Bought an MSM

[Crarrs]

Weekend parts install summary - Day 1

Crank Position Sensor - Success.
Installed with minimal frustration; didn't think I'd have to actually remove the belts to get this done, but I was planning on doing it anyway.

Gates Racing accessory belts - Success.
Installed without drama.

Flyin' Miata Timing Belt Kit - NOPE, and semi-fail.
I got into doing the other tasks associated with this and wondered if I really needed to do this on a car with CarFax-reported dealer services every 3k. I decided I didn't want to burn half a day on this, and luckily FINALLY got the rest of the paperwork from the dealer today (2 weeks after I got the car), and it showed a timing belt service at 60k. Semi-fail is that I'm going to eat the 15% restock fee from FM on the timing belt kit unless I decide on store credit. The only thing I'd want from them is their downpipe...but I really haven't decided if I'm going with theirs or one of the budget options.

NGK Iridium plugs - Success
Gapped to .028"

NGK plug wires - Success

Mazdaspeed Competition engine mounts - FAIL
I spent over an hour on this before concluding it wasn't going to happen without help or other tools. Despite my efforts, I wasn't able to fish the passenger side mount out of the engine bay after disconnecting it from everything. It interfered with the hard brake lines. I would've just moved them, but brakes weren't on my agenda for today. I tried the driver's side mount also, but had issues with one bolt not coming loose, and the downpipe is in the way of getting it out regardless (based on my experience with the other side). It sounds like my next parts purchases and project day are mapped out. These will likely go in with a downpipe and front brakes.

Flyin' Miata check valve - Success
This took way longer than it should've but it was the last thing I did today. I hate spring clamps.

AEM intake - Ongoing, with some Fail
I got through the first part of the install (ripping stock stuff out) with no issues. That's how I started the morning. I had a plan to do everything else while the intake was out and I had the room to work, and come back at the end to install the new intake at the end. Well....I got to the end and had a huge problem pulling the elbow from the compressor inlet. It's seized on the aluminum of the turbo housing, and there is so little room in that area to work that I can't get the hose removal pick everywhere I need to. It's soaking in PB blaster tonight so I can hopefully finish this in the morning. (fingers crossed)

I did an oil change in the middle of this as well. I hate the filter location on this car. The front subframe is coated in a disgusting amount of grime because of the way the filter has to drain. I'm going to need to clean that up and invest in one of those flexible drain pans they sell for motorcycles.

The rest of the parts

Supermiata clutch slave cylinder - On the agenda for tomorrow
New (longer) coolant overflow hose - It's still leaking even after I put a clamp on the (apparently stock) hose 2 weeks ago. Replacing it tomorrow.
Mazdaspeed competition diff mounts - TBD. I'm definitely not dropping the diff this weekend, and I'm going to want to recruit help for this one.
WIX fuel filter - Fuel is at 3/4 tank. This will be planned for another weekend when the tank level is lower.

[Crarrs]

Fuck this hose.



It fought me every step of the way. I had to use a right angle pick to thoroughly break the bond between the hose and the compressor, all the way around. And even then, it didn't want to come off. Normally, contact cleaner works for me to break rubber loose from aluminum, but that didn't do a damn thing for this hose. And even then, it needed aggressive effort from the hooked pick to separate it.







Don't attempt it without one of these picks, preferably a larger one. This one was part of a $2 set I bought on an impulse buy at Harbor Freight 2 years ago. There are better ones out there specifically made for radiator hoses (larger, and with a different bend better suited to this job).



Other than the difficulty removing turbo inlet elbow, installing the intake went mostly fine. The bracket for mounting the MAF housing needed a bit of filing because the holes didn't quite line up. And those bolts into the MAF housing needed spacers (not supplied with the kit) because they bottomed in the blind hole about 1/16" before hitting the bracket.



The bracket for the relays needed a lot of filing on the mounting hole for the strut tower bolt; that one wasn't even close. The kit came with 3 worm-gear hose clamps and 4 spring type hose clamps for the larger recirc and PCV hoses. I said eff that after the non-fantastic adventure with the turbo elbow spring clamp and put worm-gear clamps on all of the joints.



The car is running good after the mods. I was surprised at how much louder the bypass valve is with this intake. My MS3 just picked up a lot of spool noise from the SRI and metal TIP, not so much of the bypass.

