Long-term power options for Miata

[DJ]

i saw one guy actually i think on the cmzc forum using a motor from a v8 ford explorer

[roninsoldier83]

http://www.miataturbo.net/showthread.php?t=56813

$675 for a used turbo setup without EMS.

Yeah, I saw that.... very tempting.... but at the same time, I think that if I'm going to spend the cash, I'll pay a little more for a Garrett GT-series/ball-bearing turbo, as the actual response time on the street will be superior (I've spent enough time in Subaru's with Garrett's as opposed to "similar sized" IHI's & Mitsu turbos to actually feel the difference on the street).

That's a hell of a bang for the buck, but I would spend the extra cash on something like this:
http://www.miataturbo.net/showthread.php?t=57571



Although, based on the fact that I might be taking a large put cut soon, I'm trying to resist the urge to spend large amounts of cash... awesome deals on turbo kits make it pretty tough to resist haha!

[roninsoldier83]

So, after much consideration and debating, I've changed my mind, I'm not going to turbocharge the car, but have decided to supercharge it instead.

They no longer make the old M45 Jackson Racing SC kit, so I think I'm going to eventually pickup a M62 SC from FFS:
http://www.fastforwardsuperchargers.com/miata-superchargers.html

I'm thinking maybe next year around tax return season. Now that I know that the car doesn't have a 7" rear end, rather than go with a 200+whp turbo solution, I think I can make the stock 1.6 diff last with the ~170whp the M62 SC (coldside) kit comes with.

There are several advantages of the SC kit that make it very appealing to me:

-Car only gains 18 lbs worth of weight!
-Kit is Carb legal/passes emissions with ease due to not replacing emissions equipment.
-Less heat in the engine bay due to lack of a turbine.
-Flat torque curve/will simply feel like a bigger motor.
-Linear throttle response/no lag (preferable for tracking the car IMO).
-No worries about boost creep/spike.

I think my ~2100 Miata would be a riot to drive with 170whp! I also think that this setup would be fairly reliable, and I wouldn't be hesitant about tracking it. Overall, the lack of lag/addition of low-end torque would compliment the little 1.6 motor pretty well IMO.

Been giving this a fair amount of thought, and I think this is the route I'm going to take. I think it's going to make for a fun little car.