smshirk

NoPorscherightnow

Im interested in your methods for Miatas. We have 3 Pcars, 00-996 97 Boxster and 94 968. My wife has had this 90 Miata for years. Great looking car, all original, low miles, but it is just gathering dust and not worth enough to justify getting rid of it. How can I get to 150+ HP without spending a fortune. I would like to have a reason to drive it sometimes.

85percent

You're going to have a lot of fun in that boxster. I regret not purchasing a near-new boxster like you have.. anyways, have fun!

NoPorscheRightNow

1. My first advice would be to sell it to somebody who appreciates it for what it is. Not being a smarta$$, but the car is not for everybody. If there's nothing about it that makes you want to go out and drive it as is, adding 30hp probably isn't going to do the trick. When I got my first one in 94, I drove it almost a year before doing anything to it. I learned to drive the car. It's a great car to learn to drive in because not only is it forgiving, but if you don't learn to carry speed, lots of speed, through a turn, you simply won't have any speed. I had an instructor at Road Atlanta once years ago who made me drive the whole session in 3rd gear. In a Miata, with about 125 ft/lbs of torque. Great technique for breaking bad habits that you won't even realize you have when there's 350 hp waiting to bail you out on the other side of the curve.

But maybe you already know how to drive really well, and you have a coupla Porsches; in that case I'm not sure you'll ever enjoy a Miata. I just spent the day at a Peachtree Miata Club track day (there was an M3, a coupla Elises, S2000, two WRXs, so I wasn't the only oddball), and at no time did I wish to have another Miata, except when I got back to the pits and was told my best time was 1:14.85, and I was used to turning 1:12s in my Miata! (Street tires vs Race tires, of course.) But I seriously had no desire to have another one.

2) If you still want to make some hp, you can get to about 150 rwhp with a jackson racing supercharger (an Eaton M45 blower) for about $2500. The stock clutch would be fine at that level, no IC is needed, no fuel management needed. Plan to spend about 6-800 on springs, shocks, and sways, and you'll have a nice car, about the same speed as your 2.5 Boxster.

3) 240 wheel horse will cost you about 7 grand to do it right, because the turbo is five, you'll have to do a clutch for a grand installed, and the suspension becomes imperative now. Hire the work done and add another thousand. A big brake kit is another 1200. (And it's still a Miata, albeit a sub-five-second car.)

4) Best bet: sell yours, find somebody who did all of the things in (3), pay him about a grand more for his car than you sell your stock one for, and save lots of cash.

Good luck, Matt

PS Thanks to everyone for your well-wishes on the new car. Had a blast today at the track, but couldn't get past the fact that I was chewing up very expensive tires, so I only ran two sessions. I honestly don't think I'll take this car to the track anymore. I can't run it with abandon, and to do otherwise seems kind of pointless. Came home and cleaned it and remembered why I like it so much.

Matt

smshirk

I didn't mean to imply that I don't like to drive the Miata. I started out with a Datsun 1600 roadster, had an MGB, 2 914s, all before I was 25. The Miata is definitely better than any of those by a long shot. I love the way it feels, I'm just spoiled with horsepower. And when walking out the door to go somewhere, I always find a reason to drive something other than the Miata. Selling it isn't an option, really. It was my wife's 40th birthday present, many years ago, but I won't mention how many....she may read this. The car just needs to be driven a little more often. We have a nephew we will probably give it to in a couple of years when he gets his liscense, and I don't want it to rot from misuse. The supercharger is probably a good option as I could remove it when giving it to a teenager, but I would probably rather put 3 or 4 grand into the 103k mile Boxster, although it is still going strong, it does smoke quite a bit when started cold. Once warmed up, it still runs as it always has. My driving abilities are on the downward turn now anyway, so getting better is not a concern. I guess I just need to decide to drive it at least once week and then do it.