Clean Miata... needs Power!

Last summer I bought a super clean 93 Miata from my buddy at work. Right now the car is prepped pretty well for STS SCCA autocross.
-Koni Yellows and Ground Controls -Header and exhaust -Flyin Miata Sway bars -949 wheels and RE11 tires -Boss Frog Roll bar

My plan for it was a fun car to drive to work, on weekends, occasional auto-x, and track days a few times a year.

I love everything about it except getting embarrassed by mini-vans at stop lights..

I daily drive a 2012 Mazdaspeed 3. I would like to at least match and probably beat the seat-of-the-pants feel of the MS3. (I want my fun car to be faster than my driver)

My original plan was a V8 swap for the Miata. But a few months after getting the car I found out my wife is pregnant. Good news is no need to sell the Miata... but V8 swap is probably a little tough financially and time wise considering the life changes about to come. ($10K seems to be min on average for the motor + kits, out of the question for now)

So a GRM solution is need and I am pretty sure this is the place to ask this.

Car has 1.6L motor with 90K on it roughly.

Turbo I think is the direction I am headed.

But there are some choices I need to make. Bang for my buck is what I am looking for.

-Flyin' Miata kit, Bell kit, or piece by piece kit?

I have what is probably better than average fabrication skills ( I have a benchtop CNC mill that I converted, I'm also an Mechanical engineer) But I don't feel the need to re-invent the wheel or spend days machining a part I could buy for half my investment in time..

-Buy 1.8L from junk yard/ebay/etc and sell 1.6L? Looks like a decent 1.8L could be had for $900-1200. My 1.6 could be worth $500-800ish. (benefits are boost in torque and then I have a 1.8 motor to build later if the motor eventually pops, and all my turbo parts fit a 1.8 instead of a 1.6)

-Megasquirt PNP? or something else? I know Flyin' miata uses Hydra. Is that for ease of use/reliability?

In college I was on FSAE racing team. I and a friend did all the tuning of that motor with stand alone ECUs (Performance Electronics, Motec some). So I am comfortable handling the tuning myself.

There is a balance I am shooting for. I want something fun and fast but I don't want to spend all my time building and setting it up I also don't want to spend a fortune either.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Comments?

Couple Pics of the car for fun:

I'd peruse the For Sale section of Miataturbo.net. Be warned, they're nice guys... until they bite.

There's a bunch of 1.6 turbo stuff for sale on there at the moment. There's always Megasquirts for sale as well.

On a budget, that's absolutely the way i'd go.

On slightly more budget, i'd do a 1.8 swap and piece together a setup, and still go Megasquirt.

If you want to have it up and running in a weekend, FM kit. Preferably after a 1.8 swap. Would still go Megasquirt.

VERY nice looking car, by the way.

By the way... Tire shine in last pic at auto-X was not my fault. I took the car to a car wash to get it cleaned up and they put tire shine on it before I realized it.

If you're comfortable with the ECU tuning and want to mess around with it, then I'd recommend an FM no-electronics kit and Megasquirt. That way you'll get the solid FM parts and fitment and save money (maybe not as much as you might think, but some) on the engine management.

At least there's no tire shine on the tread

ahaidet wrote: By the way... Tire shine in last pic at auto-X was not my fault. I took the car to a car wash to get it cleaned up and they put tire shine on it before I realized it.

there is a guy that uses tireshine before every autoX event around here. he uses it to gauge his rollover... so just say it is functional!

In reply to Swank Force One:

Thanks.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

Keith the how does the 1.6 drive train handle the power from the FM kit? I know the clutch needs replaced but how does the trans and rear-end hold up typically?

I've read varying things on the internet but you probably have the most real life experience.

With 90K miles assuming the tune is safe and conservative should I expect a decent life out of the motor itself at 200hp? Or should I be ready to upgrade replace the long block in 15K miles?

SCARRMRCC wrote:

ahaidet wrote: By the way... Tire shine in last pic at auto-X was not my fault. I took the car to a car wash to get it cleaned up and they put tire shine on it before I realized it.

there is a guy that uses tireshine before every autoX event around here. he uses it to gauge his rollover... so just say it is functional!

Yeah thats what I meant! It was intentional.. haha

The 1.6 rear is a bit undersized. You can break one with a stock engine if you're abusive enough. Or you can drive a turbo Miata on one without a problem.We've never broken one here but we do tend to have a bit more mechanical empathy than some.

Trans is basically the same as all 5-speeds. It'll be the weak point above 250 rwhp, but it's not that easy to get a 1.6 into that range. So call it good.

With good tuning, you can expect a very good life out of the motor at 200 hp. One of our customers is over 400k on his now. I swapped the motor on my daily driver 1.6 at 125k, but that's because I had laid my hands upon a nice 1.8 for the torques. That engine is now in one of my other Miatas, and I expect it will last a good long time there.

Slight thread hijack...

For those who have experience with both systems, which of the two standalones tends to be easier to tune - the MS or the Hydra?

BoxheadTim wrote: Slight thread hijack... For those who have experience with both systems, which of the two standalones tends to be easier to tune - the MS or the Hydra?

No problem this is part of what I was asking anyhow. I am interested in this.

MS1 takes a long time to dial in with no autotune feature among other things, like knock input. But it is robust & cheap. If you like fiddling with this stuff (I don't) you'll be O.K.

No personal experience with the Hydra, local tuner shop hated it & local race shop loved it.

Your budget will dictate your answer when it comes to a turbo miata build. It can be done for cheap, but that takes time. Is actual track time in its future? If so, cooling and bracing the manifold are things that need to be addressed. A 1.6 should handle 200 HP easily. While a PNP MS system is the goto answer, building one costs a lot less, add auto tune and enjoy.

Anyway you go, enjoy it! Boosted miatae are a hoot, can't wait to get down to building my personal ride instead of someone else's.

Nice car. I have the same one but a 92. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but they're identical except for you have 15in wheels and I have 14's. Mine is all stock but yours is what I want mine to be except I'd like to go with ITB's. I realize it will never be a HP monster, so I might as well make it sound cool.

I can't see your plate clearly but are you from NY? I swear I've seen that car around WNY somewhere.

In reply to Bababooey:

Thanks! Mine came with 14in wheels I have 15in on it now though.

ITBs would be pretty cool.

North East Ohio. Car was always in NEO I think at least for the last 5-6 years.