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EDIT: I'm a little further into the process from when I created this post. Current parts listed below
Currently making a huge shopping list to boost my trusty old mx-5. Been driving it for over 3 years now... I KNOW. About time I boosted this thing. Been holding off at first because I always thought I'd be selling this this within the first year, but I fell in love So because this is theee place for turbo miatas I figured I'd register and say hi. Not new to forums in general, but new on here. Currently 25 years old living in The Netherlands, Europe. Love to skid.
Im looking for a very good and reliable setup to max out the 5-speed I'm rocking now. I have a 1.8 NA from 1996 with ABS and power steering. Apart from a torsen diff, steering and suspension the car is pretty much stock. Currently open to any suggestions. I will 100% pull the engine because of bad compression. The car still makes over 100 whp and no visible smoke so I'm good for now, but I don't think the engine is going to like 14 psi.
I'm thinking about getting a second 1.8 engine to prep for le turbo so I can still drive. This may be the nb engine with SOLID LIFTERS... been there, done that. Just to be clear, I have not turbo'd any car before, but I've read up quite a bit and know it will be costly to do it right. Not afraid to spend a lil more to make sure everything holds. As I said I'm going to try and not change the drivetrain, but open to upgrade any internals if needed. Let me know if you have any tips/suggestions already. I will make a post in another section once my shopping list is a little more concrete.
Soooo Hello! Anyone else in the same stage as I am? Some peeps from Europe here?
No introduction is complete without a picture ofcourse
Welcome! There are definitely some peeps on here from your side of the pond.
Look up the Kraken turbo kit, I believe they are based out of the UK. You may also want to hit up Reverent, he's a user here who assembles and provides services for Megasquirt, I believe he's based in Greece.
If you're not wanting to swap out the 5-speed you need to keep it below ~250whp/250lb-ft. At that point, the 5-speed as well as the stock rods will tend to go. If you're planning to open it up anyway I don't see why you wouldn't just throw in a set of forged rods, but then again you'd be limited by the 5 speed.
Welkom! where in holland are you located? There are a few duchies on the forum.
There is a sticky topic on how to turbocharge. But in short wait with the extra engine and start with the standalone ecu so that you are familiar with tuning. Blowing up a stock engine is alot harder than a turbocharged one.
Welcome! There are definitely some peeps on here from your side of the pond.
Look up the Kraken turbo kit, I believe they are based out of the UK. You may also want to hit up Reverent, he's a user here who assembles and provides services for Megasquirt, I believe he's based in Greece.
If you're not wanting to swap out the 5-speed you need to keep it below ~250whp/250lb-ft. At that point, the 5-speed as well as the stock rods will tend to go. If you're planning to open it up anyway I don't see why you wouldn't just throw in a set of forged rods, but then again you'd be limited by the 5 speed.
Thanks! Feels like home already! I've seen kraken for their manifold. I may have been seriously considering the 6 speed already... *guilty*. Not sure if I'm going with megasquirt yet, because I have a professional Ecumaster dealer with dyno literally around the block. Not specialized in miatas though. I might still go megasquirt because of all the support on here and base maps Also thanks for mentioning, I deffo will get forged rods, head studs and -gasket. Let's say I would aim for 320 whp, would you swap pistons and rings when in there? Not sure what the smarter option is. I feel like I'm waaaaay off topic right now, but since you might have some better guesses on the transmission options.. Do you have some reliable hp/torque numbers on the regular NB 6 speed? Thanks!
Originally Posted by Caterpillar
Welkom! where in holland are you located? There are a few duchies on the forum.
There is a sticky topic on how to turbocharge. But in short wait with the extra engine and start with the standalone ecu so that you are familiar with tuning. Blowing up a stock engine is alot harder than a turbocharged one.
Dank u! I'm from the Breda/Tilburg region, Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands. I live like 20 minutes from the Belgium border. I've read up quite a bit, but I will check the topic, thanks! Might be fun to mess around with the standalone ecu on my current setup. I might just get that wired right away once I decide which one I'm buying!
