Dud1f3r

Hi all, I'm Dud1f3r, or Gremlin, whichever you prefer. I bought my Miata last year in November, and have slowly been reading the forums to figure out how to go about turbocharging my car (once I get the rest of the car ready (these tires are dogshit)). It's a 1994 Miata in Laguna Blue (with matching hardtop) that has the Torsen LSD, and a 5 speed. Previous owner put in a FM stage 2 clutch in it, so I shouldn't have to drop the trans to make my power goals.

A little about me:
I've wanted a Miata since I was 14 (I bought this one (my first) when I was 21)
My current job is a technician at a Mopar dealership,
I love MK4/B5 VWs (my daily is a 1999.5 Golf that I put the biggest cam that will fit in the head into)
And I don't mind getting my hands dirty in my friends cars if I can help them get back on the road.

If you need anything from me, just give me a holler and I'll be happy to help.

Dr.Sep

Welcome -- there is a TON of info on turboing here

here's the quick and dirty

its been done a thousand times, there is a receipe... follow it, don't try to cobble together a turbo off a chevy sonic just because you have one laying around. Go standalone. Get a tune. Injectors. People here have the answers and can guide you, don't pretend to ask questions and then tell us how youre going to do it a different way anyways and then complain when nothing works.

Dud1f3r

Nah. I'm half lazy, half competent, and know what I'm doing. The little voice in the back of my head going "But Gremlin, the VW 1.8 20vT is the same size, you should just use a K04" is all tied up.
I'm wanting reliable (which isn't gonna happen with a cobbled together kit) and ease of install (again, no way in hell with some random eBay parts cannon). My 2 options I've been looking at have been MKTurbo and Kraken, since FM kits aren't in stock and haven't been for the longest time.

Gee Emm

Pretty my as the Dr prescribed.

Read some build threads, do some (aka LOTS) of searching, probably in reverse order lol.

Or just do as I did, go to someone with 20 years experience turboing these cars.

Either way, use the 20 years experience sitting there waiting just for you.

Dud1f3r

That's the best way to learn, watch someone else learn the hard way.
Praise be the people who have spent money on something stupid and learned it was stupid, so I don't have to.

richbobby

Hi and welcome. Good luck with your turbo adventures! These are such rewarding and fun cars to modify.

I’d def look for some other folks in your area that have gone down this road. Go buy them lunch, get a ride in or drive a car with a similar setup to the one you’re planning. If you get a good idea of how you want the car to end up, you will save a ton of time fine-tuning* your setup to get there.

*and by fine-tuning I mean going back and completely changing your perfectly functional setup multiple times chasing some or other dynamic, as I have done 🤣

when you get going, make a build thread. Free analysis from the team of experts here. They will not hesitate to point out areas you can improve!

shuiend

iTrader: (24)

Read this post first. Then I can drop off parts at your house Friday night or Saturday morning. I will be up in the Charlotte area this weekend.

Dud1f3r

I hate to be boring, but I'm not terribly happy with the way the car is now, it needs some work to get it to a level where I'd feel comfortable/safe to put power adders on it. I do appreciate the enthusiasm, and I have read that post (about 4 times now, in fact), along with many other MKTurbo install reviews/guides/whatnot.

Biggest thing is tires and brakes. I'm on stock wheels, and some no-name aftermarket tires that don't grip worth a damn.

shuiend

iTrader: (24)

Get the car sorted first maintenance wise is always the smart move. I am down in SC, so whenever you are ready just shoot me an email.