Got the antigravity installed tonight. Took longer than expected thanks to my subpar skills and I also messed up one of the holes and had to slot the bottom mount, which didnt look pretty.


Drilled and added rivnuts

Everything in place

My expression after messing up one hole

Everything feels solid but knowing that one of the holes is chewed up is going to bug me to no end. I’m going to have to remake the bottom mount at some point.

Of course now that it’s installed I can see all the better ways I could have made the holes in the mount in relation to the non-flat surface of the battery area . But let’s see if it holds tomorrow and Saturday’s trackday!

 

The good news is that little AntiGrav hardly has any inertia to wiggle itself free from the mounts lol. I'm sure it will hold, but feel you on the messed up hole part haha. The mount looks great in the photos, though!

Are you and Nate going to the same track day on Saturday? Godspeed to all three of us!

 

Thanks, and I believe you're right; It should hold.

Same event! We're kind of treating it as my bachelor party and will get dinner after. Godspeed to us all!

 

Thanks for the offer on the battery tray! I'd love to peek at the files, but I think I'm going to try one of the NOCO batteries and might go a different route for mounting/securing it.

Good luck this weekend and congrats!

 

Those look awesome! I hadn't heard about them before and the price is very right. Certainly interested to see how it works out for you. I'll post the files after this weekend once I know it works

 

Those NOCOs look sick! Might have to try one next time I'm in need of a miata battery.

 

Yeah, we'll see. One of the local guys I compete with has one in his NC and it seems to be working for him. Another guy I've talked to a bit has run one as well and it seemed to work.

I kinda figure I could get a NOCO NLP 20 and a NOCO jumper pack for the same price as the antigrav. Not sure if that's really apples to apples, but I figure I can use the jumper pack in any of my cars, so I'd be coming out ahead, right?
Biggest downside for me is that the non "X" jumper packs are micro USB and I'm all in on USB C at this point.

 

Great thread, just read through it this morning. Having had an ITB'd NA Miata since 2014, I obviously found it very interesting. My set-up is not blingy and beautiful as yours, (yes I'm jealous) but it gets the job done for me. Sadly I don't do much with it anymore as my other hobbies have taken up the time for it.

But kinda getting dragged back into ITB Miata's as my friend just swapped his NC3 with a built engine over to Jenvey DBW with a ME360 ecu. He does NOT do ecu tuning and since I did all the tuning on my car I am helping him at least getting it started and running so he can break the engine in some before taking it to Texas to some tuner who is supposed to be the cats *** when it comes to this combo. It is not going very well so far as I have never dealt with the ME interface. Tunerstudio as someone mentioned, is just so much more intuitive.

Anyhow, just wanted to pop in and give anecdotal evidence of something that was quite helpful on my car. When swapping to a very light battery (like 2 lbs) I decided to install it in the engine bay as having diminished capacity and long battery cables wasn't really working out for me. I know I sent 2 lbs to the front of the car but got rid of about 1.5 lbs of battery cable and now have much less voltage drop.

And definitely get that thing dyno'd. Not going to compare numbers with anyone, but at sea level with good air and 76% ethanol, I saw a max of 162WHP uncorrected. Torque was 120+ from 3500 to 7000 rpm and 130+ from 3900 to 6300 with a peak of 133. This is an internally stock VVT engine with autox CSP mods. Again, not going to compare numbers with anyone but I have hundreds of dyno runs from when I had the stock 1995 BP 1.8 that made 106whp to when I swapped to MS ecu to VVT swap to VVT ITB swap and then adding e85, all on the same dyno, all tuning done by me and dyno operation as well.

And lastly, and not my quote, but the best way to get rid of hot air under the hood is to suck it into the engine.

 

Thank you, Hector. I'm glad you found the ITB setup interesting. I would like to check yours out if you have any pictures and/or technical info to share. Always looking to learn more.

Man, an NC3 (or ND2) with DBW ITBs must be awesome. I don't have any experience with the ME ECUs, but I'm sure if you make a post here on the forums someone might chime in.

Very interesting that you put the battery in the front. I've had friends struggle with voltage drops after relocating the battery to the trunk in Mitsubishis, but I hadn't heard about this happening in a Miata before. How much voltage drop were you seeing in your car and under what conditions?

162whp is healthy! I do plan to take it to a dyno because the VVT and ignition must be far from optimal, but I won't have time in the near future; maybe in 2025. What are the CSP specific mods? I imagine square top (or ITBs), racing beat header and open exhaust plus a tune and E85. Anything else noteworthy that would increase power that much? Was it a Japanese VVT engine or USDM/EDM? Asking because if I can get mine anywhere close to that number I would be happy for a long time. Interested in any information you can share on the engine/tune.

That quote is provocative

 

Update time! The weekend was fantastic.

