I figure I'm probably not alone in having the following:
-2" ID compressor outlet
-2-3" throttle ID
-3" ID intercooler end tanks
-2" ID tubing except where the tubing hits the intercooler and throttle, obviously

I realize that this is all bad and I should feel bad, but realistically, what is the solution in a world where there are very few decent sized intercoolers with 2" end tanks and very few miata-sized turbos with > 2" compressor outlets? I figured that the airflow through the end tanks was turbulent as **** anyway so that making them drop to 2" instead of 3" wasn't that big a deal.

The rest of my pipes have reasonably smooth curves.

Am I obsessing over nothing?

 

You are obsessing over things that realistically won't matter on a miata. I bet you could run 2 different IC piping setups on the same car, and the power difference would be within the margin of error on a dyno.

 

Unless #racecar, mismatches in tubing size are pretty much a fact of life.

Ideally, we'd all have a manifold which made a perfectly smooth transition from the compressor outler directly to the intake ports with nothing in between, using direct methanol injection to control knock and variable intake valve lift & timing in lieu of a throttle.

But since this is the real world, we just deal with it.

 

That gif. I'm trying so hard not to fall out of my chair at work.

 

 

I'm pleased I made the right choice.

These were other candidates:













































And the trio:

 

+1 tumblr skillz