Which Miata engine swap?

1UZ-FE

300hp stock, and fully capable of revving to 8,000rpm+ in stock form with a cam.

You can have your high rpm screamer, and your V8 all in one. I budgeted out a VVTI e30 swap, and $4k was my expensive all-included cost with a bit to spare. That's with a custom bellhousing, no adaptor.

EvanB wrote:

Keith Tanner wrote: If passing smog in CA is now a factor (first time it's been mentioned here), then there are a whole raft of different parameters that need to be considered.

It certainly isn't a factor for me.

I am the one living in CA. I am guessing the emission laws aren't nearly as strict in Ohio.

In reply to EvanB:

or you could buy Randy Zimmer's Miata as it's been for sale for over a year now

Either 13b for pure beauty of sound, yes I said beauty, or LS something or another. Isn't the LS not really heavier than a turbo Miata setup? LS Miata at RX nationals would make people poop themselves at the awesomeness. I'd wear a diaper, but I'd know it was coming.

mr2peak wrote: 1UZ-FE 300hp stock, and fully capable of revving to 8,000rpm+ in stock form with a cam. You can have your high rpm screamer, and your V8 all in one. I budgeted out a VVTI e30 swap, and $4k was my expensive all-included cost with a bit to spare. That's with a custom bellhousing, no adaptor.

You mean 300hp with 4 new cams??

IMO, my impression was that the 1.8 turbo was too much torque to be able to drive well. Maybe things are different with the DMack tires vs. the tires that were on the car when I drove it.

If it was my car, I'd be looking into what the one guy did to get 200hp N/A from a stock bottom end BP. Replace bottom ends as necessary, nice drivable N/A power curve.

Or just flush out the intake manifold, throw it and the turbo onto another BP engine, and get back to truckin'. That'd be the simplest and cheapest solution. I'd also take a good look at the condition of the remaining rod bearings, piston ring lands, and the main cap/block interface for evidence of detonation, and pull a couple degrees of timing if it's there.

captdownshift wrote: In reply to EvanB: or you could buy Randy Zimmer's Miata as it's been for sale for over a year now

I don't really have a spare $10k sitting around to buy the roller.

With a 13b, miata trans and my 4.10 rear end I could get 55mph out of first gear if I could wind it to 10k rpm.

When I hit 10k in second, then let off, revs drop to 6-7k. The tires do slip in both directions, though.

Watching the in car videos from last weekend, fuel starvation was keeping revs down to 9k or so up The Hill because the engine just would not pull. (It's kinda neat to see the stock tach bury itself shortly AFTER an upshift) Shift to 3rd and it'd bog down to 5k or so. hThe fuel starvation I think was a combination of lots of bouncing around and hard lefthand turns and vapor lock. I'm almost on E right now and it's running fine. But still, try running so lean that the engine quits running with a turbo engine

Two things you gotta remember, my car is about 400lb heavier than yours, and I seem to have more grip too. So I bet you could go less crazy with a port and still have silly big fun.

Or you could throw another BP engine in there and get moving for minimal fuss.

Knurled wrote: IMO, my impression was that the 1.8 turbo was too much torque to be able to drive well.

I know what each of those words mean individually, but putting them together in a sentence like that just makes no sense. :)

Knurled wrote: If it was my car, I'd be looking into what the one guy did to get 200hp N/A from a stock bottom end BP. Replace bottom ends as necessary, nice drivable N/A power curve.

Ha! That's a funny one. 200 hp N/A. I'm assuming we're using flywheel horsepower. It can be fun, but it sure isn't a cheap date.

I've had a high output naturally aspirated BP and a turbo B6 in the garage in the past, and for a given power level the naturally aspirated car had more torque. In neither case did I have problem with unexpected wheelspin - but you do need more than 30 seconds of seat time to take full advantage of either.

I've spoken to a few guys who have done rotary swaps. Interestingly, packaging wasn't their biggest issue. Cooling and noise suppression were. Not what I expected.

Cooling and noise suppression are also the biggest problems in an RX-7, too. And what a long and educational trip it's been getting to the point where I managed to get both in check. It only cost me a few engines and a little bit of permanent hearing loss along the way. (I found a cheap way to get cool. Sadly, there is no cheap way to quiet, but it is at least possible)

What I remember about driving his car last time was wheelspin. Lots and lots of wheelspin, all the time unless you were very careful and deliberate with the throttle. There was a long straightaway and in my car I could plant the throttle and upshift as necessary, but the Miata just was not hooking up and I pedaled the thing all the way down to the braking zone. So I stand by my outside-observer assessment that there's either too much midrange torque or not enough solid axle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwjtPf0V9kM

On the other hand, Evan is the national champion, and I was 3rd...

Yes, you have to be very careful with the throttle to manage the wheelspin and oversteer.

I'll probably sit on it awhile before deciding what to do. I was wanting to try something else for rallycross anyway. I could have it drivable in a day by dropping in the 1.6 I have sitting 10 feet from the car.

Well, if you decide to go the 13B route, I can hook you up with everything you'd need except exhaust. I personally think throwing another BP in there would be the simplest thing both short-term and long-term, since the rotary option is... maintenance intensive.

Which is 50% of why I have been looking at Evos lately. I'm getting fat and lazy, I just want to show up and drive, not spend an hour of working on the car per minute of course time. Apparently I'm old, too, since myh insurance company is either stupid or trusting enough (maybe both) to give me remarkably cheap rates for full coverage on the winged wonder.

Actually, what you need to do is just buy my RX-7

mr2peak wrote: 1UZ-FE 300hp stock, and fully capable of revving to 8,000rpm+ in stock form with a cam. You can have your high rpm screamer, and your V8 all in one. I budgeted out a VVTI e30 swap, and $4k was my expensive all-included cost with a bit to spare. That's with a custom bellhousing, no adaptor.

This. And it's coming from a rotard who adores them. If I ever give up the tumbling Doritos I'm going 1UZFE. In 1997 they added VVT and the engine was rated at 290HP, nothing to sneeze at. ITB's are an easy way to push it over 300HP and as noted it can reliably turn 8k RPM with connecting rod upgrades and not much else. It's a bit larger than a rotary (duh) but they've been stuffed in Miatae before.

In reply to Knurled:

Trade for a miata?

kevlarcorolla wrote:

mr2peak wrote: 1UZ-FE 300hp stock, and fully capable of revving to 8,000rpm+ in stock form with a cam. You can have your high rpm screamer, and your V8 all in one. I budgeted out a VVTI e30 swap, and $4k was my expensive all-included cost with a bit to spare. That's with a custom bellhousing, no adaptor.

You mean 300hp with 4 new cams??

No, that's before cams. What you make after depends on many factors

mr2peak wrote:

kevlarcorolla wrote:

mr2peak wrote: 1UZ-FE 300hp stock, and fully capable of revving to 8,000rpm+ in stock form with a cam. You can have your high rpm screamer, and your V8 all in one. I budgeted out a VVTI e30 swap, and $4k was my expensive all-included cost with a bit to spare. That's with a custom bellhousing, no adaptor.

You mean 300hp with 4 new cams??

No, that's before cams. What you make after depends on many factors

I think he was just making fun of your use of the word "cam" in the phrase "with a cam."