Parts Shown:
Manley Performance Connecting Rods – The absolute most important engine upgrade for Miatas, if you turn the boost up enough, your rods are almost guaranteed to be the first thing to fail.
ACL Race Bearings – From my research, the top choice in aftermarket engine bearings.
ARP Head Studs & ARP Main Studs – Keep your bottom end square and your head planted with these upgrades, they’re all you’ll ever need regardless of how much power your Miata makes.
ATI Super Damper – A lot of people think this is overkill, but I disagree. For me it’s peace of mind, I want to keep my engine as safe as possible so it’s worth the few hundred dollars to me.
Boundary Engineering Stage 2 Oil Pump – One point I did not mention about the upgraded oil pump is that they flow a lot better than stock. If you follow the link you will see more information on that. Unfortuneately for me the VVT compatible version is more expensive, but again it’s peace of mind. Oil pressure is the life of your engine, without it your engine will fail in seconds.
Cometic Head Gasket (84mm) – The most common brand to use in the Miata community.
Supertech Pistons (84mm, 9:1) – Originally I was going to build a dedicated E85 engine with 11:1 pistons, but since I want to keep this a daily driver I want to primarily run it on 91 octane. The bump to 1.9L isn’t going to offer a massive performance increase, but it’s going to be awesome to tell people what it is when they ask “1.6 or 1.8?” Also, in the video I didn’t mean to sound like I think Wiseco pistons are no good, because they are an equally good choice. But I had to pick one.
Wiseco XX Rings – Not all rumors are true, but I’ve heard a few iffy tales about Supertech piston rings. This is a great way to avoid having a story of your own, by switching to something that’s proven to be a little more reliable.