I tried to do the coolant overflow hose, but bought the wrong hose. I bought the same OD hose, but the factory hose is thinner wall than what I bought, so it wouldn't fit over the nipple. After looking at reservoir while it was off, it looked like the leak might actually be seeping from a possible crack. It was hard to tell, so I put some silicone on the spot that looked to be seeping and put it all back together. I'll keep an eye on it.

Clutch slave didn't happen. I was too beat after the fight with the intake, plus I wanted to watch football after spending all weekend in the garage. Maybe this weekend.

[Crarrs]

I'm working on installing the Tubosmart boost tee and just want to confirm what I'm doing. There's one hose that goes between the throttle body inlet and the wastegate actuator, and that has a tee fitting that goes to the front of the stock boost solenoid. The other side of the boost solenoid has a hose that feeds back into the turbo inlet pipe post-MAF (if you look at the second-to-last photo in the post above, this is the small fitting pointing straight up, closest to the manifold).

The AEM turbo outlet components don't have a nipple to run a boost reference (the way FM advises to do with their intake), so I'm going to use the same nipple at the post-intercooler throttle body inlet and feed that to the inlet side of the Turbosmart boost tee, and then run the outlet of the boost tee to the wastegate actuator. Then, I have to remove the hose that runs between stock solenoid and the turbo inlet pipe, and cap the nipple for that hose on the pipe. Correct?

Photo now attached with reference points labeled.

[MS6219]

Awesome! Enjoy the MSM. I one exactly like that. I've had a lot of nice cars and that one by far is still my favorite. You wont be disappointed!!!

[Crarrs]

I got a big black CAC.

[Shampu]

Congrats on the MSM, my buddy did a good how to for the mounts if you need it
How-to: Motor Mount Swap - ClubRoadster.net

I had a hell of a time doing them on my 02 though pain in the ass.

[Crarrs]

The stack of parts in my garage is still growing, and I haven't had much time to do any big installs because of some recent 60-hour weeks. Just more money for the mod fund I guess.

Anyway, as discussed earlier, I installed the Turbosmart MBC the other weekend. I also put an FM boost gauge kit in a single A-pillar pod a few weeks ago. Minor stuff, but ready for bigger stuff.

The list of things I've acquired so far waiting to be installed (some repeats in here):
MS Comp motor mounts
MS Comp diff mounts
Supermiata clutch slave cylinder
FM stainless brake line kit (comes with the low-profile banjo bolts)
225/45/15 Hankook RS3s (The wheels I want are on backorder, will be a while before these go on)
Muteki SR48 lugnuts (lightly used forum pickup)
Mishimoto Z-line intercooler and couplers (Does anybody know WTF size the weld nuts on this thing are? I've already tried 1/2"-13, M12 x 1.5, and M12 x 1.75. The close hardware store didn't have 1.25 pitch, but I'm going to be pissed if I go to Fastenal and that doesn't work out either.)

I'm planning to order brake pads (likely EBC Yellows) and a downpipe (the Megan Racing one because of the integrated resonator) when my tax refund shows up. I think I'm going to end up with the Roadstersport catback on the tail end of the exhaust, but that will be a little later.

I also picked up a coin box that's going to go in whenever I grab an AuxMod for this car (having to go back to CDs SUCKS!).

I'm still very up in the air about what direction I'm going on the suspension. But...I'll be at autocross events in two different regions for the next two weekends, so I'll be able to chat some people up and get opinions across the spectrum from stanced-out noobs on up to national champions.

The MSM is seeing its first event at a double-weekend in San Diego, so I'll get plenty of initial seat time skidding around on all-seasons.

[Crarrs]

I've had the MBC in the car for a week and a half now and had seen normal spiking to 10-ish psi in 3rd and 4th gear before settling back to 8 psi. Yesterday I saw a big spike to 12 in 3rd gear and decided that was enough for me on stock downpipe.

I pulled the spring/ball gate valve out of the controller last night to reduce the spiking. It drives like a totally different car now, everything is more linear (at all throttle openings), and I didn't see any spiking at all in 3rd, 4th, or 5th gear.

