So, I actually got this engine off of Doc Brown, and plan to put it back into a Miata myself. I've got some other things to do before I start on that, but I do plan to get working on it soon! Shooting for 50mpg!
I am planning to video document on my YouTube channel, BAC Garage.
See if you can find a taller final drive and a taller 5th gear.
IIRC, a LONG time ago, I had found a combination of a RX7 trans plus a specific miata rear end that would result in 1-3 being really close to stock, 4 being taller, and 5th being something like a 25% rpm drop. Going from 4000 to 3000rpm at 70 would make a HUGE difference. The engine drag is so bad that I could never really find a real difference between top up or down fuel economy over the years I drove my miata to work.
I'm pretty excited to see someone else take a swing at this build!
#ZOMBIETHREAD?
Also, I literally just threw one of these engines, with manual trans in the dumpster 2 weeks ago. And by threw, I mean THREW, with the help of mrs. poop.
And before anyone gets salty, y'all all had a chance to buy it for the price of the engine/trans with a free Festiva and a B6T included.
In reply to poopshovel again :
Old Challenge prospect? I seem to recall you having that car a decade ago.
poopshovel again said:#ZOMBIETHREAD?
Also, I literally just threw one of these engines, with manual trans in the dumpster 2 weeks ago. And by threw, I mean THREW, with the help of mrs. poop.
And before anyone gets salty, y'all all had a chance to buy it for the price of the engine/trans with a free Festiva and a B6T included.
Had I known about this I'd have been all over it.
Is it still in the dumpster?
alfadriver said:In reply to poopshovel again :
Old Challenge prospect? I seem to recall you having that car a decade ago.
Still got the Festiva & B6T. Moving them out of the garage soon...I hope.
By “moving them out of the garage,” I hope you mean together as a completed build!
And, as someone who dailys a B3, I morn the loss of the one you threw in a dumpster.
driving my Abarth 500 has been quite the eye opening experience to me. With it's boosted 160hp, I can still get 32mpg around town and very close to 40 on the highway as long as I keep it at 70ish. I am betting that the 1.3 in Doc's Miata combined with a low pressure turbo would give him the best of both worlds. Stock or slightly higher than stock power when needed, and then off boost can settle into a high MPG cruise.
Of course The Miata is always going to suffer from being a roadster, I wonder what taking the windshield off and putting a tonnau over the passengerside would do when combined with a small racing screen right in front of the driver?
In reply to CyberEric :
Driven5 said: Trading power for efficiency is no less "worthless" than trading efficiency for power
Sure, in an abstract sense. Speaking concretely, though, premium gas is $2.459 / gallon where I live, regular gas is IDK-it's-cheap, and everything about going fast is still expensive.
Great concept, wrong platform. Has anyone heard the sound of a Duramax 6.6L? They made ove a million of them and if Audi can win LeMans with a diesel then Americans can sure as hell race them too. Considering GM has done so much testing on the Nurburgring with the Camaro and the Z28 parts are so readily available, I don't see why not swapping a blown V8 for the Turbo Diesel version wouldn't be fun for a daily driver. You can pactically race around in 3rd gear in an SS anyway, so why not do it with a diesel and getter better mpg for 3-500k miles? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3bBiqIWffY
In reply to svxsti :
Weigh a Duramax, then weigh an LS. That will give you a good answer to your question of why you don't race them.
Now if you don't care about ruining handling, it starts to make sense, in a way.
In reply to svxsti :
A diesel swap into a car for a powerful car that can get good fuel mileage if you keep your foot out of it is a neat idea. I have seen the video you shared before, and it is quite inspiring. At this point the main decision making point is cost.
I have a $200 miata shell, and a free engine. Add in a $75 transmission, some misc. parts, and a standalone ECU and I think I can have this thing rolling for $1000-1500. Try getting a duramax that cheap...
The potential for a small turbo on the B3 engine is something I have considered. I think my "Phase 1" will be getting is running and everything naturally aspirated, and tweaking it to get what I can out of it. Then I have some other projects I want to do, then I may come back to this and see what I can do with a turbo.
te72 said:In reply to svxsti :
Weigh a Duramax, then weigh an LS. That will give you a good answer to your question of why you don't race them.
Now if you don't care about ruining handling, it starts to make sense, in a way.
Upon further research the Alison transmission loses reliabilty over 425hp so maybe the new 2.8L I6 DMAX reflashed for 400hp would make sense. Maybe not for a project car, but maybe for a production car, bringing back the Blue Flame name that started it all. Now that would be a game changer for club sport.
I'm sorry but I just can't drive a Miata, just like I can't wear speedos at the beach lol. If I was going to do a 4 banger, maybe a junked Esprit witha Honda K20 and 4 RC51 mufflers, now that would wake Colin Chapman and Senna.
svxsti said:Great concept, wrong platform. Has anyone heard the sound of a Duramax 6.6L?
Yes, and they sound painful, and I play with rotaries so I know from engines that sound awful.
I've driven them, stock and tuned. They pull good but they don't accelerate very well. They are draft horses, not race horses.
Need to have a 30lb crank, a wightless flywheel, a minimum 8000 redline, to be a "fun" engine. Something you tap the throttle at idle and it's bouncing the rev limiter right away. Something that is always going "ey, come on, let's go, come on, come on, come on, let's go, I wanna go, ey, come on, let's go!"
(this is like 60% the reason why people with rotaries are always blipping the throttle... you just gotta)
Regarding the original post:
You: "By avoiding, fat, salt, sugar, alcohol, all spices, carbs, and gluten, you get healthier."
Everyone else: "You poor thing"
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