Buying my first Miata (honda owner...don't flame me)
 

Hello, I just wanted to introduce myself here as well as ask a few questions based upon the research I have done. I have always liked the miata, and I think I will give one a try for the next little project. Is my goal to turbo it? Of course. Will I make it happen? Yes, I am not here to talk the talk but not walk the walk. I was going to buy another honda, but then thought to myself, why not try something different, considering the low prices that early 90's miata's go for now, and since I have loved them for years and years but never had the chance to own one, why not now?

I will be on the lookout for a 90-95 with fairly low miles, reason I would like to stay within that range is: OBD1

Atleast in the honda world, everything evolves around obd1, and besides the point, where I live, there is only safety inspections on OBD1 cars, no emissions :)

I want to keep the motor stock and give it what it can handle, safely. I do know that the 94/95 had the 1.8, is this a big enough reason to search out one of those two years, or do you think it really matters?

Also, turbo kits, I know there is Greddy/FlyinMiata/etc. What is the best bang for the buck turbo kit? I like the looks of the Flyin Miata setup, but I am not a Mazda guy so I am sure there are a lot of options out there. A big question here also is engine management. A complete tuning solution for a honda, costs roughly $15, a stock obd1 ecu, and a conversion harness if your car is OBD2. So pennies for what it is worth, are there any solutions for the Mazda platform instead of paying 6/7/800 etc dollars for standalone systems?



*I plan on using this car for Autox when I don't feel like taking the hondas out as well as for a fun little daily driver, so please base any suggestions upon what I am using the car for. I appreciate any responses that you guys can give me and look forward to joining the community one day soon.

first go here Meet and Greet - Miata Turbo Forum - Home of the turbo Mazda Miata.

then here https://www.miataturbo.net/forum/t10821/

Read first, then ask questions if you can't find the answer through a thorough search. 95% of the things you can think up are already answered on here. Follow the rules and you will last a long time.

Check out the Bell Engineering "S" kits. They have good entry-level kits that FM can't match. Best of all the S-kits can be easily upgraded to the high-end stuff as you gain experience and knowledge.

Nothing is quite that cheap, but you should spend time in the MSPNP and E-Manage subforums at ECUs and Tuning - Miata Turbo Forum - Home of the turbo Mazda Miata..

First, you need to ask yourself some basic questions. Mainly, how technically competent are you, and how much work can/will you do yourself. Since you're asking about kits, I assume you want to go that route. Will you install it yourself? Can you tune the motor yourself, or do you need dyno time? What kind of budget do you have? You won't need to "tune" the EMS for a basic kit running low boost. If you get into a full standalone then you will.

Best bang for the buck EMS? Megasquirt.

When I first started out turbocharging my Miata, I had never turbocharged a car before, had never had any experience with so much as an aftermarket "chip", and definitely had no tuning or dyno experience. If my dumbass can do it, anyone can, with a lot of help from the gurus who hang out at this site.

For the turbo kit, for starters, my advice is to get a kit that contains a good turbo, manifold, and possibly downpipe. This way, as you reconfigure and make other changes, the "meat" of the kit remains unchanged and up to the task. The Begi S kits and the FM kits are both good in this regard. I've made my Greddy comparable in power, but if I had it to do all over again I'd have started with a Begi kit.