turbo-ing my mx-5?

erecsean · Postby **erecsean** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 4:42 pm

hi guys, i've had my na mx5 for only about 3 months now and i do feel like the car is under powered. now, correct me if im wrong, but i've been doing some research online and the ford laser tx3's and mazda familia's engine is basically a turbo version of the bp-ze engines. im really new to this so please bear with my noob questions. would it be a cheaper alternative if i got an engine from a tx3 or a familia or source a whole turbo kit instead? do i also need a gearbox from a tx3 or a familia if i get an engine from either one of them? i know i do need the ecu, loom.

cheers.

bootz · Postby **bootz** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 4:58 pm

The question, It's an interesting one, if you can find the 323 GTX :?:

engine, and it's in acceptable condition. I think you will find the logistics would be impractical unless you have extraordinary luck.

hejira · Postby **hejira** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 5:42 pm

I test drove an NA with a familia engine with an R33 turbo once, it was incredibly quick. So yes this can be done.

olboy · Postby **olboy** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 5:43 pm

I am probably wrong but your engine is almost the same
Just add turbo and ECU etc and you have the same thing

emily_mx5 · Postby **emily_mx5** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 5:51 pm

Just think about what you are asking here.
How would an engine, that was turbocharged in another vehicle, help you ?
You do know what "turbo" means yes? its not "the engine" its a thing that bolts to the exhaust side of the engine.

Those cars are front wheel drive. Google what that means, and see what direction the inlet manifold is, and where their the exhaust manifold places the turbo.
Now imagine that engine in mx5 rear wheel drive orientation.

None of the turbo gear will fit.

Postby **NitroDann** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:27 pm

In short, the internals of the engine are IDENTICAL, so the engine itself its no gain to swap, the inlet manifold faces the wrong direction so you need to use the one you already have already, whats left over is the turbo manifold and turbo, and dump pipe, none of which fit in an mx5.

So basically, no.

Dann

MrRevhead · Postby **MrRevhead** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 7:57 pm

viewtopic.php?f=76&t=19618

Read that, read it again, then take the advice from the people above (that are spot on) and form your own opinion whether you want to convert or just turbo what you have currently.

If the benefits of the swap vs turboing the existing driveline was more beneficial, most/more people would be doing it, but as you will see, many don't go down that route for aforementioned reasons ;)

erecsean · Postby **erecsean** » Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:31 am

thank you all for the reply guys. i just thought that it would have different internals etc.

erecsean · Postby **erecsean** » Tue Jun 25, 2013 12:15 pm

emily_mx5 wrote:Just think about what you are asking here.
How would an engine, that was turbocharged in another vehicle, help you ?
You do know what "turbo" means yes? its not "the engine" its a thing that bolts to the exhaust side of the engine.

Those cars are front wheel drive. Google what that means, and see what direction the inlet manifold is, and where their the exhaust manifold places the turbo.
Now imagine that engine in mx5 rear wheel drive orientation.

None of the turbo gear will fit.

i would just thought that they came with better internals etc.? and yes i do know what a turbo is....... i obviously didnt know if it could be done or not and that's why i'm asking. my mates, mate of mine had a non turbo s13 and he sourced a sr-20det engine from a gtir pulsar.

Postby **NitroDann** » Tue Jun 25, 2013 12:55 pm

The mx5 was always sold with the turbo interns so bolt one on and wind it up.

Dann

Sean · Postby **Sean** » Tue Jun 25, 2013 10:50 pm

NitroDann wrote:The mx5 was always sold with the turbo interns so bolt one on and wind it up.

Dann

The BP yes, the B6 not so.

That said, the B6T rods weren't as good as people liked to think, if you order a set from mazda today you will get the stock B6 MX5 ones.

Back to the original question - As suggested already, there is no real advantage to getting a BP turbo engine, you could use the turbo itself, but you'll need a new exhaust manifold and dump pipe to make it fit, and you'll also need to re-use your original intake manifold, so yes, it can be done, although it's not really a sensible way to do it.

There was a member here Alan (not sure his username) who fitted a BP-GTR (ultra rare) engine to his NA mx5 and made awesome power, although he used a custom exhaust manifold and MX5 intake - his power was more the result of an aftermarket ECU and the big BPGTR turbo.

The major attraction to familia engines is they are pretty cheap to find in good condition, but assuming your current engine is in good condition you'd be better off buying an AVO kit, bolting it on, calling an engineer for approval and partying on.

emily_mx5 · Postby **emily_mx5** » Tue Jun 25, 2013 11:24 pm

I fitted a BP Familia GT-X engine into my NA6. Can be done.

However I'm still confused as to what OP asked.

None of the factory FWD turbo stuff will fit, so thats not a viable option for turbo'ing.

The engines fit, and are a great cheap replacement engine, and the GT-X and even better GT-R engines differ in many ways and are better than the mx5 engines in terms of internals.
But the engine its self still would have to be custom turbo'd for mx5 layout.

davekmoore · Postby **davekmoore** » Tue Jun 25, 2013 11:27 pm

Listen very carefully to Dann.

Also remember that more power needs more insurance, more engine cooling, better brakes, suspension, etc etc. It's a vicious cycle and involves many $$$$$.

If you want to go quicker, how about firstly using your car as it is on a few track days so you discover whether its limits are within or beyond your own limits?