"Honey Badger" Miata: Turbo Track Build (new brakes installed)

[97TurboDSM]

You should man up and daily it. I use "man" very loosely here, because well, Miata.

[CleanNeon98]

Ehh. There's a few reasons I won't.

1. Engine is built on the looser side so I know it won't last forever. My hope is to get 50k out of it before I ever open it again even if it's for bearings or gaskets. I would rather make that 50k last me 10-12 years and not 3-4.

2. Because of th Megasquirt I can only do 5,000mi a year before I fail emissions. Anything under 5k/yr in PA gets a pass

[CleanNeon98]

Took her to the tuner yesterday afternoon. My friend got a video on the way, 3rd gear 60mph takeoff on the turnpike

http://youtu.be/hp5c8mqS4Vs

[CleanNeon98]

So picked it up from the tuner. Feels good except the spark issues. Basically part of it is the COP system itself not being designed for high boost, but another is that we are running it in wasted spark mode. If we wired it sequential we could get a few more PSi but I don't like being at the limit of anything. I want to hopefully create a GM based setup over the winter. Basically it breaks up the spark. Others have reported this issue so the FAB9 setup will be for sale. It would be great for someone with a stock turbo but at this point its not cutting it for me. You can hear it in the speedo video below. Besides that the car pulls hard and feels fantastic! I'll take it back once I get the new coil setup and it should have no issues.

https://youtu.be/46MeP98gEMk

http://youtu.be/QTileixY38Y

311/285 on 17psi <---last tune
328/308 on 20psi <---current tune

[Foolinaround]

Car sounds good bro. What wg/bov setup you running?

[CleanNeon98]

Originally Posted by Foolinaround

Car sounds good bro. What wg/bov setup you running?

The EFR Turbos come with an IWG and integrated BOV which dumps air right back into the turbo to keep the wheel spinning between shifts. Now they make them without wastegates and with v-band housings, but when I got mine, it was just IWG on a T25. Mine is the .64 A/R so not the most expensive option but still with the efr specific v-band flange and clamp it comes to just shy of $1,800. I only paid about $1,500 for it and that was 2-3 years ago

http://www.turbos.bwauto.com/files/p...R%206258-A.pdf

http://www.full-race.com/store/turbo...258-turbo.html

[CleanNeon98]

Did another vid of a 20-100ish pull 2nd gear on. Difference in traction vs 2nd gear before is night and day it goes through 2nd and 3rd so good and feels fantastic! I love the sound with the top down vs up as well

http://youtu.be/8Nbq6osAk_8

For reference here is 2nd gear with the old tires starting at 30mph so should have spun less but the new tires absolutely hook amazing

http://youtu.be/sAKRig6tpMQ

[Foolinaround]

Originally Posted by CleanNeon98

The EFR Turbos come with an IWG and integrated BOV which dumps air right back into the turbo to keep the wheel spinning between shifts. Now they make them without wastegates and with v-band housings, but when I got mine, it was just IWG on a T25. Mine is the .64 A/R so not the most expensive option but still with the efr specific v-band flange and clamp it comes to just shy of $1,800. I only paid about $1,500 for it and that was 2-3 years ago

http://www.turbos.bwauto.com/files/p...R%206258-A.pdf

http://www.full-race.com/store/turbo...258-turbo.html

I figured it was internally gated but the integrated bov makes an interesting sound.

[PAdutch]

I never thought Id say it but...your making me want a miata! Looks like a ton of fun.

[CleanNeon98]

Thank you thank you, been a long road to get here. It's still a Miata, but it feels so different than any other Miata I've ever been in. It's not easy to drive at the limit anymore which is what Miatas are known for, but drive it right and it rewards with ear to ear smiles, sometimes dribbles of urine. One thing is for sure, if I had this much power when I first got the car, I would have wrecked it long ago.

I hope next year I can get to some track days. Whether or not I'll do aero after that is still in the air. The thing about track driving is I value the car too much to really push it and possibly crash, and I think driving 7 or 8/10 I won't be needing Aero (though it might allow me to get ot 9/10 with more confidence).

[mann]

Come out to the AZP track day November 3rd. We'll be out there and it is a very low stress time with plenty of instructors available.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1674815806098938/

[CleanNeon98]

LOL I feel like I constantly have excuses, but the spark breakup is not really good for track driving. Doesn't happen all the time, it's mostly in the lower gears, but still.

I've still got a few more things I want to do before the track. I'm scared to cut into my hood, but these louvres will really help cooling by allowing better airflow through the front end.

