Going turbo

coldfire · Postby **coldfire** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 1:50 am

Hi guys,

I have a red 99 NB8A that I have own for about 5 months now. I bought it with some mods done to it (mania cold air intake, 52mm alloy radiator, carbing strut brace Exedy HD clutch, Torsen 2 lsd). Fun car to drive on the weekends especially on twisty roads. Now I am craving for a more power (200whp maybe? Or even less) and was contemplating adding a turbo on it. I am also thinking of upgrading to a SE or SP (if I can find one) and doing some light mods to it to get that power. I plan to keep the car for long term and might be moving around Australia due to my job so the legality of the mods and difficulty of getting the car registered needs to be considered when I am moving interstate.

I am still learning about the car so I am not very confident in installing the turbo myself. I am very grateful if anyone can direct me to the appropriate post or links regarding cost of adding a turbo and/or whether I should just sell the NB8A and get an SE/SP.

Thanks everyone for your input.

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 6:45 am

Go to Miata Turbo and ask the question, they will be more than helpful. http://www.miataturbo.net/

If you are worried about legality then buy the Mazda OEM turbo MX5.

The alternative is to learn to drive a low horsepower car fast cheaper than installing a turbo and or changing models.

davekmoore · Postby **davekmoore** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 8:26 am

Blue turbo 10AE in the cars for sale section. Buy that. Sorted.

ManiacLachy · Postby **ManiacLachy** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 8:48 am

If interstate moves are a likely and semi-regular thing, then an aftermarket turbo likely won't suit as you'll need to get it engineered multiple times. Therefore, a stock turbo in either SE or SP form, with some basic bolt-ons that are easily reversible should the need arise is probably your best bet. You could even look into doing an ECU/injector swap if you think you could manage swapping back to stock when doing an initial interstate registration - the California guys do this regularly due to their state's CARB testing, so if they can manage it you should be able to

SKYHI · Postby **SKYHI** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 9:41 am

Agreed. If moving from state to state is a possibility, just buy an SE and avoid any legality issues, barring modifications.

Postby **NitroDann** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 9:44 am

Id put the premium into an SP, then add ecu and fuel system and make 250hp, and no one will ever know.

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 1:30 pm

As above, if you want to be able to get it legal in most states without too much hassle you're basically stuck with an SE or SP and putting on some basic modifications.
The only other option is a turbo kit, and be prepared to remove it for rego in some states.

or possibly buy an NA6 and talk to AVO about one of their legal turbo systems, I know they can be legal in Vic, so should be legal in other states (Vic seems to be one of the more difficult/expensive states to get things like this made legal)

coldfire · Postby **coldfire** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 3:50 am

Thanks for your input guys. I saw an SP for sale and I am going to test drive it tomorrow.

93_Clubman · Postby **93_Clubman** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 11:38 am

Might be worth noting the observation made by the OP in the final post in this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=81&p=879894#p879894

coldfire · Postby **coldfire** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 7:01 pm

I went to test drive the car today. I think it is the same car that PtPete test drove (Wangara dealer, one owner, in the 60's). To me it was good amounts of power for a light car. I didn't notice any clutch shudder, maybe they fixed it. The car was stock except for the front bumper and boot lid that looked like the SE. I thought I heard the hissing sound (when coming off throttle) coming from the BOV. Does the stock Bosch BOV produce that sound? Another thing I noticed is that I could put the shifter in 1st, 2nd all the way through 6th without stepping on the clutch when the engine is turned off. Is that normal?

smy0003 · Postby **smy0003** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 7:38 pm

coldfire wrote:in 1st, 2nd all the way through 6th without stepping on the clutch when the engine is turned off. Is that normal?

I'e never dríven a manual car in which you couldn't, but yes it's most definitely normal for an MX-5.

coldfire · Postby **coldfire** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 11:33 pm

Thanks smy0003

Does anyone know if the stock BOV in the SP vents to atmosphere?

Postby **NitroDann** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 11:53 pm

No from factory but you can hear it

coldfire · Postby **coldfire** » Sat Apr 23, 2016 12:19 am

Thanks NitroDann. I always thought I can only hear it if it vent to atmosphere. I like that sound! Not to loud. What to look out for specifically for the SP when purchasing one?

Postby **NitroDann** » Sat Apr 23, 2016 12:31 am

They are just an NB with a turbo, nothing really specific is going to go wrong except normal turbo air leaks and stuff.

Its recirculated but the intake is very unrestricted so the sound escapes easily.