richie_mck
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def would be good to get a run out. Hopefully I get mine through mot tomorrow and it’ll be back out. What mic are you using for the recording?
Westfield Wide Body Turbo
- Thread starter slickcell
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def would be good to get a run out. Hopefully I get mine through mot tomorrow and it’ll be back out. What mic are you using for the recording?
rupertfinch
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Nooooooo. That’s gutting.
svensktoppen
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Balls, you didn't deserve that. A built engine is never easy, and never as reliable.
To be honest, a K20 isn't a bad idea at all. Best engine ever made, that's all there's to it. Very good gearbox too. All your ECU stuff and all that would carry over, but obviously things would have to be adapted.
A tough one where to go from here, really don't want to know the money and effort that's gone into this.
All I'll say is I went down this whole same route with the Rover in the Lotus, and it ended the same way. First reaction was **** it, take up chess or something
Then I bought a Honda donor car and never looked back.
Not saying it's the right thing to do, and there are other options.
Just that going with something out of the box and milder tuning gives for a better life
To be honest, a K20 isn't a bad idea at all. Best engine ever made, that's all there's to it. Very good gearbox too. All your ECU stuff and all that would carry over, but obviously things would have to be adapted.
A tough one where to go from here, really don't want to know the money and effort that's gone into this.
All I'll say is I went down this whole same route with the Rover in the Lotus, and it ended the same way. First reaction was **** it, take up chess or something
Then I bought a Honda donor car and never looked back.Not saying it's the right thing to do, and there are other options.
Just that going with something out of the box and milder tuning gives for a better life
Lappintyre
RMS Regular
That's brutal, complete rollercoaster ride with this build. I'm not surprised you're ready for torching it.
FM155
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I recon this must be one of the hardest working MX5 engines locally, gets revved hard on each test it does and it has done a lot in the last 3 or 4 years. The bottom end is usually the weak point in the turbo engines but it was top end issues that have caused both blow ups on this one.
Well, that sucks. But unfortunately is very common, things rarely seem to go as we would like with car builds, but we all get there in the end. I know how crappy iy feels having been there myself.
However I feel that after a rebuild with superior parts there is no reason why the MX5 engine should not be bulletproof, after all, the blocks seem to be strong enough at this boost level and any stock parts that may be a weak link will have been replaced with aftermarket items. At this stage it doesn't make sense to move to a K.
At least you know that you really enjoy this thing now that you have had a chance to drive it, so you know your efforts will be rewarded.
However I feel that after a rebuild with superior parts there is no reason why the MX5 engine should not be bulletproof, after all, the blocks seem to be strong enough at this boost level and any stock parts that may be a weak link will have been replaced with aftermarket items. At this stage it doesn't make sense to move to a K.
At least you know that you really enjoy this thing now that you have had a chance to drive it, so you know your efforts will be rewarded.
big_pete
RMS Regular
Ah man that is absolutely gutting. Ever think about a career in motivational speaking, I’d love to hear how you pick yourself up each time 
Gutted for you!
Gutted for you!
slickcell
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Ah man that is absolutely gutting. Ever think about a career in motivational speaking, I’d love to hear how you pick yourself up each time
Gutted for you!
Hahaha! do you want to hire me to motivate your staff? Im looking extra money to pay for this fu*king engine!!!!
I woke up this morning convinced I was buying a K20. By lunch time, I was fitting an F20c and by dinner time it was rebuilding this mx5 grenade. Now I'm looking at Ecoboosts. lol My head is bloody wrecked.
mike150
RMS Regular
Raceline 2.5 Duratec on ITB"s 
what is it you are trying to achieve ? is it the thrill of building it yourself... and the various 'challenges' that will bring ?
you seem hell bent on turbo or supercharged... they are fine for a specific purpose (in my experience/opinion) but i wouldn't dream of going that route for a general purpose car for some road and track days.... i spoke at length with Andy Bates when he was going through the eco boost journey - and he went all in !! and the challenges they had in packaging and managing the heat was unreal..... and in the end they never actually got it properly to market.
also don't discount handling...... again it depends what you want to do... if its high speed runs or drag stuff, fair enough... but the real ethos of these cars is light weight and handling... introducing 3-400hp to the wheels in a lightweight car means the weight transfer will be aggressive and make the emphasis on shocks, control even higher... so if you end up needing active dampers to help that... adds even more cost - and ultimately is a compromise as you shouldn't need that.
