Hello All! Introducing myself and my Miata.
 

Hello everyone! My name's George. I'm a 25-year-old Eastern Shore native that currently resides in the DFW area of Texas due to job relocation. I just recently decided to get a second car, as my first is currently a track rat.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1445816106

She's a 1989 BMW e30 with an M50 swap. I have my own plans for her, so I figured the smart thing to do was to buy a more reliable car to daily. Enter my 1990 Mazda Miata!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1445816106

She's bone stock besides the wheels (I think?), the front bumper, and the 1.8L engine out of a '95 Miata.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1445816106
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1445816106
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1445816106
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1445816106
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1445816106

Even has the casette head unit from the factory!


Plans wise for the Miata, I'd like to keep it as comfortable a daily as possible. Updating the sound system, refreshing the paint, adding in a roll bar for safety. Power-wise I'd like to reliably put her in the 250-300 with a decent turbo setup. Ideally, I'm considering buying a 1.8 from a Mazdaspeed, building it up outside of the car while I run a smaller turbo (maybe making 180 with the 1.8 in it now), then dropping it in once it's ready and running a larger turbo. I have a lot to learn since this would be my first FI vehicle, so meeting people with a common interest is a priority for me.

Let me know what you guys think, and thank you for looking!

Hello All! Introducing myself and my Miata.
 

Welcome to the forum. Mazdaspeed turbos suck somewhat. Better options abound.

NB wheels.

You do have better options.
Seems like the work is half way done for you, 1.8 swapped.
Read around on these forums for a while, realize that sub 250hp in a ~2200lb is more than plenty for daily duties. Roll bar for safety? I hope you aren't planning on rolling the vehicle over while commuting, trying to avoid that would be the safest thing.

Of course, but I've heard horror stories about the style bar bending and forcing the headrests forward. I'd rather plan for something bad to happen than assume it can't.

Also they look cooler.

The guy I bought it from is the second owner of it and did the swap a while back. Engine has only 10k on it since this car was babied. From what I've heard, however, an engine with VVT is more ideal. I'm hoping dropping in a newer engine won't be that much of a hassle. If it isn't even required I may consider not doing it at all. The name of the game is reliable power, so if that means forged internals I feel like it would be smarter (albeit more expensive) to do the swap again.

There's no reason to run a small turbo first (or to run only 180). Get either a GT2560r, or an EFR6268, and run 230 whp. The drop in the built motor, and run 300.

Oh, and Mazdaspeed motors are no different than other 1.8's. If you're really looking for the best, than get a 01+ non-Mazdaspeed, so you have VVT. Basically 01+ with a 99-00 intake manifold is the best, 99-00 or 04-05 Mazdaspeed with the 99-00 intake manifold is second best, and then a 94-97 1.8 is the third best.

Awesome! Thanks for the tip. I guess buying a small turbo is kind of silly when I could just run a decent turbo with a very conservative tune.

I'm also trying to decide my ECU. I've heard good things about the MS2 ECU, but I've also heard positive things about the Hydra ECU. I know Flyin' Miata endorses the Hydra for VVT engines, but I haven't heard whether or not the MS2 can handle the VVT.

ms3 can handle vvt, and cost half of what the hydra, and you'd be able to get tons of support vs almost nothing with the hydra

welcome
your name had me thinking this would be a terrible thread filled with flat brim stancebro debauchery, but I was pleasantly surprised. very clean car, and already 1.8 swapped which is excellent. your plans are good too but don't pay premium for msm parts when much better can be obtained

First time I've seen someone question a member for wanting to take out the mouse trap and install a roll bar. Yes, install a roll bar. Not going to track it? Awesome. Still a good idea. Keep that plan.

As others have said, research some builds before you spend on a built motor and such. You'll probably find that 230-240 whp (safe on a stock 1.8) is very potent in a Miata and will likely satisfy you. 300 whp in a Miata is honestly somewhat silly (enjoyable, but silly).

Best bet for controlling VVT is MS3 if you're going to tune yourself, or whatever your tuner recommends if you're going to have someone else tune it.

Thanks for the warm welcome. The name is mainly an attempt at having something stick. I use it as a gamertag on Xbox, so it definitely comes off as bro-y :p

The built motor was mainly for reliability. I want to make sure that, if I were to reach my goal, it won't blow the engine.

I would probably go get it professionally tuned as I don't know anything about tuning a car, so finding a shop wouldn't be a bad idea.

Welcome to the site G_Wheezy, thanks for joining up!

Hey welcome! How soon are you looking to turbo? I have a nice turbo setup for sale if you're interested.

Thanks guys! Well seeing as she's completely stock and I've not made any steps at all towards FI, I would say I'm nowhere near getting ready to turboing her. I probably won't get into it until maybe sometime next year. PM me what you got and we can talk, though.

You have so many options available to you. The first choice that needs to be made for 100% is:

Are you going to tune it yourself (or do you want to learn to tune yourself)

or

Are you going to pay to have someone tune it.

