need more power help
Discussion
hi all new to these parts so please be kind. im after some advice on tuning "she who must be obeyed" mx5 1.8s mk1. we have just come back from lemans and i think all the time spent in a fast car has rubbed off
. she now wants more power so if you guys could help i would greatly appreciate it
thanks in advance
ant
. she now wants more power so if you guys could help i would greatly appreciate it thanks in advance
ant
http://www.performance5.com/ have a very good reputation, although I've not used them myself...
How much more power are you looking for and how much do you want to spend?
There isn't really a lower limit (advancing your timing is free and can make the car feel more powerful without showing any real difference on a dyno) and there isn't really an upper limit either.
For about £1500-£2000 you can get a base level turbo or M45 supercharger. I'd choose the SC at that price as it is a very well proven & reliable package.
For £2000-£5000 you are into serious Turbo or Supercharger territory. The best packages are the FM Turbo or Supercharger (the SC is the one that was originally developed and sold by BRP which became Stage One Tuning and is now built & developed by Barker Products and marketed by FM).
Whether you choose SC or TC is a matter of taste as the power available and the money you can spend is similar. You tend to get more power per pound with a turbo.
For less money you can go the usual intake & exhaust route but this costs a lot and gives minimal power increases (if any).
Sellers of intake systems claim increases of between 3 and 15bhp but I've only ever seen a loss of power on a 1.8. The story is similar with exhaust systems where you can easily spend £1000+ of a full system but will be unlikely to see more than 5-10bhp increase and that will mostly be in the mid-range.
Head work can give good increases in power but costs lots. However, fitting a Mk2 head to your Mk1 can give you an easy 15bhp, more if you have the head cleaned & lightly flowed first.
And then there is the eBay electric supercharger or "power chip"
There isn't really a lower limit (advancing your timing is free and can make the car feel more powerful without showing any real difference on a dyno) and there isn't really an upper limit either.
For about £1500-£2000 you can get a base level turbo or M45 supercharger. I'd choose the SC at that price as it is a very well proven & reliable package.
For £2000-£5000 you are into serious Turbo or Supercharger territory. The best packages are the FM Turbo or Supercharger (the SC is the one that was originally developed and sold by BRP which became Stage One Tuning and is now built & developed by Barker Products and marketed by FM).
Whether you choose SC or TC is a matter of taste as the power available and the money you can spend is similar. You tend to get more power per pound with a turbo.
For less money you can go the usual intake & exhaust route but this costs a lot and gives minimal power increases (if any).
Sellers of intake systems claim increases of between 3 and 15bhp but I've only ever seen a loss of power on a 1.8. The story is similar with exhaust systems where you can easily spend £1000+ of a full system but will be unlikely to see more than 5-10bhp increase and that will mostly be in the mid-range.
Head work can give good increases in power but costs lots. However, fitting a Mk2 head to your Mk1 can give you an easy 15bhp, more if you have the head cleaned & lightly flowed first.
And then there is the eBay electric supercharger or "power chip"
I have a turbo'd mk1 1.6, running at about 175bhp.
The kit cost me about £1800 quid [I have an intercooler as well]
the car is transformed - although with no traction control I have to be really careful - have had a few interesting moments coming off roundabouts :-)
Mx5mad in romford did the conversion for me and I can highly recommend them.
very little turbo lag and a nice noise! I toyed with the idea of a supercharger, one thing that they said was that if I wanted more power later on - there were some tweaks that they could with the turbo, whereas with the SC, the power output is more fixed.
one other thing, check your insurance - mine nearly tripled as a result of the work being done.
Hope this helps.
-ace
The kit cost me about £1800 quid [I have an intercooler as well]
the car is transformed - although with no traction control I have to be really careful - have had a few interesting moments coming off roundabouts :-)
Mx5mad in romford did the conversion for me and I can highly recommend them.
very little turbo lag and a nice noise! I toyed with the idea of a supercharger, one thing that they said was that if I wanted more power later on - there were some tweaks that they could with the turbo, whereas with the SC, the power output is more fixed.
one other thing, check your insurance - mine nearly tripled as a result of the work being done.
Hope this helps.
-ace
I just got the car dyno'd at Surry Rolling Road on an MX5 day, was the most powerful car of the day 249.6bhp@fly running on the actuator that crept to 11psi at redline.
Basically a GT2860RS turbo kit from BEGI + A LINKG3 ECU tuned by Lyndon Sharp at Rogue Systems (MR2 Specialist). Was the most cost effective way of big power I could work out.
Basically a GT2860RS turbo kit from BEGI + A LINKG3 ECU tuned by Lyndon Sharp at Rogue Systems (MR2 Specialist). Was the most cost effective way of big power I could work out.
steve bowen said:
I just got the car dyno'd at Surry Rolling Road on an MX5 day, was the most powerful car of the day 249.6bhp@fly running on the actuator that crept to 11psi at redline.
Basically a GT2860RS turbo kit from BEGI + A LINKG3 ECU tuned by Lyndon Sharp at Rogue Systems (MR2 Specialist). Was the most cost effective way of big power I could work out.
I was there too. Unfortunately my result was disapointing as my cat is knackered. It struggled to reach 200bhp. That will explain why the exhaust note has gone quiet Basically a GT2860RS turbo kit from BEGI + A LINKG3 ECU tuned by Lyndon Sharp at Rogue Systems (MR2 Specialist). Was the most cost effective way of big power I could work out.
Still, at least that gives me a good excuse to get a Sports cat fitted
MX-5 Lazza said:
steve bowen said:
I just got the car dyno'd at Surry Rolling Road on an MX5 day, was the most powerful car of the day 249.6bhp@fly running on the actuator that crept to 11psi at redline.
Basically a GT2860RS turbo kit from BEGI + A LINKG3 ECU tuned by Lyndon Sharp at Rogue Systems (MR2 Specialist). Was the most cost effective way of big power I could work out.
I was there too. Unfortunately my result was disapointing as my cat is knackered. It struggled to reach 200bhp. That will explain why the exhaust note has gone quiet Basically a GT2860RS turbo kit from BEGI + A LINKG3 ECU tuned by Lyndon Sharp at Rogue Systems (MR2 Specialist). Was the most cost effective way of big power I could work out.
Still, at least that gives me a good excuse to get a Sports cat fitted
NiceCupOfTea said:
Worth mentioning that advancing the timing on the 1.8 doesn't have much of an effect - apparently it's all good on the 1.6 but the 1.8 it's swings and roundabouts and you gain top end but lose torque.
I thought it was the other way around - you gained mid-range torque but lost top-end. That's certainly how it felt on my old Mk1 but I did do the change at the same time as fitting a JR CAI so I could be wrong.Gassing Station | Mazda MX5/Roadster/Miata | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff