Super/turbo- charging: Build or buy?
Discussion
Or go for a drive in drive out service at BBR/Skuzzle/Blink.
Buying already done will be the cheapest way but as I'm sure you know a lot of NAs will be hiding hidden rusty nasties. Also a lot of conversions are done on the cheap so buyer beware.
If you really have a good car then do it yourself I say, from what I have read supercharging is easier to do but is the less well trodden path
Buying already done will be the cheapest way but as I'm sure you know a lot of NAs will be hiding hidden rusty nasties. Also a lot of conversions are done on the cheap so buyer beware.
If you really have a good car then do it yourself I say, from what I have read supercharging is easier to do but is the less well trodden path
I’ve found myself somewhat emotionally invested in my current Mk1, having expended many hours on it replacing a dead engine, and fitting shiny new bits to. I really want boost but the cost of building up a reliable turbo/supercharger conversion with new bits is massive compared to what boosted cars actually sell for. I’ve resigned myself to waiting for the right turbo kit to be broken and then swapping the relevant used bits over to mine. Used kits with everything you need come up quite frequently at around £1k to £1500. If you can manage a bit of Facebook join “Mx5 buy and sell” and “Mx5Nutz for sale” as they are much more active than any of the forums.
I bought a ready done SC Mk2.5 just over a year ago.
The SC bearings failed recently necessatating a rebuild. Found all sorts of bodges that I had to rectify- SC mounts, badly welded pipe work, wrongly mounted pullies & poor tensioner. This conversion was done by a supposed MX5 expert.
They’re pretty simple cars, so do it yourself- properly....
The SC bearings failed recently necessatating a rebuild. Found all sorts of bodges that I had to rectify- SC mounts, badly welded pipe work, wrongly mounted pullies & poor tensioner. This conversion was done by a supposed MX5 expert.
They’re pretty simple cars, so do it yourself- properly....
I did a SC install myself with a Jackson Racing kit, easy DIY job on my driveway in the evening after work, took about 12 hours of taking my time and following the very good instruction book.
Only tricky thing was changing the throttle cable, which involved taking the driver’s seat out and lying upside down under the steering wheel ;-)
I’m not a mechanical whizz but I’m reasonably good with my hands and I can follow instructions.
Only tricky thing was changing the throttle cable, which involved taking the driver’s seat out and lying upside down under the steering wheel ;-)
I’m not a mechanical whizz but I’m reasonably good with my hands and I can follow instructions.
Chimune said:
Wanting to do this myself as can't afford a rocketeer v6. One thing I've noticed is a chap called Jamie from Essex selling a cheap m45 chargers. Multiple ads over time, each implying it's only because he decided to go Turbo....
The M45 is a good, lag free option. It just makes the car feel like it’s got a bigger engine. Gives about 190 hp @fly. The M62 will give about 220hp. You can spin them a bit quicker giving about 10% more power.The cheap turbos feel a bit ‘boosty’ & give about 200-220 hp. Go for a Garrett 2554 & you’ll get about 240-250hp with less lag. Big power choice is the Borg Warner EFR 6258- gives 370hp but you will need to upgrade the engine internals.
cheers, that helpful
My current car seems a goody, I chose carefully and 18 months on, I've not found any (significant) rust or any other horrors.
The down side is a a 1.6 with no LSD etc etc.
I am nervous of the quality of some of the conversions out there - but clearly decent ones exist and can probably be tracked down.
I too would like the rocket v6, but its a lot of money to put into an mx5... it would help if the resale value was known - generally engine transplants don't make anything back on re-sale - although the rocketeer could well be one of the few that the market appreciates.
the Jackson Racing kit sounds interesting....
GordonL did you get it direct from US, or do they have a UK seller?
My current car seems a goody, I chose carefully and 18 months on, I've not found any (significant) rust or any other horrors.
The down side is a a 1.6 with no LSD etc etc.
I am nervous of the quality of some of the conversions out there - but clearly decent ones exist and can probably be tracked down.
I too would like the rocket v6, but its a lot of money to put into an mx5... it would help if the resale value was known - generally engine transplants don't make anything back on re-sale - although the rocketeer could well be one of the few that the market appreciates.
the Jackson Racing kit sounds interesting....
