Who thinks an EcoBoost Miata is a good idea?

(also 9-25-2020)

A "known" issue with the Ecoboost motors is carbon build up on the intake valves. For years the crank case vents have been routed to the intake system so anything coming out of the crankcase (think oil vapors) gets burned up in the motor (good, well, better, for the environment). Non-direct injection motors have liquid fuel in the intake stream. This liquid fuel cleans/rinses that intake valves on the way by and reduces the carbon build up on the valves that end up as a result of the oil vapor hitting the hot intake valves. Direct injection motors put the fuel DIRECTly into the combustion chamber, so they don't have this "rinsing" affect from the liquid fuel, resulting in more carbon build up on teh intake valves. The solution is to add a oil catch can to try to get the oil vapor to condense and drop out of the air stream before it goes back into the motor.

Sounded like a good plan, so I added one of those too. Part of the "orientation kit" I picked up from Ford (now discontinued, but I have all the part numbers if anyone is interested) had a Mustang intake manifold. This moves the throttle body to the front of the motor instead of near the bottom (normal on the Focus/Fusion). As a result the fittings on the manifold are in different locations. Most of the Fusion fittings were able to be reused (cut off the hard tubing, add hose). I don't have a lot of shots of those steps, but it's pretty straight forward, I'm sure you can imagine...



The coolant lines were actually pretty easy. The "Orientation Kit" that I described earlier contained a lot of parts from a 2016 EcoBoost Mustang, they included the Mustang water piping that comes off what is now the "back" of the motor.  This saves a lot of room, and brings the radiator connection point all the way to the "front" of the motor.  I found a top rad hose from a 2000 V6 Camary that had the correct shape. Just had to shorten the ends and it bolted right up. The lower rad hose is the Miata hose with some of the motor side cut off, and one cut made near the middle to rotate the motor side. The heater hoses are altered Miata parts, with a couple straight sections added. there's not a lot of room around those, so I don't have any pics.

Fueling was really straight forward. The OEM hard lines (and the fuel inlet to the high pressure pump) have a ridge that holds the fitting on, and use an o-ring to seal. So, 2 adapter to go from that to AN-6, about 3 feet of AN-6 braided PTFE fuel line, and Bob's your uncle. I added some clear hose over the braided fuel line to protect both the fuel line, and anything else the braid may rub against.


So that covers most of the mechanical stuff, now I've moved on to the electrikery side. Wish me luck!

(9-30-2020)

The wiring went way better & faster than I expected.  I didn't record much/any of it, but the results...?

So, this happened today...

(Click image for video)

F.R.EcoBoost? Bride of Frankenstein?

(10-1-2020)

The "Bride of Menschenstien" has a bit of back story.

I roadraced motorcycles in the late 80's through early 2000's. At one point I had built a racebike on the cheap (yeah, I've always been like this) that was a combination of parts from several other motorcycles (I forget if the count was 9 or 10, but you're seeing the similarity here...). Other racers started calling it "The Mutant". Over the years I ran a few national races with it, and in one of the magazine articles (yeah, magazine as in PRINT, I'm old) the local writer of the article dubbed the bike "Menschenstien" (if you're not aware, my last name is Mensch).

So, in the fine tradition of stirring together a bunch of unrelated components from several different homes (and different manufacturers), I thought "Bride of Menschenstien" might be appropriate.

(10-18-2020)

So, a lot has happened in the last week or 2.

Let me start with last Saturday. The car was functional enough that I took it to a local autocross at Canterbury Park! The first thing I need to do in speaking of that event is apologize to everyone that was at this event... One of the things I needed to do with this swap was to remove the OEM oil filter assembly (which would normally live where the subframe is now) and add a remote oil filter. I had "add AN-8 fittings and steel braided hose" to my list, but had installed the remote filter with the hose/hose barb/hose clamps that came with the kit. Sadly these were not up to the task and one of the hoses separated from one of the hose barbs on my 3rd run (about half way through the run....). So what had been a productive event turned into a 1 hour event delay while this was cleaned up. Very sorry every/anyone that was there...

It was a simple fix (the car not the course), put the hose back on, added a second hose clamp. I spoke to the EM about my afternoon runs, and we agreed on me taking them at the end of the day after everyone else was done (you know, just in case). 4 PM runs went fine with no further oil issues. the car is still a bit of a handful with non-powered power steering, but it is kinda fun...

