160bhp mk2.5?

[treadstone]

It's my understanding that the Japanese 'RS' iteration of the mk2.5 came with 160bhp as standard. If I'm not mistaken the 'RS' was essentially our UK 'Sport' model, but the UK car was de-tuned to 146bhp in order to meet emissions requirements.

Does anyone know what steps one would have to take to get a UK mk2.5 Sport up to the 160bhp it was originally designed to produce?

[MX-5 Lazza]

I think it's only the RS that had 160bhp - it's a limited edition just like it was for Mk2 & Mk1, not the JDM equivalent of the UK Sport.
Having said that, it would still be good to know what they did to get 160bhp from it...

[Howard-]

http://www.mx5easternregion.co.uk/Evolution_MK1/ma...

Just had a look here and it says a couple of the rare special edition 1.6 mk1s had 130bhp.. Is that correct?

Odd that the 'original' one they have down as having 118bhp and not 114-116 as most places suggest, as 118 is exactly what mine was dyno'd at last year

[paul99]

Im not even sure the MK2.5 RS had any more power than the 146bhp standard. I remeber reading on Miata.net back in 2002-03 Mazda did release a JDM limited edition of MK2.5's in only Red and Laser Blue with Gold Wheels and the full Appearance package including the floating spoiler. Im pretty certain it didn't have any more power though, i cant find any info on it now.

I think a UK MX5 dealer has a blue one on the forecourt at the moment but they want/wanted silly money for it.

[LukeBird]

MX-5 Lazza said:

Having said that, it would still be good to know what they did to get 160bhp from it...

+1
May have to look into that!!

[treadstone]

It's pretty well documented that the mk2.5 RS has 160bhp. The mk2 RS however didn't.

From my limited research it appears as though the S-VT (VVT) was tuned for emissions rather than power in the UK.

I agree it would certainly be interesting to find out how the RS made 160bhp.

[MX-5 Lazza]

And I think it was probably 160ps rather than bhp so a bit less than 160bhp.

[treadstone]

On a different note has anyone here driven both the mk2/2.5 JDM RS and UK 1.8 MX5's? Would be good to hear how the RS compares in terms of driving.

[DavesBRG5]

Some interesting viewpoints on the 160BHP claims here

http://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/forums/t/16602.aspx

[MX-5 Lazza]

There's a lot of bks in that thread though. The Mk1 & Mk2 RS had things like lightened flywheels but no engine mods. The Mk2.5 RS is supposed to have higher compression and some other "stuff" that gives it more power. The car in that ad is a Mk2, not a Mk2.5 so won't have 160 bhp or ps or whatever it's supposed to have. Much of the thread after that is just more hearsay rather than any know facts - a lot like this thread in fact

[Simon Rs]

I've got one...And it's for sale

[TVRees]

Go on then ...... post a pic

... and a recent power curve.

[finishing touch]

I have a 146 S-VT and had a 160 RS and the RS was quicker.

My son and I bought the RS to sell on and has gone to a MX5 specialist in Sheffield to sell on our behalf.


AFAIK the RS has a different cam, lighter flywheel, higher CR and bigger air intake and exhaust. (ignore race can in the pic)

This one had a more slippery shovel for the to slide off.

Paul G