Dave wrote:

>
> What if he wants the Miata's handling, but with more power??

Exactly.

I have seen a general attitude here that adding power to the miata
somehow messes up it's great handling, and/or makes the driver less
competent. Adding power simply makes the car more capable in some, (not
all), situations.

What do you think would happen to an Indy car racer if you cut his power
in half, (or even by 10%), and left the rest of the field alone? Indy
cars handle quite well, and have the best drivers in the world at the
wheels, but somehow the car is still going to need that power to go as
fast as the other ones, i.e., it would be a slower car than the others,
no matter how good the driver was.

There is no question that on the street, there can be pros and cons to
extra power. Running a stock miata at 9/10th's is very fun. Not being
able to easily merge into traffic because a minivan, truck, or SUV is
out-accelerating me was not fun. That does not happen anymore.

Making a miata more powerful is not that hard, just expensive. Making a
Mustang handle well is impossible without modifying it to the point
where it is no longer the same car.

Finally, even with 550cc injectors, high-flow fuel pump, upgraded fuel
lines and everything else, my car still gets almost exactly the same gas
mileage as my last, non-turbo miata if I am not pushing it hard.

Pat