[Crarrs]

I ran my first event with the MSM in San Diego this weekend. After finally getting away from the straight desert roads and to somewhere this car was meant to be used, I've finally seen what a BLAST this car is. The courses in San Diego are more open than the Phoenix region sites I normally run the MS3 on, and the short gearing of the MSM meant I was running 3rd on most of the course. The car is badly in need of more grip; the all-seasons it's on right now make it a ton of fun, but it's not so quick around the course. The gearing of this car sucks for autocross. 2nd is good for right around 48 mph, so it's no good in any sense. It's either wheelspin coming out of slow corners followed by a quick shift, or losing drive because of being at too low of an RPM leaving the corner in 3rd instead. There was another guy there in the same car with the same intake, but on the Dunlop ZIIs. I got to within 1.5 secs of him on Saturday, and was within 0.5 secs before I told him to just leave it in 3rd versus shifting all over the place.

I'm fairly settled on my suspension plans. I'm going to end up with Koni sports and Ground Control coilover sleeves. I'll be waiting for the upcoming (very soon) annual Koni sale before I get the shocks. I'll need the better damping and higher spring rates when the RS3s go on, this thing had plenty of pitch and roll on the stock suspension even with the feeble grip of the all-seasons.

More photos will be posted over in the AutoX photo thread when I've got them. Here's some helmet-cam fun from Saturday.

Mazdaspeed MX-5 Autocross - San Diego Practice - 15 Feb 2014 - YouTube

Mazdaspeed MX-5 Autocross - San Diego Practice - 15 Feb 2014 - YouTube

Mazdaspeed MX-5 Autocross - San Diego Practice - 15 Feb 2014 - YouTube

Mazdaspeed MX-5 Autocross - San Diego Practice - 15 Feb 2014 - YouTube

[Crarrs]

First event with the MSM in San Diego. Plenty of body lean even on all-seasons with the stock suspension.



O herro....what have we here?



Konig Flatout 15x8 ET +25

Doing a quick test fit. The RS-3s will go on in about a week.

Front



Rear



Just a visual representation of how little clearance there is to run 15" wheels on NB cars with the Sport brakes. It's not even close to fitting half a fingertip in there. I've already got the low-profile banjo bolts from Flyin' Miata that were included with the stainless brake line kit that will be installed before these wheels go on for good.

[Mazdazilla6]

I love how cheap tires are for 15's

[Crarrs]

Another weekend of big progress. Got the Koni Sports and Ground Control sleeves installed, along with the stainless brake lines and bigger intercooler. Not a whole lot of photos for this update, just focused on getting the job done. I just need to get the tires mounted on the new wheels this weekend and it's good to go.

Swapping shiny new bits in for the crusty old stuff




Minor bit of fail on the last shock. The hex on the top of the shaft cracked when I was trying to break the top nut loose. Should've used PB Blaster on it to begin with, but a little bit after the fact and the impact got it off with no issues.



Mocking up the intercooler for the cuts to the stock piping





I used the mounting points for the stock intercooler to build my bracket for the new one.



Turned out well for using a dead blow hammer and cinder block wall to make the bends.



More photos this weekend after I get the wheels mounted up and the ride height set.

[bigx5murf]

Man, wished I still had my pix of me and @skhte making fmic brackets out of home depot racing aluminum strips, and shaping them with a storm drain grate, a brick, and an axe

[obijack]

What are the dimensions of the new intercooler?

[Crarrs]

Originally Posted by obijack What are the dimensions of the new intercooler?

28 W x 7-1/2 H x 2-1/4 T

It's this one. I bought their couplers as well and a box of a dozen hose clamps; got the whole setup under $200 shipped for free from Summit.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mi...-uzb/overview/

[Crarrs]

Kaboom! Finally got some things wrapped up today.

Got the RS3s mounted on the wheels by the sketchy Mexican tire shop for $30. Very happy with how meaty these 225s look on the 8 inch wheels.





Got everything mounted up, and took the car down the street to get measurements of the ride height with everything on the ground. Had to drop the rear 3/4" and had to raise the front about 1/2" after this.





Finished mounting the intercooler bracket up. Used the stock mounting points and isolators, pretty pleased with how this turned out as well. I had to pull the lower air dam off the bottom of the bumper to clear the intercooler. If I had to do it again, I'd choose a different intercooler that has the inlet/outlet positioned offset lower from the centerline to hang the core higher. But then it would have to be slightly narrower to keep the end tanks from hitting the AC lines on the driver's side.





Got the extended clutch line from 949 racing along with my valve stems, and mounted that up along with the slave cylinder I picked up in December. I couldn't get the OEM flex line from the lower mounting point because there's no room at all to work back there, and I couldn't get my 17mm wrench on the back side. So, I swapped the new assembly at the top side, drained the old hose/hard line from the bottom after disconnecting from the slave, and then just cut the hard line off.