Thanks! Feels like home already! I've seen kraken for their manifold. I may have been seriously considering the 6 speed already... *guilty*. Not sure if I'm going with megasquirt yet, because I have a professional Ecumaster dealer with dyno literally around the block. Not specialized in miatas though. I might still go megasquirt because of all the support on here and base maps Also thanks for mentioning, I deffo will get forged rods, head studs and -gasket. Let's say I would aim for 320 whp, would you swap pistons and rings when in there? Not sure what the smarter option is. I feel like I'm waaaaay off topic right now, but since you might have some better guesses on the transmission options.. Do you have some reliable hp/torque numbers on the regular NB 6 speed? Thanks!
Dank u! I'm from the Breda/Tilburg region, Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands. I live like 20 minutes from the Belgium border. I've read up quite a bit, but I will check the topic, thanks! Might be fun to mess around with the standalone ecu on my current setup. I might just get that wired right away once I decide which one I'm buying!
O that's a little more down south than I'm from. Around the Hague/Den haag.
eah it makes things easier after you already have the ecu figured out, if you do everything at once you will be struggling to pin point which new parts is actually causing the problem. And the change of messing up will become bigger. I will suggest the MS3 plug and play. It has a LOT more support than the other options, especially on the forum. Other option would be ME221, It is cheaper but you should search for that ECU on the forum, it has a great topic on it! A standard 6 speed can hold 350 ft/lbs although they can be killed with less if you track. And they are known to hold more if you have mechanical empathy. 4th is the weakest gear.
ECUmasters is a lot more work than MS3/ME221. You need to make your own wiring loom and there is not much support on the forum. It is also more expensive than the other options and does not have the autotune options which does make tuning alone harder. Is that dealer located in Rockanje? If so then I know who you are talking about.
O that's a little more down south than I'm from. Around the Hague/Den haag.
eah it makes things easier after you already have the ecu figured out, if you do everything at once you will be struggling to pin point which new parts is actually causing the problem. And the change of messing up will become bigger. I will suggest the MS3 plug and play. It has a LOT more support than the other options, especially on the forum. Other option would be ME221, It is cheaper but you should search for that ECU on the forum, it has a great topic on it! A standard 6 speed can hold 350 ft/lbs although they can be killed with less if you track. And they are known to hold more if you have mechanical empathy. 4th is the weakest gear.
ECUmasters is a lot more work than MS3/ME221. You need to make your own wiring loom and there is not much support on the forum. It is also more expensive than the other options and does not have the autotune options which does make tuning alone harder. Is that dealer located in Rockanje? If so then I know who you are talking about.
Right on! Ever at tracks or events? Thanks for the tips. I'm not planning on going over 350 ft/lbs. It's safe to say I'll stay under 300 ft/lbs. Focussing on parts that cap 350 whp right now. Would like a reliable tune around 300 whp somewhere. Checked out the me221 a little. Still not sure xD thnx for even more options!!
I will probably have to do some wiring anyway. I'm planning on swapping my (low compression) 1.8 for a 2004 1.8. Will probably not be using stock coils, and a few extra sensors. Idk if the ecumaster is still a hassle then.. I don't really mind going through every wire and fix em to a new plug if thats what you mean. But yes the base maps and forum support is the reason I didn't already get the ecumaster emu. Will also be using a bluetooth transmitter/receiver for the ecu.
I was talking about JT-performance (Jeroentje) located in Haaren. I believe they are the only distributor for The Netherlands.
Now since you are Dutch, we can talk prices Would you say below is about accurate?
Used 1.8 S-VT: € 400,- (no flywheel, clutch and manifold)
Used 6 speed: € 500,-
Used Torsen: € 400,- (I already have a torsen but that one is 4.30:1 which is already light af with my 5 speed not boosted)
As soon as I hear " my budget is X for 350 ft/lbs" I shake my head. You cant have a budget if you want a miata with 350 Ft. lbs tq. You just need a bunch of expendable money and giant *****.
As soon as I hear " my budget is X for 350 ft/lbs" I shake my head. You cant have a budget if you want a miata with 350 Ft. lbs tq. You just need a bunch of expendable money and giant *****.
I think you should read again. I mean no disrespect and I know what you're saying. I'd love your input as well.
I'm not as often at the track as I would like. Hopefully next year!
