[sujaylahiri]

Nice job there on the turbo setup.

I had a question about the engine block. Is it cast iron or aluminum?

Also after you get the new engine, I would strongly advise upgrading the pistons and con rods, especially if it's an aluminum block. And you can also play around with the compression ratio if you like.

And about the suspension setup, will you be going all autocross style (more camber, toe etc.) or will you keep it conservative for street use as well.

[ananthkamath]

The block is cast iron. It came with a forged crank and oil squirters under the pistons, stock. So its pretty stout and have been known to last 100k miles with up to 15 psi boost, at the stock high compression of 9.4:1 . Since I am staying well under that level, an upgrade to the rotating assembly is unnecessary and expensive. A used engine with 60k miles or less can be had for under $500. Hard to beat that.

The suspension will be set up more for street than auto-x because I have decided to go with a dedicated race car for next year.

[highwayblaze]

ok miata boy... no videos yet? you're "done" with your car and no video ?!

[Ricky_63]

Brilliant build is what comes to my mind. Wonderful reading the thread..congratulatins !!



Cheers

[ananthkamath]

Thank you. blaze, help me figure out a way to make a good video when we meet up this weekend. I mean, like fully choreographed by Kaminasala Productions LLC.

[ananthkamath]

Some updates:

Just bought a 1.8L differential swap after blowing my diff with too much boost. The new one has a larger ring gear and can take 350 whp with ease.

Bought this, will install some time soon:



Its from an Evo 9 and is HUGE....Datalogging showed that the existing intercooler is inadequate. I will need the new one to keep temps down on the track where the car will see long periods of peak boost.

I am also seeing some mild compressor surge between shifts. I just bought a bypass valve from a WRX, it has ridiculously fast response and will shift huge amounts of air very quickly, thus reducing surge noise:



In short I am completely re-doing the intake, both before and after the compressor.

The car is being prepped for track duty this year. On the cards is coilovers, roll cage, wheels, tires, new clutch, and possibly a new engine. Stay tuned.

[Ford Rocam]

Originally Posted by ananthkamath

Its from an Evo 9 and is HUGE....Datalogging showed that the existing intercooler is inadequate. I will need the new one to keep temps down on the track where the car will see long periods of peak boost.

Hi Anant,
how much is the ambient air temperature there outside on a sunny day during Track & how much is the intake air temperature data logged during run?

[ananthkamath]

I dont have my tuning laptop right now, but I remember that the temp difference is something like 35 degrees after a full-throttle run through the gears.

The pre-turbo temps are something like 10 to 15 degrees above ambient because the filter sucks air directly from behind the radiator.

So that's a total of 50 degrees above ambient.

[Psycho]

Originally Posted by ananthkamath

I dont have my tuning laptop right now, but I remember that the temp difference is something like 35 degrees after a full-throttle run through the gears.

The pre-turbo temps are something like 10 to 15 degrees above ambient because the filter sucks air directly from behind the radiator.

So that's a total of 50 degrees above ambient.

Ananth based on this statement 35 deg seems to be pretty good and the new inter cooler will definitely be a lot more effective. The only culprit here is more or less is the radiator so maybe a flex tube would be a more effective and cost effective method.

[Mpower]

Sweet! will it fit in the stock bumper though? The one you have is from a mazspeed Miata right?

Hows the suspension doing? I forget why it was darting last time I drove it.

[ananthkamath]

Barely fits. Some cutting might be required.

The dartiness was because of a screwed up alignment job. We redid the alignment back at work, and now its just fine.

[ananthkamath]

Alright, right now I'm on a war path to get the suspension sorted out. My poor showing in the first event of the season kind of accelerated that.

First, good tires. Kumho Ecsta XS in 215/45-16 on panasport-style wheels. Biggest investment on my car to date, these were more expensive than my entire turbo system These are the best, widest tires available in the street-tire class that I'm running in:




Couple pics from the 1st event organized by the Corvette Club of Michigan, on Apr. 20th. Notice the amount of pitch on a hard launch:



The weather was pretty cold (between 0 and 5 deg. C) and the brand new tires weren't scuffed in yet, so tough luck there:



6th out of 8 cars isnt exactly cutting it, so in the one week, I had to do SOMETHING to improve, so installed a set of shocks from a R-package miata, with no other changes.

This did a LOT for the car through quick transitions such as slaloms and lane changes on the track.

Also, I needed some point of comparison so I convinced my friend Steve to co-drive my car. Steve has been racing formula cars for several years now in addition to being a certified test driver.

Here are the results:



Basically in addition to the rather poor body control of the stock suspension, even with good shocks, we had issues with the clutch slipping rather badly. So I had to back down the boost to 5 psi from the usual 9.

But, I am richer in the knowledge that I can be within a second or second-&-half of a good driver's time. 5th out of 11 cars is not bad at all, I think. A decent start to the development of the car through this season.

I'll keep y'all posted as I hope to be able to get a consistent podium finish in my class once the suspension is sorted. Maybe optimistic, but lets see how it goes.

[Rehaan]

Nice update Ananth!

The car sure is ready for lift-off in that pic.

What kind of stuff does "Allen Chen"s miata have running in order to be 3-4seconds faster than yours ?

Whats next on the cards for yours?

cya
R

PS - When are we hearing about the "V8 Power"? (Unless i've missed another post of yours somewhere?). I spent a little time with a 540i years ago, and i remember the guy at a BMW dealership saying that he felt like they put the redline in fairly low because bmw didnt want it to "steal the M5's thunder". Gorgeous car, though i'd imagine doing any projects on it would be a touch more expensive than the miata. Whats the plan?

[tush]

Awesome thread with lots of knowledge to gain, technology to know and patience to observe.

All the best ananthkamath

[ananthkamath]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

What kind of stuff does "Allen Chen"s miata have running in order to be 3-4seconds faster than yours ?

I dont know the details but from the looks of it, its turbocharged and also some suspension mods are in place. He was only about a second quicker, not 3 or 4.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Whats next on the cards for yours?

Suspension for sure. Maybe a limited slip diff. I need a roll bar to do trackdays so that's going in this week possibly.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

PS - When are we hearing about the "V8 Power"? Whats the plan?

Nope, no plans. Its a daily driver and plenty fast to get me into trouble. Can't say I've taken it to the limits but I have done 140 mph on the freeway once.