And it's back together. Hub-to-fender measurements are 12.5"F/12.75"R. The throttle remains really responsive with the bigger intercooler, no noticeable increase in lag. Really happy with how it turned out, now I just need to get this thing out to an event with all the new grip.

[Crarrs]

Did a quick 1 hour project over the weekend. I installed an AuxMod and coin tray, and relocated the airbag switch to under the console. Also picked up a Voodoo shift knob. Easy enough.

I also grabbed a set of 305cc Supra injectors from the Miata forum last month. I still need to get them cleaned/serviced, and then they'll be going into the car as well. Then I can start thinking about a downpipe and turning up the boost.

[jtt]

Clean man! Is the aux mod hooked up to a Bluetooth adapter or just a line out?
Where did you get the coin tray?



Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Crarrs]

Originally Posted by jtt Clean man! Is the aux mod hooked up to a Bluetooth adapter or just a line out? Where did you get the coin tray?

AuxMod is just a line out. I'm still in the stone age and don't really utilize Bluetooth. The coin tray is from Arlington Mazda. It's an OEM part for non-US cars.

[jtt]

Thanks bro! Loving your thread thus far. I just picked up an msm and itching to start modding... But trying to hold off... For the v8

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Crarrs]

I finally got the car aligned after the suspension install. I ended up requesting a bit in between what FM and 949 recommend.

Front
-1.5 camber
4.5 caster
1/16" total toe in

Rear
-1.7 camber
1/16" total toe in

I ran an autocross over July 4th weekend in San Diego. First time on the RS-3s, first time on the new setup. I had no clue what to do pressure-wise and ended up starting out at 35 psi all around cold....driving my heavy MS3 for 4 years put me way off track there. First run out, ended up with this...LOL.

WhoopsX2 - YouTube

WhoopsX2 - YouTube

I kept bleeding down air all around over the first 4-5 runs of the practice, ended up at 30F/31R and then just left it alone. The RS-3s felt much better after I dropped enough pressure out of them to let them flex and build the heat they needed to work. I'm still getting used to the "between gears" feeling this car has had for me in autocross. I guess I'll need to get used to actually shifting during runs.

RPXD0007 - YouTube

RPXD0007 - YouTube

I initially had the Konis set up 1 turn in at both ends (again, clueless to Miata setup). The car still felt a little loose everywhere, and I didn't have confidence to really attack corners. I talked to a few people at the event, who advised going to 2 turns front, 0 turns rear. I made the change after I got home, and the car rides with a lot more balance now. It's hard to describe, but hitting a bump now doesn't seem to effect either end of the car differently now, the car feels consistent as both ends of the car cross a railroad track at speed, for example. I'll have to get to another event to see where it's truly at. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do what I need to within the limitations of the shocks. I'm thinking one of the Racing Beat front bars will be in my future.

For 4 years, I'd been listening to everybody in AZ region rave about the RS-3s and how they loved the heat, but never ran them on the MS3 because of the softer sidewalls. After they got heat in them, I was shocked at how they felt to the "thumbnail poke" test. Much gummier than the Ecsta XS and Direzza Z1s I'd run prior. I'm probably going to end up with another set of these when the time comes.

[Neverlift]

Interesting alignment. You should be running more negative camber in the front unless you are a fan of understeer, also zero toe, and max caster (dependent on camber). I ran all 3 of my sets of rs3's at 32 cold so you are on point there. Each set you should see vast improvements. What are your ground to pinch weld measurements?

[Crarrs]

While I was in San Diego, my half-assed intercooler bracket met an untimely demise leaving a driveway. That wasn't the first time I'd scraped it, but that one was a big one. You can see how low it was hanging below the car.



On the way back to Yuma over July 4th weekend, the car had some issues with the temp needle moving to the right climbing hills. In the car's defense, it was the middle of the day, ambient temps were around 112-115 in Arizona that week, the car was stuffed, and the AC was cranked all the way up.

So that meant two things to sort out the following weekend.

I did a coolant flush; the stuff that came out looked to have way too much antifreeze, especially now that the car is in the desert. I ended up putting about 60/40 water/glycol in the car. The other issue I think I'm having is an aerodynamic one. The configuration of the intercooler I bought, along with using the stock pipes, meant I couldn't reinstall all of the front undertray to the car. The very front portion that attaches to the rear of the bumper couldn't be mounted due to interference. I'm going to end up building a new shroud like so, as soon as I source the proper material.