Before you actually look at the ME221 option. I was being sarcastic. Make up your own opinion if you would want the product. https://www.miataturbo.net/hydra-58/...a-91029/page5/
This is the topic I was talking about. MSLab would be my choice for megaquirt! He is also a member on here.
Those prices seem normal, sometimes you can find them cheaper if you know where to look. Start with tuning the old engine. After you tuned this one to perfection you can start with the s-vt one. Remember that you will need to tune VVT as well, having some experience before starting with the VVT is recommend. Buy turbo hardware that can be used for both engines. Everything hotside will swap over and you can upgrade when you swap in the new engine.
Let's say I would aim for 320 whp, would you swap pistons and rings when in there?
Dank u! I'm from the Breda/Tilburg region, Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands. I live like 20 minutes from the Belgium border. I've read up quite a bit, but I will check the topic, thanks!
You always hone a block and replace piston rings on a rebuild unless you are a moron.
As for the gearbox: taken into account all the other prices, the 6-speed box is just a small part of the budget and a total no-brainer in my opinion. I would suggest you buy a 3.6:1 torsen with it as well and sell your current torsen. Please note all UK and EU 6-speed cars have 3.6:1 gears (and not 3.9:1 like in JDM / USDM).
As for the pistons: you can do ~300whp on stock pistons and I think with the oil squirters in place they would probably hold up to it.
One thing though: with forged pistons you have more margin when tuning and they can withstand higher temperatures. You also have the freedom to choose your compression ratio and because we do not have E85 here any more... the lower the compression the more power you can make safely. If you throw in stock pistons, throw in the NA pistons instead of the NB-FL pistons you have just bought.
The ECUmaster is a nice ECU as far as I know. However at 995 euros it is quite a bit more expensive than the MS-3 from Reverent and it is much more work to wire it in.
I am also from the Netherlands, I am very close to Utrecht.
You always hone a block and replace piston rings on a rebuild unless you are a moron.
As for the gearbox: taken into account all the other prices, the 6-speed box is just a small part of the budget and a total no-brainer in my opinion. I would suggest you buy a 3.6:1 torsen with it as well and sell your current torsen. Please note all UK and EU 6-speed cars have 3.6:1 gears (and not 3.9:1 like in JDM / USDM).
As for the pistons: you can do ~300whp on stock pistons and I think with the oil squirters in place they would probably hold up to it.
One thing though: with forged pistons you have more margin when tuning and they can withstand higher temperatures. You also have the freedom to choose your compression ratio and because we do not have E85 here any more... the lower the compression the more power you can make safely. If you throw in stock pistons, throw in the NA pistons instead of the NB-FL pistons you have just bought.
The ECUmaster is a nice ECU as far as I know. However at 995 euros it is quite a bit more expensive than the MS-3 from Reverent and it is much more work to wire it in.
I am also from the Netherlands, I am very close to Utrecht.
You may have already realized, I am a moron. But I was looking at possibly getting some 9:1 pistons. Although the engine I got only has 59k miles on it. Thnx for pulling me towards even more expenses I know the costs add up, but I was looking at € 800,- for the 6 speed incl. torsen.. Plus I would have to get some decent bushings for that diff too. Thinking about keeping my 5 speed and 4.3 torsen for now.. maybe run with little less boost. Blowing a 5 speed only sets me back like € 150,- Can always decide after that
Interesting we are both planning a vvt eft62558 build. How deep are you into this? lol because I have not even started.
Mentioning E85.. yea that's not coming back any time soon. Have you ever tuned on Competition 102?
Thnx for mentioning the ms3, is reverent a version, mod, retailer? Sorry for me being a noob! You might have a link for me to check out?
You may have already realized, I am a moron. But I was looking at possibly getting some 9:1 pistons. Although the engine I got only has 59k miles on it. Thnx for pulling me towards even more expenses I know the costs add up, but I was looking at € 800,- for the 6 speed incl. torsen.. Plus I would have to get some decent bushings for that diff too. Thinking about keeping my 5 speed and 4.3 torsen for now.. maybe run with little less boost. Blowing a 5 speed only sets me back like € 150,- Can always decide after that
Interesting we are both planning a vvt eft62558 build. How deep are you into this? lol because I have not even started.
Mentioning E85.. yea that's not coming back any time soon. Have you ever tuned on Competition 102?
