Fab9 EFR vs TrackSpeed EFR
 

Hello Gents,

I'm doing a clean sheet build of an unmolested NA 1.8 Eunos Roadster here in Scotland. The goal is a perfect weekend car (I run an M4 Competition Pack daily) with around 300whp or so which will be reliable and fast to spool. I was active a while ago and had a built engined 1993 1.8 car based around a GT2871R, MSPNP2 etc etc years ago so I'm familiar with the ins and out of turbo'ing a Miata / MX5 / Roadster.

Since then the game has changed a little, my budget is higher and I'm looking to get the ball rolling with the best turbo kit available. I actually placed an order with Andrew for his EFR manifold, downpipe, fluid lines and of course, the turbo itself but there is no stock until August from what i read on the website, although I haven't had this confirmed by email (I've asked but no reply).

Now ... what has me a little worried is the lackluster comms since ordering. I appreciate he's probably a busy guy and he's also been on holiday for a while so may have some catching up to do, but since dropping thousands of dollars into his bank account I've had one word answers to one email and then no-reply at all to another. I run a business here and if my comms were as bad I'd have no customers. Because of this lack of comms / professionalism pre-sale it has me a little bit worried about post-sale support and i'm now looking at other options, including the FAB9 EFR setup.

Does anyone have experience of this setup? I understand the 6758 option in v-band format is only available in the larger AR instead of the .64 option.

Oh man this is gonna be good.

*takes out popcorn*

But seriously: do not cancel your order. It will be worth the wait and I'm sure whatever lack of communication y'all have he will make right. He always does.
(in fact, I'm certain that it's going to be a matter of hours until he see's this thread ;) )

Andrew is generally a super good communicator and is taking a rare holiday after getting married, so this is an unusual and understandable lapse. He's also an exceptional engineer and I've had a chance to follow the development of this kit up close and it is nothing short of incredible. I can't speak for the Fab9 kit so I'll leave that for others to comment.

I don't doubt the engineering behind the kit, but as you can imagine I live thousand of miles away so good (or bad in this case) communication is one of the things that is important to me. I've dealt with Andrew years ago when I bought inconel studs and had no problem. I'm also aware of his reputation in this community which was why he was my first port of call when considering this build. The bad comms has given me second thoughts - and at the time of ordering I wasn't even aware of the Fab9 kit. To me the full v-band setup is very attractive and it makes me wonder why this hasn't been adopted in the Trackspeed solution. From what I can make out it's maybe because the .64 AR 6758 isn't available in v-band configuration and that's his turbo of choice for fast spool?

I'm happy to keep my order in place but generally I'm being a fussy customer and want some reassurance that I've placed my money on the right kit, or at the very least some sort of open dialogue with someone i'm spending thousands of dollars / pounds with.

If bad communication is your concern then you don't want to deal with Fab9. You nailed why the trackspeed kit is not v-band. Andrew doesn't like the 0.83 housing. Fab9 has a reputation for not getting orders wrong, being very uncommunicative, and shipping used parts as new on occasion. So take that for what it's worth.

If you are a fussy customer, then you will go crazy dealing with fab9. Do some searching.

You beat me to it.


Communication is horrendous with Fab9 unless you're a fresh customer wanting to drop a lot of money into an order. Fab will answer all your questions under the moon until you pay. Then you get sent some of the parts or the wrong parts. No communication after wards. Ghost. If ever a promise was made in terms of exchanging or swapping, once you return a part the price will change and you're held hostage to the new "deal" that goes against what was agreed upon. I would gladly spend 20% more anywhere else simply to know I'm getting the parts I paid for in it's original packaging and not in some taped up brown paper bag with scratches and dings all over the part.

A buddy here has a FAB9 turbo kit and his down-pipe interfered with the steering column. Fab's fix was simply to crush the pipe for clearance instead of making a down-pipe that fit the first time. All things considered, if communication is your only gripe, then err on the side of who actually contributes to the community, posts regularly, and isn't just out there to make a quick buck off of members.


0.85 A/R would be a poor choice for this motor. Vband is trick, but I don't end up taking my turbo on and off the manifold as I do exhaust components; the T25 0.64 A/R has worked well for many including me.

Sorry, this is important enough to spoon feed. Reviews:

https://www.miataturbo.net/insert-bs...ew-fab9-88308/

https://www.miataturbo.net/build-thr...7/#post1379245

https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=612295


0.85A/R
https://www.miataturbo.net/diy-turbo...-owners-89790/

Interesting reading - thanks. Sounds like this lull in communication with TSE is an exception rather than the rule. I'll let him clear his feet after his holiday and give the benefit of the doubt.

Resend your email if you wouldn't mind. As you might expect, it's going to take me a while to dig myself out after not looking at my inbox for 3 weeks :)

Sent. Thanks.

I placed an order for a oil fitting and EGR blockoff from TSE during his 3 week hiatus. Even though I barely spent any money they sent me a sweet t shirt and a ton of stickers ( I love stickers ). I would say that TSE is the real deal, Andrew seems to really know what hes talking about as well, really smart dude.

On an unrelated note:
congrats to Andrew on getting hitched!

I got the TSE efr 6258 kit
 

fwiw I'm very happy with it. It really needs a built engine. On my stock internals I have it limited at about 260 wheel and the boost dump is noticeable. The turbo has a lot more to give and the spool is much better than my old fm kit with journal bearing sr20 turbo. Sounds great too.
Oh and no problems with customer service. Don't remember exactly who returned my emails but they took the time to advise me on how to go about my build.

On the 282 "Low" actuator, the 6258 should make ~180whp at ~7psi through a 3" exhaust. Choked down through a smaller exhaust, peak boost drops a little, as does power. On a stock 94-97 motor, standard 283 "Medium" actuator, and 3" exhaust, expect ~210whp at 10psi, well within the limits of the stock block.

And you can also get something like a turbosmart actuator with a 3psi spring. And make even less power.
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I'll be running the larger 6758 and the block will be stock for a while until I get around to building it. How much boost should I run to keep things in one piece until then?

8-11psi depending on head config and supporting mods. You want to stay under 220wtq.

To the OP

Andrew of TSE essentially pioneered the fully race engineered EFR based turbo kit for a Miata. Races what he sells, wins a lot. Is a smart enough guy to make a good living outside of this industry niche. Chooses to stick around because, like the rest of inmates, he's broken. Too passionate for his own good. I have the same disease so I can relate.

The other guy doesn't deserve your business, plain and simple.

+1 to sticking with the Trackspeed kit.. I am having similar communication problems with Fab9 currently (ordered their EFR kit on 7/20, currently no shipping information 5 weeks later!).

If I were to do it over again I might have gone with the Trackspeed kit, considering what I now know about Fab9's history.

I had ordered several things from Fab9 in the past (brake pads, thermostatic sandwhich plate, etc.) with success and great communication. One time I made a mistake and ordered the wrong rear brake pads for my car, and Bryan exchanged it at no cost in a very timely manner. We had talked on the phone multiple times, and he was always very helpful. It's just annoying now that I ordered something far more expensive the communication has been lacking.