GordonL did you get it direct from US, or do they have a UK seller?
Edited by OverSteery on Friday 5th January 17:06
OverSteery said:
............. the Jackson Racing kit sounds interesting....
GordonL did you get it direct from US, or do they have a UK seller?
I don't think they are available anymore. L I N K GordonL did you get it direct from US, or do they have a UK seller?
This looks interesting and gets good reviews, but not cheap though $$$
Fast Forward
Having had the JR kit as standard, then upgraded with bigger crank pulley and smaller nose pulley and ultimately with 190ish at the wheels..... I'm now turbo with 230.
The low down torque was great fun out of junctions but ran out of puff when up the rev range. This is where the turbo is good. I actually find the turbo setup loves to rev out more which on the 1.8 is welcome as its not usually a rev happy lump. I have a reconditioned Td04 and the lag is minimal on low and high boost settings. It's a great match.
Although I loved the charger noise and torque I'll not miss the constant faffing (despite throwing a lot of money at it to get it 'faff free'). Since the turbo kit has been installed I have had no cause to open the bonnet. Just been driving and enjoying which is perfect.
I went with Mtech for the swap. Highly recommended if you go down the build route and want someone to do the work.
With buying turbo builds it's an unknown so I guess you just need to see evidence/invoices of TLC and be through with the viewing. If it were me I'd be looking at the condition of the turbo itself, oil change intervals and how well the oil return has been done. Cooling setup is also a big one. My oil return is via the dipstick tube but a lot go in via the sump. It should really come off for the mod but a lot of people drill it in-situe which may introduce swarf into the system if it's not been done carefully or flushed well enough.
Basically don't be scared of buying a turbo setup but make sure the conversions been done to a level you are happy with.
Hope that's of some use!
Cheers
Steve
The low down torque was great fun out of junctions but ran out of puff when up the rev range. This is where the turbo is good. I actually find the turbo setup loves to rev out more which on the 1.8 is welcome as its not usually a rev happy lump. I have a reconditioned Td04 and the lag is minimal on low and high boost settings. It's a great match.
Although I loved the charger noise and torque I'll not miss the constant faffing (despite throwing a lot of money at it to get it 'faff free'). Since the turbo kit has been installed I have had no cause to open the bonnet. Just been driving and enjoying which is perfect.
I went with Mtech for the swap. Highly recommended if you go down the build route and want someone to do the work.
With buying turbo builds it's an unknown so I guess you just need to see evidence/invoices of TLC and be through with the viewing. If it were me I'd be looking at the condition of the turbo itself, oil change intervals and how well the oil return has been done. Cooling setup is also a big one. My oil return is via the dipstick tube but a lot go in via the sump. It should really come off for the mod but a lot of people drill it in-situe which may introduce swarf into the system if it's not been done carefully or flushed well enough.
Basically don't be scared of buying a turbo setup but make sure the conversions been done to a level you are happy with.
Hope that's of some use!
Cheers
Steve
I had a similar dilemma with my first Mk1, was getting into trackdays and wanting more power etc. Looked at a few kit options and ended up buying one with the turbo conversion already done by someone well respected in motorsport circles. Worked out well because it had engine development (internals, cams, ECU etc) to a much higher standard than I would have achieved myself. Wasn't perfect and I had to sort out a few issues while I had it, but the things I couldn't/wouldn't have done myself were already sorted and the issues were things I could deal with.
In hindsight I don't think I really had any more fun with it than the mostly standard one though, just a different type of fun. Next time I'll probably stick with NA, but a Mk2 or Mk3 which has a bit more power than a 1.6 Mk1 to start with.
In hindsight I don't think I really had any more fun with it than the mostly standard one though, just a different type of fun. Next time I'll probably stick with NA, but a Mk2 or Mk3 which has a bit more power than a 1.6 Mk1 to start with.
I've read about so many reliability problems with aftermarket turbo'd MX5s that it would put me off investing. Then there's the price of the conversions at places like Skuzzle (£4500) that seem ridiculous to me.
