05pearl Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Picked up a 2005 Mazdaspeed MX-5 today. $10,600 w/ 50,200 on the ODO. She sure makes me appreciate the power of her big brother - the LGT. The stock turbo on her is pretty wimpy. Eventually, I plan on modding to over 300whp (at least the drive train loss is only about 10-15%). I just need to do a lot of studying beforehand to figure out the best way to do it. Apparently the MS MX-5's come with a fairly stout tranny, clutch and suspension already. I think the hardest part will be new rods and pistons as well as finding decent engine management that won't break the bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gire Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Damn. I want one. Seriously. What a great driver's car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolksey85 Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Nice find! I love those little cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05pearl Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 ^Thx. I forgot how a roadster felt. Today was a nice reminder. It's sure easy to whip it in and around the turns. I'm going to take her up to Estes Park with the top down this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolksey85 Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Hahaha, I just had to remember. I used to work with a guy who bought a Special Edition MX5, which IIRC, had Bilstein's, a 6spd, special leather, all that. He bought it one week and a week later found a Speed MX5 for about 1500 more than what he paid for his. Man, he was not happy about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05pearl Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 ^ That reminds me when I bought a used 91 MR2 and it had an auto w/ cloth interior. I found another one with leather and 5 speed a few days later. I traded it and paid about $1,000 more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 From what I understand some of the components in the MX5 transmission comes from a Mazda truck. That should prove for some reliability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Cute car. I eat sandwiches bigger than it tho', just too damn small for me. EDIT: I am not condeming the car, purchase or anything other than my GIRTH! I have said many times if I was asian, a girl or a man of smaller stature I would rock a mazdaspeed Miata in a heartbeat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSFW Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Cute car. I eat sandwiches bigger than it tho', just too damn small for me. No doubt. I used to work with a guy who is 6' 7" and he had two Miatas that he used as roller skates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Congrats! I miss mine. Bought new in 2002 and sold in 2007. Put a smile on my face every single time I drove it. But I needed to just have 1 car, and the Miata wasn't the right choice for that. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. In other words: SEARCH before you post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05pearl Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 This is just a toy car for me to mess with. My LGT is my DD. But, I have always wanted to put some serious power into a light weight two seater. I figured this will be as good as any platform to start with. Can you imagine 300+whp in a 2500lb car Edit - I'm 5'8", 145 - so no problems with personal "fitment" in this car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Edit - I'm 5'8", 145 - so no problems with personal "fitment" in this car. I'm 5"+ 85lbs+ heavier than you, or basically... A miata for me would be a convertable corvette. That being said, I love the idea and PLEASE keep us posted on your buildup. Plenty of us Subifans want to see what you do with your new whip. I am excited for you and I believe that will be more fun on the track than a LGT ever will be (what a difference 1000lbs makes!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 The advantage with a Miata if you are long is that the worst thing that can happen is that you make a suspicious non-permanent bump in the roof when it's up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05pearl Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 ...what a difference 1000lbs makes! I know, it's like telling 7 or 8 of your friends to pile out of your car and then seeing how she drives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmafod Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Congrats on the MSM purchase! You will love the car, especially with more power. My 'summer' car is a '92 with 289rwhp (~2100lb first gen FTW), owned it since 2000 and have been through quite a few different turbo, suspension, & ecu setups. Let me know if you have any questions. I'd recommend absurdflow.com for upgrades, but I might be biased miataturbo.net is the place to get accurate info. Lots of great stickies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rao Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Sounds like fun; personally I would install a different engine Rob IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR YOU SHOULD NEVER DRIVE IT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05pearl Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 Sounds like fun; personally I would install a different engine Like this?: http://www.flyinmiata.com/V8/Mike/images/img_5209.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05pearl Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 Congrats on the MSM purchase! You will love the car, especially with more power. My 'summer' car is a '92 with 289rwhp (~2100lb first gen FTW), owned it since 2000 and have been through quite a few different turbo, suspension, & ecu setups. Let me know if you have any questions. I'd recommend absurdflow.com for upgrades, but I might be biased miataturbo.net is the place to get accurate info. Lots of great stickies. Thanks for the heads up. I've already been to miataturbo.net. I'll visit absurdflow next. Like I said, I will have to do a lot of research before modding. How does 289rwp feel in a 2100lb car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmafod Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Oh, it's horrible. I hate it. I love the torque of the subaru especially for daily driving and squirting through traffic, but the miata just feels like an extension. Like a large go kart. While not as popular in the aftermarket as a honda or subaru, there's many of different setups available from companies that make bolt-in LS or ford windsor V8 swaps, to coldside positive displacement blowers, there's a rotrex kit, a couple IRTB setups, quite a few turbo kits, an insane DIY turbo community, etc. For your MSM, I think flyin miata has a plugnplay Hydra ecu, BEGI (bell engineering) has some piggyback ecu that works pretty well supposedly, and there's at least one that runs a megasquirt in parallel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05pearl Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 ^^ What kind of engine management are you using. Are you running the stock block? Hydra seems the best, but it's very $$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rao Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Engine management is always the biggest challenge. Rob IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR YOU SHOULD NEVER DRIVE IT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05pearl Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 Engine management is always the biggest challenge. We've all been spoiled in the Subaru community - all you need is a Tactrix cable and opensource. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmafod Posted May 13, 2010 Share Posted May 13, 2010 ^^ What kind of engine management are you using. Are you running the stock block? Hydra seems the best, but it's very $$$. I run the AEM EMS as it was the nicest plug n play ECU back when I got it. It's still at the top of the list IMHO. In NJ, I don't have to worry about passing emissions due to CEL's as it's an OBD1 car so I went with a full standalone. I haven't personally used the Hydra but that's only sold through Flyin Miata in the USA, uses an expensive proprietary short lived wbo2 sensor, and is expensive overall. But it looks pretty. There is also a plug n play adaptronic and of course a PNP megasquirt, which is by far the most popular. If you have to keep your stock (crap) ecu due to emissions testing in your state then there's all the typical piggyback options. I'm not familiar with what's the go-to piggyback for the MSM. I run an internally stock '94 1.8, my original 1.6l trans, and a 3.90 torsen from a '99. Your drivetrain should be strong enough for whatever you plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmafod Posted May 13, 2010 Share Posted May 13, 2010 We've all been spoiled in the Subaru community - all you need is a Tactrix cable and opensource. You got that right!! I opensource. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted May 13, 2010 Share Posted May 13, 2010 Sounds like fun; personally I would install a different engine This forum wouldn't be the same without you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.