LS-Swapping a Track Car Miata: Good or Bad Idea?
Track cars are all about balance. Does throwing 5x the stock power of an NB Miata via an American V8 ruin the chassis?
The humble Mazda Miata has been gracing race tracks around the world since it first hit showroom floors in the late 80’s. It is crazy to think that the particular car has survived this long. Well, not only has it survived but we even have a new model for our current generation. The Miata is the quintessential entry-level sports car. For this very reason, it is the track toy of choice for many an enthusiast.
The Miata is the world’s most tracked vehicle. Why do people like it? Well, it’s cheap, reliable, and a blast to drive. The chassis is balanced to perfection and anybody can get in one and drive the wheels off it. The main grunt of enthusiasts is that the Miata throughout the years always lacked one thing: power. The cute 1.6 and 1.8 liter 4-cylinder has its strengths, but making power is not one of them. This encourages Miata owners to usually upgrade the power units to maximize performance. However, building fast cars isn’t as easy as adding power. Thanks to Speed Academy on YouTube, we’ll see why this is exactly the case.
We present an LS1-swapped NB Miata track car that definitely looks like it’s ready to party. Speed Academy host Dave Pratte has a lot of experience tracking modified Miatas, including supercharged and turbocharged stock engines as well as other swaps. It is safe to say he knows how to drive a powered-up Miata. The track of choice is their regular, Toronto Motorsports Park, a tight and technical track.
This very green Miata also used to be a supercharged 1.8L before swapping the LS1 5.7L V8 from a 2000 Camaro SS. This engine is mated to a T56 transmission and a Getrag rear-end. The car weighs a very respectable 2600 pounds wet. For the chassis, this Miata is running HSD 2-way coilovers, Willwood 6-piston front brakes and a Racing Beat 32mm front sway bar. A little front splitter and rear APR wing have also been added to balance out.
It is good to know that the car has gone unchanged for any other components since the V8 swap. However, this fact will be its downfall without a doubt. Once Pratte takes the Miata out on track, he notices a couple of things right away. While the LS1 screams with a vicious fury down the front straight and sounds great, the car has no balance. With a 225 section-width Pirelli P-Zero tire, the car is heavily lacking overall grip for the 400+ WHP this Miata makes. The suspension also feels a bit off, as if the springs rates can’t keep up with the added changes according to Pratte.
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- Supercharged 1.8L
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- LS1
Eventually, Pratte ends up doing the whole track in 3rd gear because he doesn’t want to slam the little Miata into a wall. Although the Miata doesn’t necessarily have “bad” lap times, it is punching well below its weight due to the imbalance in the chassis and power level. Pratte suggests running a proper track day tire of at least 255 squared section width for a car this light and this overpowered. Not to mention the suspension setup and rear-end could use some work too. This just goes to show that building a fast car is more than just throwing a V8 in it!
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