I put some actual thought into the intercooler brackets this time around, and ended up with something MUCH better. Mounting from the top side picked me up 3/4" of ground clearance versus the shitty first bracket. The entire setup is also much stiffer due to the reduced cantilever effect of the shorter brackets.



Mounted


And after some paint




These have been on the car for almost a month, and I haven't had any clearance issues yet. If I really needed to, I could pick up another 1/4" if I cut the welded nuts off the bottom of the intercooler core. For good measure, I also changed out the trans and diff fluids the following weekend (didn't plan ahead...late order to get it shipped here). Redline MT-90 in the trans, and 80W90 in the diff.

[Crarrs]

I picked up a couple more parts from the forum recently as well. I ended up picking up a second set of 305cc injectors. The first set I bought weren't in the best shape (all were missing the seals for the cylinder head side). I haven't put these in the car yet. Not sure if I'm going to hang onto them as spares, or sell them on. One of my friends recently bought an MSM as well, so I might wait it out to see if he ends up modding it....

Good set left, bad set right


I also picked up an FM throttle body inlet pipe from a partout. The seller ended up keeping his BPV, so I ordered the Turbosmart parts that FM includes with their kit from Summit. I ended up having to put a longer hose on the return line, I guess the return port FM intake pipe is slightly closer to the engine than the AEM part is. I'm not sure how I feel about that shiny polished part in my engine bay. I'll probably leave it for now, but might end up having something done about that and the blue AEM parts some time in the future.



I'll be due for a new set of tires in the near future. Beyond that, I'm not sure. I've been talking about more aggressive brake pads for months, and now that I've got the sticky tires, the car is definitely capable of using more stopping power. A downpipe is still on the list, and the injectors will go in at some point. For now though, I'm probably just going to keep driving it.

[Crarrs]

Originally Posted by Neverlift Interesting alignment. You should be running more negative camber in the front unless you are a fan of understeer, also zero toe, and max caster (dependent on camber). I ran all 3 of my sets of rs3's at 32 cold so you are on point there. Each set you should see vast improvements. What are your ground to pinch weld measurements?

The car is sitting at 4-3/4" ride height front and rear.

I wanted more camber all around, but the alignment techs in this town suck. I needed something "close enough" because I had been driving the car for 2 months with 1/4" toe out (according to the sheet). I normally take my car to Phoenix or San Diego to get things like this done, but didn't want to take a big road trip in the car with an alignment that I suspected was pretty far out.

I want to drive it as-is for at least a couple more events to figure out what it's doing. I don't want to make another set of wholesale changes to the car before I really figure out what it needs. The shocks feel good right now on the street, I just need to see if this perceived improvement translates to an improvement on course.

I'll probably end up making alignment changes again before I make a decision as to whether or not I want a bigger front bar on the car. Like you're advising, the toe will end up closer to zero, and I'll add some camber at the front. At that point, the rear is probably going to be lively enough that I'll want the front bar. But I'll only be able to tell after I try it.

[Neverlift]

Add a little rake by dropping the front 1/4-1/2 inch. If you did this without an alignment, should also bring your negative camber and toe closer to where they need to be. Anyhow, rake is necessary on the Miata.

Any plans for poly bushings? May be a good time to install those before you do the next alignment.

How is the tranny movement with the motor mounts & diff mounts now?

I'd leave the stock FSB, unless there is reason to remove additional grip from the front.

Rollbar in the future? Zerek Fabrication in Anaheim makes some sweet ones. He has a LS9 MSM, and MSM powered NA. I realize this adds some weight up high, no bueno for autox, but opens you up to keeping your dome, and track events.

