Miata Mailing List: November 1994, Message #51
sponsored by



     


   From: """Stephen H. An""" 
Subject: A personal performance shoot-out.
   Date: Wed, 2 Nov 1994 10:53:38 -0500


Hi y'all,

I apologize in advance for interupting your regularly scheduled
programming of turning clocks backward and other endearing stories :-;
(my Dave Letterman smiley). Sorry This is so long.

Anyway, I am evaluating some performance upgrades for my girlfriend's
Miata and while I wish to see such a performance shoot-out done by the
Miata "Club" (I do use this term loosely), I am not holding my breath,
other than when I am driving.

Some disclaimers, I use my butt as the all important measuring device,
no gyrometer, no G-analyst, no stop clock, just seat of the pants...
and the opinions expressed here are .... paid by Al Staats...:-))

I. Cars in test:

1. 93 Black LE Miata, stock, belongs to girlfriend, has many features
that I haven't yet figured out. It needs help. MTL in the gearbox.

2. 90 Red base Miata, my soon to be ex-car:

Engine: it has BBR turbo with 7lbs of boost, intercooler, oil and
watercooled Garrett T25 turbo, NACA duct, K&N,  Borla exhaust. Timing
set at 11 degrees.

Power: BBR claims 154 horses at the wheels with 5.5 lbs of boost, 0-60
in 6.6 sec. I reckon my car is a bit faster. Car had 30K miles on the
turbo.

Suspension: BBR progressive springs, swaybar, Koni adjustable shocks,
Trackbar, 15x7" panasports with A-509. VDO gauges.  MT-90 in the
gearbox.

3. 93 Red pkg B Miata, belongs to Al Staats, 

Engine: it is equipped with Stage 2 Aerodyne turbo with intercooler,
MSD timing retard, timing set at 15+ degrees. Borla 2.25" exhaust,
Ultra wires. Car had many miles???

Power: claimed 205 horses, 0-60 in 6.4??

Suspension: Eibach springs, Tokico shocks, 15" panasports with Yoko
A008RS2 tires. Cartech boost gauge. AMSoil in the gearbox.

4. 93 Black, pkg B miata, belongs to some guy named Dave, test drive
arranged by Lester Seals of Wellesley Mazda. BTW, a big plug for
Lester (which someone has previously done), besides being the former 
prez of the Mass Miata club, he is a first rate enthusiast, a great 
engineer and a really nice guy. I have had great luck with these folks 
doing my warranty works.

Engine: Sebring Supercharger, extensively modified by Lester, jackson
racing header, Borla exhaust, naca duct, cutout intake, Ultra wires.

Suspension: Eibach springs, jackson swaybar, Koni adjust. shocks.

Power: this is essentially what Jim Goodroe at downing claims is their 
stage 2, 200 horses set-up. Car had 30K miles on the supercharger.

II. Subjective Driving impressions:

4. Girlfriend's car, surprise! The MTL did not work in her gear box,
very crunchy 1-2 shift. I reckon the MTL is too slippery for the
syncro to work fast. I double declutch on upshifts.

3. a tie between the Sebring and the BBR car. The Sebring car had a
slight edge off the line, but the BBR car had better top end. And yes
Virginia, the Sebring car does have some lag. who woulda thunk? (BTW,
one of the worst "lag" I ever experience is in the Corrado G60
supercharged car). You can get better throttle response with the 
Jackson cold-air injestion according to Lester.

The owner of the Sebring car claimed that before he added the Jackson
header, there used to be a dead spot around 4K rpms, but currently,
power delivery is smooth as silk but not overwhelming. I have a light
right foot. MTL works great in his gearbox with the shortshift kit.

With the BBR, like the Sebring, very little lag at the low end, I never
saw any more than 3 lbs of boost un less I am in 4 or 5th gear. This could
be because of the wastegate. Power at the highend is certainly better due
higher boost and I reckon lower charged temperature with the intercooler.
MT-90 works acceptably well here.

