https://i.imgur.com/WhdLtQY.jpg

That's what I'd done, except I tested with the stock airbox. VD showed a 5hp/5tq gain. I.e. within the margin of error. It definitely felt a bit better though. I stopped messing with it because Lars yelled at me for wasting time to do stupid **** when I should have been installing my turbo instead.

Also, you should really buy the MT 'town bicycle' turbo kit that's making the rounds right now. You can legitimately turn around and unload it for what you paid or a couple of hundred less and it should more than hold you over till you have the cash to build an engine on the side and pay for an EFR kit. Hell, there might be some used ones out by then. If the manifold worries you, just get it reinforced before you install it. I know that folks had figured out ways to do that.

Perfect is the enemy of good. And honestly, as Vlad will attest, if I haven't blown up my engine yet with a shitty tune, you should be just fine. Just start off with a baby wastegate and overboost protection on MS. You'll slap yourself for wasting all this time trying to figure out if you actually did gain an hp or not.

 

Believe it or not, some folks actually like just goofing around chasing small improvements at MINIMAL COST, despite the time investment.

It's something of a foreign idea to me, but it's prevalent enough that it no longer surprises me. Marcello is enjoying tinkering and experimenting while spending almost no money to do so. It's fun for him.

 

True.

But if he spent the same amount of energy/time looking for a job, he'd probably have one by now. Or so I think

 

That's another topic entirely and not relevant to this discussion.

 

hahaha ok I'll stop being a buzzkill

N/A powahhh bruhhh

 

100% correct

i have a shitty job right now, and Im making little attempts every couple of days to get a better one, but its hard for me to stay motivated when i keep getting denied basic 7-10 dollar an hour jobs.

so i tinker, and make "progress" that way!

i have a larger filter for a velocity stack coming eventually.

i had read emilios post and they found no change in numbers with a small filter vs a reall large one, but I do agree the one Im using looks pretty small.
​​

 

I'm sure the difference in your application is .001, so that sounds about right.

but hey, you're chasing that last .000001hp, so might as well do it right

 

I'm like that too, but it's a time thing too. At some point you have to look at how much you value your time for the application and your desired goals. At some point his frustration with the marginal gains will lead him to make drastic changes. He'll eventually stop deluding himself that the iota of change is drastic enough to make power like the car would at sea level when he's at 6k ft.

Ugh. Sorry to hear about that Marcello. Good luck with the prospects. I'm sure we've all been there and it blows, but chin up and keep at it.
I had a year where I was injured and couldn't even get a call back from local restaurants to bus tables. My mom is a mid level (MBA) that was caught in the sea of lay offs and the sea of new grads with that. She applied bloody everywhere and finally got a job in a place where she loves to work at a level that she's used to working with an international company. She responded to a random ad she saw online (or in the newspaper). When I was talking to her the other day she told me that she did it even though she didn't think anything would come of it because 'why the hell not'.

Good luck.

 

This guys results fall in line with the established intake doctrine.

https://www.trackjunkies.org/topic/3...in-a-99-miata/

 

I modeled mine after Crusher. You have to make custom top radiator mounts to space it out a bit and widen the notch in the core support but it's pretty easy. I put the filter to the side of the bumper mouth so it wasn't in direct spray of rain. Couldn't tell you if it made much of a difference, was still tuning the MS at the time.

 

Make a diy Randall with the stock box. And compare the two, for science.

 

except that requires a hole in the firewall.

 

Are we all just going to ignore that sticker?

 

No. Saw it, smiled, was too lazy to comment

 

Oh i saw the sticker, but i was too dumb to figure out what it meant when I first saw it.

it has been occupying my subconcious for a day now, and I finally understand.

its kind of like "miata" except if a cartoon cat said it. Meow-ta

 

It's a custom sticker I designed and had a local vinyl guy cut a half dozen of. I need to get a new radiator panel made up so I can add it back again. Works well on helmets too.

 

Not sure if this uploaded...

a little video of how slow my car still is.

intake is a rowdy binch!


Oh my. The intake is WAAAAY louder in person. Like, you can barely hear it on the cell phone video, but it's far louder than the stock catless exhaust (which has a rattly resonation between 2.5k and 4k rpm)

 

Post your tune. Something is off I think, that is like 1.6 NA automatic slow from your video. Where you driving up a hill into a head wind or something? It sounds good though.

 

He's a very high elevation. Nothing wrong with his tune unless he screwed it up

 

Just from pausing the video, 25 to 55mph takes right around 6 seconds. What's the 0-60 if it's 6 seconds from 25 to 55? 10 seconds? I know at sea level a stock 99 is a lot faster than that.

EDIT: What elevation since you're saying that's the reason.