5 Things To Know Before Installing A Flyin' Miata Turbo Kit

Miatas or MX5s have always been quite popular platforms for turbocharging. From the factory, they have always had naturally aspirated engines, except for that one time when Mazdaspeed – unfortunately Mazda discontinued it – put a factory turbocharged engine in an NB Miata. Flyin' Miata has been a big name in the Miata world. They have a pretty extensive list of aftermarket parts available for all sorts of Miatas and their turbo kits have proven to be quite a reliable way to extract more power from these cars. There are, however, quite a few things that one needs to make sure of before turbocharging their car.

With a background in tuning and building cars for racing, I have myself turbocharged and tuned quite a few naturally aspirated cars and also upgraded a lot of turbos of already turbocharged cars. There are a few things one should know before putting lots of boost through your engine. While Flyin' Miata makes it extremely easy for you to install the kit, there are a few supporting mods and maintenance items one needs to take care of before your engine starts making happy noises.

Before doing anything else, one should have their car in relatively good condition, especially the driveline components. This might include freshening some old parts, but also replacing everything with new componentry wherever needed.

One of the most important aspects is to make sure that the engine has pretty good health and can take the boost. Compression testing is a good way to figure out your engine's health status. Other things include new belts, new engine oil and other fluids like coolant, the condition of your spark plugs, the condition of your fuel system which includes the fuel pump and the fuel filter, new air filter, fresh transmission oil, fresh differential oil and any of the rubber mounts like engine mounts, suspension bushings and transmission mount.

We need to make sure these components are in good condition, since turbocharging will put a lot of stress on these components, which they might not be designed to withstand from the factory, so it is a good practice to check over everything that is important.

Turbocharging a vehicle means that it will be producing significantly more power than stock. The power will go to the wheels through your clutch, and upgrading your clutch is recommended in most cases. You won't want your clutch to be slipping, as it will deter you from putting down all the power to the wheels. A slipping clutch can really is not something that you want while putting more power through your car. It can also damage other components of the transmission.

There are a lot of clutch upgrades available for the Miata, but it totally depends on the amount of power you are aiming for. Flyin' Miata recommends that you upgrade your clutch before boosting your vehicle, however the ND Miata's stock clutch can handle a little bit of extra power. Still, we recommend that you either get a completely new clutch or put an upgraded one if your clutch is worn down. This will help you put all the power down, and they will be more durable in the long run.

More power also means quite a lot of heat. Adding a turbocharger might give you significant gains, but it is important to keep your vehicle cool as well. You do not want your vehicle to heat up or heat soak constantly, especially on the hotter days of the month. This could potentially damage your engine. With turbocharging, we put a lot of stress on the car, and we want to keep the heat in check.

Adding a larger and more efficient radiator should be on top of your priority list. The increased number of cooling fins and larger surface area will keep temperatures in check. Flyin' Miata also recommends an upgraded radiator and fans for the NA and NB generations, and we already talked about adding fresh coolant to your vehicle.

Another addition that should be on your list is an oil cooler. Hot oil is not good, and keeping your oil temperatures in check is another very important aspect. Oil will degrade faster and lose its properties when it is subject to higher temperatures, and nobody wants the metal parts in your engine to grind with each other. It is a good idea to add an extra layer of cooling for your oil before you crank things up.

Turbocharging takes use of the exhaust gasses coming out of the engine to compress air and produce more power. A free flowing exhaust helps the turbocharger work more efficiently as there are fewer restrictions, and it can expel the exhaust gasses easily. Adding a larger diameter, free flowing exhaust system is surely recommended.

This however needs to be done carefully as there is something called exhaust back pressure as well. There has to be a balance between the size of the turbocharger, the amount of power you are producing and the size of the exhaust. If you make the exhaust too big, the increase in back pressure will not allow the turbocharger to work properly, and it can also damage your turbocharger. Having too small of an exhaust will restrict the exhaust flow of the turbocharger.

One also has to make sure of the legality of the exhaust system. Some may choose to remove their catalytic converter for increased flow, however that could be illegal in some states. Too loud of an exhaust can also cause you trouble, so we advise people to go over their respective states regulations before doing any modifications to their exhaust system.

You have added the turbocharger to your vehicle, but you also need a lot of supporting mods alongside. Depending on the power, you might need to upgrade your fuel system, and you also need to add a tune to your vehicle. This is where it might get a little complicated. Some cars can do with just an ECU reflash while some need piggyback or standalone ECUs to tell the engine to compensate for the added air and fuel. With the Flyin' Miata kits, you are mostly covered in all aspects of turbocharging your car, but there are other supporting mods needed to make the overall experience better and safer.

Safety is a big concern when chasing more power. One should look to upgrade their tires, brakes and suspension as well. Since you have more power under your foot now, one also has to think about other safety systems and mods which will make the overall driving experience better and be in line with the power of your car. This will depend quite a bit on how you intend to use your car. If you want to take it to the track and are chasing high horsepower, then you should look at some serious upgrades like coilovers and big brake kits. If it's going to be a street build, you can get away with lesser power and simpler mods like lowering springs and upgraded brake pads.