Serious discussion on the LS1 swap.
#44
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I'd love to drive or run against a V8 car - but I wouldn't expect it to go faster. For the same power, a turbo car will be lighter every time, and for equal power the cost is around the same ($10-12k for a V8, $10-12k for a 400whp drivetrain+turbo+ECU).
#45
On that note, my car actually made it out of the garage off the lift. Washed it yesterday and will be troubleshooting a few problems this week like airbag light and some stereo stuff. I should have it on the road in a couple weeks finally.
Frank
#46
It has always been considered tacky to stuff another motor from a totally different auto maker into a car. We always cringed when we saw a Chevy motor in a Ford or vise versa. A fast Mazda powered Miata will always get more respect from a Chevy powered one. At least in my circle of hot rodding friends.
#50
It has always been considered tacky to stuff another motor from a totally different auto maker into a car. We always cringed when we saw a Chevy motor in a Ford or vise versa. A fast Mazda powered Miata will always get more respect from a Chevy powered one. At least in my circle of hot rodding friends.
#51
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It has always been considered tacky to stuff another motor from a totally different auto maker into a car. We always cringed when we saw a Chevy motor in a Ford or vise versa. A fast Mazda powered Miata will always get more respect from a Chevy powered one. At least in my circle of hot rodding friends.
Like the other day I was in the parts store buying plugs. I was trying to get NGK plugs for the LS1. The parts counter idea was actually trying to tell me it was a bad idea to put NGK plugs in an 'American' car, and that they always recommend American plugs for American cars, and Japanese plugs for Japanese cars
Back to the topic at hand... I have a LS1 Miata I am track preparing right now. I just finished making new front swaybar mounts yesterday and will be tearing into the rest over the next couple of weeks. Then I'll be hitting the track on October 9th. Texas World Speedway is definitely a high horsepower track, and there will be some turbo Miatas there as well. It should be a good time, and a chance to see how the two stack up against each other on the track.
For the record I am not trying to turn this into a turbo versus V8 track event, just mentioning what is going on. The only way to make a good comparison anyway would be for both cars to be set up exactly the same (other than the engines) and use the same driver.
Last edited by ZX-Tex; 09-21-2009 at 10:51 AM.
#52
No. Nobody has ever thought of putting a 13b, or any other rotary engine, in a Miata. You are a ******* genius and the most original thinker on the face of the planet.
Plus, crazy engine swaps are just plain cool. Half the fun and joy of hotrodding anything comes from mixing and matching the best parts from various manufacturers to get the coolest, fastest, best car at the end of the day.
#53
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Savington and I have reasonable "non-high-strung" turbo motors which are reliable. I still want to hear from someone who's had a v8 miata on the track...I'll see what it looks like at TWS next month.
#56
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It has always been considered tacky to stuff another motor from a totally different auto maker into a car. We always cringed when we saw a Chevy motor in a Ford or vise versa. A fast Mazda powered Miata will always get more respect from a Chevy powered one. At least in my circle of hot rodding friends.
Narrow minded.
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#58
The biggest problem I have with an LS1 swap is that I have a recurring problem with all project cars. I won't be happy with what it has from the factory and will have to start modding it for more power. So instead of starting at 100 or so and building it to go to 500, it will be start with 300 or so and building it to go to 700. At the same power level I would always be happier with Mazda engine, but the potential of the bigger engine makes me have good dreams.
#59
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We're both north of 250...more like 300 from me and 350+ from him. Once you consider that you probably used a faggy dynojet and we're on real dynos...well, die of aids in a turkish prison.
#60
For me, it's "hear from someone who's had a v8 Miata on the track who doesn't sell v8 conversion kits/parts." I've read a lot from the vendors, who are generally reliable, but still inherently biased. Then again, the track times from FM's open house say something- although that's not exactly a comprehensive sampling, it's only one track, etc. I'm mostly interested in hearing how the Miata's relatively small tires, short wheelbase, etc. hold up with the additional power and speeds that would be generated with that power. I'd also be interested in hearing about performance on a variety of tracks with varying characteristics. I think plenty of information will become available as these swaps become more and more commonplace, and I think they'll become more commonplace relatively quickly now that some of the more mainstream Miata performance vendors have taken to selling the parts and doing the conversions.
Now that I've settled into lasting, gainful employment and no longer have a girlfriend bleeding my bank account dry, the urge to take on a project is stronger than ever, and sticking an LSx into an NB chassis sounds like a great plan...