Results 1 to 13 of 13

Thread: Review: Sebring Supercharger on NA6 Miata MX-5 Mazda

  1. #1
    Admin / Pit Boss / Miataholic Phatmiata's Avatar
    Drives
    Kirin the '93LE Roadster #1073
    Location
    NEW Tampa > OLD Tampa
    Join Date
    Apr 1994
    Posts
    33,605
    Thanks Given
    13,678
    Thanked 9,518 Times in 4,641 Posts

    Review: Sebring Supercharger on NA6 Miata MX-5 Mazda

    REVIEW: Sebring Supercharger on Miata MX-5 Mazda




    Seeing as these kits are now pretty hard to come by, and some folks buy them on the used market I thought it would be helpful if we had a "brief" review and how to install these kits for future owners. Seeing as my kit was installed a long time ago, I do not have install pics however I have some photos from when I removed it that should help out. (shown below)

    1. The first step is to remove the stock Miata air filter box, air flow meter, and plastic intake tube. The engine bay looks very open when these parts are removed, it really shows you how much extra space is in there.




    2. The stock throttle body is removed. To speed things up, the stock Idle Control Solenoid (ICS) can be left connected and the throttle separated from it by removing three Phillips screws from the underside.




    3. The throttle body is relocated to the rear of the supercharger's bypass manifold. This is a device that cuts the supercharger off under part throttle (highway cruise) or idling conditions, giving better fuel milage and a reduction in noise. A blanking plate covers the holes left when the ICS is removed.

    4. The Mazda ICS Valve is mounted to the new dummy throttle body from the kit. This maintains the stock idle control features for good drivability and emissions performance. The assembly is mounted to the stock intake monifold in the same position as the stock throttle body.

    5. The power steering pump adjustment mechanism is removed and the parts shuffled to allow for the placement of an idler pulley bracket. This bracket holds two high speed idler pulleys that route the drive belt up to the supercharger. Some eariler kits used an extra pulley that is mounted to the crankshaft nose. Some of the redesigned kits us a design that allows use with the stock Mazda crank pulley. The stock power steering pulley and air conditioning pulley are used as-is with this kit.



    6. The supercharger is mounted to the engine using existing bosses on the cylinder head. A strap bracket runs from under the supercharger to the back of the power steering mount. The throttle cable bracket gets mounted there as well. The throttle cable is re-routed to the new position and attached to the body.




    7. The new belt is mounted over the pulleys and the supercharger pulley gently turned until the belt is fully seated.

    8. The new aluminum intake elbow is set in place and a rubber hump hose used to attach it to the relocated throttle body.

    9. The airflow meter is mounted to the air filter base and set in place. A rubber reducer connector mates the airflow meter to the aluminum intake elbow.

    10. The cam cover vent line is replaced with a longer line that connects to a nipple on the intake elbow. A small plastic restrictor is moved from the stock tube to the new tube to maintain idle quality.

    11. The idle air line is connected to the large port on the intake elbow with clamps. The other end connects to the ICS valve mounted in its original positiion to the Dummy Throttle Body. This line feeds air to the idle control solenoid, so it is important that it not become kinked or pinched.

    12. A new harness is used to connect the relocated throttle body to the original Mazda connector.

    13. The return fuel line is pulled off and an Auxiliary Fuel Pressure Regulator (AFPR) is installed. As the engine receives boost from the supercharger, the AFPR restricts the fuel return, raising the fuel pressure seen by the fuel injectors. This proportional increase of fuel pressure insures that the engine receives more fuel as the boost level calls for it.




    14. The ignition timing is set to 8 degrees Before Top Dead Center (BTDC) which worked well with 93 octane fuel.





    Here is a photo of it installed and ready to drive!!!

    The kit installs as expected without any surprises. The final look is very "factory" - some passers-by couldn't find any changes that were made. All of the hardware is either powder coated or zinc plated for long term durability, and the supercharger unit needs no maintenace for at least 125,000 miles according to Eaton Superchargers. All buttoned down and ready to roll, the installation is complete in about one afternoon, this may vary depending on your mechanically skill level.

    Once you start up the engine you immediately feel a low boost in the engine, almost like how a V6 would feel. This is because there is about 2psi of boost available even at a low 800RPMs if you open the throttle fully. Peak boost comes in by 3600 RPMS at 6 to 6.5psi. And there is no waiting for spool up, the power is just there, ready to go when you hit the gas.

    Drivability and Performance



    On the road, the 0-60 times were well below 7 seconds with aggressive starts, average was about 6.8 seconds.

    The 50-70 MPH third and fifth gear times were reduced as follows;

    In third gear, stock time = 6.6 seconds
    In third gear, Sebring Supercharged = 4.6 seconds

    In fifth gear, stock time = 12.2 seconds
    In fifth gear, Sebring Supercharged = 7.7 seconds

    The biggest kick comes from stomping the accelerator at 4000 RPM in any gear. This throws your head back into the headrest every time, particularly in 2nd and 3rd gear - just loads of fun. True to the supercharger, the power is very linear and does not ruin the basic fun nature of the Miata engine. No need to downshift, just step on the gas and listen to the sweet whine of the supercharger. The sweet spot on the 1.6L engine is the 4000 - 5500 rpm range, and this supercharger takes advantage of that for sure.

    More power is available through exhaust changes and auxiliary computers sold from various vendors, but with a few tweaks you can easily get the 0-60 times of dip into the 5.5 second range.

    I am sure that they had this kit for most NA & NB Miatas, its EPA legal in 49 states. California: EO #D-341-1

    Retail when new was $2,395 , not bad for 165hp on a 1.6L

    Here is something cool I found the other night, you can read up on the specs of the kit here.

    http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....ystem-Miata-ad

    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1403659439.781569.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk1403659296.782473.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk1403659704.464353.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk1403660098.448456.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk1403659399.998196.jpg
    source: MM Fall 1994 + cool color photos of my engine bay.

  2. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Phatmiata For This Useful Post:

    Agent☣Orange (06-24-2014),BoBo (06-24-2014),Greasemonkey2000 (07-14-2018)

  3. #2
    Individual-1 ☚ ☻ ☛ Agent☣Orange's Avatar
    Location
    🍊SWFL🏝
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Posts
    21,588
    Thanks Given
    4,763
    Thanked 4,318 Times in 2,543 Posts
    Having had a later version, all I can say is wow! What a great feeling to hear that thing wind up and give me that planted-in-the-seat pleasure!


    No todo que es oro brilla.

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to Agent☣Orange For This Useful Post:

    Phatmiata (06-24-2014)

  5. #3
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! Golden Stallion's Avatar
    Drives
    2008 RX-8
    Location
    Durham, NC
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    269
    Thanks Given
    105
    Thanked 39 Times in 34 Posts
    I have the same supercharger on my na8. Love it. More power than my friends stock miata of course but has no problem breaking traction. May not be able to floor it in 3rd gear and lose traction but above 4000 in a corner and you can bring that tail out not going insanely fast. Also super fun in rain. With just a little rain the rear end will spin if you don't want to without dropping the clutch and you get to hear that supercharger wine til 3rd with no traction

  6. The Following User Says Thank You to Golden Stallion For This Useful Post:

    Phatmiata (06-24-2014)

  7. #4
    Admin / Pit Boss / Miataholic Phatmiata's Avatar
    Drives
    Kirin the '93LE Roadster #1073
    Location
    NEW Tampa > OLD Tampa
    Join Date
    Apr 1994
    Posts
    33,605
    Thanks Given
    13,678
    Thanked 9,518 Times in 4,641 Posts
    updated with better photos.....

    Anyone else have this kit? Post up some photos and or reviews, upgrades, etc!

  8. #5
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! Sean5294's Avatar
    Drives
    Red 2002 Miata LS
    Location
    Cincinnati, OH
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Posts
    240
    Thanks Given
    1
    Thanked 94 Times in 60 Posts
    I had a similar Jackson Racing kit on my 99 Civic. I was nice but a bit expensive. It ran at 6psi but your could get a different pulley that would put you at 10.

  9. #6
    Admin / Pit Boss / Miataholic Phatmiata's Avatar
    Drives
    Kirin the '93LE Roadster #1073
    Location
    NEW Tampa > OLD Tampa
    Join Date
    Apr 1994
    Posts
    33,605
    Thanks Given
    13,678
    Thanked 9,518 Times in 4,641 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Sean5294 View Post
    I had a similar Jackson Racing kit on my 99 Civic. I was nice but a bit expensive. It ran at 6psi but your could get a different pulley that would put you at 10.
    I think Jackson Racing bought the rights to the kit from Downing/Atlanta, and then they made a few more tweeks and did LOTS of aggressive advertising back then. I do recall the Civic kits being in the $3000 range. They had these kits for most import cars back then, that was back in the 1990s, the old Drag Wars, and NOPI days.

