Built and turbo'd 1996 1.8L
 

Hey everyone!

This is my first post and first day on miataturbo.net! My 1996 1.8L is going through about 1 quart of oil every 100 miles or so,definitely not good.... I don't want to have just a stock engine, so i am choosing the path of building my engine. I will be doing some research, but i was hoping i could get some input as well. Directions to a build guide or to what parts to use would be much appreciated.

Questions:
-Should i build and turbo it at the same time or can i build it and then turbo it a year later?
-At what horsepower does it start to get extremely expensive for buying parts?
-How much HP can the stock transmission handle?
-How much HP can the torsen handle?

My Goals:
-at least 300 whp
-Under $4000, cheaper the better
-daily driver reliability
-Keep the existing 5-spd(If possible) and torsen

This is a small list of very basic goals. I have an extra 1996 parts car to use, it has a perfect transmission and an alright looking engine. I would like to go with mega-squirt but am open to using the stock ecu(If possible) or any other standalone ecu. I also have a mechanic to help me if need be, he just finished his 2004 350z convertible track edition twin-turbo beast (pushing 600 whp). Thank you all in advance!

you're not getting 300whp for 4k
or having a 5 speed hold it down

the rest of the questions are so common knowledge that I refuse to answer them and strongly suggest you start reading through this forum

Start reading through as much as you can on here, shit tons of good info.

Anything over 250whp/tq seems to be the magic number on a 1.8 before you need to start beefing up the internals. Keep in mind all dynos read differently and aren't accurate (thanks 18psi!).

Stock 5 speed is a known weak spot with boosted miatas. For 300whp you will need a 6 speed. I've seen varying numbers of what a stock torsen can handle, from 300-400whp.

At your budget, I would say go for the 200-250whp range and enjoy it without having to go over your budget.

I posted this before i started research in hopes of being directed to decent sources and not poor build guides. From what i have read so far, 250whp will be more than enough for what i will ever need.

I started the following thread when I was a bit past your level. You need to read a bunch more, but maybe this will help put things into context. A lot of helpful guidance here: https://www.miataturbo.net/general-m...u-think-90818/