Civryder02

so i live in arlington tx and i was going down to visit my gf in a town thats about 2 hours away and on I20 i saw this miata. and it had the mazdaspeed emblem on it so we catch up to it and get in front of it. the thing was turbo cause we could hear it with our windows down. but we looked at the front .. and the intercooler couldn't have been any bigger than a cereal box. it was a joke. my friends car was a 96 accord with a H22 turbo swap and we just walked the miata like it was nothing. it was sad.

Boilermaker1

iTrader: (16)

Well um... its 178 HP, and you're probably running what? 250-300?
What did you expect?

01civicboi

iTrader: (2)

that 178HP car would tear your *** up on a road course

Yukonart

iTrader: (1)

Werd, that was one of the main reasons for taking what is arguably those most capable autocross platform on the planet, and adding a turbocharger to it.

Granted, it's not running very high boost. . . it's a FACTORY turbo. They seldom do. I'd like to see your friend's H22 compete with that Miata where it counts.

FR-turbo >>>> FF-turbo with heavy engine

VTEC01EX

iTrader: (6)

You guys sound like ricers - he probably wasn't racing, but you guys feel a need to chalk this one up in the 'win' column.

This site gets more fun all the time.

sw388integra

iTrader: (20)

was he talking about a road course? he was talking about whoopin that *** on the highway, period. he's right, this site is going to hell in a hand basket! and as far as the horse power thing, the accord is probably 7 to 800 lbs heavier, not including the occupants...

Boilermaker1

iTrader: (16)

Well here's what I think will be the downfall of the MS in autocross.... (which is a little OT to the current situation, but while you're talking about it...)
AND Mazda designed it to be a low pressure turbo system on purpose... its to give the car more low end drivability and enhance driving fun... its not to overpower the handling and turn it into a drift mobile.

First off, its in B-Stock.. along with SS Camaros, S2000s, 350Zs (which don't do so well), e36 M3s and other much higher powered sports cars.
Now this isn't to terrible since Miatas can dance through the corners, but so can S2Ks and the M3s.
The other problem is the 17" rims. Dumb move by Mazda there. 17s on a Miata are a stretch by any standard, and the factory tire is 205/40. The smallest 17" R compound is 225/45... Think those are gonna fit on a tiny Miata? Doubtful. So basically, the car is stuck with street tires, which won't get it anywhere on a major level. Options are to take it out of stock class, but STS2 has no provisions for boosted cars. I haven't read the full rules for STU, which seems to be the catch-all for ST cars, but then you gotta deal with modified STis, Evos, and LS1 Camaros, not really the place to be, even with the cornering ability of the Miata. Of course this does give you the ability to run 16" rims and 215/45 Falkens though. Next past that is SM, where you can finally mess with the turbo system to an extent, then you might stand a chance if you can push some more power through it, but to have a competive SM car, it costs more than most people want to spend on a brand new car, and most people like the warranty.

Civryder02

whoa ... for starters me and my friend aren't ricers. and yes we were on the highway. but all that i'm saying is i expected more out of the miata since its turbo'd and a lot less weight then my friends accord. and how insanely small the intercooler was. that was my point and yes the guy that was driving it was reving at us so we did race just for *****.

RedDragon333

iTrader: (4)

THe IC is desgined to be small due to the amount of boost the MSM is running. It doesnt need a large FMIC.

dragoon

iTrader: (2)

yeah, whatever said, those cars are a blast to drive, and on the street, some light mods will let it hang easily with a h22 accord

Civic_Racer9

iTrader: (9)

intercooler upgrade...and turn the boost up on that ****!!! and damnnnn u got a fast miata

pbfoot

iTrader: (2)

the IC is tiny, and its turned vertically, not horizontally like you normally see (except on the subarus).

like others said, its a little silly thinking that a factory turbo setup can compete with a tuned aftermarket one. im sure a tuned miata will give you much more competition.

Boilermaker1

iTrader: (16)

Here guys.... Flyin Miata played with the MS one...
http://www.flyinmiata.com/projects/mazdaspeed.php

pbfoot

iTrader: (2)

oh...oops, i guess its not mounted vertically. in the ad in car & driver it looked like the IC was longer. that thing is tiny.

Green Civic

Have you ever seen the stage one drag ic? Its small. It can handle 300 or so hp. Just because the ic is small, dont mean it isnt working.

Zzyzx

Thats pretty much the reason the Mazdaspeed Protege isnt doing that well in its stock class either... D-Stock (where BMW 330ic and Integra Type Rs rule) If it came with 15s.... then it would probably be compeditive.

But you have to look at it from a sales perspective... People like the look of Big wheels. weather it hampers performance or not.


Me, I'd pick up one of those MS Miatas and slap some 13s and Hoosiers on it... now that would be fun! Run BSP!!