mx5cartalk.com

I was wondering if it was cost efficient to turn a 2002 mx-5 into SP spec. Where would I get the parts?

dependent on how much the 2002 cost will or cost, & a replica SP isn't going to be worth as much as a genuine SP, although it could certainly cost more to achieve at the moment. at least being in WA it will be easier to get legal registration & insurance. believe there were over 200 differences from the standard nb8b. should be more info here: viewtopic.php?f=29&t=18166

must....keep...fingers...under......control


find the right turbo kit mate, & you'll be off to a good start

For racing or street mate? Your main issue is finding the genuine SP manifold as those are pretty rare. Almost never see them crop up on the forum.

Ok, got the 2002 already wanted one for years and got one at a good price. The car is for road use and not surprisingly I like it, but increasingly I feel that it is a 323 with a sexy body.

May be 200 diffs from stock MX to SE but I quote from the forum...
SP...Stock Standard MX5 with huge turbo and a chrome fuel cap.

Need more torque. I explain.

I also have a limp wristed, gay, girly, hairdresser '93 VW mk1 Golf cabrio (and I do not exaggerate, this is a seriously pretty little car). It has an injected 1.8 sohc and it creams the MX in performance. Absolutely pulls like a train from under 2000 right past 5000. Heaps of fun. Stick it in fifth on the highway and never change down.


I cannot believe how flexible the VW engine is. Which is embarrassing in that the MX one of the finest cars ever made can be eclipsed by a '93 cabrio round the city where I drive. I really have no emotional attachment to the golf at all while I love the MX. The golf will eventually go to a bikini clad babe while the MX is a keeper.

So the guy who brought out the SP knows his stuff and also convinced Mazda that he did. If all I need is the same manifold, turbo, dump pipe and a few other bits I can live with paying some money to achieve the same torque as a pissy golf cabrio.

BTW the cabrio has the GTI seats and they are so much better than Mazdas it is not funny. But they wont fit in the MX

Oh I forgot would need an SP quality intercooler, exhaust and an airbox, but how difficult is that?

Engine management on SP?

bootz wrote:May be 200 diffs from stock MX to SE but I quote from the forum...
SP...Stock Standard MX5 with huge turbo and a chrome fuel cap.

"It's claimed that a total of 215 parts have been added or modified to create the SP"
http://www.autoweb.com.au/cms/A_1409/ti ... ticle.html

sure power is great, but it sounds to me like you don't actually need more power. try taking both your cars to the track and you will gain a new appreciation of why the MX5 is such a fantastic car.

everything about the MX5 is designed for fun, and your engine is no exception - it was tuned for power in the top end rather than low end torque. you need to get the revs high and keep them high to get the most out of the engine.

Locutus wrote:sure power is great, but it sounds to me like you don't actually need more power. try taking both your cars to the track and you will gain a new appreciation of why the MX5 is such a fantastic car.

everything about the MX5 is designed for fun, and your engine is no exception - it was tuned for power in the top end rather than low end torque. you need to get the revs high and keep them high to get the most out of the engine.

I am not interested in thrashing my car on the track. What I need is to get safely away from that 2 tonne Jeep Cherokee crowding my arse on the highway and the 5's accelleration does not inspire me with confidence.

AJ wrote:must....keep...fingers...under......control

find the right turbo kit mate, & you'll be off to a good start

I don't want to know what your fingers are itching to do but you seem to have the right advice.

As far as I can work out an SP turbo setup is:

Nickel-alloy exhaust manifold
Garrett ball bearing turbo
Water-cooling and oil lubricating lines for turbo
Front-mount tube-and-fin air-to-air intercooler
Turbo dump pipe
Free flow exhaust
Free flow airbox
Bosch recirulating blow-off valve
Larger volume fuel injectors
Upgraded spark plugs
Larger radiator.

Not exactly 200+ differences, have I missed anything out? Lets not count the gearknob and bling.

Now to go down the AVO vs Begi vs..... etc etc, finally to tote up the price+installation+tuning , throw my hands up in despair and save for a stock SP or an SE which I can modify - Which is another debate. Interesting exercise for the newbie though.

You might want to reconsider the SP airbox idea - Mazda want about $5k for one.

No Way!

Are you serious, they must be hand made by virgin geishas in Hiroshima and blessed by a shinto warrior priest.

I guess a K&N will have to do

Aside from the turbo and manifold, the ecu is your big ticket item. SP's have a modified OEM ecu that was done by Chiptorque for Mazda Motorsport. It is not the best tune around, and is not adjustable, so quite a few SP owners have fitted aftermarket ecus or piggybacks. All up you would have to spend a bare minimum $5k over the cost of your NB8B. Given recent sale prices ($22-24K) it would most likely work out cheaper to buy an SP (after selling your NB), with the advantage of being legal without engineer's reports etc, thus insured properly etc.

bigdog wrote:Aside from the turbo and manifold, the ecu is your big ticket item. SP's have a modified OEM ecu that was done by Chiptorque for Mazda Motorsport. It is not the best tune around, and is not adjustable, so quite a few SP owners have fitted aftermarket ecus or piggybacks. All up you would have to spend a bare minimum $5k over the cost of your NB8B. Given recent sale prices ($22-24K) it would most likely work out cheaper to buy an SP (after selling your NB), with the advantage of being legal without engineer's reports etc, thus insured properly etc.

Thanks for that info, I didn't know how they reprogrammed the ECU.

You talkin' a lot of sense Bigdog, wanna do a trade?

Seriously, given the excellent state of my car I would plonk 5k down tomorrow if somebody would do the work properly. I have a great respect for Alan Horsley in convincing Mazda it was a viable option to make a custom turbo.

bootz wrote:As far as I can work out an SP turbo setup is:
Nickel-alloy exhaust manifold
Garrett ball bearing turbo
Water-cooling and oil lubricating lines for turbo
Front-mount tube-and-fin air-to-air intercooler
Turbo dump pipe
Free flow exhaust
Free flow airbox
Bosch recirulating blow-off valve
Larger volume fuel injectors
Upgraded spark plugs
Larger radiator.
ChipTorqued OEM ECU

Not exactly just a huge turbo and a chrome fuel cap.

Fixed!