Discussion
hey guys,
very new to the mx5 scene so i may be asking the usual questions etc....
bassically I am looking/thinking about getting a turbo mx5 as a track car end of this year/ start of next year, I just wanted to ask how reliable the aftermarket turbo cars usually are? any info from experienced people with them?
I realise the kit itself won't exactly be generic to all the mx's, but i just need a generalised view of them. I dont really want a standard one as i need a little more straight line speed
cheers
very new to the mx5 scene so i may be asking the usual questions etc....
bassically I am looking/thinking about getting a turbo mx5 as a track car end of this year/ start of next year, I just wanted to ask how reliable the aftermarket turbo cars usually are? any info from experienced people with them?
I realise the kit itself won't exactly be generic to all the mx's, but i just need a generalised view of them. I dont really want a standard one as i need a little more straight line speed
cheers
Reliability can vary wildly when it comes to mods.
Mine is a daily driver and with the exception of a couple of hoses popping here and there, mine has generally been pretty good. Certainly much better than my MR2 Turbo ever was!
I guess it depends if its been modified sensibly or not..
Mine is a daily driver and with the exception of a couple of hoses popping here and there, mine has generally been pretty good. Certainly much better than my MR2 Turbo ever was!
I guess it depends if its been modified sensibly or not..
Mr MXT said:
Reliability can vary wildly when it comes to mods.
Mine is a daily driver and with the exception of a couple of hoses popping here and there, mine has generally been pretty good. Certainly much better than my MR2 Turbo ever was!
I guess it depends if its been modified sensibly or not..
thanks mateMine is a daily driver and with the exception of a couple of hoses popping here and there, mine has generally been pretty good. Certainly much better than my MR2 Turbo ever was!
I guess it depends if its been modified sensibly or not..
yeah thats my worry...there's no sort of baseline to measure it against! and it would only be used to rag around too..... think i should join the forum or something and do a bit of snooping...
Reliability is all in the quality of the install, components and tune.
The stock hardware is pretty stout so as long as you're sensible with the components you pick and carefully tune yourself, (or pay someone respected to do it for you). The car will be as reliable as stock. Just increase the regularity of oil changes.
For good hardware you don't need to look any further than FlyinMiata. BEGi can be a bit hit and miss, the actual hardware is great, but you don't always get everything you paid for 1st time - though they're getting better at that apparently. The final option is to build a DIY kit, but don't bother with the eBay manifolds, they're paperweights at best,if DIY is your choice and you fancy welding flanges can be bought cheaply along with stainless/mild weld-els.
If money was not so much of an issue, personally I'd get a manifold and downpipe made up buy AbsurdFlow or ARTech in the states with V-Band hardware and an appropriate turbo to complement. Then mate it to the ECU of my choice (I've been around MegaSquirt a long time so in all likelihood a MSIII)
For track work you'll [u]need[/u] to fit an oil cooler in addition to everything else, and I'd highly recommend replacing the turbo studs with Inconel versions, otherwise you'll experience a lot of broken hardware (there's massive threads on miataturbo.net and miata.net on this subject, this is the [u]only[/u] solution unless you replace all the turbo kit with V-Banded hardware - see above).
The stock hardware is pretty stout so as long as you're sensible with the components you pick and carefully tune yourself, (or pay someone respected to do it for you). The car will be as reliable as stock. Just increase the regularity of oil changes.
For good hardware you don't need to look any further than FlyinMiata. BEGi can be a bit hit and miss, the actual hardware is great, but you don't always get everything you paid for 1st time - though they're getting better at that apparently. The final option is to build a DIY kit, but don't bother with the eBay manifolds, they're paperweights at best,if DIY is your choice and you fancy welding flanges can be bought cheaply along with stainless/mild weld-els.
If money was not so much of an issue, personally I'd get a manifold and downpipe made up buy AbsurdFlow or ARTech in the states with V-Band hardware and an appropriate turbo to complement. Then mate it to the ECU of my choice (I've been around MegaSquirt a long time so in all likelihood a MSIII)
For track work you'll [u]need[/u] to fit an oil cooler in addition to everything else, and I'd highly recommend replacing the turbo studs with Inconel versions, otherwise you'll experience a lot of broken hardware (there's massive threads on miataturbo.net and miata.net on this subject, this is the [u]only[/u] solution unless you replace all the turbo kit with V-Banded hardware - see above).
Richy - I think he was talking about buying one already modded 
All of what Richy says is right though. Basically you want to make sure it's been modded well, by someone who knows what they are doing and who hasn't skimped on components. The most important thing though is the tuning. It doesn't matter if they've spent a small fortune on the kit and the fitting and everything looks absolutely perfect, if the tuning is crap it can still destroy the engine very quickly whereas another one that looks a complete dogs-dinner but with a perfect tune might go for years without a single issue.
The general rule of thumb when fitting FI is: Cheap, Reliable, Powerful. Choose 2. That applies just as much to the tuning as the components.
All of what Richy says is right though. Basically you want to make sure it's been modded well, by someone who knows what they are doing and who hasn't skimped on components. The most important thing though is the tuning. It doesn't matter if they've spent a small fortune on the kit and the fitting and everything looks absolutely perfect, if the tuning is crap it can still destroy the engine very quickly whereas another one that looks a complete dogs-dinner but with a perfect tune might go for years without a single issue.
The general rule of thumb when fitting FI is: Cheap, Reliable, Powerful. Choose 2. That applies just as much to the tuning as the components.
The sports car that I am building using an HSK turbo kit with an Aquamist water injection and the guy that started this special and used to own the MX5 donor was the brother of Practical Performance Car magazine's owner.
The manifold looks really strong and the instructions are all in Nipponese
I have a few copies of this mag back in 2005 when he was using the MX5 and playing with getting more power NA before turboing it.
He did succeed in blowing the engine and for that reason I have two engines! a goodun and a badun.
The manifold looks really strong and the instructions are all in Nipponese
I have a few copies of this mag back in 2005 when he was using the MX5 and playing with getting more power NA before turboing it.
He did succeed in blowing the engine and for that reason I have two engines! a goodun and a badun.
Hey
Personal advice is not to turbo the mx5. I have been tracking a 1.8 mk1 mx5 for the past 3 years and i have attended many mazda on track weekends and you will always find a turbo or a supercharged mx5. the confusing bit is these mazdas still not overtake our car. I am also starting racing in the mazda 5 racing next year.
this is due to a mixture of reasons.
1st we have spent money on the car improving our handling as much as possible from Gaz shocks to anti roll bars.
2nd we have spent money on gaining experience. the best way to think is a turbo or a supercharger is alot of money which could be spend on the track improving your skills and making you a much better driver.
Also i have noticed that forced induction also reduces the reliabilty of the mx5 compared to its original bullet proof engine.
if you would like any further advice please reply and i can see wt i can do
Personal advice is not to turbo the mx5. I have been tracking a 1.8 mk1 mx5 for the past 3 years and i have attended many mazda on track weekends and you will always find a turbo or a supercharged mx5. the confusing bit is these mazdas still not overtake our car. I am also starting racing in the mazda 5 racing next year.
this is due to a mixture of reasons.
1st we have spent money on the car improving our handling as much as possible from Gaz shocks to anti roll bars.
2nd we have spent money on gaining experience. the best way to think is a turbo or a supercharger is alot of money which could be spend on the track improving your skills and making you a much better driver.
Also i have noticed that forced induction also reduces the reliabilty of the mx5 compared to its original bullet proof engine.
if you would like any further advice please reply and i can see wt i can do
Meh. I track my SC Mk2.5 and it's proper quick. I don't push it 100% on most tracks though as I love it and I really don't want to bend it. I'm also part owner of a track-prepped Mk1 and that one I do give 100%. With that one I can easily keep up with Mk3s as long as the track is tight enough and the straights are limited as seen at the MoT/OC Silverstone Stowe trackday earlier this year. I did suffer though from some people moving over to let us past but not lifting off meaning that we just couldn't pass them which is incredibly frustrating. Just a little extra power and we could easily pass all but the most modified cars.
So I'd say I agree and also don't agree. Certainly it is better to get some good tack experience in a normally aspirated car as you learn a lot more about preserving speed than with FI where you can make up for a lack of corner speed on the straight. I wouldn't say though that FI isn't useful on track.
So I'd say I agree and also don't agree. Certainly it is better to get some good tack experience in a normally aspirated car as you learn a lot more about preserving speed than with FI where you can make up for a lack of corner speed on the straight. I wouldn't say though that FI isn't useful on track.
Yes indeed try winning a race with a Sierra 2GLS instead of the RS500 I know what my money would be on.
I have prepared my Dolomite Sprint well and over the years have overtaken just about any car you can think of so do somewhat agree about FI however if a good driver has a good car he/she will be fast and likewise if a bad driver has a good car he/she will just be not so slow.
I have prepared my Dolomite Sprint well and over the years have overtaken just about any car you can think of so do somewhat agree about FI however if a good driver has a good car he/she will be fast and likewise if a bad driver has a good car he/she will just be not so slow.
