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Hi all, My name is Raph.
I'm 33, mechanical engineer, father of one and I'm from Quebec, Canada.
Happy to join the miataturbo forum!
Here is my 1995 Laguna blue Miata that I bought last year:
It has 160 000 miles and compression is at 170 psi on all four cylinders.
It has a hard dog roll bar, poly bushings, MeisterR sportive coilovers and a ACT HD clutch and streetlite flywheel (13lb).
It is my 2nd miata. I previously had a 1999 NB.
Honestly, the NB has more power, better aero, and a nicer interior, BUT the NA has the pop up headlights!
Before that I had a 1999 civic SI (SiR in Canada) that I used to autoX. (hence my username)
My goal with this car is just to have fun driving it and wrenching on it!
It is not my DD so I have time to work on it. especially during winter here!
I am just street driving it at this point. Maybe in a few years I'll have time to autoX it or even do a few track days, but thats a big NO for now!
I plan on going forced induction with the stock internals. I have no specific hp target, but the usual 200-230 whp would be great with quick spool for street driving.
I am considering 2 main setups: 1) Budget setup : Subaru TD04L-13T turbo with DIY manifold and downpipe. Ebay special intercooler kit, yonaka 2.5" exhaust. I can weld and machine parts if needed. Something similar to DNMakinson's build thread. 2) No compromise setup : GT2560 or GBC 20-300 turbo, Kraken manifold, 3" exhaust and intercooler kit. (I know that Kraken will stop taking orders for 3" exhaust in a few days. Convince me to order now!!! )
For both I'm thinking:
-MS3Pro mini for the ECU as they seem like a reliable and cost effective option.
-Flowforce 640 cc injectors, DW200 fuel pump and AEM Uego wideband.
-coolant reroute + Mishimoto or koyo radiator
My initial plan was to install the above (ECU, injectors, cooling) this coming winter, tune and drive the car and THEN select a forced induction setup.
But with Kraken's recent announcement, it got me thinking!
What do you guys think?
I believe the "fun" factor will be similar for both setups. However, the Garrett+kraken setup should perform better and be more reliable.
-Is the 3" exhaust really worth it over a 2.5" for a stock internals "low" power build? I am not sure that it is. especially since I would be rushing a purchase.
-What do you think of the turbo selection? I could consider a small chinese T3 unit also.
If I can find a used turbo or SC kit, then I would probably go with that as it would most likely be cheaper.
I should probably start a build thread when I start installing some parts!
Cheers!
Looks like a good starting point. 200-230 WHP is a great place to be.
I've got some FF640's sitting in the classifieds section right now . FWIW I was able to put down an estimated 220 WHP on a DW100 and those injectors on 91 Octane and a 2560R. The DW200 would definitely pair better with those injectors, but you can probably get away with the OEM pump for a while.
IMO the MS3 Pro Mini seems like it would be a bigger project than just grabbing a used MS3 PNP, but I can also see the appeal in a wiring project. Does it have all the I/O you're going to want? It seems a little sparse there.
I grabbed the 3" Kraken exhaust before I got the rest of the turbo kit. I mated that up to an old FM downpipe that I believe was 2.25" and that worked well enough until I decided to upgrade to the rest of the Kraken kit (mani, downpipe, etc...)
The kraken kit definitely performs better, is more reliable and is much quicker to install. I'll have to wait a bit before pulling the trigger however. I dont want to rush it and I'll install/tune the ECU first.
@SimBa I saw your FF640 for sale. But after importing it to Canada I would need to purchase the seals, top hats and harness adapter separately and it would be pretty close to buying everything new unfortunately.
My local tuner recommended the MS3Pro mini and I emailed DIYautotune regarding the fit in a miata and they said it would work well once the wiring is done. I still have to confirm the pinout for the ecu connector however.
I saw quite a few used MS2PnP for sale but not many MS3PnP unfortunately.
Thanks for chipping in, @DNMakinson .
That means a lot, considering your experience with the TD04 build.
I guess its a "buy once, cry once" kind of thing.
I would definitely choose the 2560 over the 2554 for my 1.8.
As mentioned, I'm also considering the GBC20-300 for its faster spool and solid power delivery up to redline. It should spool faster than a TD04!
I don't really mind the journal bearings, but the lack of water cooling has me concerned about heat management and long-term durability—especially for track use.
Unfortunately, there's not a lot of real-world data available on these turbos yet.
The IWG hole also seems to be too small to properly control boost. Here are two threads mentioning that : https://www.mx5nutz.com/threads/gbc-turbo.390651/ https://www.miataturbo.net/prefabbed...rboost-108320/
Last edited by SiRAutoX; Aug 13, 2025 at 08:23 PM.
Those GBC turbo's have been in the back of my mind for a bit. There are a couple people on here running them I believe, but there's not a ton of data out there. IIRC Pulsar makes a clone of the 300.
For track duty I'd assume an oil cooler on those is basically required, but I don't have enough experience to know for sure.
yes correct, its the Pulsar 3942G. It's not that much cheaper than the Garrett unit however.
If your GT2560 is in good shape, it's probably not worth changing to the GBC. It would make for an interesting comparison though!
Yeah I'm definitely not considering the 3942 anymore just considering I want to make more power. Maybe when I inevitably get a second Miata to throw all my spare parts at though
You might also consider MKTurbo, though I don’t know if Lars ships to Canada.
For track use, I’d suggest you request double pass welding on the manifolds.
It's on his facebook. I hate facebook, I try to visit as infrequently as possible. It'd be sweet if we had a "kraken updates" thread or something, seeing as though he's not on here, as far as I'm aware.
After sleeping on it I have decided that right now best way to fix everything on my side is to remove the final products of the kits which are causing me unnecessary stress. So the full exhausts are going, I am not able to continue making them, in general theres a chance I may do them again but wont be anytime soon. There are a couple of factors involved here from welding to the costs of the parts, I am not happy continuing doing it how im doing it now for sure. The 3" Top Mount downpipes will also go but they will stay in the Low Mount configuration, again same reasons as above plus the messages im getting about stuff not fitting are making me take this decision (clearly they are fitting but tired of explaining how 3" downpipe cant have an inch of clearance on car not designed to have a turbo kit)
Anyway not to ramble away, I will stop making exhausts and 3" top mount downpipes, this includes EFR and G Series because of the really tight elbow that requires pie cuts and expert welding.
This will take effect somehwere around mid august until then im not changing the prices and you can order everytging from the webshop. If by any chance you want full setup and cant pay it for it in full you can order your downpipe or exhaust and in the notes let me know a second order will come and ill combine shipping if needed.
While the turbos will be available to buy I really dont want to sell them, the new builder makes this very clear, I really want to cut down on the money going out and the money that goes on shipping and the money you will need to pay on tarrifs or taxes. (Yes people are complaining about that) I hope the turbo kits will just include a 2.5" downpipe, intercooler piping (choice of 2 options) and a manifold that can fit in one normal box.
For the intercooler kits the only BOV option will be the Chinese BOV or empty 25mm or 38mm port
Just want to add what is staying
Top mount manifold and GT5 bolt turbos( any 5 bolt exhaust turbo) will have a 2.5" downpipe available. So 2554R 2560R, gtx2860r will all have 2.5" downpipes available
Top mount Intercooler kit will be available
Low Mount manifolds and 3" downpipes for G25 EFR will be available
Low mount Intercooler kits will be available
On the intercooler kits the bov that tou can buy from me will be only the Chinese version, however you can spec your piping with either a 25mm port or 38mm round port. You will need to buy your own bov
NC EWG manifolds in both lhd and rhd however not sure about the downpipes, I want to keep the available if I can
NC intercooler kits and intakes
Lines and fittings and intakes
Hardtops
For the exhausts and downpipes all orders received by 15th of August will be honored
Thanks for quoting Kraken's Fb post @curly @DNMakinson I considered MKturbo's intercooled kit, but it is only about 10% cheaper than a kraken kit after converting to CAD$. So I feel it is not worth it. Maybe in the US it makes more sense.
Dad with limited spare time wants to turbo!
)
. FWIW I was able to put down an estimated 220 WHP on a DW100 and those injectors on 91 Octane and a 2560R. The DW200 would definitely pair better with those injectors, but you can probably get away with the OEM pump for a while.