Friday I got the car ready and as I was doing the final checks noticed play in the left rear wheel. The same play I mentioned last year that appeared to be bad bronze bearings. Disassembled the hardware and found some threads were damaged and may not have been torquing properly, but unfortunately the play was still present on the RLCA-O long bolt and bushings after fixing them. I also didn't see any of the bolt marks had moved so nothing had loosened. I think it has to be tolerance buildup within the bearings/sleeves, or a bad wheel bearing? After some deliberation I put it back together and sent it. I couldn't feel or hear any issues while doing the 2 hour drive, and when I got to the track on Saturday there was no play . I don't know what else to do about it or what to even look for. This may be the hint to start planning the switch to sphericals and some Supermiata hubs.





Scooter passed tech and handled well with the new sway bar and softer settings, and set some good laptimes even on a green track. The fastest laps each session were 1:36.311, 1:35.601, and 1:35.776 for the first, second and third sessions respectively. The second session was with Nate as passenger, and third session with Isaac teaching me more spec-Miata bravery. Didn't hit the 1:34.x that I was after, but happy with those times. Placed in 3rd for A class, and our friend Tyler got 1st place setting a 1:33.x with his ND2.



Here is a video of Legends and spec Miatas doing their thing through corner 1:


Video of my three fastest times of the day:


After the track we got drinks and dinner to celebrate the end of my freedom and it was a lot of fun. At one point I laughed hard enough to get a nose bleed.







The drive back home was fun. Tim and I went the long way around through the Jemez mountains to play with more corners. I've finally gotten the EVAP to work seamlessly through various elevation changes and I only smelled fumes once after a big climb to over 9000 ft of elevation, which went away quickly after some cruising. Feels good. I did notice that the exhaust got louder and has a lot of drone. The baffle is still in place, so I don't know what's up with that.

Lastly, the battery mount held fine. Voltage and starting performance is unchanged. I haven't looked at any logs from the track yet, but I would like to check whether the alternator control PID needs to change at all. The battery voltage was solid every time I looked, but just for science.

 

I will get you some pictures of the car, battery location, itb's, and such. Didn't want to barge in on your thread with pics of my car.

I never measured the voltage drop. It was just one of those things that when the switch to the 2lb battery was made, it just didn't crank the starter fast enough. Rather than replacing the 20 year old cables that went to the trunk, I sent the battery forward and now it cranks the engine over very well. Plus it's fun messing with the tech guys when they search the trunk for the battery.

160whp is actually fairly common out of a stock VVT BP. With the mods you spoke of: headers, 2.5" exhaust (muffled of course, gotta make sound), Itbs, square top or other free flowing intake manifold that takes advantage of the 6000+ rpm range, aftermarket ecu with a good tune and e85, and of course good air. My engine is a 2001 US model, with a MS3Pro module core, seq. ign. running dumb coils and BIP373 transistors, Ford 380ish cc injectors, GM flex fuel sensor. Exhaust is RB header with 2.5" dynomax flow-through and Flowmaster Hushpower 2, with a turndown for autox and and additional segment that goes over the axle with another 2.5" Dynomax cross flow for street driving. The additional muffler does not hurt power at all but it does weigh an extra 19lbs so it comes off as sound at 50' is only about 92db without it. Itb's are the Toyota silvertops with a Tec3 manifold and 4" horns. So nothing not allowed in CSP but certainly missing the built engine that I suspect would boost torque significantly while maybe getting another 5hp.

Anyhow, I'll get you some pics and will get you any other info I can answer.

 

Sweet video Ricard, and nice driving! Who was riding with you on that last lap giving you pointers?

It's interesting to me the difference between a low power and high power line in the same car. For instance going wide out of 3/4 makes sense in a lower power car, because setting up for 5 doesn't matter as much since you can still take it WOT so you might as well carry more speed and go wide. Same with the hairpin.

I had a great time riding with you, very nice driving, your braking points are impressive! And what a weekend!

 

Yeah dude, nice driving there! That track you guys hit this weekend looks super sick. Very tech and Miata-oriented lol.

Weekend as a whole looks like it was a banger. Stoked for you guys.

 

This is great, thank you. I wasn't aware that much whp was possible without cams or at least a freshly rebuilt motor. Definitely a reason to put Scooter on a dyno and maximize the VVT and ignition!

Thanks Nate! It was a blast haha. On the third session Isaac rode with me. He is the younger fella racing spec Miata that we were talking to. Car #50.

It is different and interesting. The hairpin is a great example, because I'm letting the car go wide to keep momentum and I can still go through 7 WOT and have grip. You on the other hand, won't be able to go WOT unless you take the right side of the hairpin (which you did). That's the kind of stuff that makes it fun to ride with other people!

I appreciate it man. I had a lot of fun riding with you too! Turbo Miatas are always fun. This has to be the best weekend I've had in a long time .

Thanks, Zak! It is a Miata friendly track and more technical than I first thought years ago.

We gotta plan a miataturbo trackdaaaay.

