i’m looking to achieve around 200hp (safely) on my 1.8 mkII (D.O.B sometime in '98), iv’e noticed a quite a few of the forum users are going for superchargers over turbo’s & was wondering what are the best products out there for reliability and value for money? also some advice on what to do about the clutch at that sort of power would be appreciated.
i’m keen on the idea of a supercharger for the steadier power delivery (im guessing a small turbo won’t put out 200hp), reliability is my main concern though.
another question, i’m from south wales (unfortunately not the one in australia), which garages would you recommend as mx5 specialists around cardiff?
I bought my Mk2.5 turbo from Mazda Australia (Queensland) so Mazda is happy with the turbo choice (323 etc.). I would still have bought it with a supercharger though. 178hp stock, now over 218 (have not dyno’d it since the last round of mods.).
Major Mazda changes other than the turbo system/exhaust were ecu, radiator size, clutch, drivesafts, lsd, oil cooler size, gears hardened, suspension.
I know P5 is a long way off but check out their website and do a budget.[:)]
There’s a Force Induction FAQ in this forum which is well worth a read. I went down the SC route and am happy as Larry. Got the stage 1 system from P5 which got me up to 195bhp (unfortunately it still had half a tank of 95ron petrol in it on the dyno). I think turbos can work out a little cheaper in the long run but you need to be sure about what you want now and what you might want a year or two down the line. I have only had the SC on for 10 moths now and I’m booking it in for the next round of upgrades which is coming in at almost the same price as the original setup [:O]
For 200bhp with a SC you won’t need an intercooler or bigger injectors etc, just the charger and a piggyback ECU. If you want more later on you will need an IC bigger inj. and maybe a better piggyback or replacement ECU and you will need to change the crank or nose pulley (on a turbo you just need to turn a screw). Wish I had gone for the Adaptronic ECU to start with now, but the old EMB should be easy enough to sell on (I bought it second hand afterall).
But as the other guy said (Why can’t you see the whole thread when writing replies?) seriously consider using P5. I doubt there will be anyone else near you that could do the install with the same experience and expertise. The petrol and train tickets aren’t going to make that much difference to the overall budget afterall. The other option would be to buy the bits off P5 and have them shipped to someone locally to be fitted.