Hey everyone!

This is my first post and first day on miataturbo.net! My 1996 1.8L is going through about 1 quart of oil every 100 miles or so,definitely not good.... I don't want to have just a stock engine, so i am choosing the path of building my engine. I will be doing some research, but i was hoping i could get some input as well. Directions to a build guide or to what parts to use would be much appreciated.

Questions:
-Should i build and turbo it at the same time or can i build it and then turbo it a year later?
-At what horsepower does it start to get extremely expensive for buying parts?
-How much HP can the stock transmission handle?
-How much HP can the torsen handle?

My Goals:
-at least 300 whp
-Under $4000, cheaper the better
-daily driver reliability
-Keep the existing 5-spd(If possible) and torsen

This is a small list of very basic goals. I have an extra 1996 parts car to use, it has a perfect transmission and an alright looking engine. I would like to go with mega-squirt but am open to using the stock ecu(If possible) or any other standalone ecu. I also have a mechanic to help me if need be, he just finished his 2004 350z convertible track edition twin-turbo beast (pushing 600 whp). Thank you all in advance!

 

you're not getting 300whp for 4k
or having a 5 speed hold it down

the rest of the questions are so common knowledge that I refuse to answer them and strongly suggest you start reading through this forum

 

Start reading through as much as you can on here, **** tons of good info.

Anything over 250whp/tq seems to be the magic number on a 1.8 before you need to start beefing up the internals. Keep in mind all dynos read differently and aren't accurate (thanks 18psi!).

Stock 5 speed is a known weak spot with boosted miatas. For 300whp you will need a 6 speed. I've seen varying numbers of what a stock torsen can handle, from 300-400whp.

At your budget, I would say go for the 200-250whp range and enjoy it without having to go over your budget.

 

I posted this before i started research in hopes of being directed to decent sources and not poor build guides. From what i have read so far, 250whp will be more than enough for what i will ever need.

 

 

I started the following thread when I was a bit past your level. You need to read a bunch more, but maybe this will help put things into context. A lot of helpful guidance here: https://www.miataturbo.net/general-m...u-think-90818/