Where to start?
 

Hey everyone,
New member here. I live out in New Zealand.

I've bought a couple of Miatas now, and my only complaint with the cars are they have no where near enough power.

My current car is modified slightly, with a set of extractors/new exhaust system and a pod filter - couple of other bits and piece too, but just the basics.

So what I'm needing to know is, where to start when it comes to turboing a Miata. Can the engine handle a turbo stock standard? what will i need to replace? all of that kind of stuff.

I have no idea how much this will end up costing, but that doesn't matter so much at the moment. As long as I can get insurance for the car, the turbo is most definitly going in. (insurance is a bit tricky for under 25y/o's in NZ. Insurance companies basically push you out the door at the montion of a turbo).

If anyone has some online documentation on how they went about turboing thier car i'd love to see it.

My new car was just fine untill i drove a mazdaspeed turbo NB. My car is about 140hp, and that makes a HUGE difference. But almost 200 makes those cars unbelievable.

Cheers in advance,
James.

Hi James, welcome to the forum; before these guys tell you to do so: read the FAQ in this forum. Someone else will chime in later on so I guess you should at least post info on your car (is it 1.6L or 1.8L, what year, etc.?)

Many knowledgeable guys here willing to assist you but first help yourself by reading some on the subject.

Cheers,

Rafa

Yep listen to Rafa ya kiwi. It is simple and doable.

https://www.miataturbo.net/diy-turbo-discussion-14/diy-faq-all-your-answers-one-big-post-4288/
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Duh...
 

Oops. Yeah i forgot to mention that, it is a pretty important point.
My car is a 1990 NA 1.6 (Jap Import).

James,

You need to realize what kind of budget and power goals you are after. A good way to start realizing what is all needed is to read through the FAQs, read through corky's site "Bellengineering.net" and just get a good idea of the components and cost required.

yeah, just by looking on bellengineering.net and flyinmiata.com will help you understand a good about

Stock engines can handle upwards of 260 hp.

Cheers
 

I'll have a read through those sites in the weekend.
I'm not after anything too drastic. probably looking at 180-200hp. I'd be guessing im probably pay around $4000 in parts (free labour thanks to my old man being a mechanic). I'll have a read through those sites adn see what I can come up with.

Cheers

James, after you've read through those sites you'll realize that the $4,000 figure you estimate in parts could end up being between $2,000 and $2500 at the most ; therefore, some reading and smart questions= big $ savings.

And BTW, it will also mean that your whp will turn out to be over the 180-200hp mark you set up.:bigtu:

Cheers,

Yes james 200 whp is childplay and a 2K or so $ affair the most expensive parts will be the clutch. turbo, manifolds. Everything else is pretty cheap. Shipping is gonna suck for you but hopefully not to bad. If you have any fab skils or good junkyard sources then you could very well make damn near 300whp with 2500K. Reading and learning is the answer my freind. We are here to help.

you got good advice so far, most important thing to keep in mind is that you need to do your research before you buy anything, this will help you save money and buy the right things the first time around
keep your eye out in the DIY section of the forum and also in the for sale section, that where you will find your best deals from people you can trust
cheers bloke and happy boosting

Is your $4k limit in $AUS or $US?... and what's the current exchange rate?

As others have said, it's easy to make lots of safe power in these cars.
If you really want to do it right from the beginning, then your first purchase should be engine management.

Megasquirt is ridiculously simple to install and tune (my EBC issue aside)... and even naturally aspirated will pick you up abuot 10whp. Do your WB02 install at the same time. Then you can start purchasing turbo pieces.

Manifold
DP
Turbo
Injectors
BOV
Oil Lines
Water Lines
Intecooler/Piping/Clamps
Air Filter
Spark Plugs
Boost Gauge
Vaccum Lines

Then essentially just a clutch and exhaust. Your clutch choice will depend on the power, but for 200whp, the ACT HD is the hands-down favorite around here... above 200whp, you've got a little homework to do.

Exhaust choices are out there, but a custom 2.5" system shuold be simple for any shop to fab up in an hour or two... or you could buy a manufactured sytem.

Other things to consider:
Tires/wheels... more power needs to be able to get to the ground.
Brakes... going faster means you need to stop better.
Suspension... sways and shocks at a minimum.
Safety... a rollbar and harness perhaps?

Thanks samnavy, really helpful post.
Looks like I have a lot to think about. $4000 NZD probably ends up being close to $3000US and then i have shipping too.

I'll just have to keep reading to see what i'll need to replace.
Haven't had a tonne of time recently to read up. But it'll give me something to do in the weekend.

P.S. I just got a sleepy eye headlight kit for my car. I'll upload a pic when I've installed it tonight. I was going to link to a youtube vid of my car too but they seem to be having issues at the moment and I can't get in. Ah well I'll do it tonight.

Cheers