Just ordered a supercharger...
- Thread starter JustinR32
- Start date
2wheelsx2
New member
Woohoo! So how much HP and torque will it add? Any complications, or will it be a pretty simple bolt on?
SickOfItAll
New member
Shoulda gotten a snail instead 
imported_Greg1
New member
I thought turbos were big for miatas. My neighbor has 2 turbo miatas, they are pretty sweet.
Turbos are big, but superchargers are affordable. $2395, bolt-on (and an extra $200 for the Bipes Boost Timer). And turbos are mucho upgradeable, but I just want "Miata plus", no-fiddling driveable reliable horsepower.
Stock rwhp = about 109, w/SC = about 162. (From a typical dyno run, can be found anywhere on the 'net)
Stock torque = about 102, w/SC = about 150.
All numbers measured at the wheels; stock hp and torque #s are like, 142/130, or something like that.
Currently, I have a header/freeflow cat/ hp exhaust/muffler, so I'm looking to be about 170-175 rwhp, including the optional boost timing control unit (not used in the above hp/torque figures). And, the kit I'm getting includes a different pulley set for "an extra 20-25 hp over the standard kit!" I figure with everyone being optimistic, I would be around 185 to 190 rwhp, so the truth will probably be around 170 (185 minus 15%, plus the exhaust and BT unit not accounted for in the original estimate).
It should definitely be "Miata Plus".
And, the unit is visually appealing under the hood, as well; I mean, this is Autopia, the place where these things matter.
Tom
Stock rwhp = about 109, w/SC = about 162. (From a typical dyno run, can be found anywhere on the 'net)
Stock torque = about 102, w/SC = about 150.
All numbers measured at the wheels; stock hp and torque #s are like, 142/130, or something like that.
Currently, I have a header/freeflow cat/ hp exhaust/muffler, so I'm looking to be about 170-175 rwhp, including the optional boost timing control unit (not used in the above hp/torque figures). And, the kit I'm getting includes a different pulley set for "an extra 20-25 hp over the standard kit!" I figure with everyone being optimistic, I would be around 185 to 190 rwhp, so the truth will probably be around 170 (185 minus 15%, plus the exhaust and BT unit not accounted for in the original estimate).
It should definitely be "Miata Plus".
And, the unit is visually appealing under the hood, as well; I mean, this is Autopia, the place where these things matter.
Tom
Dave N
My PC goes to 7...
I've had a supercharger on my Tacoma for the better part of a year now. TRD sells a very nice simple bolt-on supercharger for the V6 in the Tacoma. It bumps flywheel HP from 190 to 265, and torque to about 260.
The only problem is that it leans out the air/fuel mixture a little too much and you get low-rpm ping (predetonation). I've tried the cheap fixes (2-stage cooler spark plugs and a 160 degree thermostat) -- these have helped, but the ping is still there under certain conditions. The real solutions are bigger injectors, bigger fuel pump, and a piggy-back computer of some sort. But I really don't want to go there $$$ !
The supercharger makes my truck fairly fast, considering my big ole 31 inch tires and heavy-duty suspension. It just doesn't corner very well.
Have fun with your supercharged Miata. I sometimes wish I had a little fast car to drive around!
The only problem is that it leans out the air/fuel mixture a little too much and you get low-rpm ping (predetonation). I've tried the cheap fixes (2-stage cooler spark plugs and a 160 degree thermostat) -- these have helped, but the ping is still there under certain conditions. The real solutions are bigger injectors, bigger fuel pump, and a piggy-back computer of some sort. But I really don't want to go there $$$ !
The supercharger makes my truck fairly fast, considering my big ole 31 inch tires and heavy-duty suspension. It just doesn't corner very well.
Have fun with your supercharged Miata. I sometimes wish I had a little fast car to drive around!
imported_garyo
New member
Mosca,
Sounds excellent. Will you need a new ECU, or remaping done, or will the stock ECU work?
Sounds excellent. Will you need a new ECU, or remaping done, or will the stock ECU work?
imported_CBX Carl
New member
I love the low-end torque offered by supercharging vs turbocharging. Maybe in a few years they will be more accepted by OEM ie (Ford Lightning, Harley Model) and go mainstream for the smaller cc engines.
