there's not two sides of the table. The opinion of people who prefer the 1.6L because it is "revvier" and those who are delusional to think it is somehow better in ANY sort of way do not count. That leaves you with one side of the table: the 1.8L. Because it produces more tq from the start, reacts to a turbo better, has a braced chassis that only gets better each later model year, has a bigger clutch, bigger brakes, and bigger differential, and only weighs 200 lbs more. Not to mention it has a plethora of upgrade options whereas the 1.6L has zilch.

Does my 1.6L work? sure. It makes 240rwtq and it's MUCH better than stock. But I also spent a lot of $$$ and effort to just upgrade parts of it to be that of a 94+ counterpart. But I'm still left with a motor that struggles to putt off the line and spool up even the smallest turbo compared to a 1.8L.

Do not be fooled into buying a 1.6L.

 

Really? Someone presented a second side? Where was that?

I missed that you were in Europe. Later year 1.6's there are even worse than the old 1.6's we have here.

On the Torsen, the only way to identify a Torsen is to look inside. Good penlight with an inspection mirror and patience through the filler hole or pull an axle. Cars are getting old enough and modded enough that I would always verify.

 

One could always do a short nose 1.6 and a jackson racing super charger.

 

I've had good success with the ole "turn the steering wheel, rev the car up and dump the clutch" technique. If it spins the inside tire then it's open. If it turns into a mad tyte drifto machine, then it's torsen.

It's also useful to look at the options that came with various packages for a given model year. The Miata FAQ has tons of information and, assuming no one has molested the car, other options on the car will generally tell you what diff is in it.

This is all assuming the person you're purchasing the car from doesn't appreciate you taking their car apart before you buy it.

 

I have a 1.6, get a 1.8 with a Torsen, like everyone else is saying.

 

Amazed over the feedback and knowledge from you guys, thanks!
I searched out a few cars to go look at next week, hope i get a lucky strike on 1 of them.
Got any webpages where i can drool and build up a wishlist over tuningpars while i wait for next week?

 

There's a whole section with build threads here.

 

^^^^^

Read the build threads section until you get far enough back that the threads don't have pics.

It will likely save you a boatload of money when you go to buy a car, as you will see which cars have which parts from the factory, and which factory parts are worth keeping and which are worth tossing.

I wish I had, I've already spent $650 on a torsen and will likely need another $650 for a 6-speed, which could have been avoided had I done my research and bought the right car.

 

or a wrecked 1.8 miata and swap over all the goodies for dirt cheap like I did.


But if I were to start over again, yes i'd shell out the extra money for a 94/95 over my 1.6 in a heart beat.