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Hear me out as I de-noob. I've been lurking on this forum for quite a while to soak up the turbo knowledge goodness that seems to be prevalent here.
I bought an RX-8 back in 2017 and over the last two years have been converting it to an NC Miata from the firewall forward. 2.5L MZR on custom mounts, modified V8roadsters MZR subframe, EFR7163 turbo with a Fab9 tubular manifold intended for an NC Miata, R35 GTR coils, custom fuel system for E85 with a Radium surge tank, 1050cc injectors, Haltech Elite 1500, G Force GSR 4-speed Gearbox, Ford 8.8 IRS rear with 4.30 gears. Ciro wing and custom splitter. It's built to SCCA Street Modified autocross rules. It weighs 2670 and makes about 420whp/390ft-lbs on a Dynojet. Peter florance at PFTuning has been doing the engine management tuning. Hoosier 315/30/18 tires on 18x11" wheels, Penske 8300 DA shocks on custom mounts.
I considered an REW swap, but the MZR is a little lighter and more importantly the weight formulas for SM mean I can run to a lower minimum weight with the 2.5L. I used to be a big rotary guy but the long-term reliability and the cost to build them steered me to the MZR.
I think that's going to be a popular swap as time goes on. Are the diffs that weak that you really needed to change?
The 8.8 is lighter than the stock diff assembly and has a bunch of gear ratio options. The extra durability is just a bonus. I like doing ProSolo and wanted something indestructible.
It's not a simple swap unfortunately; transmission options are limited.
Hey those Penskes you have on there, are those the Global MX-5 Cup NC spec shocks that you've modified to get into the RX-8? Are you using NC rear mounts?
It's something that I've been interested in for my RX-8 as well but haven't really seen any used sets floating around lately.
Hey those Penskes you have on there, are those the Global MX-5 Cup NC spec shocks that you've modified to get into the RX-8? Are you using NC rear mounts?
It's something that I've been interested in for my RX-8 as well but haven't really seen any used sets floating around lately.
I don't know what the Penske's are off of. I bought them used then had them gone through and re-valved.
I didn't use NC rear mounts. I cut the top off of an RX-8 mount and welded in a spherical bearing, then modified the spring perch to suit a 2.5" linear spring.