In message <20000125144259.9240.qmail@web1101.mail.yahoo.com>, Scot Zediker wri
tes:
> FWIW, Dealer Alternative in Colorado is working on a
> 200-mph Miata. I don't recall which engine the car
> has, but it is turbocharged. This same company also
> sells a turbo kit that will put out around 250 hp to
> the rear wheels and is completely street legal
> (outside California, anyway).
They're working on CARB certification for the FMII turbo for the '99s.
They've run into a minor hitch due to the car they were going to
use for the certification having a minor mishap. See
http://www.networkone.net/~mark/ and scroll down to the pictures.
Rollbars are your friends.
A 15-psi turbo on a Miata puts out around 250 rear-wheel horsepower, and
reportedly can beat Vipers and their ilk in acceleration. And you
still have that wonderful Miata handling. I suspect one would give
most any Corvette a run for it's money, and then some. The trouble
is, it takes a driver with very good throttle control to handle
that much power in that light of a car. And many of those who
turbo/super-charge their Miatas are the sort that think that the
reason they're not fast driving a Miata is merely lack of power.
So you often see boosted Miatas being driven below their
potential. If you can't drive fast with 100 hosepower, you can't
drive fast with 200.
I'd love to see a really good driver (i.e. Nationals contender) with
a well set up turbo Miata. But in autocrossing, a turbo Miata
goes into one of the Mod classes where a street car has no
business. Yeah, there's OSP, but it's a local class so no one with
aspirations of Nationals is going to set up an autocross car for
OSP. So we're unlikely to see a really serious autocrosser set up
a turbo Miata.
In a couple of years I'm seriously considering adding a Dealer
Alternative turbo to Sadie. But right now I know that more power will
*not* make me faster. I'll wait until my skills have improved
sufficiently. Yeah, I'll never take it to Nationals, but I'll have
fun. :)
The 200MPH Miata project expects to have a completely street-legal
Miata (non-California that is) that'll do 200mph. They expect to have
it working this summer. Right now they're working on the aerodynamics
to keep it on the ground at that speed. :-o They're planning on using
a stock Miata engine with serious turbocharging.
See http://www.200mphmiata.net/
Keith Hearn
'99 Miata 10AE "Sexy Sadie" the Sapphire Shark
Milpitas, CA
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