- My model of MX-5 is: 1.
- I’m based near: __
- I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: _
Has anyone fitted a Racing Beat manifold to a 1997 1.6
and we’re any additional parts required?
As you have a 1997 model, you will have a 475mm cat, not the 375mm cat the Racing Beat header was designed for; Racing Beat only design their exausts fr the US market, which dropped the 1.6 in 1994. The Racing Beat Europe website is utterly useless, as they have no idea about fitment to the 1.6, by posting incorrect info.
You probably don’t want to start cutting up the header to get it to fit. The correct approach would be to fit a 375mm cat an a 89-94 catback exhaust. but I’m not sure you will pass the MOT on emissions.
You can reuse the standard header-cylinder head metal gasket. The studs can come out with the nuts. The studs might shear. One or two of the studs are hard to reach with a socket.
You will also need to extend the O2 sensor wiring; Racing Beat sell an extension loom with connectors.
Not sure if your car has an EGR valve or not; its possible you may need to block this off.
The Chinese headers are mostly clones of the RB 4-2-1 header, and generally fit fine. They’re a bit rough on the ports. But they are cheap enough for you to get one cut up and fitted with a Goodrich flexi tube, to mate up with your cat.
A £120 header I fitted to a 1993 1.6 Roadster.
Alcohol wash prior to fiting up lead to nice coloration that was maintained for the years I had this car.
It was from a firm in Sheffield who had an Amazon ad, but the exhaust was from China. All the Chinese headers seem to be the same.
Thanks for the info that’s really good to know and you’re right, Racing Beat Europe are not very informative! If I install a after market exhaust on a 375mm cat do the exhaust hangers still line up?
The hangers will line up; the late Mk1s have a hanger by the cat deleted. Some MOT testers see an unused hanger bracket on an exhaust, and assume something is wrong. For that reason, some suppliers have this hanger as a detachable part.
I had the good fortune to visit Racing Beat in Anaheim, and met up with the guys who made the headers. Imressive operation, and I got free stuff.
Racing Beat Europe is the trading name of Shy Auto Development, so they are a distributor for RB, not actually RB.
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