NB Louvres made for the 98-05


NC Louvres made for the 06+ but some have adopted them onto the NB


Gotta get my rear wheel bearings and hubs done, along with the extended studs. I was hoping to get new coilovers put on at the same time as well, but my bonus at work this month turned out to be 1/3 of what I was expecting, so all this might get put off till the spring. I'm not driving the car much from now until April/June, maybe 300 miles total, so that will give me time to save up some cash for all of the above and more. I just hope that I don't run into another issue next year, and can finally take the car where it belongs.

[CleanNeon98]

That didn't last long. There was a price drop on the coil overs so I got them ordered yesterday with their standard rates of 700lbs front and 400lbs rear. That comes to roughly 12.5kg front and 7.5kg rear. Seems super stiff but everyone that gets them says they ride amazingly and handle the same. Also got the new ignition system which will use GM LS3 D510c coil packs mounted to the firewall, those bearings, hubs, and studs as well.

Looks like I'll have a bunch of stuff to put on in the coming weeks

Details on coilovers are here: http://949racing.com/xida-coilover-miata.aspx
Details on coil packs are here: https://www.flyinmiata.com/big-spark-kit.html

[CleanNeon98]

Stock:


Now:

[CleanNeon98]

So a few more new things.

New GM Ignition system is being installed Saturday
Coilovers, hubs, bearings, and wheel studs on 11/12

Ordered Singular Motorsports Hood Louvres for the NB. The idea is they promote more airflow through the intercooler/radiator by giving it a spot to exit the hood.


Also stepped up to the 15x10 6UL wheels from the 15x9 I have now. Reason being is they will be better suited for the 245 slicks I have, and Maxxis is said to be releasing the VR-1 in a 245/40-15 in the Spring of 2016, which will be a great alternative to the RC-1 should I decide to change from the slicks for something more street friendly. However I feel that won't be the case. The 10 will stretch the tire slightly, allowing me to run lower tire pressures without rolling the sidewall under cornering, and some say you actually get better wear with lower pressures as well.

I am setting a goal for myself to do a minimum of 5 track days next year at NJMP or other local tracks.

Coilover wise, with the 10" wheel it might be tough to get the ride height I want. I am aiming for 949Racing's Race Alignment

SuperMiata Race Alignment

The Race Alignment is intended to win national championships. YRMV
Best suited for high grip tires such as Hoosier DOT, Toyo RR, etc

<=12.0"

3.75~ 4.5" front pinch weld height. Xida's tend to work best for competition use with front pinch weld height close to 4.2".

Front camber: -3.5° (or as close as you can get to it)
Caster: >+4.5° or max available once you reach camber targets
Front total toe: 0

Rear camber : -3.0°
Rear total toe: +1/16~1/8"

The lower I can go the closer I can get to those camber settings. Going too low will cause issues with the 15x10. That's a tightrope I'll have to walk next year since the wheels won't be available until Mid-January, so realistically probably February or March

Alignment and height setting will be done before I garage the car for winter, changes made in Spring if needed. Now to find someone to cut my hood for these lovres

[CleanNeon98]

Ignition is in



Nice and neat just like I wanted. Runs great. Took it for a sprint to ~140 and it didn't miss a beat!

[OutToWinPAHC]

I'm actually buying one of these soon, but I am going to cut it all apart and build an exoskeleton

[CleanNeon98]

Originally Posted by OutToWinPAHC

I'm actually buying one of these soon, but I am going to cut it all apart and build an exoskeleton

That long PPF brace makes life easier cause it keeps everything together. Good luck!

[Got Insulin?]

Wow. Hard to remember this thing when it was stock.

[CleanNeon98]

Originally Posted by Got Insulin?

Wow. Hard to remember this thing when it was stock.

Pepperidge Farm Remembers

So last minute I swapped the NB louvres for the NC ones, just have not installed yet. Alignment is done



Few issues to deal with however. When my friend was doing the alignment, he was able to get close to -3.5* front camber on one side, but only -2.5 on the other due to a bent tie rod. He said he recommends replacing both, and said the inners might be a good idea too. At that rate, he said it might be easier to pull the rack (and also de-power it properly), and add poly bushings to it as well. How does one tie rod turn into a steering job luckily he can take care of it all.

Also have a bit of rust forming on the bottoms of the rear rocker panels so that will need to get fixed somehow, probably a cut and patch job.

Installing my old coilovers on my friend's car this week. The new ones ride amazingly considering they have almost double the spring rate up front vs the old. On the softer damper settings, it legitimately rides like a BMW. On the firmer settings, it has a firm ride, but not stiff like the TEINs did. Really a great setup. Handling is superb, from what I can tell in this 50 degree weather with my slick tires haha