Back in the year 2000, I got beat at a stoplight by a friends Camry. So, i decided I needed a turbo on my 1990 Miata. I couldn't quite afford FM, so I decided to go budget for the time - bought a new GReddy turbo kit. Added a proper FM exhaust and properly sized downpipe. Added an intercooler. Put 1.8 injectors, Bipes timing control unit and an FM blow off valve. Kept it at 5psi and fast forward 20 years, the little kit is still going with only one manifold bolt needing to be replaced in that entire time.
Now i would like a little more power than my 150 rwhp gives me. So i need safe power: probably modern engine management, real injectors and no more rising rate fuel Vortech regulator. FM is out of the engine management game and honestly, I know my limits and am scared to go full standalone without someone holding my hand to guide me along. So what do i buy? Megasquirt seems daunting. Would want FM-like support and minimal downtime and constant tinkering in my quest for more boost and power. Thank you all.
Easy button would be something like the FM Voodoo box piggy back if you're still running stock injectors. There are some other piggybacks available, including some that may not have similar restrictions.
If you want to go further than a piggyback can take you, you're looking a full standalone. Megasquirt is probably the system with the best cost/support/plugability ratio if you get an MSPNP.
The easier button would be to find out what the local tuning shops use and support (like AEM, Haltech etc) if you're looking for a supported solution that doesn't require DIY. I would expect any Megasquirt to be more on the DIY side although I'm sure there are tuners out that who support them.
Honsch
New Reader
7/4/20 11:27 a.m.
How good are you with wiring and technology, in general?
I recently installed a Speeduino in our race car (specifically a UA4C) and it's gone well.
There are a a number of people making inexpensive variants for specific cars, I do believe there's one for an NA Miata.
I think one thing to consider is if you're looking at a solution for a track car or a solution for a daily. The latter usually tends to have more stringent requirements around actually being able to idle, handle traffic and work with a/c.
AFAIK nobody else provides the kind of service for ECUs that FM used to. You might be able to buy a used FM management system and pay them to add support for it -- Keith would be the person to ask.
Failing that, the only real choice is a plug-n-play megasquirt from DIY. Do you know anyone locally with such a system in their car? Learning from a buddy can be a good method.
Friend of mine has the MSPNP and it's been super easy and reliable on his turbo car. He unplugged the stock ECU and plugged in the MSPNP then had it tuned. No issues after a few years of DD duty like that.
BoxheadTim (Forum Supporter) said:
I think one thing to consider is if you're looking at a solution for a track car or a solution for a daily. The latter usually tends to have more stringent requirements around actually being able to idle, handle traffic and work with a/c.
Thank you all already. This is an in-city and back roads stress relief car with very occasional autocross just for fun. And my desire for tuning and wiring is slim to none. I like the drive, park, wash, repeat style of miata ownership.
In reply to Caprigrip :
I think you'd be a good candidate for the Voodoo box then - IIRC once hooked up they should just work. Pretty much any other solution is likely to need some tweaking, but may be more flexible.
Title confused me as I was reading 'NA' as naturally aspirated..:) I'm also in a similar dilemma, while my car is factory (Mazdaspeed Miata) factory ECU tuning is horrible, and there are no easy solutions like the Vodoo Box. At one point there was a company offering ECE reflash (Begi) but they're no longer around and in any case their customer service was nowhere near FM's level.
I've finally bitten the bullet and decided to go aftermarket. I have a friend who said he'll help me it started good enough to go for a tune and I'm hoping that once that's done it's set and forget type event. Looking at forum posts the base maps supplied seem decent enough. There are two options in the market for Megasquirt based PnP ECU's: (i) DIY based in US and (is) MS-Labs based in Greece - Trackspeed, who's local to me, used to support MS-Labs ECU's but they have pretty much closed shop.
The Voodoo Box is injector limited - figure 160 rwhp on a 1.6.
I'd talk to the guys at DIY Autotune. They're decent on support. Nobody can afford to support like FM used to, including FM ;) Seriously, we did the math and it was not pretty. But they should be pretty close. Just keep in mind that you will be responsible for all aspects of the car's behavior. That's one big advantage to the Voodoo Box, the stock ECU control under the majority of driving conditions.
Another vote for Megasquirt. The extra features of MS3 are worth the price. It's not much work to get a car that's running good power safely. The real work comes when you're trying to idle and deal with AC as well as the stock ECU.
