crespoh69

Hey everyone, so I'm getting the Turbo itch again after having been without one since my old Nissan. Only problem though is that having read a bit I've come to find out that FM makes the most simplest to install kits around with what seems to just be just be install it and forget it...BUT they don't seem to hold up very well when it comes to tracking them.

My question is, does anyone else sell a kit comparable to FM in ease of install and no hassle Ecu but can stand up to the heat in the track?

shuiend

iTrader: (24)

Check out Abe at Artech. He can build you a setup in conjunction with TSE Inconel Studs that will stand up to track abuse. Just be prepared to spend some change.

Savington

iTrader: (31)

Nothing off the shelf, but we're working on changing that. What kind of power levels are you considering, and how much are you looking to spend?

crespoh69

Well I was looking for something similar to the Voodoo I system FM has in terms of pricing and power as well for a 96 1.8

crespoh69

Sorry I was at work at the time on my phone when I typed that, but the biggest draw to me to FM is that they seem to have an inexpensive, easy to install base turbo kit that can easily be upgraded in the future if need be. The only drawback, as I have read is that reliability on the track is not the best, if any rep from FM wants to correct me on that claim then please do so as I am extremely interested in the kit but then again extremely put off by the fact that it's not track worthy (what's it's purpose besides stoplight races then?).

TurboTim

iTrader: (9)

I'd contact trackspeed/savington. They will set you straight depending on your timeframe. They know exactly what is really needed to make good power reliability on the track.

But for a low HP kit, the FM stuff should work with trackspeed's inconel hardware. There's nothing wrong with the cast manifold and the rest of their kit for a relatively low HP target.

This comes from someone who has no experience with either and has never tracked a car.

shuiend

iTrader: (24)

I don't think TSE Inconel studs fit in the FM manifold. I think the FM manifold uses M8 hardware. I also don't think there is enough room on the manifold to drill out for bigger studs.

You may also want to look into a Begi setup. There stuff is not always as polished as FM, but their manifold does fit the Inconel hardware.

Also what year miata do you have or plan on tracking?

mx5autoxer

iTrader: (1)

rider384

iTrader: (3)

I've been looking into it, the TSE Inconel should work for any of the common log manifolds and t2 hardware.

EDIT: Oh, but you still have to drill and tap it for the new studs.

shuiend

iTrader: (24)

**** your couch. I looked back up at the first post, my bad.

mx5autoxer

iTrader: (1)

....Buy another one you rich motha *****. I'm Rick James, Bitch!"

trakhoar

iTrader: (3)

What sort of failures are the FM (or any other OTS kit/turbo) prone to during track abuse? I'm piecing/building my miata together not, gets 90+ at sears and 100+ at thill in the summer

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

^If you're talking about turbo/mani/DP, It's almost all in the hardware... nuts/studs. The cast manifolds are indestructable. I haven't heard of too many production downpipes failing or cracking either... certainly not the FM cast piece.

V-band setups, although expensive, are being seen more and more around here... and that doesn't help you secure the mani to the head.

ThePass

iTrader: (3)

OP - there's not going to be anything that you can buy off the shelf that won't need a few minor changes to really be solid on the track.

You either want a kit that uses M10 stud/bolts for the manifold to turbo connection, or that has enough room for the manifold to be drilled and tapped for M10 hardware. Reason being that these studs are the #1 thing known to fail under track use, so you need to upgrade any kit to Trackspeed's inconel stud kit - which is of the M10 size.

Also, if you are looking at base kits, know that it's at the very least quite risky to run a non-intercooled setup on the track, even at low boost. The heatsoak will drastically raise your intake temps and with no way to cool that air down, you're almost sure to have detonation.

Third, you need an oil cooler. This isn't something that comes with any kit, so it's an add-on with even the top of the line kits, but consider it a must. This will save you headaches down the road - you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars to go to a track day only to spend all day doing two laps then having to back off and let your temps fall back down over and over and over again.

crespoh69

No worries about these two items, I was actually thinking of doing both along with throwing in a larger capacity radiator to boot, the radiator did wonders with my 300ZX Twin Turbo

Savington

iTrader: (31)

Nut/stud failure is the big one - none of the current off-the-shelf kits will last more than about a session if you install them exactly as they arrive from the respective mfgs. One of the tweaks that MUST be made is adding our studs/hardware.

If you're having hardware issues at the head, your manifold flange is warped, guaranteed. There's no way for the steel hardware in an aluminum head to reach the point of tensile failure and not have a whole slew of other issues cropping up first. Throughout all of the stud testing we did, and even with the v-band hardware, I have never had a problem with the hardware on the head - I use the OEM locking nuts.

falcon

iTrader: (13)

Rotrex.

trakhoar

iTrader: (3)

this thread has me thinking the same thing

I'll be quite content with 200-220whp..Rotrex seems more than capable of that without all these thermal issues and no need to run oil lines all over the place.

For those that have seen issues, did any of them arise in the 190-220whp range? Most of the guys posting in this thread with major issues all seem to be north of 250whp

mx5autoxer

iTrader: (1)

Interesting. So how are SC kit holding up to track abuse?

crespoh69

^ Good question, hadn't even thought about that, though I do prefer Turbo's