Cheapest way togo forced induction.

[AlLondon]

Hi Guys,

I hope to get my MX5 this week. I really want to go forced induction as to get it up to 180bhp.

What are the best options for me? I like the idea of supercharged so there is no lag. Car will be a weekend car so fuel consumption and around town driveability isnt a massive issue.

I am a competent mechanic. But would prefer someone else to do it haha.

Does anyone know if freelance mazda do turbo conversions?

Alex

[rob0971]

Hi mate,
Cheapest way to supercharge is probably to gather all the bits yourself & fit. If you are half handy with a welder & a grinder you can fabricate the brackets & pipework.
Have a read of Barry Spiers build thread on Nutz http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=4...
You will then end up with a cracking car with the satisfaction of knowing you have done it for less than half the price of a Jackson racing or Moss kit off the shelf. The management side of things will be a steep learning curve if you go for a standalone ecu, but its well worth it in the long run. The cheapest alternative is an adjustable fuel pressure regulator, crude but it works. you will also have to back off the timing to avoid detonation.
You may also be able to get a secondhand kit off a breaker. These come up now & again.
Hope this helps a bit
Rob

[AlLondon]

Hmm very interesting.

http://www.bellengineering.net/product_info.php?cP...

Anybody had any experience of these?

[roverspeed]

not very confidence inspiring that the turbo has a 15 day manufacturers warranty.

Didn't even think a 15 day warranty would be legal on brand new item!

[Noisy]

Probably the cheapest option would be to buy a secondhand turbo set up, I bought a whole car with turbo for £1500 and took off all the parts I wanted, I will be swapping the standard bits back onto the car and selling it on as a standard one once I get around to it.

Paul

[JFReturns]

Hi there,

When I spoke to Mark at Freelance Mazda he wasn't keen on forced induction. Contrary to everything else I have read, he says the MX5 engine isn't really suited to it, and the 323 engine (which is turbocharged) is different to the '5.

However, if you did want to do it check out MX5Nutz - also a guy on here and Nutz (OnlyMXFives??) occasionally sells second hand kits.

Cheers,

J

[GravelBen]

The cheapest way is to buy a car with the work already done.

[MX-5 Lazza]

JFReturns said:

When I spoke to Mark at Freelance Mazda he wasn't keen on forced induction. Contrary to everything else I have read, he says the MX5 engine isn't really suited to it, and the 323 engine (which is turbocharged) is different to the '5.

Strange. Freelance mazda are pretty highly respected so I'd have expected more from them.
He is right that the 5 engine isn't the same as the 323 but it is based on it and many of the components can be swapped between them - a popular swap is putting the 323 cam cover on a 1.6 MX5 engine. The MX5 also has the oil-cooled pistons and (relatively) strong crank which are throw-backs from the 323 turbo engine. All in all I wouldn't call a 1.6 engine that can safely be boosted from 114bhp to 270bhp unsuited to forced induction

[JFReturns]

MX-5 Lazza said:

JFReturns said:

When I spoke to Mark at Freelance Mazda he wasn't keen on forced induction. Contrary to everything else I have read, he says the MX5 engine isn't really suited to it, and the 323 engine (which is turbocharged) is different to the '5.

Strange. Freelance mazda are pretty highly respected so I'd have expected more from them.
He is right that the 5 engine isn't the same as the 323 but it is based on it and many of the components can be swapped between them - a popular swap is putting the 323 cam cover on a 1.6 MX5 engine. The MX5 also has the oil-cooled pistons and (relatively) strong crank which are throw-backs from the 323 turbo engine. All in all I wouldn't call a 1.6 engine that can safely be boosted from 114bhp to 270bhp unsuited to forced induction

I thought the same thing. What can't be denied is Mark knows his stuff, having worked on the '5 since it was brand new. He also worked on installing the BBR turbos.

On the other hand, there are hundreds of people who FI their cars with no problems.

[youngsyr]

JFReturns said:

MX-5 Lazza said:

JFReturns said:

When I spoke to Mark at Freelance Mazda he wasn't keen on forced induction. Contrary to everything else I have read, he says the MX5 engine isn't really suited to it, and the 323 engine (which is turbocharged) is different to the '5.

Strange. Freelance mazda are pretty highly respected so I'd have expected more from them.
He is right that the 5 engine isn't the same as the 323 but it is based on it and many of the components can be swapped between them - a popular swap is putting the 323 cam cover on a 1.6 MX5 engine. The MX5 also has the oil-cooled pistons and (relatively) strong crank which are throw-backs from the 323 turbo engine. All in all I wouldn't call a 1.6 engine that can safely be boosted from 114bhp to 270bhp unsuited to forced induction

I thought the same thing. What can't be denied is Mark knows his stuff, having worked on the '5 since it was brand new. He also worked on installing the BBR turbos.

On the other hand, there are hundreds of people who FI their cars with no problems.

I'm putting words in their mouth, but perhaps they mean that they prefer how an NA MX-5 drives compared to a boosted one? More power doesn't always make a better car, after all.

[JFReturns]

No definately not. I specifically questioned Mark's opinion on FI, and his words were "we don't recommend it" and "they often come back to us broken".

[piefacemate]

It'd be worth questioning around the detail that helped form his opinion; has his experience been limited to a particular type of install using specific products, what caused the faults etc. I could understand budget installs without standalone engine management causing reliability issues, but not at the pricier end of the spectrum.

There's many people who've found FI MX5's to be perfectly reliable, myself included. I've experienced a failed ECU, which was a 10 year old unit and past it's life, and a faulty coil pack, neither endemic of an unreliable install, just general wear and tear. All this on a 200BHP car with an original 120K+ engine.

[MX-5 Lazza]

The only reliability issue I have with mine is that I've broken 2 throttle bodies (snapped spindle) which appears to be a known issue not related to forced induction (there is a thread on miata.net about it). Other than that it's been pretty much faultless despite all the grief I've given it.

[JFReturns]

piefacemate]It'd be worth questioning around the detail that helped form his opinion [.... said:

Yes, I will do. But it might not be until my MOT is due November time....