Project MXT - MX5 Turbo

[MrFlibbles]

I've always liked the idea of an FI'd Mx5 but never really got round to it.

Then i went for a spin in PHer _Batty_'s mk1. Slammed on coilovers with Rota RB's i thought it looked the business. I took it out for a spin and the handling blew me away. Just didn't have the straight line shove I was after...

So "Project MXT" was born. I was on the look out for a pre turbo'd car, with a hard top, ideally with Rota RB's that I could use as a solid basis for getting some decent power...

Eventually I found the perfect car in BRG on mx5nutz.com.



1999 Eunos V - Spec
27k miles
6 speed
Top mount HKS turbo Kit fitted running 0.4bar using an HKS FCON mini as management.
HKS Mid pipe with a R*sr Rear Box
HKS Gauges (boost-exhaust temp-oil temp)
HKS Hypermax coilovers







There was a slight overheating issue in the first month, which reared its head once you've been on boost for a while. A trip to the ring was already booked so had to sort it ASAP.

Fitted an uprated rad



Replaced the volvic water bottle oil catch can with an ebay special



Oil cooler to keep the oil temps down on track (It ran 110+ in regular use, now never passes 90 even on track)





And an FMIC so i could increase the boost further down the line



Big thanks to Andy my tame mechanic who slaved away for a full week on it whilst I was busy getting drunk in Vegas





And after all of Andy's hard work





Engine bay all tidied up by Andy, since this shot we've fitted an induction heat shield which has been great in keeping the induction temps down.

So now I had a car running a reliable 170bhp and was looking forward to a trip to the 'ring! Or so i thought...

I took the car to DS Automotive in Aylesbury for a "power run" - basically to check everything was running ok and give me the confidence it wasn't going to blow up at the ring. Everything was fine...but the boost had dropped from 0.4 bar to 0.25.... I was looking at 139bhp and very disappointed, thats pretty much standard power. Had a bit more torque than standard though. Decided to keep the car on "low boost" and enjoy the ring where the car absolutely faultless.

Back from the ring and the quest for more power continued. Off to Top Gear in Aylesbury to replace the exhaust with a 2.5" system and decat. Swapped the tailpipe to something a little less phallic while i was at it.

From this:


To this:


Off to DSA again. Threw the F CON mini in the bin and replaced it with a Unichip Q+ and turbosmart electronic boost acuators thingy. Original plan was to stick with the standard injectors, map it, then do the injectors at a later stage.

Unfortunately, MXT popped a hose on the dyno on a Friday afternoon. And they couldnt get a new hose til Tuesday. I took the decision to get some 550cc injectors installed whilst the car was off the road. The standard injectors would be pretty maxed out at 185bhp ish so some futureproofing seemed like a good idea.

Everything in and mapped resulting in 203bhp and 193ftlb at only 0.5bar. I'm very impressed at the gains Dave acheived from only a 0.1 bar increase.



It is massively driveable, minimal lag and ample power available pretty much anywhere in the rev range.

Fitted a sticked for an additional 5bhp.



Future plans:

Steering wheel has to go (370mm!)
TR Lane roll bar. Toying with the idea of having it trimmed in tan leather to match the seats, thus in keeping with the whole "fast road" vibe...thoughts?

The target for the project was 230bhp...so when I'm feeling brave I'll be having some more mapping done....

[MrFlibbles]

Thanks for the compliments guys!

Cheif - 16 inch Rota RBs

Duke - It drives now like i imagined it would with a full 230. Hairy in the wet, but im running 5 switchable maps so i can go for anywhere from 150 upwards.

Ben - Yes i had the ghd sticker made myself. Everyone says its a hairdressers car so I thought it was quite funny...

BCA - I prefer it to drive than the S2k. The handling is in a league above the Honda, the steering feel is so much better, the chassis more more communicative. It is so easy to slide its brilliant. Much better brakes on the s2k though.

Hod did you know i know big Dave? He passengered with me to the ring and did a few laps (running low boost spec). He struggled getting a dab of oppo on with the massive steering wheel! I was at his wedding on Saturday running full boost, but apparently he had more important things to do than have a drive?

[MrFlibbles]

_Al_ - Thanks for the kind words! Andy has put loads of hard work into it!

XJR - The previous owner was a regular up there. Even though I've changed the plate I had some guys come over who recognised it from Ace when i was at the ring

BCA - Picked it up running Greenstuff which actually weren't too bad. Put yellowstuff on for the trip to the ring and they were fine and fade free. Still running OE discs. I was thinking about braking options today, they are lacking a bit a current power.

Badders - Its a sealed system, about £30 off eBay.

[MrFlibbles]

piefacemate said:

Looks great, the wheels really suit it.

Out of interest, what radiator are you using? After one myself but not too keen to fork out some of the prices the aluminum ones go for.