So, with that said, back to the story;

Last report was that the motor ran! But in that case I had a "remote start" arrangement with a toggle switch and a push button (all under the hood) to make all the connections. After a few hours looking over the OEM Miata wiring diagrams I found all the wires I needed to splice into to be able to start/run the car from the drivers seat (even using the key!).

With that done I needed to operate the "Fly-by-wire" throttle. I have seen a lot of people who have done FBW adaptations for other swaps cut into the existing pedal arrangements removing the Miata pedal, and adding the new pedal under the dash. While this is ultimately the best answer, I wasn't ready to cut anything up, and was concerned about getting the placement right etc, so I took a different approach. I mounted the FBW pedal under the hood, and connected the OEM Miata throttle cable to that! I did have to make a couple brackets to hold the cable end to the pedal, and anchor the cable housing, but it actually works pretty well, even if it looks a little Rube Goldbergien...



Additional "finishing" I did before the event was to add a plate on the trans tunnel that covered the big hole where the Miata OEM shifter would be (the NC trans/shifter that I'm using are 5" further forward). I did have to add a "dogleg" to the shifter to get it out from under the dash to where I could use it. I'll add pics of that when I take some more. It's likely not the final configuration, but will work for now.

So, that and just generally mounting the loose parts (the FBW throttle, the remote filter, the new fusebox & ECU etc) and the car was ready to drive.

So what's left? At this point I need to put the interior back in. I have replacement carpet, what came in the car was pretty trashed. I need to modify some of the dash and center console parts to fit around the new shifter location, at some point I'll want to figure out a way to make some sort of shifter boot for the new location as well as something to cover where the shifter used to be.

.Also after having driven the car around a bit the "Proof of concept" clutch I put in (it had a 300 HP claim, but it was only $250) slips under boost in 5th and 6th gear, so at some point this Winter I'll need to update to a decent clutch. Anyone know of an NC clutch that will hold up to 300 hp and 350 torques?

THEN it's just down to "normal AX car things". What wheels & tires to run, what swaybar to use, do I replace all the bushings, and if I do what material (this is supposed to be a street car, so I'm not sure I want urethane). I also have some options for shocks, right now the car is on Megan Racing coilover the car came with. If it's going to be a street car I have a full set of Bilstiens, if it's going to be autocrossing more (this is the way I'm leaning) I have a set of Koni yellows (with reportedly witches brew front valving), and I also have a set of threaded aluminum bodied double adjustable Koni 3012 shocks that have a history on a particular white Miata that had no windshield....

So while the car is operational, and I don't have specific "build" details anymore, it's hardly "finished"....

(10-22-2020)

A few folks have asked about gearing, this is what I know so far;

I don't know for sure where the rev limit is with the ECU I have (I'll be working on that once I get to drive it more). Based on OEM settings for the Focus ST, redline is 6500, rev limit is 6800.

Assuming 6800 rev limit speed in gears (assuming 225/45-15 Rival S and my current Mazdaspeed Miata sourced 4.1:1 diff)
1st 30
2nd 50
3rd 69
4th 96
5th 113
6th 136

I plan to look into taller diff gearing, but I don't think I can change it enough to make it a "2nd gear on typical autocross course" car. So I don't think the 6th spd trans will ever make the ideal autocross answer from an ultimate gearing standpoint. that said; a) this was intended to be a fun street car that can be used for anything and everything, b) giving that the car will always be on 200 tw tires, and has 300-350 torque and should weigh 2300-2400 lbs, 3rd gear should be fine (i.e. still traction limited) on any autocross course. 

Changing just the trans to a 5 speed NC, easy to say... and the "tribal knowledge" on the subject is that the 5 spd may not stand up to the power available from this motor as well as the 6 spd can, but assuming all that isn't an issue, and I did swap to a 5spd and left everything else the same;
1st 36
2nd 60
3rd 85
4th 113
5th 139

So potentially a better autocross trans, but with this power on hand 60 may still not be "enough" to prevent a shift to 3rd at every event.

With the seemingly unlimited torque this thing make (ok, not really, but remember it's a Miata, and I'm used to a CRX), I'm more concerned with a reasonable top speed in 6th. I don't think the car will suffer much running an AX in 3rd.