I'd highly recommend going with #1. Mostly because megasquirt is the bomb and you have tons of community support.

I know you said you'd likely want to use a shop, and that's totally respectable. Just understand that dyno time is horribly expensive.

You're in a position where you could buy a Megasquirt, install it, and learn to tune it on your car. It wouldn't cost you a ton, and yes there'd be a steep initial learning curve, but you can totally do it. Then you'll be ready by the time you collect your turbo goodies.

Just a thought!

Definitely something to consider. From what I've seen I can also have the megasquirt installed and running while the car is still NA and get a good base tune.

I guess my worry is that I do something that is irreparable and will cost me more to fix than it would to get someone else to do it. I'm not above asking for help and I do love learning to do things on my own. I'm sure that there are probably some really nice base tunes on here as well.

That'll probably be my first real mod then: getting an aftermarket ECU. Included will be the wideband with all the necessary sensors and maybe a few gauges (specifically AFR) just to get me started. I plan on doing some heavy research just on the megasquirt alone.

Another idea I was throwing around (that I don't think I'd ever end up doing) is a turbo with individual throttle bodies. The idea being that the ITB helps with the turbo lag so they kind of play off each other.

You won't have lag with the proper turbo. :)

For your goals skip itbs. ITBS would be awesome but the type of tuning of runner length and the added difficulty is beyond necessary. Rods only engine build will suffice. Toss a ATI or super miata crank damper or a boundary engineering oil pump in for reliability. Toss turbo and ecu on and just worry about cooling and suspension if it seems necessary for your uses

Please explain this to me, because I have no idea what you're talking about

^This. :likecat:

Well I was under the impression that the reason ITBs are desired is because of the immediate throttle response they give. Turbos have to spool up before they deliver peak power, so ideally the ITBs help with the low end until the turbo spools.

Just kind of a silly idea more than anything.

Well, ITBs typically come at the expense of intake runner length. Intake runner length is carefully calculated to generate low end torque through harmonics. A really short runner will lose huge amounts of torque (and therefore horsepower) below 5 or 6000rpm but will gain some power above that. If you have a high rpm race engine that is designed to operate exclusively between 5000-9000rpm they are really useful.

Throttle response is something people talk about when they aren't making real power. Drag racers don't need it because they are already revving up prior to launching. Road racers don't need it because they are rolling into the throttle from the middle of the turn as traction will allow (unless they suck and are just stomping on the throttle as soon as they get onto the straight).

If you are worried about boost threshold being low enough for your driving habits, then pick a small turbo. I choose to have a larger turbo for the sake of lower intake temps and reduced exhaust backpressure. If I stomp on the throttle below 3000 rpm on the track then I'm doing something wrong. I should have downshifted. But I understand that value on the street, and it is a useful trade-off to go with a smaller turbo for street use for this reason.

A modern turbo will generate positive pressure within a fraction of a second if it is within it's operating range. For mine, that is above 3800rpm and up to redline. Good luck!

Makes me miss my s50 swapped e30, until I remember I was never happy with the suspension even with TC Kleins and Bilsteins. That rear semi-link trailing arm, yeesh.

Welcome to forums.

Yeah compared to the Miata the E30 is a nightmare. EVERYTHING in that car is different compared to the Miata as far as feel goes. I got so used to the E30 hating me every time I did something that when I jumped in the Miata all the friendly feelings I got from driving it were so foreign. But yeah I love my E30. She needs a lot of work to get her more street friendly though.

Suspension is another priority for me as well. The suspension on the Miata is stock and is surprisingly still really, really good. I would like a little stiffer ride, though, just because I'm used to it. I'm going to start searching for a nice set of coilovers.

Another thing that I'm worried about is the clutch. The clutch is so different between the Miata and the E30 that I'm worried I'm going to prematurely destroy it. The E30 clutch is a Stage 2 so it's very heavy, the Miata clutch is like stepping into a bowl of marshmallows hah. Not used to all the travel.

Once you replace the clutch while doing a swap, that should help some.

Shameless plug

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1445973174
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1445973174

Damn she's nice! Northern VA, huh? I just moved off the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

That was when I was in Rhode Island. Built it, went to Germany for a year for study/internship at BMW, then returned and sold it to build a Miata. It was a fun car and great how many parts could be frankensteined together from other BMW's and Porsches. Alas, it didn't win my heart and it was time to move on.

Welcome to the DFW area! As far as ECU's go I can't recommend anything other than one of Reverant's Enhanced MegaSquirts.

Thanks Gibbs! I'll have to take a look. I was leaning toward a Megasquirt so I'll give it a gander.

It's honestly the best way to go. There is tons of forum support and knowledge to help get you going.

I sent him a PM. Hopefully he can hook me up with something.

As far as aesthetics go, not sure if I like the RacingBeat bumper or not. I really like the GV lip and was considering seeing if it can be made to fit it while not looking stupid. Otherwise I may consider going back to the OEM bumper.