Thanks pieface. The rad wasn't particularly expensive, from here:

http://www.japspeed.co.uk/Mazda-MX5/Engine-Tuning/...

I know some people don't rate them but it seems well built and does the job nicely.

[MrFlibbles]

piefacemate said:

MrFlibbles said:

piefacemate said:

Looks great, the wheels really suit it.

Out of interest, what radiator are you using? After one myself but not too keen to fork out some of the prices the aluminum ones go for.

Thanks pieface. The rad wasn't particularly expensive, from here:

http://www.japspeed.co.uk/Mazda-MX5/Engine-Tuning/...

I know some people don't rate them but it seems well built and does the job nicely.

£150 seems fairly reasonable, might not be upto scratch against the FM units, but at a third of the price you can't complain!

One other question, if I may; does the oil cooler relocate the oil filter? I've seen relocation kits but wasn't sure how they fit in with a cooler too.

Yes mate the kit also relocates the oil filter. It was a pain in the arse to fit (so i've been told )

Got it from here

http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/product_info.php/product...

ETA it made a big difference to oil temps.

Edited by MrFlibbles on Tuesday 17th August 20:25

[MrFlibbles]

stormrider2 said:

Great car, i'd looked at them for a while but insurance was a killer.

What did you do with the rs*r? apparently they're very rare on mx5s and can still fetch quite a decent sum of money, hopefully you didn't bin it.

Still got it. Its not in very good condition though, a bit bashed up where i kept catching it on speedbumps!

(Insurance is actally not too bad. I'm paying the same on this FC, all mods declared and i was on a Fiesta Zetec S i had as a run around!)

[MrFlibbles]

BCA said:

Russ - who are you insured with? My renewal has just come through and if I can't improve it I may have to sell up.

It's a shame you're not still in the midlands as it would be interesting to compare engine bays.

Went through A Plan in the end, who i was with on the FZS. Orginally they quoted me very unhappy, but by using a different underwriter i saved an absolute packet. Had to lose 5 months NCB though

Sky insurance were also really competitive and seemed like genuine enthusiasts.

[MrFlibbles]

BCA said:

Paul 8v said:

Looking good, does the hard top completely replace the folding roof or is that underneath? I'm not too familiar with the MX5, I've always thought it's a shame they don't do a mass produced coupe version (I know there were a few made but they're £££) It must go like stink, do you have any idea what sort of 0-60 time it would run with this setup?

Edited by Paul 8v on Thursday 19th August 19:07

Underneath, but you can remove it completely and keep the hard top on all year round. You would be missing out in my opinion, but yeah, you could do it. It'll be slightly stiffer as a result too, I can actually tell the difference when my soft top is up or not!?! Whatever you chose to do though, they're an absolute honey to drive.

I'd estimate the 0-60 at somewhere near 6 seconds on this. It'll still be close to 1050 kilos REAL weight.

I'm not sure the hard top would add any stiffness to be honest, its not "solidly" fixed and will creak if you drive slowly over uneven ground.

Time to 60? I have no idea...I'm pretty limited by traction. In anything other than dry conditions the rears will spin up on boost in anything less than 4th!

[MrFlibbles]

_Al_ said:

MrFlibbles said:

Time to 60? I have no idea...I'm pretty limited by traction. In anything other than dry conditions one of the rears will spin up on boost in anything less than 4th!

EFA - assuming you have the standard diff...?

Torsen LSD mate

Paul 8v said:

I quite like the idea of having a permenant hard top, I wonder if there is a way you could make it more secure, I take it that it's a 'glass one? Anything to help with stiffness would be good when its running that sort of power!

The hard tops all have a glass rear window Paul. Seems quite secure and rear visibility is much better than with the soft top up. When i get the roll bar it should help stiffen things up I guess.

yonex said:

MrFlibbles said:

Thanks for the compliments guys!

BCA - I prefer it to drive than the S2k. The handling is in a league above the Honda, the steering feel is so much better, the chassis more more communicative. It is so easy to slide its brilliant. Much better brakes on the s2k though.

I have always liked the MX-5 and when the other half had one in the US tended to find lots of excuses to why I needed to borrow it Totally agree on the handling between the two cars, the MX is really progressive and neutral. They really should have given them the power they deserved in the first place. Are you finding the temps etc stable with the conversion?

Absolutely rock solid temperature wise. I'm yet to have it on a track running full boost but don't anticipate any issues

briSk said:

obviously only if you're happy to..
but could you note down what it's cost you to get it finished?

i currently have a 2005 mcs as you may know.
the only, disperate group of, cars i could conceivably replace it with are:

• dc2 and some money
• dc5 and i add some money
• some vintage of impreza either saving or adding some money
• some vintage of MX5 either saving or adding some money..and this FI type project appeals as it still has the oomph for overtaking etc...

£a lot. I don't know the exact figures but I can put my best guess on a PM. Definetly more cost effective to buy a car thats already modified, but I bought the car with the intent of treating it like a project and dipping my toe into the modding world.

Menguin said:

Nice looking '5 you have there, congrats!

Out of interest - which injectors did you go for? I'm looking at getting some 550cc to replace my 330cc ones, as I'm thinking more power will be needed soon

Thanks Menguin, Bosch Motorsport 550cc's. Currently running at 67% duty cycle so they def have the flexibility to fuel more power if i wanted to go that way. Downside to massive injectors, it stalls a lot until i get round to raising the idle rpm!

[MrFlibbles]

GravelBen said:

Very nice! What's your suspension setup like? Just wondering as my turbo Mk1 doesn't have the traction problems you mention - it was practically riding on the bumpstops when I bought it and would light up 3rd on bumps at 60mph even in the dry, but I raised it 20-30mm to a more sensible level and have been very impressed with the traction since then.

Edited by GravelBen on Monday 30th August 07:21

Cheers Ben. HKS Hypermax coilies. I've never adjusted them since I've had the car, but they are fully adjustable so I should really get them set up properly. Its pretty low but Im not sure how much lower than standard. Looking at the coilovers there is the capacity to go lower still...

TBH I really enjoy my "traction issues"

[MrFlibbles]

Small update, went to TR Lane to have a roll bar fitted. Seems to have tightend up the back end a little and hopefully will protect my bonce should the worst happen.







I'm aware a diagonal would make it stronger but I didnt want to sacrifice the rear visibility. Bolts into the seatbelt mounts, rear suspension mounts and into spreader plates fixed into the floor.

[MrFlibbles]

A couple more interior changes.

Swapped the massive wheel for a 300mm Momo. Much nicer to use and more user friendly when you need a dab of oppo. The dewoodifying will continue, just waiting for a new gear knob to arrive and trying to find a decent leather handbrake that doesnt cost the earth.



Relocated the rotary switch for the switchable maps to somewhere a little easier to access.



Swapped the headunit and had a fiddle around with the big ugly AFR meter and came up with a much nicer (IMO) solution.

[MrFlibbles]

Zad said:

Regarding the wooden handbrake and gear knob, as a short term solution how about sanding it down and staining it David Dickinson dark ebony or similar? Just a thought. How much power do you think will be "enough"? I get the impression that 200ish is probably plenty. Beyond that and it somehow doesn't suit the car.

Seems a shame to do that Zad becuase they'd probably be worth something to some poor sap an enthusiast.

Tbh over 200 is more than ample, but my aim has always been to get to 230, which should be fun!

[Mr MXT]

A few more updates since the last one. Treated myself to these, Vx220 / Elise S2 seats on Christmas day:





Sit a bit lower than standard and feel so much more connected to the car. They offer just the right compromise between good shoulder support without the hassle of having full on buckets for daily use. Really comfortable too, I sat in a few cars and these are much better than the S1 Elise seats IMO.

Also finished my dewoodifying mission, thanks to Jonny671 for the black handbrake sleeve. I'm much happier with the interior now.



Looks a bit meaner from behind as well I think:



The plan for the next month or so is a wheel refurb, the current ones are very tatty, for which I'm dropping the wheels off tomorrow.

I've got an uprated clutch on order (rated to 280 ftlb) and a lightened flywheel (4.5kg I think) which should both arrive middle of next week.

Then its box out, 3rd gear syncro rebuild, clutch and flywheel in, then good to go for more boost!

Then it should be finished...

[Mr MXT]

BCA said:

I like the progress.

Out of interest, why are you rebuilding the 'box? I've seen them go for less than 400quid used in the past, so it's almost worth considering it as a 'consumeable' or are you upgrading the strength of it for more boost?

Its a 6 speed and I know a guy who knows a guy so I can get it rebuilt for less than the price of a 2nd hand box

[Mr MXT]

Riknos said:

Very nice car Russ. I purchased my '5 with the intention of going down the FI route (once funds permit)


...Should of got a mk1 though

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmUZGdi7Ty4

[Mr MXT]

Nope, it's easily worked around.

[Mr MXT]

Dift said:

Mr MXT said:

Nope, it's easily worked around.

And MOT tester is happy? (like you the standard steering wheel is mahoosive, and want a smaller one).

Its not something that is tested as part of an MOT apparently. I just don't like warning lights flashing at me so worked around it.

There is thread on Nutz that is worth reading. FWIW, the smaller wheel makes a HUGE difference.

http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5...

[Mr MXT]

Yes mate, I wanted something that wasn't TOO loud driving normally but sounded nice when nailing it. I also wanted a larger diameter straight through to improve flow.

They got it spot on. Exactly as I wanted it. I notice you are localish - I'm in MK and happy to demonstrate if you want to see / hear it. Drop me a PM.

[Mr MXT]

Thanks very much, I'm not 100% sure but IIRC the boss was from Mx5 Parts.