Hi everyone! Some of you may not be aware, but Xero-Limit is one of our Club sponsors. Xero-Limit is a local business, as is Raceseng, and Young Mazda. I am a fan of buying local. So please consider them first, before shopping elsewhere.
Speaking of Xero-Limit, Mike from Xero-Limit is a renowned specialist at tuning Miatas. He tuned each of my cars, at a very reasonable price, that gave me approximately 10 more hp each. That is an incredibly cheap hp boost!
In addition to tuning, he also sells and installs superchargers, turbos, and lots of other "go fast" bits and Bob's. Including swapping out your 2.0L in your NC for a 2.5L. A bigger engine equals more torque and hp.
Mike Weil took advantage of this, and upgraded to a 2.5L. I drove it. It makes the car feel both lighter, and faster. I decided that this was going to improve my relationship with my car. Since I named my car The Punisher, it makes sense to give it more firepower.
Since the motor is out of the car, it seems like a good time to install bigger cams. Stage 2 cams add about 29 hp. Now is a good time to bolt on a header too. And it might as well be the largest one on the market. The catalytic is restricting, so why not replace it with a high flow one? The flywheel is right there too. Shaving a few pounds will allow the engine to spin up faster to where the hp is, so it would be a good time to do that too. And a better clutch!
There will be a video of this! A NC is not 167 hp. It does around 130 on a dyno. After my mods, I fully expect 190 on a dyno. That is almost 50% more power from the same amount of weight.
Stay tuned!
2014 Club 2.5L "Punisher Edition", 2017 RF GT
^^ Awesome! I love that lope. I remember it in my little 2.0 liter SR20s, especially colder morning start ups
Jordan F. White, M.S.
2012 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT 6MT AWD (NB summer 2024!)
Had I known of this swap back 2 years ago and not fallen in love with the ND, instead of a big downpayment for my 2020, May have stuck with my NC2 and done what Lou did… I had the PRHT so it was even slower being heavier.. but 200whp+ is going to fly in a NC3 soft top..
BTW do the cams give a satisfying lope when idling? The big JWT S & C series cams did in my Nissan’s, and they were all 2.0 liters.. just wondering
edit: quick pic of one of my Nissan cam swaps. Notice the way the motor is mounted. lol FWD!!
I learned about it over on m.net shortly after getting my NC. Since I bought mine with 107K miles, I knew that I would be going to the 2.5l should the engine ever go. At 181K, it was still going strong.
2016 ST Ceramic Metallic GT aka Ghost
As I am stretching my new legs further, man I love this new engine. I can be going 40 mph in 4th gear, floor it and pull away without downshifting. I was going 80 mph yesterday in 6th, floored it, and immediately started to pull away. These are not behaviors of my NC prior to the swap.
When I pull out of any light, I can feel the torque now. I can weave through traffic with authority when "that guy" is clogging up the fast lane at 56 mph on the highway. It is fantastic. If you have an NC, you really need to consider this!
I feel like Spinal Tap was in concert and dialed my car up to 11.
2014 Club 2.5L "Punisher Edition", 2017 RF GT
Thanks for the ride yesterday Louie! Being a former NC owner I can vouch for non-typical behaviors. The feeling of pull was not expected nor getting pushed back into my seat with every shift. I told Louie it was as-if his NC was on HGH. If I still had my NC, I'd be over 200K and I'd be strongly considering a swap next year vs. waiting for my engine to give me a sign.
Let's not forget the sound. A Miata should not sound like that at idle but it was sweet, sweet music to the ears!
2016 ST Ceramic Metallic GT aka Ghost
Hey Jeff. I bet you didn't even notice the window tint banner when you were in my car.
2014 Club 2.5L "Punisher Edition", 2017 RF GT
Hey Jeff. I bet you didn't even notice the window tint banner when you were in my car.
Haha, you know what I didn't! Doh!
Maybe I can get a first hand view on the 23rd.
2016 ST Ceramic Metallic GT aka Ghost
Hey Jeff. I bet you didn't even notice the window tint banner when you were in my car.
Haha, you know what I didn't! Doh!
Maybe I can get a first hand view on the 23rd.
Maybe. Not sure which car yet will show up. However.... I am off this week and as I have been driving around this week, I could meet up with you if you want to sit in the RF and get a feel for it.
2014 Club 2.5L "Punisher Edition", 2017 RF GT
I think I know which car will be in attendance. 😉 Nice of you to offer but won't be able to fit seat time in this week. My appt. isn't until December 3rd so at a future run (if you can resist leaving that 2.5 at home) or another time before then?
Now that I have been sitting behind the wheel of mine and getting a better view of where it would be, I think it will be ok.
2016 ST Ceramic Metallic GT aka Ghost
@ctt3mx5 They custom cut it, so you tell them how thick you would like it. You really want it to be limo dark so it blocks the sun to what will not bother you. You can still se through it. Or how else would Hollywood stars look down on us??
2014 Club 2.5L "Punisher Edition", 2017 RF GT
Will def go 5% if I get it, otherwise why spend the money? haha She mentioned over the phone about normally placing it in line with the sensors on the mirror but that they could adjust per me preference. I am thinking that will work for my sightline and hopefully give my passengers a little sunblock.
2016 ST Ceramic Metallic GT aka Ghost
@ctt3mx5 Well.... the first time I thought of it, I went with 20% so all of the tint would match. THAT was stupid. Ever since, I have done the 5%. With 20%, you need sunglasses on to make the sun not bother you. 5%, you don't need sunglasses. But if you have them on, it is totally game changing.
2014 Club 2.5L "Punisher Edition", 2017 RF GT
Hey Jeff. I bet you didn't even notice the window tint banner when you were in my car.
Haha, you know what I didn't! Doh!
Maybe I can get a first hand view on the 23rd.
Maybe. Not sure which car yet will show up. However.... I am off this week and as I have been driving around this week, I could meet up with you if you want to sit in the RF and get a feel for it.
I can very much confirm he has been driving around this week...
@triviawayne Has he been terrorizing your neighborhood? haha If I was in his shoes, I'd be looking for every excuse to drive too!
2016 ST Ceramic Metallic GT aka Ghost
@triviawayne Has he been terrorizing your neighborhood? haha If I was in his shoes, I'd be looking for every excuse to drive too!
He hasn't found my neighborhood, but he has been stalking me...
