So I like a little project something to aim for every year, last year was to but a 5 and I’m think this year is to beef it up a little.
I’ve decided it will be a BBR upgrade, I don’t want to go turbo as I’d expect it will change the characteristics of the engine too much so am looking at either the Super 200 or 225 upgrades.
Price wise the 200 is more attractive, feels like more bang for your buck but can’t help the idea of more power and having seen some video clips it sounds better with the 225 upgrade.
I’m interested to know what your thoughts are on the two, has anyone upgraded from the 200 to 225 and did you feel it was money well spent?
I went with the super 185 (ecu map, K&N filter, BBR manifold with high flow catalyst, mid and GT rear box). It sounds awesome, its plenty quick and honestly I don’t think I want anything else atm.
But… If I would I’m tempted on a 2.5L duratec swap. The only issue I have at the moment is mass comparison between the old and the new engine because I don’t really want to change anything how my car handles. I would probably need race clutch and other bits and bobs. I’d like to know the real price to get this done, but there’s plenty of people who have done it - but for me its just curiosity atm.
Wow that sounds great and stunning scenery. Could I ask why you went for the 185 not the 200, are they not a similar price? I have mine booked in for the 200. Also have you had your suspension uprated?
Cheers
Nick
Well… I bought the car used - It seemed stock and clean but I didn’t really know the history. I didn’t want to push the engine much as this is a 10y old car so getting a better flow in the exhaust system and a bit of tuning I considered as extremely safe mod to the car.
Plus if I want I can buy the BBR cams separate and get them fitted. I however do not need a track car - I need it to behave on public roads so…
a) I personally I think I don’t need at the moment more than 187ish bhp and 157ish lb.ft (but If I do there are options). I need to check the BBR maps so I may still just upgrade the cams on my engine however the 2.5L duratec wont necessary give you much more power but it will give you a LOT more torque - and midrange which is where I mostly use my car, so it will pull a lot harder.
b) Setup and handling, I think my car is perfectly setup for road use so I am not changing it. Note its a 2010 sport roadster so it has all the Mazda updates from the NC1 - and this is something that I recently discovered. It appears that Mazda has modified the NC, and from the NC2 and onwards there were various updates including the suspension setup.. If you use the car on public roads it needs to be able to manage the bumps and keep all four wheels on the ground in order to have traction and the car pointing where you want it to go. I strongly believe that many people have the misconception that “upgrading your suspension” always means better. I don’t really want to get into that here as I have already expanded on what I think on this thread. All I will say it depends on you and what you want your car to do (or look). As for me, I think whatever Mazda did on my car (wheel geometry, stock sports roaster springs and Bilstein shocks) works brilliantly on public roads. If you want a track car that’s a different discussion.
c) having expanded a bit what I think on the suspension in point b, this is a somewhat expansion on the engine discussion. The only issue (well unknown factor) I have with fitting a 2.5L duratec is the actual engine weight. I don’t know what needs to go and what stays in the car (including any comfort factors as the AC) so honestly I don’t know the delta weight. And this is my concern as changing the engine mass from what it is now will change the car dynamics and handling and this is something I do not want to do. So although the 2.5L duratec is an Idea and a possibility, at the moment as far as I’m concerned I prefer the car as is. I will investigate this further but I don’t really want more power, but I’d like to have more torque and if the BBR cams can provide this I may give it a go instead as this probably the less headache and safest way to upgrade the engine without messing up the handling of the car… However I just don’t really know either way at the moment.
I’d agree with not wanting to change the characteristics too much as it is a great car to start with which is why I’m opting to avoid turbo and supercharged upgrades as the way the car pulls I suspect will inherently change.
My gut feel is to lean towards the 200 upgrade as I agree with what you say on the road you don’t need more but as my daily is an VRS Octavia with 245bhp I can’t help but look at the 225.
I didn’t realise they do and duratec swap but I’d have thought it may change the way it pulls, having had Ford’s for a long time the engines are great but do behave differently so I suppose it depends on what your looking for.
If your happy with it as it stands maybe best to sit tight and see if the itch to upgrade is still there later before jumping in on it.
I agree otherwise I wouldn’t have bought another 5 but the 5 is under powered. Its all deliberate as it was designed to reward through driving experience and not power but it can do with a bit more
Personally I think the MX5 was made to be a pure drivers car and making sure people continue keeping their licence To be honest I’m not really interested going fast either but I will go 60mph whenever I can and I don’t really think you need that much power on public roads. Any more I’d probably end up in a ditch somewhere (link with the part of the video with “spirited” driving)
i think you misunderstand…you are comparing apples and oranges.
Output from your heavier Skoda is irrelevant - I’d wager you can get a better bhp per tonne in your 5 (v your Skoda) with a lot less than 245…which is more than “a bit more”
it would be interesting to record how often we reach peak revs or bhp output when out on the road.
I recall several years ago RiDE magazine testing a range of bikes on track with a range of road riders. Very few riders hit peak power for more than 10% of a lap time - ON TRACK.
The also got riders to lap the same bike with different engines (Suzuki GSR 600 / 750 /1000 from memory) and ALL the riders set their fastest laps on the 600 or 750. Put the other way, all were slower on the bigger engined, more powerful bike…
I’m not comparing the two cars but the cars I’ve had have more power and accelerate much quicker, the later being the main driver behind the upgrade.
I bought the 5 as I used to have one and have always considered it to be the best handling car I’ve ever owned, it is far better on the road than the VRS or the ST I had previously.
It is quick but as I’m used to faster cars I can’t help but look at upgrading it as it can definitely handle a little more. Looking at the new supercharger upgrade that is way over the top and is far more than you can use in the real world and similar can be said about the turbo chargers.
What I’m really interested to know is whether anyone has gone from the 200 to the 225 upgrade and whether they rate it and feel it brought an enjoyable benefit, if not then I’d almost certainly opt for the 200 as I think that would give me the additional kick I’d like at a reasonable cost but at the same time without drastically changing the characteristics of the car as I’m keen not to change as I really like it.
I understand power to weight ratio and how it impact the performance and from what I’ve seen the 200 upgrade will make it accelerate around as fast as the VRS but as I’ve had a number of quicker cars it would be nice to build in that little extra.
I couldn’t find the maps for the super 200 or the 225 but I did find the 185 and I also have my dyno map to confirm the claim.
You can clearly see that torque has increased substantially over stock. You will also notice that max torque is achieved 4000-4200 rpm.
The nice thing about the engine tune is that the power curve is a nice smooth increase all the way up to almost max rpm. However its not just the max power, its the gains throughout the whole range that you pay your money. The more money spend, the more power and the more torque you get (edit at the expense of engine reliability)
Yes thats precisely the point. While accelerating you want to use your max torque so you won’t be at max revs. Once you run out of gears and you are on the 6th you will floor it and you are likely to get the max power point.
You wouldn’t be revving the ■■■■ out of the car on 1,2,3,4,5 th gear as you ain’t be going to be the quickest on track
Many times on a supersport bike also did nurburgring three times, not yet taken the mx5 (only bought it in November 2021) but will do. I have booked the mx5 only at Donnington this year. I also booked one at Donnington late last year but was cancelled due to fog.
If you want i would prefer to take this privately to understand what may be the misunderstanding. I don’t really want to take over the guys thread. All he asked was opinion for the BBR 200 vs 225. I expressed my personal experience with the BBR 185 and i will leave it at that
To be honest I’m not really interested going fast either but I will go 60mph whenever I can and I don’t really think you need that much power on public roads. Any more I’d probably end up in a ditch somewhere 
(link 