I've had the MSMPNP from DIY Autotune since it came out. The base tune will get the car running, but it has definitely taken time to get to 98% right. I could spend the rest of my life trying to perfect the hot idle. But overall I'm very happy with it.
Someone on a Megasquirt forum may have a tune that is pretty close to what you would need for a 1.6l Miata, but it will most likely still need some tuning. If you don't mind paying someone else to do this, it could be a reliable setup.
That last 10% of drivebility is what takes 95% of the work and skill :)
Keith Tanner said:
That last 10% of drivebility is what takes 95% of the work and skill :)
Truth. My skill ran out at 98%. But the fluctuating idle when hot is more of an annoyance than a problem.
I'm not really sure what the limits of this bipes thing is but it looks like it's a timing retard box. Given that you have any timing retard ability whatsoever, why do you feel you're limited to 5psi? Usually the people who feel 5psi is the limit think that because they have NO boost timing retard and are running na timing fairly reliably at 5psi...
The RRR I see as a reliability factor, but only if you have no monitoring and no failsafes. Books could be filled with the stories of failure and misdiagnosis that resulted from not realizing there were fuel pressure issues. Not so much from the people with in-cab gauges.
Here's a $75 option. A configurable dual-gauge unit with programmable alarm outputs. You can use one for boost and one for AFR. You can program the outputs in such a way that IF boost greater than X psi and AFR leaner than X afr, alarm output cuts coil positive power through an NC relay. Good luck blowing it up that way. As long as you aren't getting detonation from insufficient timing retard or extreme scenarios like bad fuel or engine overheating, you're covered on the basics.
I've driven a stock-bottom-end miata at 13psi that's literally not blown up for 10 years now. It does have more thorough tuning than what you can do purely with a timing retard box and an adjustable RRR, but it also goes 119mph in a 1/4 mile and you probably aren't looking to go that far. There is a fairly large space between 5psi and 'requires a full standalone', in my opinion.
Vigo (Forum Supporter) said:
I'm not really sure what the limits of this bipes thing is but it looks like it's a timing retard box. Given that you have any timing retard ability whatsoever, why do you feel you're limited to 5psi? Usually the people who feel 5psi is the limit think that because they have NO boost timing retard and are running na timing fairly reliably at 5psi...
The RRR I see as a reliability factor, but only if you have no monitoring and no failsafes. Books could be filled with the stories of failure and misdiagnosis that resulted from not realizing there were fuel pressure issues. Not so much from the people with in-cab gauges.
Here's a $75 option. A configurable dual-gauge unit with programmable alarm outputs. You can use one for boost and one for AFR. You can program the outputs in such a way that IF boost greater than X psi and AFR leaner than X afr, alarm output cuts coil positive power through an NC relay. Good luck blowing it up that way. As long as you aren't getting detonation from insufficient timing retard or extreme scenarios like bad fuel or engine overheating, you're covered on the basics.
I've driven a stock-bottom-end miata at 13psi that's literally not blown up for 10 years now. It does have more thorough tuning than what you can do purely with a timing retard box and an adjustable RRR, but it also goes 119mph in a 1/4 mile and you probably aren't looking to go that far. There is a fairly large space between 5psi and 'requires a full standalone', in my opinion.
I think you hit the nail on the head Vigo. You are correct - I don't want to go that far but I don't have any data from gauges other than a boost gauge (remember this was 20 year ago me that did this). So I think my first step is to get a wideband installed - see where I'm at - and I like your dual gauge unit you posted and you are right / a little more safe boost after that and I think I'll be pretty happy. Same reliable setup as now with no tuning headaches. For tonight anyway, I think I like that idea.
Oh and I know I like posts with pics so here is my car: 
I'm impressed you've stuck it out on 5psi for so long.
My turbo NA came set to 16 psi and the other day a hose slipped off a bit and boost was limited to 6 (for literally 15 miles.)
I had to pull over and fix it immediately. The car feels sooo much better when it can pull hard.
I understand why people say it's addictive. I'm already eyeballing ways to get more.
https://www.haltech.com/
btw these guys are here in my town and can do anything. They'd be my first stop to update my engine management and tuning.
Wideband and a MS2PnP seems like the easy button. We do a lot of support and remote tuning as well, probably done a few dozen of these so far.