Thnx for mentioning the ms3, is reverent a version, mod, retailer? Sorry for me being a noob! You might have a link for me to check out?
Yeah my local engine builder runs the competition 102 stuff which is fun for the dyno numbers, but I would personally just tune on pump gas to be safe. For a street car having to run a very specific fuel sounds like a bad idea.
If you want to be cheap and run the 5-speed, you might as well suit your turbo kit and expenses to it. If you decide to run an EFR6258 you will blow up the 5 speed.
If you stay more modest, you can run a cheap TD04L-13T off a Subaru with stock rods, that would get you around 225 whp and your stock rods and 5 speed will probably stay together. Your turbo alone will be 1000 euros cheaper too. On a 1.8 VVT the small TD04L will spool well, you will see full boost pressure well below 4000 rpm.
Some info about the MS-3 can be found here: https://bofiracing.co.uk/product/ms-...-and-play-ecu/ you can also PM @Reverant here on the forum.
My build is not really progressing because I lack motivation. I have bought all the parts though, so collecting dust in the shed are: 1.8 VVT block, forged rods, NA pistons, new seals/rings/bearings, 6 speed, 3:6:1 torsen, EFR-6258, Kraken turbo kit w/3 inch exhaust, Mslabs MS-3 basic, CC stage 4 clutch kit, EV-14 injectors, Full AN fuel line kit ready for E85 (yep that was still a thing when I acquired parts) and a lot of other stuff I have already forgotten about. My lack of motivation actually got so bad I bought another MX-5. So I have two NB 1.8s from 1998 with 4.1 Torsens. The running one is now back in the garage in hibernation till 2019 as they started to salt the roads last week. The running one I have is super clean w.r.t. rust and I would like to keep it that way.
Yeah my local engine builder runs the competition 102 stuff which is fun for the dyno numbers, but I would personally just tune on pump gas to be safe. For a street car having to run a very specific fuel sounds like a bad idea.
If you want to be cheap and run the 5-speed, you might as well suit your turbo kit and expenses to it. If you decide to run an EFR6258 you will blow up the 5 speed.
If you stay more modest, you can run a cheap TD04L-13T off a Subaru with stock rods, that would get you around 225 whp and your stock rods and 5 speed will probably stay together. Your turbo alone will be 1000 euros cheaper too. On a 1.8 VVT the small TD04L will spool well, you will see full boost pressure well below 4000 rpm.
Some info about the MS-3 can be found here: https://bofiracing.co.uk/product/ms-...-and-play-ecu/ you can also PM @Reverant here on the forum.
My build is not really progressing because I lack motivation. I have bought all the parts though, so collecting dust in the shed are: 1.8 VVT block, forged rods, NA pistons, new seals/rings/bearings, 6 speed, 3:6:1 torsen, EFR-6258, Kraken turbo kit w/3 inch exhaust, Mslabs MS-3 basic, CC stage 4 clutch kit, EV-14 injectors, Full AN fuel line kit ready for E85 (yep that was still a thing when I acquired parts) and a lot of other stuff I have already forgotten about. My lack of motivation actually got so bad I bought another MX-5. So I have two NB 1.8s from 1998 with 4.1 Torsens. The running one is now back in the garage in hibernation till 2019 as they started to salt the roads last week. The running one I have is super clean w.r.t. rust and I would like to keep it that way.
Yea deffo not going to tune for 102. Just wondering if this is a thing xD. You do have a good point. Everyone warned me that if I went 200whp, I would eventually want more and have to rip the engine out again so I went with the built EFR6258 setup to give me more headroom and easy upgrade possibilities. It is indeed an expensive but very neat turbo. I might go to the 6 speed before it runs, or some time after. Ty for the link! That's a lot cheaper than I thought it would be. Does that one suit for the 2001-2005 vvt? Because the description says otherwise.
That's a shame man. Interesting to see what you have in mind. I ordered the Kraken setup aswell. What coils were you going to run? Can I help you get more motivated? If not, I'll take some of those parts off your hands for you
Yea deffo not going to tune for 102. Just wondering if this is a thing xD. You do have a good point. Everyone warned me that if I went 200whp, I would eventually want more and have to rip the engine out again so I went with the built EFR6258 setup to give me more headroom and easy upgrade possibilities. It is indeed an expensive but very neat turbo. I might go to the 6 speed before it runs, or some time after. Ty for the link! That's a lot cheaper than I thought it would be. Does that one suit for the 2001-2005 vvt? Because the description says otherwise.
