I don't think me and you are talking about the same kind of snow driving. My snow driving typically consists of this scenario: Wake up at 6am. it's dumping. It's a powder day, has been snowing all night. Load up the car with snowboards and gear (maita already fails this test), grab some coffee. The 3/4 mile long dirt road I live down is likely not plowed at this point. Proceed to push through the snow that is up to bumper level on my Integra. This would be hood level on the miata, would not work.

The main roads are usually good, but shit can hit the fan once you hit the canyon. Lots of people looking to hit a powder day, long canyon road full of snow. By now the canyon should be passable with good tires.

After riding all day, say it's still snowing. Coming back down the hill can be hell. I've plowed snow through the canyon that was bumper deep in the integra before. Miata/fd/ANY sports car will not do. Even lowered subies are having issues.

City driving on plowed roads? I could see my miata with snow tires working. Still, I love my miata way too much to put it through that.

Very good point. I'm glad I created this thread to get some sense knocked into me. I'd rather keep my winter DD and proceed with my goals for a 300whp miata by next summer.

Also, thanks guys for the 323 info. It looks like I won't be looking for one anytime soon, but if one finds me... I'll take my chances. I think I'm going to end up trading my integra for an old impreza or something, that would be awesome.

WRONG.


The answer is MX6 GT.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1375889992

But... can it compete with the rally teg?

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1375890139

Never looked back. I try to win all pow days (unless I have to work :( )
Now I just need to find a turbo II/rx8 lsd...

Ground clearance helps... Ehhh those are my summer commuting tires....
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1375890566
One day I'll live close to the mountain.... one day...
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1375890566

LOL, dude I LOVE your woodburning stove. That is fucking awesome.

Where did you live when you lived out my way? I typically put in 60+ days at tsv each season, and try to make all the pow days. Doesn't always work out like I want due to work, but I can't be angry.

Easily. Ground clearance doesn't matter much when you have enough power and rubber to just plow through anything you can't get over.

Also, have you see how high these fuckers sit from factory? My car has been lowered over 4 inches.

Haha, yeah. The ground clearance thing is debatable, but I've never gotten my teg stuck. I've passed rows of cars uphill in 8"+ of powder in the canyon with it. They must have thought I was nuts.

Like i said earlier, i DO like the mx6 gt's. Would DD.

Rally-spec Lemons beater glory MX6 GT. This thing was fucking FAST. (And borderline undrivable.)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1375891343

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1375891343

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1375891343

I lived in the Burque area for 16 years until about a year ago. I've made that 3 hour drive to Taos in pounding snow more times than I care to remember... 2wd trucks rolling out of the canyon on that last climb were always fun to watch.

More stove pics: (Of course I made this with the HF flux core wire feeder)
Didn't even bother knocking the slag off
Edit: I should mention that this may have been a beer fueled endeavor... The closeups of my fab work are..... telling
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1375892354

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1375892354

Hmm, that gives me an idea for a winter car once my Mark VIII finally tanks. B2600 + megasquirt + T3 churbo? Or maybe Ben could help me swap an F2T in there ;)

LOL, stove is epic man. I could see sleeping in the parking lot with that thing chugging on a pow day.

You are really making me want a mx6 gt. I saw a SUPER clean one with 130k on it, manual trans, etc, for like 1400. Now I'm thinking i should have bought it. The only thing going through my mind at the time was old ass turbo car = trouble.

no. he dailes a crx with a roll cage.

B2600 is harder to find, and only 2-3 years have the G6 mazda motor and the R box mazda trans. The other years are Mitsubishi guts. (Which is still interesting on other levels).

Start with a B2200.

Unless you wanted the B2600 for 4wd?

F2T in a B2200 is cake, and i actually have manifolds for that very swap sitting around. And i'll have a spare B2600 mazda trans, you'll just need to find a bellhousing, because i'm using it.

So, yeah. I'd help. :party:


These are the exception to the rule for the most part. Seals and gaskets give out and they'll leak, but they're so easy to work on and parts are so cheap that it doesn't matter. There's many accounts of these things running to over 300k miles without any real mishaps. (More than one account of one doing it on a stock original clutch.)


Brain had one... or at least the 626 GT Touring variant, which is pretty funky fresh.

So, if i wanted a dead reliable one for a DD with a little more oomph (idk, 180-200whp) - what mods would I need? Can I keep the stock ECU? I was looking up modifying these things and all the info is ANCIENT and I'm not sure if i trust all these posts from 2001, lol.

On the contrary, the posts for 2001 are the ones that you should trust.

180-200whp?

I'd do a downpipe (there's a guy making them right now for $150, 2.5", nice piece.), an intake if you felt bored, chipped ECU (remove boost cut only), and a boost controller.

That 200whp should come with about 250wtq.

If you want to get real ghetto, the factory boost cut is actuated when the VAF (flapper) is pushed all the way up and shorts out on the body of the housing. Put a rubber-tipped stopper screw in there and keep it from shorting. Voila!


I'd definitely suggest keeping the modifications mild in your case. Not because they're any less reliable with a REAL turbo on them (on the contrary, they could possibly be MORE reliable, and get better gas mileage), but mostly because i could see how it would be really depressing that your cheapass daily driver MX6 makes more power than your turbo Miata without needing to build a motor or really do... anything worth talking about.


Shopping advice: 90-92s (Gen1Bs as they're called) are better than 88-89s. (Gen1As.) They run happier, electronics are better. Gen1B grill is fugly, swap it out for a Gen1A grill.

It having more power than my miata is not a concern. The miata is unmatched in the twisties anyways.

However a concern for me would be it becoming a money pit. I would want it mild and somewhat quick for DD duty.

I had found a 1A (89) model that I was looking at. How much worse are they, should I completely avoid it? Or just be on the look out for a 1B? They are very rare around here, so if i want one I kind of need to jump on one when it comes up. I may offer someone with a clean one trade for my teg straight across. Think that's a fair idea?

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...78177550_n.jpg
j/k baby

F2t sounds awesome. I want to do a cummins swap in my miata.

Better get one asap, it will be 2099 and they will have been extinct for a while by the time your car is ready

:giggle:

I wouldn't avoid a Gen1A, just be aware that i might not be able to help you as much as if you had a Gen1B when it comes to sensors/electrical things if they were to ever go bad.

Gen1As are definitely more common. By the time 1990 rolled around, these cars were very expensive compared to the competition and not many sold/were made anymore.


They aren't money pits, especially if you have half a brain. I've had mine as my daily driver for 4 years, it's one of the fastest examples in North America, i get 40mpg on the highway, it's never stranded me, and i have less than $2k into it including purchase price.

If you can manage to make one of these into a money pit, then you're really great at squandering money.


As far as it never being able to hang with the Miata in the twisties... the answer is "Depends." They'll handle far better than you'd think. It'll never FEEL as good, and you'll be wrestling it, but i like that sort of thing.

I have the manifolds and turbo off that very truck. :rofl:

The motor was replaced in that thing in favor of a 2.2 11:1 stroker FE3 being fed by a 3076.


https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1375899842