Mods before Turbo - I did search, honest!
 

Hello All,

I have been lurking for a while now and although I know what happens when you dont research on this forum but would like to know that i'm on the right track.

Planning on Turboing soon and getting a list of mods I can do now that will directly support the install later on.

I was thinking.

ECU - MS?
Uprated Clutch
Wideband O2
Injectors
Stopping and Suspension Stuff.
Torsen Rear end.

Then once the ECU is in I can start looking into the tuning side of it to get it learnt for when the turbo goes in.

Tell me i'm wrong and flame away.

Thanks Guys.

Michael.

What year is your car? That'll make a big difference in terms of rear end, clutch, and so on.

If it's already a 1.8, you could leave the torsen until later. LSDs are AWESOME but as long as you don't have a 1.6, the 1.8 open is fine to learn on. Others may say differently, but you've got a good sized list of upgrades already, might be something you could put off until later.

Definitely install the MS and wideband first, then get that tuned on a N/A engine and stock injectors. Then throw the injectors in and it shouldn't take more than a required fuel change and a short burst around town with autotune on to get it running great again. Then you can mess with the clutch. Again though, if you have a decent 1.8 stock clutch, I think they're good for a few psi of boost. But yes, if you're planning on putting more than 160ish to the wheels, it'll start slipping.

And again with the brakes. If they're 1.8, just make sure you have good rotors and maybe some aggressive pads and they're fine. If they're 1.6, you might want to consider a 1.8 upgrade at the least.

For suspension, good condition stock is fine, although with the extra tailhappyness (that's now a word) that the turbo gives you, a set of sway bars would be a very good investment.

Down the road, Ebay sleeves, 6"/7" springs of the right rates, NB hat hardware, and $400 in Bilstiens is an incredibly awesome setup, although there are loads of other options to choose from. Probably a question for another post.

Awesome,

Thank you for the input.

Its a 97 1.8. So should be okay already, might have to wait a little bit for money to come in looking at the Megasquirt prices. :D

Ill reference the thread until things are bought.

What MegaSquirts are you looking at? The newest and greatest are always going to be expensive, but older MS1s and MS2s can be had in the sub $500 range to the right shopper.

You can always install the wideband, it'll won't obviously talk to your stock ECU, but it's always fun to monitor and one less thing to install once the MS is purchased.

I asked the same question and received this advice: https://www.miataturbo.net/engine-pe...g-turbo-68021/

vtps is a good idea. COPS are nice to have if it's in budget. Idk what radiator you have but a nice aluminum one with coolant reroute is recommended.

^He's got a '97 so it already has a vtps

mtx-l has a narrowband simulation. never really had any issues using that on my stock ecu.