(11-9-2020)

Just another small update. I've driving it through about 1 tank of gas, and it's still a grim machine. The 6 spd is pretty silly for something this weight and this much torque, shifting is optional much of the time.

I did get the AN-8 fittings and braided SS oil lines, and got rid of all the hose barbs on the remote filter set-up, so I'll have less "issues" there (they did pop off 2 more times trying to drive the car on the street...).

After talking to the guys at Fab9 they have an NC turbo kit that puts out bigger numbers than I'm expecting, so I went with their recommendation of a ClutchMaster FX350 single disc clutch.

I have the clutch in hand, but with Winter approaching, and impending shoulder surgery scheduled in a weeks time, it's not likely to go in until mid Winter/early Spring. I'll also be shooting to have the epower steering in and working before driving season comes around again next year.

So that about catches us up to current day.

Not much news lately. I had my shoulder operation, went better than I hoped, I got out of my sling earlier this week, and might be able to start playing in the garage soon again.

I did pick up a couple more sets of wheels in the past few months. A friend was kind enough to transport a set of 15 x 9 6ul's from the TT Nationals event, and just yesterday I picked up a set of 15 x 10, so I have some options. The 15 x 10 came with brand new Toyo R888 tires. Wheels and tires have never been mounted on a car. The tires won't be legal for XSb (a new SCCA autocross class that came into being while I was building this car, and it's a near perfect fot for the car!), but I could use them from track day events. Unless anyone is interested in them, let me know.

If anyone has any comments/questions/suggestion/other solutions, please speak up, this is all about helping everyone have fun out there!

Cool story. Welcome. 

RossD said:

I like this!

Thanks, It's been a lot of fun so far!

californiamilleghia said:

Thanks for the report , 

is there a website that shows how to make the Ecoboost run by itself , with  circles and arrows for the slow guys in the class :) 

did Ford Performance do a webpage for its kit ?

It seems like the right engine for so many things , and Cheap junkyard parts too , 

Did the Ecoboost have any problems when it was in the Fusion ?  

and are there some cool valve covers or other dress up parts so it does not looklike a modern "smog" motor, 

Happy New Years and Cheers !

Ford Performance Products (or FPP, they are the "hot rod" arm of Ford Corp) sold a "controls kit" that consisted of an ECU/PCM, a chassis side wire harness and an electronic/"fly by wire" throttle peddle.  It was mostly stand alone, just needed a couple ignition signals, and had power leads for the fuel pump and the rad fan.  This was designed to plug into the 2.0 EcoBoost crate motor they sold.  I was told that once the 2.3 crate motor was available they discontinued the 2.0, and with it, the controls kit.  Through some emails I rounded up the info I needed to make the wire harness myself, and managed to get an ECU reprogrammed with the kit "tune".  To the best of my knowledge all FPP ever had was the listing for teh part in their catalog, and they published the installation manual on line here.

https://performanceparts.ford.com/download/instructionsheets/FORDINSTSHTM-6017-20T.PDF

Te motors are getting cheap, I picked up mine from a 73k mile Fusions for $324.  The only real "issue" I'm aware of with the motors is the carbon build up on the intake valves.  I addressed that by adding an oil catch can to the PCV line.

I'm not well versed in what dress up items are available fro these motors.  In their "natural habitat" they have a cover over the whole motor, so I don't know how often that comes up.

If anyone has an interest in a swap like this, I'd be glad to help with some of the details.

Great info, thanks!  Very encouraging that you've got it running and driving.

I got one of the last control packs for the 2.0 - I had it on back-order when they discontinued it and they made me and a few others custom kits.  I have yet to fire mine though.

TheTick58 said:

(10-22-2020)

A few folks have asked about gearing, this is what I know so far;

I don't know for sure where the rev limit is with the ECU I have (I'll be working on that once I get to drive it more). Based on OEM settings for the Focus ST, redline is 6500, rev limit is 6800.

Assuming 6800 rev limit speed in gears (assuming 225/45-15 Rival S and my current Mazdaspeed Miata sourced 4.1:1 diff)
1st 30
2nd 50
3rd 69
4th 96
5th 113
6th 136

I plan to look into taller diff gearing, but I don't think I can change it enough to make it a "2nd gear on typical autocross course" car. So I don't think the 6th spd trans will ever make the ideal autocross answer from an ultimate gearing standpoint. that said; a) this was intended to be a fun street car that can be used for anything and everything, b) giving that the car will always be on 200 tw tires, and has 300-350 torque and should weigh 2300-2400 lbs, 3rd gear should be fine (i.e. still traction limited) on any autocross course. 