Happy Heckoween guys! Talked to Reverant and I think I'm going to go with the MS3 ECU that he offers. That way, I can use it to tune the 1.8 in it now, and can still use it when and if I upgrade the 1.8 to one with VVT.

Good plan

I'm going to be in the market soon for some new suspension; apparently I lied about the current suspension being good. The front struts are blown :/. I'm looking at some different coilover options so if anyone can recommend me some good street ones I'd be happy to consider them. Currently looking at Bilsteins, Megan coilovers and Stance GR+ coilovers.

Only one of those is a good option.

Can you give me anything else? Lol. I'm guessing you mean the Megans.

.....if only we had like, a suspension thread, or something

:giggle:

BRRRRRT try again

I did some searches and the only *useful* thread I could really find on my specific question was how to reuse bilsteins from an NB. I guess that could be an option but I don't have anything as far as aftermarket suspension goes so I wasn't sure if that was the best option.

You'd think there'd be some sort of "Rate Your Suspension Here" sticky or something.

There are individual threads for that.

Budget Bilsteins are good.

Stance and Megan are poo.

FM Vmaxx is cheap and has been getting good reviews lately.

Xidas just experienced a $200 ish price drop.

I'm not above spending a decent chunk of change for a decent suspension setup. Since it's going to be a street car more than a track car, it doesn't need to be too stiff. I'll take a look at the XIDA's.

FWIW, if I wasn't building a track car I personally wouldn't bother with the Xidas. For a street car I'd have much preferred my previous Fatcat revalved billies on softer springs.

The Xidas are a great setup, but they are stiff!

I mean I don't mind stiff when it comes to ride stability. If the car is lowered, obviously it needs to be a little stiff or you bottom out. If they're like racing-application stiff it probably wouldn't be a great ride hah.

For being race-capable shocks the ride is absolutely fantastic. At a low ride height I am happy with the ride for sure. If you can afford them youbwobt regret it. It just may be overkill for your application if you have no plans to track the car.

I got you. I'll definitely consider them, thanks man.

In keeping up with the white scheme, I decided to add a little personal flair to the inside. Thanks to my awesome girlfriend for the shift knob!

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1446929391

With stiff springs and adjusted to stiff damping settings, yes. With medium or softer spring rates, damping adjusted medium, they're quite plush. Easily as plush as any other combination available for the Miata.

You decide what springs will work for you or call us for some guidance. Adjust damping to suit driving conditions.

My XIDAs are comfortable on full soft, and I went with 750/450 springs

I was checking the spring rates on the Xidas coil covers and I think I'm going to go with them. Maybe 750/450, maybe a tad stiffer.

If you know what you need and understand the options, feel free to order from the site. If you want to have us double check your math, drop us line.

I should have been more clear.

I'm on 700/400 springs, NB, no PSor AC but with turbo. Full interior.

On full soft it's tolerable on the street but I still find it quite stiff. On the track I run about 10 clicks in so far.. haven't had a ton of track time, but that felt good at Laguna.

If I was building a street car only I'd personally choose softer rates. Obviously Thumpetto and I have differing definitions of "comfortable."

A new problem has sprung up. For some reason, sometimes the clutch won't disengage and it's either difficult or impossible to switch gears. When I turn the car off and shift to first, with the clutch engaged it doesn't move so I don't think it's slipping. I've also noticed that the travel time for the clutch is extremely short- less than an inch perhaps. Maybe adjust the linkage?

I think one possibility is that I never noticed before how short the travel is and I may have just not pressed the clutch in all the way.

Bad clutch slave, common Miata problem after several years. Could be the clutch master but most likely the slave.

Just got out from under her to try and see if there was anything leaking from the slave. Nothing so far but it looks really worn so it's probably worth trying that first.

I noticed a loose bracket around one of the lines near the slave cylinder. Anyone know what it goes to?

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1447092156

Lol fair enough.

Dropped her off at a shop that worked on my e30 for me since all of my tools are still in storage. Hoping its it's the slave so I don't have to eat the 1300 dollar clutch replacement.

Usually the slave, common failure on old Miatas. They're less than $20. $1300 for a Miata clutch including R&R sounds a bit steep. I'd expect more like $500-700 P&L. Add maybe $200 for a race clutch.

All the symptoms I'm reading about for a failing clutch and slave sound almost exactly the same. Is there a dead giveaway that the clutch isn't the culprit? Here are my symptoms:

The past day or so it was almost impossible to shift into gear. This afternoon, I started it in first and it wanted to stall out with the clutch depressed. After driving it for a little and engaging the clutch a bit, I could shift from neutral to first at a dead stop if I pressed firmly on the clutch.

A visual inspection showed that the slave wasn't leaking, but it looked corroded.

Clutch fluid was in the correct range, but was brown.

This problem kind of came up out of nowhere. I personally think my driving habits are decent enough that I don't ride the clutch.

PO was the second owner. Older dude who babied it as far as I can tell. It barely saw road use based on the color of the diff and trans fluids.