That's a shame man. Interesting to see what you have in mind. I ordered the Kraken setup aswell. What coils were you going to run? Can I help you get more motivated? If not, I'll take some of those parts off your hands for you
Adding extra wires for VVT and/or sequential is not as difficult as swapping over entire engine harnesses, so best to order the ECU for your chassis. The ECU supports VVT control on all models, it is just a matter of adding a few wires to your existing loom.
And I am still planning to build it, it just has not happened yet. No plans of parting out at the moment. If you want to offer some help: if you have an AC TIG welder or a lathe, that would be great as I have a few small jobs requiring those. Plan is to build a quick track / street car, but no aero. If it runs sub 2:10 at Zandvoort I would be well pleased. First steps is to try my suspension / brake setup on the running NB with standard engine. Maybe at some point next year I will swap the turbo engine into the running one, or maybe I put it inside the rust restored one, I am not sure yet. As for the coils: currently I have a set of Toyota Yaris COPs. I think you can pick any COP, but I like the Toyota COPs because they are easily acquired and cheap, you can buy new plugs for them and they have the igntion driver/amplifier built-in.
Adding extra wires for VVT and/or sequential is not as difficult as swapping over entire engine harnesses, so best to order the ECU for your chassis. The ECU supports VVT control on all models, it is just a matter of adding a few wires to your existing loom.
And I am still planning to build it, it just has not happened yet. No plans of parting out at the moment. If you want to offer some help: if you have an AC TIG welder or a lathe, that would be great as I have a few small jobs requiring those. Plan is to build a quick track / street car, but no aero. If it runs sub 2:10 at Zandvoort I would be well pleased. First steps is to try my suspension / brake setup on the running NB with standard engine. Maybe at some point next year I will swap the turbo engine into the running one, or maybe I put it inside the rust restored one, I am not sure yet. As for the coils: currently I have a set of Toyota Yaris COPs. I think you can pick any COP, but I like the Toyota COPs because they are easily acquired and cheap, you can buy new plugs for them and they have the igntion driver/amplifier built-in.
Yea I was aiming for COPs too. Will consider those (which ones? xD). Just need cheap big spark
As far as your project is concerned, you have a luxury bro. I don't have mentioned tools myself, but I have them close by (uncle pretty much right across the street). That does not say I know how to use them...
I kinda want to go for the ms3 right now.. Depends on my tuner. Is there a good bluetooth adapter for the ms3 mini? All I read online is cheap ebay fiddling
Not sure on everything but so far it will look something like:
1996 EUDM MX-5 1.8
2004 1.8 engine
EFR 6258 iwg
Kraken mani with full 3" straight type magnaflow
EUDM flat top intake manifold with stock tb
Maxpeedingrods connecting rods
Probably 84 mm 9:1 supertech pistons
Boundary Billet Oil Pump
ATI superdamper
VS-855 valve springs
ARP head and main studs
DW200 fuel pump
ID1050X injectors
ECUmasters EMU black
Supermiata hybrid motor mounts
I will be running a coolant reroute
Will also be running a closed catch can pcv side
Probably will be running the stock 6 speed with the 3.6:1 if I can get a good deal. (Currently runnning a 5 speed to a 4.1:1 torsen but 3.6 are pretty common here)
Probably an ACT extreme street sprung organic type clutch with prolite flywheel
Probably a Mishimoto X line radiator since I'm already running their fan shroud set
Probably the fab9 vibrant intercooler since it's a bolt on lol
Things I haven't yet decided on are not listed I did leave out some obvious bits but feel free to add things or suggest other parts. I have no clue what I'll be doing for ignition tbh. Don't give me american options pls
11-14-2018, 03:03 PM
New year, new project
So because this is theee place for turbo miatas I figured I'd register and say hi. Not new to forums in general, but new on here. Currently 25 years old living in The Netherlands, Europe. Love to skid.
Anyone else in the same stage as I am? Some peeps from Europe here?
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Would you say below is about accurate?