Changing just the trans to a 5 speed NC, easy to say... and the "tribal knowledge" on the subject is that the 5 spd may not stand up to the power available from this motor as well as the 6 spd can, but assuming all that isn't an issue, and I did swap to a 5spd and left everything else the same;
1st 36
2nd 60
3rd 85
4th 113
5th 139

So potentially a better autocross trans, but with this power on hand 60 may still not be "enough" to prevent a shift to 3rd at every event.

With the seemingly unlimited torque this thing make (ok, not really, but remember it's a Miata, and I'm used to a CRX), I'm more concerned with a reasonable top speed in 6th. I don't think the car will suffer much running an AX in 3rd.

Thanks for posting John. I did find your thread on the MN forum and read through it earlier. I'm very concerned about the 5 speed being strong enough for the 2.3, but the 6 speeds, especially the improved 09+ version, are harder to come by and much more expensive, not to mention physically larger which may require tunnel cutting. If cutting is on the table it opens up the MT82 option too, so I'm struggling with this decision. 

You wouldnt happen to have pictures/diagrams of what plug goes to what for the engine harness, would you?

(I'm using a 2015 ST engine harness and a 2014 ford escape motor).

TheTick58 said:

Part of the "orientation kit" I picked up from Ford (now discontinued, but I have all the part numbers if anyone is interested)

 

Through some emails I rounded up the info I needed to make the wire harness myself, and managed to get an ECU reprogrammed with the kit "tune".  To the best of my knowledge all FPP ever had was the listing for teh part in their catalog, and they published the installation manual on line here.

https://performanceparts.ford.com/download/instructionsheets/FORDINSTSHTM-6017-20T.PDF

I would be very interested to see a writeup of any information you have gathered, I've been considering an Ecoboost 4 cylinder for a project, and I had resigned myself to paying the premium for the 2.3 after the 2.0 controls pack was discontinued. As you say, the prices on the 2.0 are a substantial savings, and there are a ton more out there since Ford put them in everything. 

I think we will be seeing a lot more Ecoboost swaps like this in the future. Good work. 

Questions we all might ask if wanting to use this motor , 

How do you know if  the Ford has an Ecoboost ?  Do they all have an ST badge or ???   This is when you look at a car for sale on Craigslist etc and the owner  does not know what motor it has,,,,,, 

Are all 2.0 Ecoboosts motors basically the same ?  exhaust manifolds ,  front pulley accessory  positions , things that can get in the way when you are trying to put it in  small engine bay, 

What gear boxs , stick or automatic bolt up and take the power for REAR wheel drive ?  

When you buy a car to part out , or find one at Pic A Part  what parts do you need to pull ?   ECU , "Go" pedal  and ?????  ........how much of the wiring and plugs ? ......O2 sensor  or other sensors.

And are there people out there to  reprogramm with the kit "tune".

Thats all I can think of this morning ,   Thanks for all your help

californiamilleghia said:

How do you know if  the Ford has an Ecoboost ?  Do they all have an ST badge or ???   This is when you look at a car for sale on Craigslist etc and the owner  does not know what motor it has,,,,,, 

These things are so cheap from the big full-service wrecking yards (ie car-part.com) that it's not even worth the effort finding one somewhere else and pulling it yourself. You can wikipedia the list of applications, but the 2.0 Ecoboost was available in various 2010-present Fords, from Fusion to Explorer to Escape to Lincoln MKC. Looks like some do have a small Ecoboost badge on the trunk/tailgate, but generally the Focus ST was the only ST model until very recently and the name attached will command a price premium over essentially the same engine from a more pedestrian application. 

What gear boxs , stick or automatic bolt up and take the power for REAR wheel drive ?  

Aside from various Duratec options (ie Miata or Ford Ranger) that have already been discussed, Esslinger sells a very very affordable adapter to SBF bellhousing pattern which opens up a whole world of stronger gearboxes and larger stronger clutches.
 https://esslingeracing.com/accessories-5/ecoboost-duratec-to-sbf-bellhousing-adapter-1

RCP1990 said:

You wouldnt happen to have pictures/diagrams of what plug goes to what for the engine harness, would you?

