i know what ur thinking auto miata boring but hear me out

i picked up a 01 miata 1.8 SE automatic with 80k on it

i bought it to autocross with. i see all these young kids at the track with there sti's and evo's. im awd so i rule all. and then i went to our local tracks king of the road competition and a guy came in with a red 94 miata turbo and wrecked shop. i said to myself i gotta get me one of those so i did.

im pretty skilled with engines and cars in general but im new to the turbo game most of my fast cars are sbc so electronics are not my strong suit

heres my question i have 6k saved up for this project and i have a very specific list for this build but i have been torn between a couple things.

water or oil cooled turbo?

tuning best way to get it done right?

i want 250-300whp. transmission wise am i looking at total upgrade?

Im going forged internals.
professional head job.
billet oil pump gear
head studs
gt35 turbo.
megasquirt.
rc 500cc injectors running 70 psi at rail.
22x7x4 intercooler with 2.5 inch piping
upgraded radiatior
gates racing timing belt
wideband 02



i know the 2000+ have 10:1 compression so gonna get pistons that lower it to 9:1

any help would appreciate it thanks guys

 

GT35 seems pretty overkill for 250-300whp. People are making 250ish (albeit that is pretty maxed out) with GT2560's. Transmission wise I can't really help, I would obviously run some sort of external transmission cooler... the bigger the better. But i honestly don't know if the transmission will even work without the stock ecu talking to the transmission controller.

 

im deffinetly am gonna run a oil cooler for tranny
ive never heard of someone running a turbo on a turbo miata


but turbos and automatics go hand in hand but i have no idea with these electronically controlled cars

 

*automatic on turbo miata lol

 

Yeah I've never seen an automatic turbo miata, but I would be interested in finding out how much wtq they can take. I think the general consensus around here is that auto miatas are pointless, but to each their own

GT35 is WAY overkill for 250-300 whp. Also, there is a big difference between 250 whp and 300 whp. A stock motor (9:1) can handle 250 whp with a good tune all day long, but no stock motor will last long at 300 whp. I think the best turbo for your goals would be a gt2871 or gt2860. Get vband turbine housing, full 3" dp, AF designed manifold from ARTech, and you will be well setup for the track. If you go regular 4 bolt manifold, inconel studs are a MUST on the track. Basically, take your time, buy the best parts once, and win.

 

thanks for the info palmtree.

but im still wondering ive heard watercooled turbos last longer

whats the pros and cons on water vs oil cooled turbos

 

Both turbos I recommended are water cooled. Almost all new turbos are water cooled. It is the only way to go.

 

1st and foremost: there are a couple boosted auto's here so its been done and its nothing too hard.
2nd: are you seriously thinking of auto-x'ing a gt35r auto miata? LOL..you realize you'll spool up and get going about 5 minutes AFTER you've finished the auto-x course right?

If you were looking for a daily with more oomph I'd tell you its a bit wacky but worth a shot.

Otherwise you should look into a manual swap, and something along the lines of gt25-28 and about 250whp if you want an auto-x car

Don't make the more obvious noob mistake and tell us you want a 300+whp car having never boosted a miata before and not being familiar with the platform.