Flyin' Miata : Buying forced induction

Buying a forced induction kit for a Miata is a big step. There is not only a lot of money involved - you will also be potentially gambling with the life of your car's engine if the kit is not designed or installed properly. These are a few of the questions you should ask about any kit, whether it is one of ours or someone else's.

The kit itself:

How is fuel management handled? What will this do to the driveability?
What are the timing controls? Are they reactive or preventative - ie, will they react to knock or are they designed to prevent it?
What is the intake air temperature? In other words, is the kit intercooled?
How complete is the kit? Does it include all the timing and fuel controls needed? Will you have to purchase additional parts or be creative in the installation?
What else is needed? A clutch? Exhaust? Add-ons?
What is the warranty on the components?
Is it CARB legal (if desired)?
Can it be upgraded for more power? What are the limits of the hardware?

The vendor:

With a modification of this magnitude, it is often impossible to separate the vendor from the product. You will be entering into a long-term relationship with them. So it is important that you ask a few questions of them.

How is the support? Call or email the vendor and see how long it takes to get information.
How is their level of knowledge? Did they design the kit or are they selling something from another company? Have they ever installed the items? Do they even have a clue about how it all works?

How is the documentation? Will you need to be contacting the vendor all the time for clarification? Is the documentation easily available?

Will they do installations (if local)? Can they do installations?

Are the kits kept in stock?

You:

The success of your forced induction Miata will depend to an extent on the installation and tuning of the car. So when shopping, you should ask yourself a few questions.

Are you able to perform the installation? Get a copy of the instructions and read them over.
Do you have the proper tools to do the installation?
Can you carry out the tuning procedures with or without help?
Honestly evaluate your skills once again.

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