    This kit was on my car with no other mods, all stock, the stock Clutch, Stock Flywheel, stock Exhaust, stock Header, so I would think that if I made some more changes the car would get an easy additional bump of 10 - 20 hp gain.

  10. #7
    Idling - Listen to it purr...
    Drives
    Black 97 Miata
    Location
    Butler, PA
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Posts
    8
    Thanks Given
    0
    Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post
    I appreciate the information on installing the m45 supercharger. I thought that would be the hardest part, but without a fuel and timing retard setup considered first, theres a good chance of Detonating the engine. Any way thanks for the info.

  11. #8
    Admin / Pit Boss / Miataholic Phatmiata's Avatar
    Drives
    Kirin the '93LE Roadster #1073
    Location
    NEW Tampa > OLD Tampa
    Join Date
    Apr 1994
    Posts
    33,605
    Thanks Given
    13,678
    Thanked 9,518 Times in 4,641 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by DonPlatt View Post
    I appreciate the information on installing the m45 supercharger. I thought that would be the hardest part, but without a fuel and timing retard setup considered first, theres a good chance of Detonating the engine. Any way thanks for the info.
    Actually I did change the timing, and the kit had a fuel pressure riser (the UFO looking item on the passenger side of the engine bay) so it was all good.

    However, I have since removed this system and will be getting turbo down the road.

  12. #9
    Forum Sponsor Spinnywhoosh's Avatar
    Drives
    95' White NA
    Location
    Spinnywhoosh.com
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    264
    Thanks Given
    6
    Thanked 112 Times in 51 Posts
    Good info!

  13. #10
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! DarylSibcy's Avatar
    Drives
    Red 1990 Miata w/ITBs ;)
    Location
    Isle of Man - Middle of... Somewhere...
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Posts
    464
    Thanks Given
    258
    Thanked 279 Times in 150 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Phatmiata View Post
    Actually I did change the timing, and the kit had a fuel pressure riser (the UFO looking item on the passenger side of the engine bay) so it was all good.

    However, I have since removed this system and will be getting turbo down the road.
    What made you take it off Randy?? Not enough? Or just fancied a different project??

    Tempted one day maybe to try a Rotrex or a Turbo. I’ve noticed an awful lot of people remove Superchargers, replace them with Turbos and are happy to never switch back, curious
    You want a good car. I want a good miata.

  14. #11
    Admin / Pit Boss / Miataholic Phatmiata's Avatar
    Drives
    Kirin the '93LE Roadster #1073
    Location
    NEW Tampa > OLD Tampa
    Join Date
    Apr 1994
    Posts
    33,605
    Thanks Given
    13,678
    Thanked 9,518 Times in 4,641 Posts
    was super fun on the twisties, but then was left in the dust on the highway by a turbo miata

  15. The Following User Says Thank You to Phatmiata For This Useful Post:

    DarylSibcy (07-15-2018)

  16. #12
    Individual-1 ☚ ☻ ☛ Agent☣Orange's Avatar
    Location
    🍊SWFL🏝
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Posts
    21,588
    Thanks Given
    4,763
    Thanked 4,318 Times in 2,543 Posts
    The M45 is a solid performer designed to give at least 5lbs of boost reliably although it can be modded with different pulleys to deliver more. Remember, this is a small, 45cu.in. power adder so any machinations about Fast N Furious type power are unrealistic. What’s fun about this SC is the instant boost it provides from lower RPMs.


    No todo que es oro brilla.

  17. #13
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! DarylSibcy's Avatar
    Drives
    Red 1990 Miata w/ITBs ;)
    Location
    Isle of Man - Middle of... Somewhere...
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Posts
    464
    Thanks Given
    258
    Thanked 279 Times in 150 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Phatmiata View Post
    was super fun on the twisties, but then was left in the dust on the highway by a turbo miata
    Makes sense in the States - the power gap would be very noticeable on the straights.

    I'm not surprised that most see FI in the West considering everyone is used to small block V8's powering everything. Anything over 2.0L is a waste here...
    You want a good car. I want a good miata.

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •