best way to make power from a 1.6

Postby **NitroDann** » Mon May 23, 2011 10:40 am

filo6667 wrote:I'm a bit of a newbie to this forum but i have dríven alot of stock mx5's. love the way they drive but feel like they could use a bit more kick. Just wondering what is a common way to get more power. I was thinking engine conversions or turbo conversions?

Im sure with this train of thought, some cams and no carpet isnt an idea that offends him.

Dann

Matty · Postby **Matty** » Mon May 23, 2011 11:26 am

NitroDann wrote:Im sure he can decide if he needs carpet. For me , i dont even notice its gone, or my girlfriend for example.

Dann

Surely you would have noticed the improved power to weight ratio once she was gone?

Postby **NitroDann** » Mon May 23, 2011 11:57 am

your not kidding. I took my mate for a drift on a privately owned area.. Last night. He weighs 120kilos he hakes the car 15 percent worse at everything.

Dann

93_Clubman · Postby **93_Clubman** » Mon May 23, 2011 1:49 pm

filo6667 wrote:I'm a bit of a newbie to this forum but i have dríven alot of stock mx5's. love the way they drive but feel like they could use a bit more kick. Just wondering what is a common way to get more power without spending huge amounts of money and still having reliability. I was thinking engine conversions or turbo conversions?

Wide range of views here:
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viewtopic.php?f=29&t=36190
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=21232
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=23977
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=16608

jerrah · Postby **jerrah** » Mon May 23, 2011 3:31 pm

Having had my interior apart countless times I'd be surprised that there would be 20kg of sound deadening in there!

Unless a previous owner already stripped it from my car? There is a bit of carpet underlay under the footwells and that's about it.

bensale · Postby **bensale** » Mon May 23, 2011 3:46 pm

If you removed all the underlay, the sound deadening with dry ice and the sound deadening matt and underlay on the rear parcel shelf 20kg would be about right. My car's underlay was quite wet so the effective weight saving of removing it was even more.

You should be able to remove this much underlay from the interior, it adds up!

jerrah · Postby **jerrah** » Mon May 23, 2011 4:09 pm

What's that thing on the left? I don't have that much underlay in my car, obviously someone's had a go on my car in the past.

bensale · Postby **bensale** » Mon May 23, 2011 4:20 pm

Sound like someone has... Good for you I guess =) That is a exhaust noise / heat shield, the very rear one that goes above the muffler. Didn't weigh much (< 1kg) I removed it as I was chasing a rattle... The exhaust is a bit louder without it and the boot insulation.

Postby **NitroDann** » Mon May 23, 2011 5:06 pm

I reused that heatshield on my car. polished it up, cut it down to about half the size and its the heatshield for my intake, which for the record manages about 6 degrees higher than ambient even sitting and heatsoaking it.

Dann

Hellmun · Postby **Hellmun** » Mon May 23, 2011 7:25 pm

bensale wrote:Sound like someone has... Good for you I guess =) That is a exhaust noise / heat shield, the very rear one that goes above the muffler. Didn't weigh much (< 1kg) I removed it as I was chasing a rattle... The exhaust is a bit louder without it and the boot insulation.

Out of curiousity how hot does your boot get without it? I know after a trackday the boot is baking hot enough with it in place, I'd be concerned I'd see bubbling paint and potential battery damage without it. Though if it really makes no difference it's going to go in a scrap metal pile.

Postby **NitroDann** » Mon May 23, 2011 7:50 pm

My muffler wasnt anyway near it. But to be honest ive never noticed a hot boot. I reguLarly flog mine with groceries in it and never noticed anything.

Dann

bensale · Postby **bensale** » Mon May 23, 2011 7:54 pm

Can't say I've noticed any issues... I have melted the bumper bar around the exhaust tip before but haven't noticed any issue in the boot. I will have a look for you tomorrow to see if it has done anything but I don't think so!

xmx106 · Postby **xmx106** » Mon May 23, 2011 11:04 pm

filo6667 wrote:I'm a bit of a newbie to this forum but i have dríven alot of stock mx5's. love the way they drive but feel like they could use a bit more kick. Just wondering what is a common way to get more power without spending huge amounts of money and still having reliability. I was thinking engine conversions or turbo conversions?

Unfortunately whatever you do generally costs you money, to think along the lines of engine conversions or turbo charging most would agree that the turbo route is costly but the better option, if you dont want to spend money and it will cost you around $2000 + to turbo, then you have little option but to try all the basic tricks of exhast, cold air induction and ignition timing. Pulling your car apart is a last resort, unless its a track car, you know how much comfort you want to keep.
Nearly two thirds of this thread has been pretty much useless to a newbie. Sorry that its gone down that track.

Postby **NitroDann** » Mon May 23, 2011 11:08 pm

Newbie to forum, The guys talking engine conversions, either he isnt new to the car game or hes talking out his arse.

It will be cheaper to legally do an engine swap, as emissions and those things wont hold you up, assuming you keep the stock computer. Going to a 13b, or an sr20 is not particularly hard to engineer, as this is your main hurdle.
Having said that, a turbo conversion is easier to do, in terms of modifications, and plenty of kits are available.

Dann

xmx106 · Postby **xmx106** » Mon May 23, 2011 11:53 pm

When I read filo6667's original post, he likes the way the mx5 handles he's dríven a few stock cars and he asks the question as a neebie to this forum. And we dont know if he can swing a spanner or do up his own shoe laces. The best link for info was the solomiata tunning site, lots of good info, good opening move.
The question asked how do you commonly get more power without spending money (not p,ossible) and is it a mater of engine conversions or turbo charging. The most common method in this case is tubo charging, there is so much info out there on turbo charging an mx5 its rediculous, on engine conversions, not as much but its there you can find it.
In the meantime the thread went off the track and talked about 5 second gocarts and how to remove 20 kg of sound proofing. I can remove 20 kg quicker than that, only keep 20 ltrs of fuel in your tank and that removes the other 25 ltrs and thats at least 20 kg, now this will start a flood of posts, can any of you really say wow I am glad I only have 20 ltrs in the tank today shes going like a rocket !. On the track I could maybe see some difference to a lap time with only half a tank, but on the road ?? and so the same applys to pairing the poor car down to the bone, for a track car yes for a street car no, but up to the individual.
Dann you must have a lot of spare time on your hands and thats a good thing, you can go and push the boundary's, go where no man has gone before and then let us all know if it was worth it.