Driving various cars over the last 10 years, the best fun I've had was in an Elise 135 Sport with a decent exhaust, closely followed by my MX5 NA with uprated coilovers. More fun than the cars I've had pushing upwards of 350bhp. That being said, I've not experienced a basic, stripped out car like an Elise/Caterham with lots of power, and maybe a turbo'd mx5 would tick the box.
For me, I feel that a reliable 170/180hp in the MX5 would be the sweet spot. Such a pity that the costs involved in achieving this little figure with or without forced induction are pretty steep.
Driving various cars over the last 10 years, the best fun I've had was in an Elise 135 Sport with a decent exhaust, closely followed by my MX5 NA with uprated coilovers. More fun than the cars I've had pushing upwards of 350bhp. That being said, I've not experienced a basic, stripped out car like an Elise/Caterham with lots of power, and maybe a turbo'd mx5 would tick the box.
For me, I feel that a reliable 170/180hp in the MX5 would be the sweet spot. Such a pity that the costs involved in achieving this little figure with or without forced induction are pretty steep.
There's a tidy looking turbo'ed Mk1 on ANOther forum I frequent and the guy's asking £3.5k which seems an absolute bargain given the spec.
It seems to have all the right bits and TBH if I wasn't about to fit an I/cooler to my s/charged Mk1 I'd be really interested in his.
It does have some minor rust issues but at least he's being honest about it from the get-go.
PM me if interested and I'll put you in touch.
Cheers, Pewe.
It seems to have all the right bits and TBH if I wasn't about to fit an I/cooler to my s/charged Mk1 I'd be really interested in his.
It does have some minor rust issues but at least he's being honest about it from the get-go.
PM me if interested and I'll put you in touch.
Cheers, Pewe.
Just get to mtech and get it done.
There's a garage mentioned a couple of times on here that frankly, isn't worth even considering. Through my own and two other people's experiences - yet somehow keeps getting recommendations.
Utterly shocking attention to detail and workmanship. Plus a distinct lack of actual expertise in his so called 'specialism' (giving out dyno plots where the lines don't cross at 5252, then claiming it's 'because you don't understand this dyno')...
Mtech are linked heavily to me221, you're getting proper quality hardware and electronics. Simple, reliable power that won't over stress any of the other components. 1.6 isn't an issue as it'll spin up pretty quickly. LSD is simple to retrofit (don't forget to get the matching driveshafts).
Or, if you want a halfway house between mtech and rocketeer for costs, the Trackspeed Engineering kit is absolutely stunning design and quality...
There's a garage mentioned a couple of times on here that frankly, isn't worth even considering. Through my own and two other people's experiences - yet somehow keeps getting recommendations.
Utterly shocking attention to detail and workmanship. Plus a distinct lack of actual expertise in his so called 'specialism' (giving out dyno plots where the lines don't cross at 5252, then claiming it's 'because you don't understand this dyno')...
Mtech are linked heavily to me221, you're getting proper quality hardware and electronics. Simple, reliable power that won't over stress any of the other components. 1.6 isn't an issue as it'll spin up pretty quickly. LSD is simple to retrofit (don't forget to get the matching driveshafts).
Or, if you want a halfway house between mtech and rocketeer for costs, the Trackspeed Engineering kit is absolutely stunning design and quality...
Sorry I didn’t get back to this sooner OP. If you’re starting from a 1.6 then you’ll need to budget for an uprated clutch too, mine lasted about a week with the charger installed. Nice smell of burnt clutch though!
I got my JR kit secondhand from a chap on Nutz, he’d upgraded his to an M62 kit for extra power. Probably worth keeping an eye out on the Nutz forum in case a kit comes up.
It’s also a pain to insure, most of the big companies won’t touch a car with that kind of mod, you’d need to go with someone like Adrian Flux, this trebled my insurance but I’m an old fart in a low risk postcode and I was only paying 90 quid previously 🤪
I got my JR kit secondhand from a chap on Nutz, he’d upgraded his to an M62 kit for extra power. Probably worth keeping an eye out on the Nutz forum in case a kit comes up.
It’s also a pain to insure, most of the big companies won’t touch a car with that kind of mod, you’d need to go with someone like Adrian Flux, this trebled my insurance but I’m an old fart in a low risk postcode and I was only paying 90 quid previously 🤪
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