This is my first post on the forums, after lurking and researching for months.

The plan is to turbo a 1.6L NA Miata, and bring it to ~180 HP. This will be a daily driver. Trying to keep the cost around $1,000. Here's my prospective parts list, do they seem appropriate for my power goals as well as for reliability?

1. Innovate LC-1 Wideband O2 Sensor (with firmware 1.20 for reliability)

2. MegaSquirt-I Kit

3. RX8 420cc Injectors

4. CX Racing Intercooler 19.5"x6"x2.5" cxracing.com: Universal Intercooler 19.5"x6"x2.5", 2.5" Core: 12"x6"x2.5", 2.5" Inlet&Outlet, B16 B18 B-Series

5. Used Garrett T25 turbo + rebuild kit

 

i run an ebay 27X5.5X2.5 intercooler, its half the price of the one you posted, and works fine for me.

i dont see a T25 manifold in your list, nor downpipe.

are you following "Broke and boosted" build from youtube?
He had a $1000 budget, and went over it, and that is without even injectors nor MegaSquirt, so i really dont think your $1000 budget will work.

 

I'd suggest trying to find a used MS2/3 instead of building an MS1.

 

Can you link me that intercooler? And I haven't listed a T25 manifold yet because I'm still deciding on what to do about it. I'll probably go the custom fab route. Unless you have a recommendation?

And yeah, I've been getting a lot of info from that channel, and you're probably right about the $1,000 budget. I'm willing to go over, for the sake of reliability though.

 

Also, where did you find a 1.6L 95 Miata?

All miatas have a 1.8L engine 94 and up.

 

My reasoning with going for the MS1 is that I shouldn't need anything other than the basics for my tune, since I'm not running high boost. Also it's $169 brand new.

I've looked at the differences between MS1/2/3 and it doesn't seem like MS2 or 3 would offer me much for my situation. (if I'm glaringly incorrect in believing this please let me know)

 

I haven't bought the Miata yet, currently saving up. The site wouldn't let me make an account without specifying the year of the car so I just put my birth year (newb)

 

3. RX8 420cc Injectors GT500 injectors

 

Isn't 650cc a lot for my power goal?

 

OK. If no miata yet, do the following steps:

1. Buy a 1.8L miata, don't see a point in buying a car with a worse 1.6L engine for same money.
2. Get it running well, tune up, wp/tb etc...
3. Build your megasquirt
4. Get car running stock on megasquirt
5. Install ev14 injectors, retune MS.
6. Come back to this thread in a year for turbo questions, as this is how long it will probably take a person to go through steps 1-5 with longest part building the megasquirt and actually getting the car running well on it.

 

Good advice... it's easy to get carried away with this stuff haha

 

And get ms3.
ms1 is obsolete like your budget.

 

Power level has absolutely nothing to do with which ECU you use. I have an MS3+MS3x with my naturally aspirated Miata and it was well worth the upgrade over my DIYPNP.

MS1 has no reason to ever be considered. It's cheap crappy old technology that you'll have to do a bunch of mods to just to get it to work, and it'll run like ****.

MS2 should only be considered if you find a PNP solution for cheap (MSPNP2 or DIYPNP) and you're okay with having a tune that works, but isn't factory-like smooth. You may never get boost control, idle, etc tuned in perfectly, but it'll work.

MS3 makes tuning a breeze. It can idle better than the car did stock, has a ton of useful features for a street car (A/C features), and has current support and updates.

 

No. No such thing as too much injector within reason. You could run 1000cc injectors just fine.

GT500 injector are not only better and newer tech(ev14), but they will be cheaper new, than RX8 injectors are new. Also they are closer to 610cc fwiw.

 

Also, on oversized injectors. It use to be injectors didn't like running at small pulse widths or the ECUs didn't have the resolution for it. So if your injectors were big, idle and cruze were a problem.

This is not an issue with the EV14s and MS3.

My friend and I split a set of the GT500 injectors off ebay. $241 for 8 shipped, and then the flowforce adapter kit was $69 for each of us. Meaning $190.50 for each of us for new injectors.

 

Only true for North America. To be picky, 94+ NA/NB Miatas have 1.8's, but not MX-5. In Europeland, when the 1.8L (BP) MX-5 came out there was also a nerfed version of the 1.6L (BP6ZE) with a whopping 89-ish horsepower, for reasons of communism and/or emissions. It got bumped to 110hp around the time the NB came out. Not sure though if the restrictions are "software-only" (i.e. can be overcome with a new ECU) or if there's something else wrong with it.