I think the Auto OEM are missing a clear cue from the market - supercharing the smaller engines.
I think the Auto OEM are missing a clear cue from the market - supercharing the smaller engines.
It's a piggyback unit; http://frontiernet.net/~dbipes/acu/index.htm
Miatas base timing is 10* btdc. The hot setup for NA is 14*. With FI the requirement is 8* or even 6* (if you can't get at least 92 octane). The stock timing adjustment box pulls 6* of timing out when under boost. The Bipes ACU allows you to leave the base timing at 14*, and it retards timing up to 2* per pound of boost, selectively, only when it needs to be pulled to avoid knock.
For four years I didn't care about the power, and now I can't wait.
Tom
Miatas base timing is 10* btdc. The hot setup for NA is 14*. With FI the requirement is 8* or even 6* (if you can't get at least 92 octane). The stock timing adjustment box pulls 6* of timing out when under boost. The Bipes ACU allows you to leave the base timing at 14*, and it retards timing up to 2* per pound of boost, selectively, only when it needs to be pulled to avoid knock.
For four years I didn't care about the power, and now I can't wait.
Tom
SickOfItAll
New member
Lost Pup said:
It's soooo inefficient on a small engine though - that's the issue. Small 4 bangers like Honda's B and K series, Toyotas 1ZZ and 3SG series love to rev - and keep revving. Up in the higher RPM range is where you really see the benefits from a turbo - and where a supercharger stops showing its potential. Supercharging a small, high revving engine is counter-intuitive, in my book - it just doesn't mesh well.
The Mazda 1.8L engine is waaaaay overbuilt. It doesn't need rods/pistons etc until you get into Stage 3 territory, 250 hp and up. The stock car should handle the base JR unit no problem; some people have needed a high-flow fuel pump.
Turbos are definitely the hotter ticket on small cars, including the Miata. What makes the 1.6/1.8 L Mazdas respond well to supercharging is that they aren't fast revving motors like the Hondas, they're more long strokers. BR Performance has made a small modification to the JRSC that puts its output a bit more to the center of the rev band, making it pull well from idle and still give strong top end; the peaks of the torque/hp curves are now right over top of the stock curves rather than skewed towards the lower end. The Miata has always had "adequate" hp, delivered as "yank"; as speed builds, acceleration builds, giving the sense of a more powerful car. With the JRSC/BRP, this is supposedly preserved, but of course at higher numbers.
One consideration for me, though, is that with turbo charging the car starts approaching 200 rwhp (at $1000 more for the hardware alone), and at that hp level you must do clutch, fuel pump, Link ECU (another $1500 for the ECU), etc. And the installation is beyond my ability. The JRSC I can do with the help of a friend who's done a couple of them.
Price/situation independent, turbo wins, all the way. Unless I turn into a horsepower junkie (which is certainly possible, seeing how obsessed I became with detailing), the SC should work for me.
Tom
Turbos are definitely the hotter ticket on small cars, including the Miata. What makes the 1.6/1.8 L Mazdas respond well to supercharging is that they aren't fast revving motors like the Hondas, they're more long strokers. BR Performance has made a small modification to the JRSC that puts its output a bit more to the center of the rev band, making it pull well from idle and still give strong top end; the peaks of the torque/hp curves are now right over top of the stock curves rather than skewed towards the lower end. The Miata has always had "adequate" hp, delivered as "yank"; as speed builds, acceleration builds, giving the sense of a more powerful car. With the JRSC/BRP, this is supposedly preserved, but of course at higher numbers.
One consideration for me, though, is that with turbo charging the car starts approaching 200 rwhp (at $1000 more for the hardware alone), and at that hp level you must do clutch, fuel pump, Link ECU (another $1500 for the ECU), etc. And the installation is beyond my ability. The JRSC I can do with the help of a friend who's done a couple of them.
Price/situation independent, turbo wins, all the way. Unless I turn into a horsepower junkie (which is certainly possible, seeing how obsessed I became with detailing), the SC should work for me.
Tom
SickOfItAll
New member
Jake11375 said:
Is your car SOHC or DOHC? I dunno the Civic models too well...but if you're SOHC, and you're hoping for 70 more at the wheels, you'll be hard pressed to do that without either cracking the motor open or going FI.