One of the best things about my MX is the fact it can be beasted relentlessly all day. It never overheats, It never gets any brake fade. Providing you don't have too much tread then tyres will just about hold on too.
There was a turbo'd car at my last trackday as well as 3 other NA cars. The turbo'd car seemed to only be able to do 5 laps or so before it had to come in to cool down.
Have you driven an NA mk1 on track? They are much quicker than you'd expect from the figures. You won't get passed much in a properly driven and prepared Mk1.
I myself have decided to stick with NA for reliability and lighten the car for a little extra pace. Thinking about doing the MK2.5 BP-Z3 engine swap in future for the extra ponies.
Here's a vid of mine in action;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6SKcpO1SU8
There was a turbo'd car at my last trackday as well as 3 other NA cars. The turbo'd car seemed to only be able to do 5 laps or so before it had to come in to cool down.
Have you driven an NA mk1 on track? They are much quicker than you'd expect from the figures. You won't get passed much in a properly driven and prepared Mk1.
I myself have decided to stick with NA for reliability and lighten the car for a little extra pace. Thinking about doing the MK2.5 BP-Z3 engine swap in future for the extra ponies.
Here's a vid of mine in action;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6SKcpO1SU8
A well modded MX5 with attention given in the right areas will be just as reliable as a non modded one. Mine has a conservative map to keep it safe when on track and also has improved coolant & oil cooling so I can be out for as long as I like with no overheating.
Here's a video of mine on track a few years ago with 20bhp less than it has now.
Here's a video of mine on track a few years ago with 20bhp less than it has now.
MX-5 Lazza said:
A well modded MX5 with attention given in the right areas will be just as reliable as a non modded one. Mine has a conservative map to keep it safe when on track and also has improved coolant & oil cooling so I can be out for as long as I like with no overheating.
Here's a video of mine on track a few years ago with 20bhp less than it has now.
Yeah that's the thing, they can be 100% reliable with FI, but you can't double the specific output of the engine and then expect it to hold together with the stock radiator, (especially so when you block the thing with a sodding great Intercooler!), whilst living at 5-7k for 20-30 minutes.Here's a video of mine on track a few years ago with 20bhp less than it has now.
I have done hundreds of trackday laps in mx5,s and while they do make great track cars they can be a little frustrating due to their lack of power, great through the twisties where you cant overtake and are often held up, then usually left for dead on the straights where you can overtake! I would say FI is the way to go.
Before I install my engine and HKS turbo lump in the car I am building I have a question to ask (probably Lazza!).
The engine has a water inj unit by Earl fitted and the car is chipped to suit.
My question is "should I fit a head gasket spacer to reduce the compression to allow more boost"?
As some of you guys have put a video on here (Lazza yours is quick as hell)
In this little vid of my Sprint at Combe a couple of years ago I wonder if any of you guys are the pilot of the only MX5 to pass me on a track day, you will have to be quick because it happens at 1.08 into the vid and the red MX5 spins the instance you see him (or her)and was lucky we did not collide.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeaQ9lV5fsI&lis...
The engine has a water inj unit by Earl fitted and the car is chipped to suit.
My question is "should I fit a head gasket spacer to reduce the compression to allow more boost"?
As some of you guys have put a video on here (Lazza yours is quick as hell)
In this little vid of my Sprint at Combe a couple of years ago I wonder if any of you guys are the pilot of the only MX5 to pass me on a track day, you will have to be quick because it happens at 1.08 into the vid and the red MX5 spins the instance you see him (or her)and was lucky we did not collide.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeaQ9lV5fsI&lis...
Edited by trackerjack on Wednesday 28th December 18:23
Do not fit a thicker headgasket, you'll ruin the quench area and more than likely increase the propensity of det rather than reduce it.
If you want lower compression do it properly and fit low comp slugs.
Remember though that the weak point is the rods, so you'll bend those first before the engine goes pop from too much boost.
If you want lower compression do it properly and fit low comp slugs.
Remember though that the weak point is the rods, so you'll bend those first before the engine goes pop from too much boost.
Thanks for the reply but I have not heard of slugs.
The word "slug" seems to be an American word for piston, is this true?
Or is a slug one of those slimy things that you step on in the garden?
The auto version of MX5 has lower comp pistons I believe and perhaps mid 90's on 90 bhp 1.6 mx's.
GC8 said:
Im not sure that the pistons from an economy version of the engine would be a demon tweak...
How much do decent forged pistons cost?
This ^^How much do decent forged pistons cost?
If your pulling the engine apart why fit OEM pistons which would likely cost a similar a,punt to a set of Weiscos.
Apparently you can get high quality rods and pistons relatively cheap from eBay greece
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