[Crarrs]

Replies in red

Originally Posted by Neverlift Add a little rake by dropping the front 1/4-1/2 inch. If you did this without an alignment, should also bring your negative camber and toe closer to where they need to be. Anyhow, rake is necessary on the Miata. I'll have to look into it. I've read the same, had just been taking all my prior measurements hub-to-fender. Those measurements had about 1/4-1/2" differential front to rear, so I assumed it was dialed in. I guess the perceived rake I had was just due to body contour, and not real. Any plans for poly bushings? May be a good time to install those before you do the next alignment. Didn't have plans for bushings. How is the tranny movement with the motor mounts & diff mounts now? I haven't put the mounts in yet, they're still sitting in a box. The plan is still to do the motor mounts when I do a downpipe. I'm not sure when I'm going to do the diff mounts, but I'm not looking forward to it. There's a good chance I'd pay somebody to have that done. Regardless, the trans movement at the shifter is comical on the stock mounts. I'd leave the stock FSB, unless there is reason to remove additional grip from the front. I hear you, but I won't know what I want until I try the new alignment. Rollbar in the future? Zerek Fabrication in Anaheim makes some sweet ones. He has a LS9 MSM, and MSM powered NA. I realize this adds some weight up high, no bueno for autox, but opens you up to keeping your dome, and track events. It's still on the agenda at some point. I've seen Zerek's stuff on CR, it looks good. Track events will likely be more within my reach whenever I move out of this shithole and closer to civilization.

[moonrider_99]

I'm also starting to think about getting a NB MSM or a NC club spec.

From my reading, a lot of MSM guys swap the rear end to change the gearing because as you said, 2nd is really short. Did you consider doing this?

[Neverlift]

Originally Posted by moonrider_99 From my reading, a lot of MSM guys swap the rear end to change the gearing because as you said, 2nd is really short. Did you consider doing this?

It's not 2nd that is really short, the car redlines @ 127mph in 6th gear. Changing to the 3.9 regular torsen gearing makes every gear longer. The MSM still has regular Miata gearing, but double the horsepower in Crarrs case. I'd say make only 1 gearing upgrade, to a OSGieken 3.63 once you cross the 250whp threshold, and keep your thicker super torsen cv shafts until then.

[Crarrs]

All of the gears are (feel) really short for a combination of reasons. One is the 4.30 rear end, but the big reason is that the MSM-specific engine has 700 RPM lopped off the redline. Running the same gearing as a stock Miata with significantly more power, but less revs to play with is a recipe for having to shift like you're in Fast and the Furious. The hot setup I've read about track guys using is the 5 speed and a 3.63. But then you lose the stronger shot-peened gears unique to the MSM 6 speed. Go play with Flying Miata's gearing calculator widget to see the differences.

[Neverlift]

The MSM has a 4.1 gear ratio. No need to swap out the 6 speed, just get the OSG 3.63 when you approach 250+whp. In the meantime, get a MS3PNP or used Hydra 2.4+ & tune for a higher redline.

[moonrider_99]

Why not swap the rear end for a 3.63 right from the start and enjoy the higher speed in each gear?

[Neverlift]

Originally Posted by moonrider_99 Why not swap the rear end for a 3.63 right from the start and enjoy the higher speed in each gear?

The IHI turbo (power curve), the OEM tune, the fact it has 155whp stock, and the OSGiken is 2k (diff + install).

To get to 250whp, you are going to spend 5-7k (turbo + standalone & tuning). Then you need the suspension & wheels to keep up, another 3-4k. Sure, you can start with a 3.63 if its your only car, but it's not how I would go about it. I would want to learn the car, and make the changes as it needs it... it doesn't need a different diff @ 200whp, which is where Crarrs is about to be. He's still in stock seats, he has no idea how much more grip the car has yet. He's busy bracing himself for each corner. As it is, the car is pulling hard all the way to redline, making peak power @ 5500 all the way to 6750, leaning on fuel cut, and grabbing another gear is epic open DP.

[Crarrs]

Originally Posted by Neverlift The MSM has a 4.1 gear ratio.

I've known that since before I bought the car, and I still can't get my head straight about 4.10 vs. 4.30 when talking about it. Fail.

Originally Posted by moonrider_99 Why not swap the rear end for a 3.63 right from the start and enjoy the higher speed in each gear?

Because the stock turbo can't pull that gearing effectively unless you throw mods at it. The stock tune doesn't feed the engine the fuel and boost it needs until after 5k RPM. You need a standalone ECU to tune this engine, so it's cost-prohibitive to put a diff in unless you go all-out on your build. For more info on costs, see Neverlift's post.

Originally Posted by Neverlift He's still in stock seats, he has no idea how much more grip the car has yet. He's busy bracing himself for each corner. As it is, the car is pulling hard all the way to redline, making peak power @ 5500 all the way to 6750, leaning on fuel cut, and grabbing another gear is epic open DP.

All of this is mostly true, LOL. Except that I did a foamectomy in January. That helped a little bit.