(I'm using a 2015 ST engine harness and a 2014 ford escape motor).

I didn't take any pictures as I went along.  The first thing I did was to lay the new harness on the motor with the old harness still intact, and determine what I could be simply matching the plugs and wire colors.  For the "extra" plugs that didn't have an obvious home, I had the good luck to have a friend with a running Focus ST that was willing to let me trace wires on his car.  Sadly I didn't take any "notes" beyond simply labeling each plug as I identified it on the running car.  The majority of them were related to the sensors on the intercooler, and a few that feed parts of the chassis.  Being that they all have a home now, I can certainly answer specific questions of "what's this one for".  I can try to get a more detailed list some time in the future.

newrider3 said:

TheTick58 said:

Part of the "orientation kit" I picked up from Ford (now discontinued, but I have all the part numbers if anyone is interested)

 

Through some emails I rounded up the info I needed to make the wire harness myself, and managed to get an ECU reprogrammed with the kit "tune".  To the best of my knowledge all FPP ever had was the listing for teh part in their catalog, and they published the installation manual on line here.

https://performanceparts.ford.com/download/instructionsheets/FORDINSTSHTM-6017-20T.PDF

 

I would be very interested to see a writeup of any information you have gathered, I've been considering an Ecoboost 4 cylinder for a project, and I had resigned myself to paying the premium for the 2.3 after the 2.0 controls pack was discontinued. As you say, the prices on the 2.0 are a substantial savings, and there are a ton more out there since Ford put them in everything. 

 

I think we will be seeing a lot more Ecoboost swaps like this in the future. Good work. 

I haven't written it all up at this point, and the problem with what I did is getting the programmed PCM/ECU from FPP. Once a programmed PCM is in hand, it's a fairly simple matter of wiring a couple plugs to a new fusebox, and half a dozen leads to the car.  I got the majority of it done in 1 day.  I'll work on a proper write up of this when I get a chance.

There is a company in the UK that has a similar system that is still available.  I don't know anything about them, but they offer a system to runt he 1.0, 1.6, 2.0 & 2.3 EcoBoost motors.  https://www.scs-delta.co.uk/ford-ecoboost-ecu

californiamilleghia said:

Questions we all might ask if wanting to use this motor , 

How do you know if  the Ford has an Ecoboost ?  Do they all have an ST badge or ???   This is when you look at a car for sale on Craigslist etc and the owner  does not know what motor it has,,,,,, 

Are all 2.0 Ecoboosts motors basically the same ?  exhaust manifolds ,  front pulley accessory  positions , things that can get in the way when you are trying to put it in  small engine bay, 

What gear boxs , stick or automatic bolt up and take the power for REAR wheel drive ?  

When you buy a car to part out , or find one at Pic A Part  what parts do you need to pull ?   ECU , "Go" pedal  and ?????  ........how much of the wiring and plugs ? ......O2 sensor  or other sensors.

And are there people out there to  reprogramm with the kit "tune".

Thats all I can think of this morning ,   Thanks for all your help

 

 

 

When I started my motor search I did a simple WIKI look up to see what cars the 2.0 was used in, then looked on car-part.com to see what prices were like.  The Fusion motors are by far the most common and the cheapest (I picked up a Fusion motor with 73k for $324 already pulled).  I confirmed on a couple online Ford parts sites that the major parts were the same (heads, pistons, cams, turbos all had the same part numbers as the Focus ST).  Those are the parts I would confirm are the same to be sure you get the same basic motor.  The engine wire harness is different, so I just bought I new one.

As far as identifying them, here's a link to a discussion of how to tell a 1.6 from a 2.0 https://www.fordescape.org/threads/how-to-determine-if-it-has-1-6l-or-2-0l.63769/.  Every car with a 4 cyl EcoBoost motor has a plastic cover over the top that has "ECOBOOST" molded right in, so if you can get a picture of the engine compartment you can easily tell.

The 2.0 & 2.3 will bolt directly to any 3rd generation (NC) Miata transmission as well as any 2.3 ltr, 4 cyl Ford Ranger trans.  As "newrider3" stated (see a post 2-3 above this one) there are some adapters available to allow use of SBF transmissions which open up a lot of other options (I didn't know about this before, thanks newrider3!).

