Basic engine mods for power
 

We all know that a turbo will help light up the rear tires.

But

Do any of you have a suggestion for basic engine mods for a 1999 Miata to increase power? I would rather not tear the motor down.

Do any of you have direct experience with a header, intake, timing, etc, that you could actually feel the difference in the cars power?

Your onions are appreciated.

^^ Plain and simple is a waste of money, exhaust hearders, intake (lulz) will run you about 1K and give you 10hp, not whp, at most.

BTW is o-p-i-n-i-o-n-s, not onions. Also go make an intro, and put your flame suit on for this thread.

I have lots of onions about bolt-on mods.

My first onion is that they are a waste of time.
My second onion is that they are a waste of money.
My final, and biggest onion of all, is that you should get a turbo because all the cool kids have them.

Engine Mods Reply
 

Thanks Guys

My fingers are too fast for the spelling part of my brain ( limited space up there)

Your OPINIONS are appreciated.

I've looked at the FM turbo kits, lots of money. I'm assuming that with 180 hp a new clutch and rad would be required with a turbo install, YES NO?

No, they are not 100% needed unless youre going to track the car. I have a stock clutch and Im probably pretty close to 200hp. But My car is strictly a street machine for now.

Also, SEARCH!
All this info has been covered a million times, and our search feature works very well on this site. Do some searching and youll learn a lot. Then if you still need some clarification, make a thread.

Research. Is cheaper to put a set up together, if you know what and where to look for. Knowledge is power :greddy2:

its simple: just put on lots of stickers.
each sticker = 5hp
the bigger and brighter ones are 10hp each

i have onion rings

Search
 

Thank You

I'll search the site and look for the info. Your right, it probably been covered a million times.

Thanks again

Props to the OP for not getting butt hurt. A DIY turbo kit is in your future. Fairly cheap and very easy to install for the most part. Try to pick up something used in the F/S section.

OK I'll check it out.

Thanks

Easy:
Exhintake swap. $50 (I'm selling the cam right now in the classifieds).
Adjustable camgears. ($200)
Non-VICS intake manifold from a JDM 1.8. (??? maybe $250 on ebay)
'01 Header. ($50)
Local shop custom make a 2.25" header-back cat-delete exhaust. ($200)
Lightened flywheel. ($300)
Upgrade to Toyota Cops ($100)
Standalone ECU. ($500-$2k)
Intake of some sort or Randall Cowl Induction. ($100-$200)
Swap to synthetic fluids: $100
Seafoam: $15
New spark plugs: $10
Fuel filter: $20

Harder without boost:
Hi-compression pistons. ($500+install)
Nitrous. (Zex dry kit=$500)

Easy with boost: (DIY $2k if you know exactly what you're doing and buy all used parts and skimp on everything) ($5k for plug and play 250whp).

I got a valve job with a 3-angle grind, all carbon deposits cleaned up on valves and chambers, valve guides fixed and replaced, and new valve seals for $215 at a local machinist. Lots of power can be regained here on an older, tired engine. IMO money was well spent - much more torque/power, no more mysterious oil consumption, better compression, even the engine revs more quickly and happily when throttle is blipped.

DO IT

Don't think of it as tearing down the motor... it's more of loving/caring kind of thing.

Is that shipped? I'll take it. :giggle:

first thing to do would be good engine management, will yield you probably the same gains as intake and exhaust and all that other bolt on crap. this way you'll be ahead of the game when you realize you NEED boost

I like when my onions are appreciated.

Honestly, you'll be 4,962,658,249,658 x better off reading around on miata.net about this stuff.

For what it's worth, when I got my Miata I spent enough doing "simple" mods, and preparing it for a turbo, that I could have paid for a turbo setup similar to what King Hustler runs. My engine is still no more turbo worthy than it was, and I have so little power over stock you can't really tell. It was foolish of me to think that a car with 100hp would respond well to anything less than boost. So basically, if I could do it over again, I wouldn't have even thought about doing those "little" or "simple" mods. Absolutely a waste of time and money in the grand scheme of things.

Engine Mods Reply
 

All good advice guys.

I appreciate it.

Sounds like a turbo is really the only way to go.

NA6C-Guy your comment about a 100hp motor is well taken. Very true. .

Doppelganger, I'm sorry you life sucks so bad. Maybe your life would be better if you just didn't read every post. My guess is that you don't even own a Miata. You probably have no friends other than in your Captain Kirk club, so the forum is where you hide behind a key board and try to act tough.

Thanks to all the rest of you that showed intelligence in your posts. Dope head ganger could learn from all of you.

LoL..you're right. I don't own a Miata...never have. I actually drive a 89' Chrysler New Yorker that currently has a donut spare on the driver's front because I am too broke to afford a $27 tire from Wal-Mart. Although I've never watched a single episode of Star Wars, insulating Captain Kirk is really low....he is the Man....something you clearly know nothing about. Have you taken your daily regimen of Midol? Might want to check your stock and pop a couple extras today. Also, you need to stop stalking me, I mean, how else would you know that I have no froends and have never had fact to face interaction with any members of this forum...or any others for that fact and I steal pictures of other people's cars and claim them as mine (luckily the real owner of the pictures has never caught on to me and has no clue). Since you know me so well...how I like sitting in a dark room with nothing but a CRT computer moniter burning my retnas, a greasy keyboard with all the letters worn off from the acids on my sweaty finger tips and sub-par Cheetos from the dollar store...and you know that I yearn for someone to go on long beachside walks and hold my flacid cock because nothing turns me on anymore...by all means, please come over here and whisper sweet nothings in my ear and make me feel special....since you have nothing better to do yourself.


Seriously, you are on a forum that is clearly aimed at more advanced modifications and not about adding cone filters and cat-back exhausts. Since you are clearly new at this, I was honestly giving you advice on a forum that has no less than 50,000 posts answering the exact question you asked....and many more. But you being all Mr. N00bknight think this is like prison or something where you come in swinging to prove your worth....but failed at doing so. Keep it up...everyone here loves when the freshmeat goes around insulting everyone for no reason.

LOL, if you ever want to sell that New Yorker, I'd like to buy it. Would have saved me from spending all of this money to make mine look like yours. :giggle: