turbobluemiata

iTrader: (8)

hey that's my car lol

y8s

iTrader: (8)

hustler motivated?

so you might unwrap a turbo part in <6 mo?

Stealth97

iTrader: (5)

I had a JRSC for three years. what a PITA! Belt dust, slipping belts, shredding belts, Dump-truck powerband... idle issues... the suck.

thirdgen

iTrader: (26)

What actually started me on the "boost my miata" idea, was my friend had a 96 Acura Integra. We bolted a JRSC on one saturday night, and took the car for a beat. I was really impressed, mainly cause I knew what the car felt like before, and then the after effect was a total shocker. Time went by and he wanted to make serious power, so he got rid of the JRSC and went turbo. I never rode in it with the turbo, cause he hit a deer and totalled the car shortly after the turbo swap; but he said it was a major difference over the JRSC. I bought my miata last year, it was bone stock and SLOW. I went turbo, cause there are way more combinations you can do, it's less costly, and it's more efficient. I took my friend who had that Acura for a ride in my car the other week, and his response was, "this thing ****** moves." I am running a T25, at 7psi. I am interested in finding out what would happen if I lined my car up with a similar miata that was running a JRSC at like 8psi? I used to be a supercharger guy, but I was young and didn't know better. Guess that's why you hear people say, "did you see that SRT-4 go 12's last night?" But you never hear anybody say the same thing about a Cobalt SS.

cueball1

iTrader: (13)

Hustler - You having just recently taken a ride in an FI Miata explains alot about why you've taken so long. If you had just driven one 2 years ago you'd have gotten this done in 2 months and 4 zillion posts ago!!!!

Supers are great in the right applications. They are made for low & mid range grunt. As aftermarket they are perfect for trucks or big engines. Obviously it's different when the motor was designed for super - RE/ ZR1. They don't fit the character of our light rev happy cars. Just look at the vastly larger honda aftermarket. It's primarily turbo too.

Corky Bell sells and designs supers, not because he likes them but because they work and there is a market. He says that turbo's fit the character of our cars better. I agree. I would guess my Dyno curve doesn't look much different now than it did before, there's just a whole lot more.

Regardless. This wasn't meant to be a super vs. turbo thread. I just want the people here like me - who had never been in an FI and researching...

this is not just fun or recommended but an absolute MUST DO!

elesjuan

iTrader: (11)

Best his car dynoed with honestly undersized exhaust and no intercooler or proper fuel management was 160rwhp. Not too bad, but I'd bet a turbo @ 8psi would likely do better. As for SRT/Colbalt.. Theres tons of Sac riders for every car out there, fast or slow. I have a very good friend with a supercharged colbalt that'd blow the doors off that 12 second neon. You can make almost anything fast, with enough motivation engineering and money.

Sorry, I didn't mean to turn it into that.. My first boosted miata ride was a completely stock miata with a stock AFPR / Boost timing retard M45. It felt a LOT faster than mine, but wasn't really all that.. After I rode in an Greddy 1.6 that made 200rwhp... HOLY ****. <--- Addicted.

hustler

iTrader: (6)

ithe 184whp car felt quick. Will 250whp feel like a rocket ship? My old VW felt like a time warp in 3rd gear.

I just want to go home man. Right now I'm toying with the idea of canceling my next wine-trip to Washington and using a week to build my car and get it tuned, so I can make it to Hallett in September...but I'm so worried about cooling that I feel I'll break something and be stuck in Tulsa.

Toddcod

iTrader: (8)

You could always add water injection.

jayc72

iTrader: (14)

For a while until you get used to it.

Priorities. Driving a turbo Miata at the track is more manly than drinking wine in washington.

You have to get your head around this. You WILL break something eventually, turbo or not. If you are that worried about it, maybe you should stick to drinking wine. Besides cooling isn't really going to be the killer, sure it might be an issue but if you are paying attention to the car cooling problems should not leave you stranded. If the temp starts to get scary lift and limp it back in. Address the issue and move on.

With a 250whp Miata that you are driving to the track your worry should be brakes, unless you are changing rotors and pads at the track. I can't imagine many streetable pads are going to be too happy with that kind of power for very long on the track.

hustler

iTrader: (6)

I know I'll probably break a trans after a while. I really do not want to deal with what I had to with the VW...it was constant.

I have hawk blues for the sport rotors in the front, ht-10 in the rear, and a wilwood valve. Ducting from the r-pack lip too.

I just sent my $$$ in for the track day in September, so now I'm committed. I don't know how long I'm going to be out of town, but I might just have to fly home for 10 days or so before the trip to get the car running and somewhat tested. Is my destiny.

jayc72

iTrader: (14)

You are going to give yourself 10 days to install the setup, tune it and get all the bugs out of it. Then do a track day? I think you are being optimistic. And I'd want more shake down time, and wouldn't want that time to be on the race track. You might want to get used to the car a bit too.

With the track record BEGI has (just being honest) you'll likely have some fit issues that will slow you down, further ******* you to make it with in those 10 days.

I stand firm on the belief that most projects will take twice as long as you budget for.

Rafa

iTrader: (22)

cueball; boring ride back to Oregon from Texas!

I guess you wouldn't do it again; right?

Glad to see you're enjoying your car!

hustler

iTrader: (6)

I know and expect difficulties. However, I don't have any other options. If I must, I'll take the ugly car.

I'm still toying with the idea of taking the first week in august to build the car, then drive it back up to chicago to put miles on daily...but that's asking for trouble I think. I could probably build it and get johnwag to drive it...but he'd probably wreck it on the way to the gay club.

Toddcod

iTrader: (8)

That's funny.

Anyway about some of these guys saying they installed their turbo in 2 1/2 hrs.....

These guys have got to already have the ground down wrenches and tools already layed out. And new studs to boot.
That or a setup with more clearance and tolerances than mine. Plus the car had to already been turbo'ed once.

If not, yall have glowing MOJO.

If you make it down we should try to schedule a dyno time.

cueball1

iTrader: (13)

Rafa,

Have to say I enjoyed the drive more than I thought. Put 2400 miles on the car in 3 full days of driving. Thought I would see more flat scrubby desert than I saw. Lot's of interesting and pretty country out there - plenty of scrub too.

I work 7 days a week - and long hours too. Having a few days just driving was a nice break. Put the car on cruise at 80mph and just go...

Have you done the laps around your island yet?!? LOL

Thanks for checking back in!

hustler

iTrader: (6)

help me out for a second:

After its all over and done with, and all the work and ****, and even considering the dead-nuts reliability I've had in stock form, will 250whp will be worth it in the long-run? With the way my work schedule is, one of my most important, simple joys in life is to fly home, drive the miata at the track, and drive it home. I don't want to deal with it being broken all the time, or constantly needing something...and not being able to make it to the track.

I am getting a buddy to pull the stock motor out for me, so I can save a day, fly home, and put the new motor in.

jayc72

iTrader: (14)

I would say the turbo is worth it. And it should be pretty set and forget once it is dialed in and you aren't tweaking it and upgrading all the time.

**** I forgot you planed to do a motorswap, turbo install and tune in 10 days before a track day. You're golden.

hustler

iTrader: (6)

I learned a lot from my turbo vw experience. I'm getting Ron Popeil on this one, considering I've bought everything I want for it, and plan on adding nothing to it. Set it, and forget it.

cueball1

iTrader: (13)

OMG!!!! Hustler, you didn't just waffle on going turbo did you? WTF?

You've got a built motor and a quality turbo system. 250hp is cake for your set up. If it can't be reliable you've gone way wrong somewhere. I picked my car up with it's tired 100k mile motor from BEGI and drove it home 2400 miles in 100+ degree heat, had the AC on the whole time, not an issue. If you were going for some exotic install, some ghetto parts or mega hp you would have a reason to be concerned.

Man up already!!!!

My 1st track day is the 29th. It'll be interesting to see if anything bad happens. Figure the 1st session or two will be pretty conservative, faster than pre-turbo certainly, but conservative.

hustler

iTrader: (6)

oh man, I'm $8k in on the motor and turbo alone, its going in. I'm just wondering if I'm going to end up selling it in a year because it never ran right.
I had these problems with the 'rado and the TT, which never ran right, and I wanted to get rid of them.

After the amount of money I've spent, I just hope its worth it. I might just go ahead and say "**** it," and order slim fans today.