i've also seen loads of guys add power and then wrecking diffs, output shafts, drive shafts..... and the car constantly cracking chassis - esp around diff mounting... so you beef things up and add more weight........
i'd take time out and decide what you want to do, and what you want out of the car......
agree with @big_pete says... i have no idea how you pick yourself up constantly... heart of a lion man !!
you seem hell bent on turbo or supercharged... they are fine for a specific purpose (in my experience/opinion) but i wouldn't dream of going that route for a general purpose car for some road and track days.... i spoke at length with Andy Bates when he was going through the eco boost journey - and he went all in !! and the challenges they had in packaging and managing the heat was unreal..... and in the end they never actually got it properly to market.
also don't discount handling...... again it depends what you want to do... if its high speed runs or drag stuff, fair enough... but the real ethos of these cars is light weight and handling... introducing 3-400hp to the wheels in a lightweight car means the weight transfer will be aggressive and make the emphasis on shocks, control even higher... so if you end up needing active dampers to help that... adds even more cost - and ultimately is a compromise as you shouldn't need that.
i've also seen loads of guys add power and then wrecking diffs, output shafts, drive shafts..... and the car constantly cracking chassis - esp around diff mounting... so you beef things up and add more weight........
i'd take time out and decide what you want to do, and what you want out of the car......
agree with @big_pete says... i have no idea how you pick yourself up constantly... heart of a lion man !!
svensktoppen
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Someone asked the other day "don't you want more power in the Lotus" (225bhp NA in 750kg).
The answer was no, lol.
In something light and nimble, delivery and control is more important than headline numbers.
It's a modern thing, this obsession with power over actual performance. Driven by heavier and heavier cars needing more and more power just to get the same performance. And then more and more complicated suspension and supporting systems to manage all that power and weight.
I think if you started over from scratch today, knowing what you do, you might have done things differently. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, lol
But you've clearly had a lot of fun along the way too, solving problems and learning new skills.
It's all about the journey, this is just a minor setback. It would always have shat itself in some way at some point anyway.
Race it, break it, fix it, race it again.
Right now, I think @FM155 is right. Stick with what you know, fix it, race it again.
The answer was no, lol.
In something light and nimble, delivery and control is more important than headline numbers.
It's a modern thing, this obsession with power over actual performance. Driven by heavier and heavier cars needing more and more power just to get the same performance. And then more and more complicated suspension and supporting systems to manage all that power and weight.
I think if you started over from scratch today, knowing what you do, you might have done things differently. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, lol
But you've clearly had a lot of fun along the way too, solving problems and learning new skills.
It's all about the journey, this is just a minor setback. It would always have shat itself in some way at some point anyway.
Race it, break it, fix it, race it again.
Right now, I think @FM155 is right. Stick with what you know, fix it, race it again.
Gaz86
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gutted for you! Glad I saw this post as I have those exact same valve springs (not installed thankfully!!). Think they'll be going on eBay tonight lol stuff that!! You've the heart of a lion if you decide to continue with the build Kev.pablo
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Not just throw a std ish mx5 engine in it and enjoy it? Or would you miss the boost too much?
would still be fun with 160odd bhp? And at least you could enjoy it properly without worrying about lunching it every time you take it out.
would still be fun with 160odd bhp? And at least you could enjoy it properly without worrying about lunching it every time you take it out.
Remember guys, its wasn't power levels that caused the break, the spring would have just as likely broken on an NA build.
I couldn't look past a K20 or K24 if I were changing the engine, but I've always been a Honda guy. I would likely go with a high compression built K20/24, near 300hp na has got to be fun in a car like this, plus at least 8500 rpm.
If you are sure its worth the cost of change, I would think you could get the MX5 engine reliable this time round.
I couldn't look past a K20 or K24 if I were changing the engine, but I've always been a Honda guy. I would likely go with a high compression built K20/24, near 300hp na has got to be fun in a car like this, plus at least 8500 rpm.
slickcell
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I agree….I’m finding it hard to look past it as well but realistically, how much will it cost me to get north of 250bhp in an NA K24?
If you can convince me, I’m open to you trying. lol I've always been a K20 fan......I had a million type rs back in the day lol
I had an F20c on ITBs, carbon bell housing, seq box with paddles… it was sublime!!!
Guy in uk has a Honda in his Caterham.. think 170k miles plus on it.. and done a few seasons racing in a saloon car before that…. They are super reliable.
K series rover engine is a chunk lighter tho…
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