If you go down this path, do some research before hand to know what you are going to use to control the motor (i.e. what ECU), and get he "Drive-by-wire" throttle peddle that works with the ECU.  In my case it was from a Ford Focus ST.  I just bought a new one since they are only about $45!  THe remainder of the parts are basically "whatever the engine harness plugs into".  This includes sensors before and after the intercooler, the intake air tract (between the filter and the turbo), and the intake manifold.

I did come across a thread on a kit car forum that had discussion of someone disabling the "PATS" (mostly anti theft features like the smart key etc) to be able to use the OEM ECU that came with the motor.  They do have a name of someone that says they can reprogram the ECU, but I can't speak to how effective it is.  http://www.midlana.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=802&start=10  So it "should" be possible, I'm just not well versed in that aspect since I had that handled by using the FPP ECU.  There was another guy on that same forum (but a different thread/build) that used the 2.3 FPP controls kit that IS available on a 2.0 motor.  He has it running, and has driven the car (it's a "sand rail" if I remember right), so that's another possibility.

newrider3 said:

What gear boxs , stick or automatic bolt up and take the power for REAR wheel drive ?  

Aside from various Duratec options (ie Miata or Ford Ranger) that have already been discussed, Esslinger sells a very very affordable adapter to SBF bellhousing pattern which opens up a whole world of stronger gearboxes and larger stronger clutches.
 https://esslingeracing.com/accessories-5/ecoboost-duratec-to-sbf-bellhousing-adapter-1

 

This could be a huge help the next time, thanks!

newrider3 said:

Aside from various Duratec options (ie Miata or Ford Ranger) that have already been discussed, Esslinger sells a very very affordable adapter to SBF bellhousing pattern which opens up a whole world of stronger gearboxes and larger stronger clutches.
 https://esslingeracing.com/accessories-5/ecoboost-duratec-to-sbf-bellhousing-adapter-1

Wow, that's exactly what I'm trying to do with an Ecotec for my build, but the Esslinger parts are half the price. Maybe an Ecoboost would have been the right choice after all...

obsolete said:

newrider3 said:

Aside from various Duratec options (ie Miata or Ford Ranger) that have already been discussed, Esslinger sells a very very affordable adapter to SBF bellhousing pattern which opens up a whole world of stronger gearboxes and larger stronger clutches.
 https://esslingeracing.com/accessories-5/ecoboost-duratec-to-sbf-bellhousing-adapter-1

Wow, that's exactly what I'm trying to do with an Ecotec for my build, but the Esslinger parts are half the price. Maybe an Ecoboost would have been the right choice after all...

Conquest swap right?  In MInnesota right?  Me too, where abouts in MN?

newrider3 said:

Aside from various Duratec options (ie Miata or Ford Ranger) that have already been discussed, Esslinger sells a very very affordable adapter to SBF bellhousing pattern which opens up a whole world of stronger gearboxes and larger stronger clutches.
 https://esslingeracing.com/accessories-5/ecoboost-duratec-to-sbf-bellhousing-adapter-1

 

That's a nice setup. Add the flywheel adapter in and you're a SBF for $500. I don't have that kind of room though so Miata is (always) the answer.

Tick , thanks for the info , 

What kind of MPG does a stock ST Fusion get on the Highway at 75MPH, 

and is there Turbo lag ? Hopefully not like the "Widow Maker" 930 turbos !

and how much smaller is the 3 cylinder ?  That might be interesting for my Fiat 600  :)

californiamilleghia said:

Tick , thanks for the info , 

What kind of MPG does a stock ST Fusion get on the Highway at 75MPH, 

and is there Turbo lag ? Hopefully not like the "Widow Maker" 930 turbos !

and how much smaller is the 3 cylinder ?  That might be interesting for my Fiat 600  :)

The Focus is rated at 30 mph highway.  I'd hope the light Miata can match that.  I've only run 1 tank through it, and that was an autocross event as well as, well, playing with a 260hp Miata (I.e. hard to keep you foot out of it)...  So I don't know how it'll work out for me, but I'm hoping better than the 1.8 I pulled out.

As far as torque, I think I could have gotten away with a 3 speed trans.  When I was on the autocross course I used 3rd gear the whole time, and it still rockets out of corners!