Basic Horsepower Upgrades

In article >,
pws > wrote:

> I am sure that the people at Flying Miata would disagree that turbos for
> miatas are a waste of money, or that a turbo is installed only to make
> the car a drag racer.

Sorry you're having a bad day, Pat. Feel free to take it out on me. At
least you didn't call me anything worse than an idiot.

Tomorrow, you'll realize that I meant spending *less* than the cost of a
turbo on a Miata engine is wasteful, whereas spending the same amount on
suspension offers good value. If a Miata owner is looking for useful
power, $1000 worth of intake, headers, and exhaust is practically
guaranteed to disappoint. The original questioner didn't seem ready to
spend the $7000 or so required for a high-boost turbo, clutch, cooling
system upgrade, and all the other stuff that makes a successful FM II
installation. I was advising him not to make the same mistake so many of
us did (while I could afford it, perhaps he cannot).

If I were interested in making my Miata faster, I'd jump on the
Ubercharger in a second. But after a lot of thought, I decided I like it
better the way it is now: using everything the car has to give, and only
popping the hood to check the oil every month. So far, every turbo Miata
driver who's tried to keep up with me in the Ozarks has made me stop
every couple of miles so he could catch up. I think I'm going fast
enough now. If I lived in Colorado, forced induction might have more
appeal.

FWIW, I bought FM Duals for their looks and sound, not for any claims of
more power. De gustibus non disputandum est.

---
Lanny Chambers
'94C, St. Louis
http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html