1. The Aerodyne car kicks serious butt!!! just about anytime I touch the
throttle in any gear I see 5 lbs of boost on the gauge, remember, it has 
no waste gate. Power is smooth and plenty at all revs. 

This is the smoothest shifter I ever experienced in a Miata. Amsoil is
going in girlfriend's car next.

I do like the VDO gauge better than the Cartech gauge, which vibrates
wildly.

As far as "kick in the back" rush, I would give the Aerodyne a 5, the BBR 
and Sebring a 3, girlfriend's car a minus 10.

III. Extra sensory stuff:

Here the Sebring car wins hands down, it just sounds glorious with the
Borla, this is worth at least 20 mph to me. The turbos just mute any
good exhaust note, even in Indy and the old Trubo F1 cars.

IV. Suspensions:

4. Girlfriend's car has the factory Bilstein pkg, good and comfortable 
for the city, but not great.

3. Al Staats claimed that his shocks were dead, I believe him because his
car was least confidence inspiring.

2. The Sebring car with Eibach and Koni.

1. The BBR car with BBR suspensions and Konis. 

I am most fanmiliar with the BBR car so the results must be skewed, but 
I would still pick the Konis over the Tokicos, springs are a toss-up. Al
is putting the GAB on his car next so may be he can comment.

V. Construction and design:

Castings are all first rate. 

a. BBR: Very well built and designed, except for having the intercooler
behind the radiator. I like their aux. ECU for boost and timing control.

b. Aerodyne: everything looks great except for the fuel pressure regulator
and the lack of automatic knock sensor.

The Aerodyne turbo is a VATN design, it does not require a wastegate, it 
is ceramic coated so that it does not require any cooling, it is self 
lubricating with its own oil reservoir.

c. Sebring: I have a VERY BIG problem with this unit. While the
castings are first rate, all the associated mounting hardware were
grossly inadequate or missing altogether. Lester re-fabricated
everything, from the main bracket (twice the thickness) to the front
and rear support brackets. The old ones broke due to belt tension.
They contacted Jim Goodroe many times but they denied any knowledge
of any problems, of course, they have incorporated Lester's fixes.
They accused the owner of overdriving the car, who did they design this 
for in the first place. Granted, the owner has a size 13 heavy right
foot and the car has 30K miles on it.

Lester have added a really crucial (IMHO) rear support bracket to
counteract the belt from going off. If I had one of these cars, I'd
call Lester for help.

VI. Installtion:

3. The BBR is a nightmare since the engine must be removed for all the
oil and water lines, otherwise, everything is bullet proof. I do hate
the long Poly-Vee belt though, it makes my AC squeal. it took us a
couple of days. Its price is also a distinct disadvantage. 

2. Lester claimed the Sebring really took about 8 hours to sort thing
out properly, it was hitting the hood.

1. I was very impressed with the Aerodyne simplicity. Everything stays
in place, no belt, no oil lines, no water lines. The intercooler sits
in front of the radiator. Al said it tooks 3 hours, it looks like 
the most idiot-proof and simplest installation. I am still skeptical
about its longevity, since it is a new design, it looks great though.

None of the cars appear to be too worn out.

The owner of the Sebring car threatens Jim Goodroe that he would yank
out the Sebring and install the Aerodyne. How about a trade-in program
Al?

In all fairness to price, I should have compared the Stage 1 Aerodyne, 
but then the Sebring car would not work without the Jackson header and
the Borla ($700), according to its owner. Both Lester and Dave were 
trying to convince me to go with the Aerodyne. Now, I just have to sell
my BBR.


All opinions (drivels) are mine and Al Staats did not pay me or give
me anything for this review. You are certainly encouraged to do your
own research. When I did my BBR, it was the only game in town (well,
if you can call North Rackley, UK your town, but it was a fun visit
for me), the CarTech at the time was just as expensive and did not
appear as comprehensive. I am glad to have so many choices.

All driving are done on different days, weather etc...so you put in
your own fudge factors.

Now, Ken Buck, how does that clock thing work again??

	- Steve.