New guy from GA
 

Hey guys, I just traded my 98 prelude for a 91 turbo miata, and a totally stock 92. I've got a ton of questions, but I'm gonna spend a week or so browsing and searching before I ask most of my questions...but here are a couple that I'd like to know asap.

1) Both tops leak, and I don't have cash to replace them right now, eventually I'd like to go with a hard top. I have enough space to park one inside. Anybody know of a way to keep rain out temporarily? duct tape? packing tape?

2) The other is roll bars/cages. My wonderful awesome caring mother has decided that they're "too dangerous." So dangerous, in fact, that they'll pay for all or part of a roll bar or cage. So this is a good chance to get a roll cage or bar for cheap. Any recommendations? I can't ask them to throw a grand into a roll cage, so it prob needs to be a roll bar rather than full cage.

3) My turbo kit is a greddy kit, but has the smallest turbo I've ever seen. running 5-6 psi. I'd like to bump that up to 10. It's also not intercooled, and running stock exhaust. Is there a certain brand or exhaust combo that y'all recomend?

thanks guys

If you haven't already, create an account on MX5Atlanta.com. There is an active local community here that can help you. MiataStuff on that site sells used tops, usually already mounted on the frame. What are you planning to do with two Miatas? If funds are kind of limited, I would sell one of them and put all of my $$$ into one of them. Did you post the WTB hard top post on craigslist? Not to rain on your parade, but hard tops typically sell in the $700-$1000 range (who knows though...you might get lucky).

So, in short I'd recommend either buying a used top locally or getting a new one and installing it yourself (there are several good write ups on m.net).

As for the Greddy kit, I wouldn't take the boost up until you add an intercooler (the CX racing intercoolers on ebay are cheap and not bad, but you'll need to fab up piping) and engine management.

Congrats on the new cars.

I stopped water from coming in my top with some gorilla tape.

Then again, I knew I was going to scrap the top so I didnt care that it looked like a mess.

Now I just keep the hardtop on.

+1 on the gorilla tape. It even holds after putting the top down and back up even though it is in a crease area.

Ok I'll join that forum...I like the idea of getting to know other local miata guys. Right now I'm keeping both so that if one breaks down I can drive the other, and to give my brother a car to drive. But selling the non-turbo is definitely an option. And yes, I did post that on cl...I was just throwing it out there to see what people had. About 3 months ago there was a hardtop for 3-400.

And yes, about making it faster. I'd do the exhaust and the I/C at the same time I think. There are usually a bunch of intercoolers on importatlanta or craigslist...might find one on there. Right now it is tuned on a Vortech FMU...that's what I was told, but I've never heard of it. I also have a buddy who is willing to loan me a Greddy emanage blue. And then I was going to have it tuned at Balanced Performance, unless there's a better place for miata's. Do you think I would need to up my injector size or are the miata injectors usually ok?

Harddog makes some really nice roll bars. They have a bunch of options so just go to their website and do some reading.

The Greddy kit can be made to make great power, but you'll need these:

Engine Management (MSPNP)
Injectors
Fuel Rail (duel feed)
New wastegate (stock one dies around 8psi)
new downpipe (BEGI divorced gas is good)
Intercooler
1994+ miata different, driveshaft, and axles.

Once you get all that, then profit! Run 220whp all day.

Thanks man...I'll look into those parts. So is the engine management (vortech FMU) that I have right now not good enough? I've heard alot of people talking about MSPNP, but this is already tuned for this setup. And like I said, I also have access to a GReddy emanage blue, which I had heard was pretty good. But 220whp in a car as light as a miata would be GREAT! ::drool:

A good friend of mine started with a Greddy kit on his 92, and took baby steps the whole way. The FMU isn't good for much power at all, and he went and bought a E-Manage blue plus a Boomslang harness to plug it all in. The Emanage blue is still a limited system and ran out of balls very quickly as well. He ended up buying a full AEM EMS after he saw what mine could do, and now he's running just over 220 wheel horse.

The advantages to a full stand alone system is that you can delete the AFM, run big injectors, can tune your car 100%, and can monitor things such as air intake temp / boost, etc to troubleshoot and get more power.

If you don't want to go full stand alone, then I would suggest the AEM F/iC piggyback over the Greddy. It has it's own injector drivers (not just modifying the AFM signal like the Greddy), and it also has an onboard MAP sensor and a wideband oxygen sensor input.

But yah, anything over 200hp on these car is insane. You will love it.

hello
goodbye

hello
black duct tape and superglue FTMFW!
a few of these other Atlanta guys can vouch for my setup lolz

Cool man...I'll keep all of this in mind when I get the funds to actually get this done. Right now I'm not very happy with the turbo setup. I only build my full 5psi (lame I know) at like 4200 rpm :confused: that's pretty damn useless. There's no way to launch it, and boost comes on really slow. When I do get it, it's alot of fun though. Do you think that has anything to do with me running stock exhaust? I saw a post on here where someone was trying to tune their boost range with some exhaust modification. In the end, I'm only going to have about 3k to throw into this miata. So I need to plan how to use my $$ wisely and decide what is a reasonable build/goal with those funds. Keep in mind that includes some suspension and new wheels. LOL. I'm the classic broke high school student that pours all of my money into cars.

That turbo should spool to 5psi way sooner then 4200rpm. A common problem with that basic turbo kit is that the stock intake tube leaks where it hooks up to the throttle body. It's tough to explain but if you take the intake tube off, you'll see it uses a sleeve system, and a lot of times it expands with pressure and just leaks out. Best thing to do is to put a t-bolt clamp around it and make it nice and tight.

Also, on the flexible part of the intake, put plastic zap straps around each groove and tighten them. The whole thing inflates like a balloon.

Oh also, disconnect the wastegate from the flapper on the turbo and give the end of the wastegate arm a couple of twists to tighten it.

Ok...I'll go do that. I know what you're talking about. btw, I love how your mita looks! Kind a what I'm going for eventually, just S2000 yellow...or some similar yellow. Are you in the ATL area? I'd like to check out your ride some time.

Thanks for the comments. I posted some pictures recently in the media section if you want to see more:
https://www.miataturbo.net/forum/t44275/

As for location, I'm on Vancouver Island in British Columbia Canada :) So if you're up this way vacationing I'd be happy to let you take it for a rip.

Well ironically, I'll be up there tomorrow morning...haha. Yeah that's just little bit far to check out a car :)

if you put a more free flowing exhaust on it will help spool the turbo sooner.

CHeck your charge pipe diameter. If your running to big of tubing your reaching AAP way to far. Diameter x distance x pie (3.14) = presure rate. Also is there any differance in size between your hot side tubing and cold side?

He doesn't have an intercooler and is using the stock intake hose.

That kit on a stock exhaust will spool faster then 4200 rpm.

Last night I was working on it, and being the noob that I am, I didn't know how take the wastegate off and tighten it. While I was in there, I noticed about a 1inch crack in the manifold. I can't tell if it was repaired or not, but that could be part of the problem. After putting wrap ties on the corrugated part of the intake line, I did notice a little bit of a difference. Reaching full boost at about 3900

Welcome and if you're having problems with that manifold cracking you can replace it or go ahead and step up to a bigger flanged one. Ebay has a cast t3 flanged manifold for around $150 and you can get turbo from them cheap too. That's what I did but I recently sold my manifold for a tubular one. Good luck and don't get rid of the other miata yet cause when something breaks which it almost always does it sucks when it's you DD