do you ever worry about tracking the car with all that extra **** to go wrong during high stress driving? I worry about the sustained high rpm beating on the track in an NA car...am I just being a *****?

 

I'm thinking I won't be comfortable unless I have a huge rad, trans cooler, and I'm still worried about welds cracking and **** overheating.

 

Just run it....don't substain full boost on straights if you are worried about it. If you have a good tune and good components then the turbo wont add much extra abuse.

 

What kind of "tracking" are you talking about. Autocross? HPDE? Spec? Drag? If you want to get it out on a nice long road-course for 1/2 hour at a time in the middle of the summer in Alabama... then a bigger rad and trans cooler might be a good idea, but not before you've installed the sensors to monitor temperature and confirm you need that stuff.

I don't find that I drive the car any less hard on the track than I do on a daily basis on the street. I still take it to redline in every gear several times a day... WOT every time I get on the freeway... heavy breaking all the time... If you've got the car set up right, things should hold together just fine. I always drive it hard. On a track, I just drive it hard all at once I'm not worried about anything breaking, except breaking the tires loose. I've never driven it hard enough for long enough to get anything hotter than I was comfortable with.

When talking about welds breaking... are you referring to your passenger side floorboard falling off the car during a drag-race or what?

If you've got the money for a bigger rad andtrans/oil coolers and want that stuff, then knock yourself out... IT CAN'T HURT! But chances are you don't need any of it. The engine radiator out of an automatic equipped car is supposed to be bigger than the manual trans version and can be had in an all-metal version which some claim is better than the OEM one with plastic tanks. That, in addition to some water-wetter and the "dual-fan mod" will probably solve any cooling problems you have... the next step is an aluminum rad and fan upgrade which is much more expensive.

I just did a quick search for Miata specific trans coolers and found nothing.

If you've got the cash, this little guy http://www.good-win-racing.com/Mazda...t/10-1001.html will make for nice peace of mind and painless oil-changes.

 

If I was going to track my car i would just turn the boost down to 8psi or so. Sustained high rpm boost is the hardest thing on an engine.

 

Sam, I thought you were working on the obese posts?!

 

I just get carried away... too much blather and not enough substance... believe it or not, I have started proofreading and cutting out about 30% of non-essential stuff. I AM trying at least.

 

I like Sam's posts. They're long, but he always says something.

I spend less time reading a SamNavy post one time & immediately understanding him than the 3 times I have to read a magnamx5 post to figure out what he meant.

 

I agree to a point. When he posts, you know he's at least addressed each question.

 

i just think it's funny. I try to answer things with the KISS method in mind.

 

+1 for Sam always having good info.
I also just had to go look up the KISS Method, which happens to be a "Don't outsmart yourself" sales technique.

 

Turn the boost DOWN at the track? WTF? What's the point in having it if you're not going to USE it?

Use the track day to find out WHAT'S going to break. If you're worried, rent a U-haul truck and trailer so you can tow the car home if need be. Babying a track machine doesn't make any sense to me at all. Run it hard or don't run it at all.

 

Ive been working on it Ben.

 

I'm talking about road course stuff...4-6 25 minute sessions per day. I worry about internals going to ****, but I guess if you're running 12.4:1, egt below 1300*, and everything else is ok, then the engine will be ok. My last car had problems keeping the manifold and dp welds together.

I'm going to do the oil cooler mod since I live in TX, I've been able to get oil temp up to 310* in an NA vr6. I'm really paranoid about engine failure. I had my last car tuned once, then blew it up 2 days later doing a highway pull...a wrist pin apparently was sized incorrectly, and everything went to **** quick.

Thanks for the input.

 

Transmission cooler? Don't be such a ******* ***** "Mr $1600 Miata". Many people track Turbo Miatas, if you can't take and abuse it during a track day you might as well polish it in your garage with a diaper and throw on some Daytona wire wheels.

I drive angry, and I like it!

Jay

 

No doubt that a track day will expose any weak links in your car, but that should not stop you from going to the track. You will most likely run into a few snags here and there, BUT even people who bring their unmodified cars have issues too. You are pushing your car very hard so any issues will rear their heads. On a positive note, it'll help you sort your car out quickly.

 

even as my manifold withered away, my biggest consern was brakes.

 

who uses brakes not me. the gas pedal and clutch are the only ones you need throw the other one out for wieght reduction.

 

and manifolds- cast manifolds show their worthiness in this arena

 

I dont think I could use 16psi @ the track...i would be using it in straights but 8psi is still about 200whp which is plenty to have fun with. I dont feel like breaking stuff.