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#21
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Christopher Muto wrote:
> don't underestimate the importance of the wires. change the spark plug > cables every 30k and the plugs every 15k... get genuine miata cables or look > up comments of aftermartket cables in the garage section of miata.net. I have an '02 SE, 32k miles, 7psi JRSC. I've noticed some roughness at WOT lately, started me thinking about plug wires - the '01 and later is a coil-on-plug design with 2 coils and two cables. One cable is quite long and the other is quite short and I suspected that the longer cable was reducing spark for those two plugs. Replacing the wires on the '01 and later is a pain; NGK doesn't make Blue wires for it. I ended up with NAPA Belden premium cables ($50 for the set of 2). The stock wires measured something like 8k for the long one and 1.5k for the short one; the NAPA Belden replacements measured around 500 and 100 ohms. WOT roughness is completely gone and idle/low-end response is detectably improved. Dana |
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#22
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Basic Horsepower Upgrades
Does this mean you need to use higher octane fuel to avoid pinging? With
older pre-EFI cars I have always tuned timing to just below where I star to hear pinging. It is amazing how much variation there can be from one batch of fuel to the next, but generally I could get more advance and a little more grunt with premium fuel. Of course this increases running costs. "Lanny Chambers" > wrote in message ... > In article .com>, > "ritchiekidd" > wrote: > >> I'd like to know if anyone has suggestions about how to increase the >> horsepower via minor/inexpensive changes, such as exhaust or air >> filters? > > Except for advancing the timing to 14BTDC (1990-97 cars only), there are > no inexpensive mods that make a noticeable difference. |
#23
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Basic Horsepower Upgrades
In article >,
"Mal Osborne" > wrote: > Does this mean you need to use higher octane fuel to avoid pinging? Maybe; 14BTDC is near the edge for 87 octane fuel, and whether it will ping will depend on manufacturing tolerances, intake temperature, and carbon buildup. At 14, my car used to ping on 87 above 60 degrees F ambient, and on 89 above 80F. A Randall cowl intake tube now lets me run 87 year round, with no pinging up to at least 104F. It should pay for itself in, oh, about 143 years... > With older pre-EFI cars I have always tuned timing to just below > where I star to hear pinging. Same here, usually around 10 degrees more advanced than the factory setting. But when ECU ignition maps replaced vacuum and centrifugal distributor advances, that stopped working. The "new" way is much, much better! --- Lanny Chambers '94C, St. Louis http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html |
#24
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Basic Horsepower Upgrades
"Mal Osborne" > wrote:
>Does this mean you need to use higher octane fuel to avoid pinging? With >older pre-EFI cars I have always tuned timing to just below where I star to >hear pinging. It is amazing how much variation there can be from one batch >of fuel to the next, but generally I could get more advance and a little >more grunt with premium fuel. Of course this increases running costs. More advance requires indeed higher octane. However, there is some dyno data around somewhere for an M1 Miata that going from 14 to 18 actually reduces maximum horsepower again, though there is still and improvement at lower rpm. People find that 18 degrees BTDC definitely requires premium fuel, 14 might. A good detergent fuel may help, since it can reduce carbon deposits that promote knock. Leon >"Lanny Chambers" > wrote in message ... >> In article .com>, >> "ritchiekidd" > wrote: >> >>> I'd like to know if anyone has suggestions about how to increase the >>> horsepower via minor/inexpensive changes, such as exhaust or air >>> filters? >> >> Except for advancing the timing to 14BTDC (1990-97 cars only), there are >> no inexpensive mods that make a noticeable difference. > -- Leon van Dommelen Bozo, the White 96 Sebring Miata .) http://www.dommelen.net/miata EXIT THE INTERSTATES (Jamie Jensen) |
#25
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Basic Horsepower Upgrades
I was trying to decide between the Miata and a Mustang. If you really want a
lot of power (and are willing to blow it out your pipe at $3.00 a gallon) you should have bought a Mustang. I find my 02 Miata, right in character with the power its 1.8L engine gives hauling that 2900 lb car around. It is not meant to be a speed demon except going around corners. In fact it delights me to be able to keep up with anything on the road because of the cornering and with only a 1.8 engine and an automatic to boot. Power is great for drag racing but for outrunning the other guys, give me cornering and skill any time. Merely having a lot of power is replacing skill with money. Now, making an 80 MPH run down the Arroyo Seco Parkway between Pasadena and LA in a Miata. That is a total blast. Or a 50 MPH run along Mulholland. |
#26
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Basic Horsepower Upgrades
In article > , "Dan Fraser" > wrote:
>I was trying to decide between the Miata and a Mustang. If you really want a >lot of power (and are willing to blow it out your pipe at $3.00 a gallon) >you should have bought a Mustang. What if he wants the Miata's handling, but with more power?? >I find my 02 Miata, right in character with the power its 1.8L engine gives >hauling that 2900 lb car around. That's one heavy Miata! >Now, making an 80 MPH run down the Arroyo Seco Parkway between Pasadena and >LA in a Miata. That is a total blast. Or a 50 MPH run along Mulholland. What happens when you get behind someone who brakes into the turns at 30 mph, and accelerates their 300hp boat out of them so you can't pass? Or do you pass in the blind turn? |
#27
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Basic Horsepower Upgrades
Don't blame the engineers. Even if the engineers put 600 HP in the
Miata someone would want it to go faster. Look at how many inexpensive add-on you can get for teh Corvette. Grant Edwards wrote: > On 2005-10-07, ritchiekidd > wrote: > > > Hey Grant - No need to be a dick about it. . . > > Sorry you thought I was being a dick. I've always thought your > question was insulting to us engineers. > > > Why do people think that the engineers at Mazda would miss > > minor/inexpensive changes that increased HP without sacrificing > > reliability??? There are entire teams of engineers that work > > on that stuff 6 days a week. Yet somehow, soembody thinks they > > can spend $20 and 20 minutes and do something that will provide > > a real increase in HP. > > Hey, it's an honest question. > > -- > Grant Edwards grante Yow! Am I elected yet? > at > visi.com |
#28
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Basic Horsepower Upgrades
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 |
#29
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Basic Horsepower Upgrades
Dan Fraser wrote:
> I was trying to decide between the Miata and a Mustang. That is almost like saying that you were trying to decide between a school bus and a moped. OK, I am exaggerating a bit, but seriously, the Miata and the Mustang could not be much more different from one another while still being considered "sports cars". Most people I know would call the Mustang a sports car, I have another name for it that I will not post here. :-) Pat |
#30
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Basic Horsepower Upgrades
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