunt and top end malice. I have access to every kind of manufacturing process imaginable, and I just need to know what I should do next.

johndoe

iTrader: (5)

Well there's a certain amount of IM craze going on right now so if you could get that out quickly it might not be a bad place to start.

neogenesis2004

iTrader: (12)

Especially if there is actual CAD design and simulation behind it, and not some shmegma welded together from an opium fueled indian dream quest.

patsmx5

iTrader: (16)

I'd like to see several items. All oriented for the cheap DIY'er. Parts that get the job done at the right price.

Trigger wheel kit. Something simple and effective. Say a hub that bolts to the factory balancer and allow a common, readily available trigger wheel to bolt up to it. And of course a simple rigid bracket that allows a cheap, commonly available VR sensor to read the wheel. Would fit all 1.8 miatas.
Up to $100 Probably for the hub and bracket. Don't make them out of titanium. Cheap aluminum.

Better, possibly, a trigger wheel that would replace the factory behind-the-harmonic-balancer trigger wheel in favor of a 36-1 or 60-2 setup. One that could read the factory mounted sensor. Super easy to install and reading the factory sensor and utilizing the factory mounting brackets gives this option an awesome get-ur-done vs. cost ratio. Oh, would I buy one. And I have a trigger wheel setup already.
Up to $50. If I drew up the design on paper I could get a one off water jetted at my home town for about 50.

Intake manifold, but it sounds like you're working on that. One that proves not to starve/overfeed any cylinders would make it stand out more than it being 2.2 pounds lighter than the stock piece or shiny.
No idea, but nobody's gonna buy a $800 manifold. So don't get carried away.

Traction bars. Something that helps with wheel hop basically. Most miatas are plagued with it and there aren't any solutions to it. There's a few designs that would possibly solve the issue. One would be system that mounts to the outer end of the A arms and then comes forward an inward and hinges to the sub frame area. Might hurt ground clearance a spec though, but if it proved to kill wheel hope and make launching more predictable, it would be well worth it. My experience shows that the factory suspension allows the tires to move forward over 1.5".
200-300 for these, depending on how well they worked. If there was a small test batch sold cheaper I'd happly be a geany pig.

Or another design would fasten to the outer end of the A arms and then triangulate back to the center of the diff subframe assembly. Wouldn't be as good as the first method above, but wouldn't hurt ground clearance then.

All of that is stuff that's not available right now. If you made the part, it would be the only one people had to choose from. Zero competition.

Cheap 1.8 turbo manifolds. I'm not sure your looking to make stuff like this, but if you released a $400 weld ell 4:1 tubular manifold everybody would stand in line to buy one. Or even a less expensive "kit" with all the parts pre cut so that it's a weld-it-yourself affair. Have the parts cut for the collector so that it just has to be welded up. Might not target everyone though.

Parts to retrofit 11" VW Corrado brake rotors to the front. There's a thread going on about this right now. People even posted the specs on the parts and even the CAD files. Just need someone to step up and have the parts produced and tested.

jobambo

a CHEAP intercooler kit for the 1.8.

TravisR

iTrader: (9)

I'm listening, put the price you'd pay for something like this if I were to make it. My biggest problem is whatever I engineer usaully gets taken to a ridiculous level of refinement, which is expensive, If i know how much you will pay, then I know what I have to work with.

wes65

iTrader: (7)

These are things i would also be interested. Especially the traction bars.

johndoe

iTrader: (5)

ebay for that. Won't get much cheaper.

wes65

iTrader: (7)

A Turbo II trany adapter kit. Everything that a person would need to adapt a TII trany to their miata.

patsmx5

iTrader: (16)

That's the "problem" in a sense. Nothing wrong with making good parts, don't get me wrong. It's getting carried away with them and driving the cost up that ruins it.

For example, you could have a CNC lathe make the hubs from some aluminum round stock. Tolerances on this part are not exacting, so it should be pretty easy to make using any CNC lathe. Have it turned to size, cut off, then drop it in a mill w/ a dividing head and drill 4 holes or CNC them.

Or, you could insist on using some forged steel that cost more and drives the price of machining up to make it stronger, and drill lots of lightening holes in it to reduce weight, and then have them powder coated so they don't rust. Now you've got a $200 hub. Nobody will buy it. We'd all rather buy the $50 aluminum one that worked just as good.

The idea here is to make a good part that gets the job done without getting carried away. A fine example of getting carried away would be those cam timing kits you're working on. They're neat, and pretty, and all that. But the HP/dollar ratio on those items sucks, and it's not fixing a problem. Your target audience on those parts is small, and for the most part, not located on this forum. Where as a trigger wheel setup has appeal on several levels. (better resolution and accuracy, no leaky CAS, no failing CAS, CAS's are expensive to replace new, etc)

JayL

iTrader: (12)

How about an undertray?

jobambo

Plug and play please

elesjuan

iTrader: (11)

How about a bell housing that'll let me use the OEM Miata starter with my Tremec TKO600 5 speed and retain the PPF? You realize that transmission will take ~ 600 foot pounds of torque? Something tells me my little 1.8 won't EVER break that..

GOOD turbo cams for 1.8?

and I second Pat on the VW Rotors

bryantaylor

iTrader: (5)

i want you to want me

Turbo_4

iTrader: (6)

I need you to need me

m2cupcar

iTrader: (5)

I wonder if the demand for this swap hasn't died with the availability of the six speed. There'd still be lots of work involved with the swap even with a ready made plate.

TravisR

iTrader: (9)

I think the brake kit and the traction bars sound like something I could do quickly. Is anyone somewhere near sunnyvilleallyear long who could do some serious drag launches? I have a feeling my conditions for axle snapping grip won't come a round until next summer. Someone who is experienced in drag racing would make an even better tester. The newbs are going to blow their tires off regardless.


Keep the ideas coming...

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

There are not enough production manifold/DP's right now.
Bell and ETD are the only ones I know of in production on tubular manifolds, but ETD does not make a DP for it. I don't know what the time-to-ship for either company is though. Tim has been working on Absurdflow production... maybe.

I know that a lot of the R&D costs in designing these products is to make them compatible with all years of car, they have to be easily shipped, easily installed... When it comes time for me to actually buy one, I'm probably going to end up simply purchasing a manifold, and having a local speed-shop fab me up a DP and exhaust. Currently, the only "production" tubular mani and full 3" turboback is Bell's S4 w/3" option and the Enthuza... and it's $1900.

BenR

iTrader: (2)

I like the traction bar idea, unless it's designed in a way that reduced the roadcourse potential of my car. I'm in for the stated price range.

TurboTim

iTrader: (9)

I'll build a manifold for whomever wants one. I don't usually keep them sitting on a shelf though...it'll take about 2 weeks to do one.

Actually have a schedule 10 stainles manifold done, except for the head flange, which I'd leave up to the buyer to choose which material they want for that piece.

Every time Paul dyno's his car I get 4-5 inquiries about the manifold. No buyers though. I'm expensive I guess.

Due to the economy I'm off every Friday. I will probably steal Artie's car and jig up the turboback so I too can provide a complete option for you Sam.

I like this tread.

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