 

So a couple of pics for you. I haven't touched this car since the last autox I did in early June so it looks awful. Not that it ever looks great because it was put together to try and be fast and not pretty, but when all the mold is gone from under the hood (no evap and ethanol) and it's washed and waxed, it doesn't look half bad. And it's a fairly capable CSP car with Ankeny DA Penske's, Small Fortune front bar, sadfab bushings, 275 Hoosiers, aero, 2050lb fighting weight. I just didn't have the talent to hang at the pointy end of CSP back when Davis and Tovsen were dominating the class and I got discouraged after going three times to Nationals and getting beat by 2.5 seconds a day by those guys so I just stopped driving it competitively. Well, that and I got a boat (not a NC, an actual floating vessel) right at the same time and my co-driver started building his NC3 for DP and the poor car just got neglected. I did have fun at the last event with the Falken's and I have a new set of 275 Hoosiers and the good weather is coming for autox and not so much for boating, so I might just get back to driving this thing in anger for a while.

You might pick up a few things from the engine pic like the flex sensor, remote IAC valve, manual brakes, and the fact that it has AC still. South Florida, you know. And the pic of the fuse block is where the battery resides behind. You can see the pigtail for jumpstarting it. Sorry for the huge size. I couldn't figure out how to resize it on imgur like I used to.

 

Nice! I have yet to go to Suika Circuit. BTW, ASR Superlap is this weekend.

 

Thank you very much for the pictures and answering questions. I hope you (and the car and family) are safe from the hurricanes that went through Florida recently. I do spot a few interesting bits from your pictures such as the Ethanol sensor placement and what I guess is an oil pressure sensor near the VVT solenoid? 2050 lbs is real nice and hope to get Scooter there someday. I too run a remote IACV like you, just mine is hidden behind the fusebox. Do you have any videos of the car, especially racing? It must sound awesome with open trumpets.

I hear you on getting discouraged. It's too easy to get in a funk, but I gotta keep reminding myself that at the end of it all I'm there to have fun, learn and improve.

Thanks! Suika is fun, but I hear ASR is as well. Hopefully we can sync soon and meet at the track. I was getting married and vacationing this past week so ASR was out of the question!

 

This past weekend was the final round of our local time attack event and likely my last chance to get on track this year (it's already snowing here). I didn't have time to do the usual checkup of the car but decided that it has been reliable enough and would be fine. It had oil, lug nuts torqued and tires had pressure. I drove it to work to make sure there weren't any new noises, packed and left town Friday. Saturday was another fun day with friends, and Scooter did it's thing. I'm happy to report that I slashed my PB by a second and a half (1:34.101)!I left both sway bars in their softest setting, and stiffened the rear shocks one click more than usual. There were no issues or hiccups all weekend and I liked the balance of the car. Couldn't have asked for more this year.


Fastest session of the day with two new PBs

The Superlap classing system is changing next year and it's all based on weight-to-power ratio. Currently we get classed with NC and NDs (also FRS/BRZs) but for next year they're adding a "D" class and Scooter will be at the tip top of the ratio with it's 130whp of fury. However, I'm strongly considering wheel-to-wheel racing because they're also adding a Super Cup, and based on the rules Scooter is within spec. I need to think more about it, but I've been wanting to do this for too long and it would also provide more tracktime per event.

As far as what's next, I still have to fix whatever is causing that play in the rear suspension. The play didn't come back this weekend which makes it all the more annoying, but I'll take it. It has to be something with the bronze bearings, and have gotten permission from the wife to get a set of FM Sphericals and the new supermiata CHUBs, so that's nice. I'm still toying with the idea of adding aero but haven't decided between street **** or spoiler. I also got a FlexFuel sensor a bit ago to experiment with, and I plan to put the car on a dyno and maximize the VVT and ignition for 91 and e85 (especially after hector's comments). Lastly, during winter I want to replace the dash for an all black one I have sitting which is gutted and should drop a few more lbs off the car.

While editing the video, I noticed in the logs that the fuel pressure is dropping to 50psi (from 56psi) at high RPM, and the fuel pressure safety almost kicked in a couple of times due to that pressure drop. There is no danger of lean mixtures because the ECU is compensating, but I'm starting to wonder if there is a leak somewhere again, or if the pump and/or regulator are struggling? Any thoughts from those with more experience? I'm still running the returnless fuel system.

 

Nice dude, congrats on the PB! A second and a half is nuts. Where do you think you gained all that time? Surely it wasn’t from the suspension setup changes alone.

Also, what changes are you gonna have to make for the potential W2W class next year? I was under the impression that every W2W racing organization required a full cage.

Glad to hear the car is still ripping, despite that intermittent play in the rear suspension. Such a good feeling having confidence in your car’s running condition when rolling out to a track day.

 

Thank you sir! I think the gains were mostly down to confidence, cleaning up my braking zones, and not having a passenger. The setup was the same as before except for those suspension clicks, which made a difference in feel but not really where the time was.

If I read everything correctly (and it is also just a draft at the moment), the minimum requirement is a roll-bar, and maximum is a 6 point cage. Attachment to suspension components is not allowed. Based on that the BBFW GT3 is acceptable. For reliability I think I should have the differential carrier welded in case of contact. Here are the rules https://dl.motorsportreg.com/0276500...-96836ac16495/

Thanks. It does feel nice not having 100 things to do before and after every event. The engine swap was a good choice and Scooter keeps on scooting.

Any thoughts on that fuel pressure nuisance?