Best turbo for 1.6l track-only car?
 

Hey guys, new member here that just bought his first NA Miata. It came with a turbo kit on it but the turbo was smoking so I figured I'd replace it before something blows. I've been trying to search without success, but what would the recommended turbo and AR/trim be for a car that's ONLY going to be HPDE?

Obviously I'm not looking for streetable low end power and I don't care about making a ton of WHP, just to make it fun on the track. I'd be happy with 175-200 but don't mind going higher either.

if you already have a setup you need to get something that fits that setup. we know nothing about your setup, without details this is a silly question.

I'm not worried about fitment as I'm planning on tweaking the car to fit whatever turbo makes the most sense, I just wanted to hear what the best options were. Also, I'm planning on eventually doing a 1.8 swap so I think I'll buy the turbo for the 1.8l engine and deal with the negative performance aspects in the mean time. I fully expect to buy new manifolds, piping, downpipe, boost controller, etc and I already have an MSPNP2 with a no AC/no PS engine bay so there's lots of room to work with. It has a mx3 cam swap, upgraded injectors (not sure what kind), potentially stock internals (bought the car used with no proof/receipts).

So then you're asking literally the most common question in the history of this site?
try google. seriously
I refuse to believe that your "search" actually yielded zero results. Also open the build section and just read like 50+ threads. you'll see trends.

Surprisingly, it takes hours to sift through each thread to find the specific situation I'm trying to look for that also includes AR/trim specs. Perhaps my searching skills are not accurate enough but it is either feast or famine when it comes to results with little things pertaining to my original question. If someone knew off the top of their head what a good spec was, it would take 30 seconds to post it.

AHH, THERE IT IS.
There's the real reason. I just wanted to hear you say it. You don't want to actually put in the time/effort. Because your time is more valuable than everyone elses :)

If their time is that valuable they are more than welcome to not reply to this thread.

It's also been about 2 hours of searching without anyone mentioning an AR+Trim spec and if it was intended for tracking, I'm thinking it just doesn't matter that much on an engine so small? Also, all the threads are years and years old at this point and I don't know if there have been any advances in turbo chargers (new models and whatnot) so I'm wondering if there's anything smarter to use than a 15 year old design charger.

@18psi Damn, at least he spit it out. I still refuse to spit it out that this turbo you told me not to get is dumb as shit on a stock motor.

Just get what is tested and proven since you don't want to sift through hours of threads to make a decision that will easily cost over 1000$. A lot of 2554s, and 2560s.

Yep. Typical noob post. At this point everyone is going to advise to learn your car better and read. Do leak down. Change all fluids, plugs, bascally baseline the car. Your thin'kin turbo but make sure there's no suprises. I like quick spool so 2554,TD04,K03,ecoboost, 3" exhaust
4

I think I'm just over thinking it. For HPDE situations, I'm just looking for a late spooling, top end oriented dyno graph and there's plenty of posts about that. Thanks for the input everyone.

late spooling would be awful for a track car. You want quick spool for those long sweepers where you’re on/off throttle so when you need power you can get back into boost quickly. “Late spool” is only for drag cars and dyno queen bull shit. Look at offerings from TSE and FM for reliable track turbos. This question has been answered EVERYWHERE.

Why do you think you need a turbo for the track? Are you able to hit all the apexes and drive 10/10ths at stock power?

I fell into the same trap... Thinking I need all these aftermarket parts, race seats, tons of suspension stuff, extra power..etc but the reality is, you dont.

Also seems like you need to decide on a build path. 200whp is easily achievable with almost any route you choose, but a td04 turbo will easily hit 200whp, and have a fat powerband.

thumpetto, I bought your set of 6ULs from Miata's and MRLS about 2 years ago! I hope you're happy to hear that I'm using them to track now!

Before I started tracking, I thought that the miata would just be a stepping stone before I could afford a "faster" car, or I would need to eventually turbo it to keep up with other cars. After my first few track days, I've come to really just enjoy my 1.8 miata with some bolt-ons, good suspension, and good tires. More importantly, I'm having so much fun learning about the car and I'm constantly realizing that I'm not yet pushing my miata to its limits! I'm still learning a butt load about track driving and I know that I can take my car a few seconds faster with more seat time. Faster cars such as M3s and S2000s will always pass me, but I honestly don't care so much. I can still pass plenty of other faster cars on the track with my near-stock powered 1.8. It's the driver that counts, not just the car.

Here's a video from my recent track day at Laguna Seca:

Cool! I am glad you are using them well! Im hoping to get white 6uls this year, but my bicycle isnt selling, so Ill have to wait!

i remember you had a big crew with you! Maybe Ill see you this year, Ill be there! Just for ridealongs, mostly.

you are satisfying to watch. Most people (vendors aside) that post videos shuffle steer and dont know what an apex is. Keep it up!

Real answer is GT2554R with a billet upgraded wheel. Not worth putting anything bigger on a 1.6L. But you need to figure out at least what flange the current setup is.

You should get the kind that comes with a BP.

This. Get the 1.8 and practice driving your car.

Boosting a 1.6 is like screwing your sister when your sister is fat, ugly, and a lousy lay. Yep, you got some tail, but it was a disappointment in so many ways and you wish you'd never considered it.

Spend your time and money learning to drive that hunk of shit first. Then buy a 1.8 diff, axles, driveshaft, engine, brakes, larger fuel tank and all the other things you would have had if you started with a 94-up car.

I'm trying to find a cheaper tracking alternative than my 600whp naturally aspirated Z06 (hence the noob questions about turbos) and the shock of power difference is extremely painful. I'm probably not going to be able to drive anything at 10/10ths but I figured I might as well have fun doing it and a cheap turbo car seems like the ticket.

For the rest of the comments, they are appreciated. The car has already been built for a turbo (MSM axles/upgraded drive shaft/rx7 diff) and I'm planning on doing a 1.8L swap in the future so I've decided to go with a GT2560R. To my surprise, turbo technology and models have literally not changed in decades it seems so all of the ancient threads I found still applied. Got one on ebay brand new for $670 and I figured it'll leave me growing room once I hop up to the 1.8 - everything is so inexpensive on this platform that I feel like a kid in a candy shop compared to the Corvette world.

The cost of the turbo is incredibly cheap compared to the cost of everything else you'll have to re-do adapting your setup (read: making entirely new setup) to go from 1.6 to 1.8.

Suggestion: 1.8 now.

The car has already been turbo'd so at this point it's just swapping the old turbo out and getting parts to match up with flanges. The most expensive thing that will have to replaced going to 1.8 is the exhaust manifold ($125) as many parts can be reused (EBCS, downpipe, intercooler, piping, etc) so I'm not really worried about it. It definitely may not be the most economical path but I'd rather learn how to tune on this 1.6, make some mistakes and then have a better idea of what I want when I do the 1.8.