[moonrider_99]

Well, I'm thinking about a MSM as well, so this thread is very interesting to me.

I would probably get FM's The Little Enchilada.
Flyin' Miata : Engine/Drivetrain : Upgrades for Mazdaspeed : The Little Enchilada

and pay someone very intelligent to swap this in to make the rear end 3.63
Ring & Pinion | Mazda 1.8 Performance Parts

with approximately 200whp it should do ok with the longer gears. ;-)

[Crarrs]

Originally Posted by moonrider_99 and pay someone very intelligent to swap this in to make the rear end 3.63 Ring & Pinion | Mazda 1.8 Performance Parts

That ring and pinion is $500 through MSM.

P/N MA02-27-110

But I still agree with Neverlift that this is the better way to go. But I don't know that you'll need it with the Little Enchilada. I've got a version of every one of those mods (FM or otherwise) except the downpipe and exhaust. No issues putting power down as-is with real tires on the car.

http://www.flyinmiata.com/index.php?...0%20%201994-05

[Neverlift]

The little enchilada costs 3x what it cost me to do those mods. I had everything for the Big Enchilada w/ 1800 invested. Spent what I saved on Ohlins. I guess we all have different priorities, and just like to make things simple and deal w/ 1 vendor.

[Crarrs]

I had another 2-day weekend of autocross two weekends ago. The car has fresh RS3 v2s on it now, which completely changed the feel from the heat-cycled, worn out set I ran on in July. I spent all of the Saturday event basically wobbling around, not having any clue or feel for what the car was going to do. I started out at 31F/30R tire pressure and 3/4-turn F/0-turn R on the shocks. After trying to just drive harder without picking up any appreciable time, I took a flyer on setup for the my last run of Time Only. I dropped 3 psi out of both ends of the car and ended up picking up about a second. I still wasn't driving the car anywhere near where it could be, but I was on the right track for Sunday.

I started Sunday at 28F/27R and bled down pressures after each run to keep it there. The "between gears" ratios of the car bit me on Sunday, and it took me a while to figure out where exactly to just ride the rev limiter out (answer: nowhere), and where to shift (answer: almost everywhere). Eight shifts in a single autocross run was a record for me (ended up with 6 in my fastest runs). The car felt much more stable with the shock setting changes since the last event. Once the tires got heat in them, the rear end of the car was STUCK with with dampers on full soft. I'm probably going to start out by adding a half turn to the rear and seeing how much that changes the balance. I don't really feel the need for a front sway anymore with the setup changes I've made.

There's a lot more in the car, I just need seat time to figure it out. I was supposed to autocross the MS3 in Phoenix this past weekend, but I ended up getting way too drunk with a friend from out of town and overslept. Now that I've missed that event, the championship I was chasing in that region is now out the window, so I suppose I will hit the December event with the Miata and use it as another learning day. At some point, I'm going to need to commit to racing just one of these cars...

I still don't really like the huge kick in power at 5200RPM when the ECU goes to open loop. It's sapping my confidence at corner exits and keeping my foot out of the throttle until the wheel is straight. I unplugged the TPS tonight and drove the car around the neighborhood, and it definitely softened up the step in the power. I'm going to drive it around like that for the rest of the week to get a better impression of what it does for me before I decide if it's going to stay that way.

Run videos below.

Saturday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLwLQrRrVzA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLxRUV7yA5g

Sunday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oasz3c3YRRM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xdw5zBwpsyQ

[Neverlift]

I ran with my TPS unplugged for months. Despite the lower MPG & CEL, I couldn't drive the car at all in closed loop. Will check out the videos tonight.

[Crarrs]

Originally Posted by Crarrs I unplugged the TPS tonight and drove the car around the neighborhood, and it definitely softened up the step in the power. I'm going to drive it around like that for the rest of the week to get a better impression of what it does for me before I decide if it's going to stay that way.

Yup, I'm keeping this! It's a totally different car, and way more fun to drive.

Also, forgot to mention, I gave the motor mount install another shot two weeks ago. I got the passenger side fairly easily, but still couldn't get the driver's side out. For "fun", I tried cracking the downpipe nuts loose to try and move it out of the way. It laughed at PB Blaster + MAPP gas torch; I also laughed and drank more beer. I'm really not looking forward to that job when it happens. I have a feeling I should have replacement studs ready for that. Even with just the single mount upgraded, there's a noticeable improvement in drivetrain movement and shifting.