K swapped hybrid miata build

[tmontague]

After my first track day I realized how much function>form and how having a reliable car trumps pure power. The other thing is cost, having fun can happen sooner if you are able to do it in a way that is more cost effective and you can then afford more track time.

I had originally planned to buy a used 2013 BRZ/FRS on the cheap and then build it into a road legal track/weekend warrior car in the next 3-5 years. But once I was actually on the track I realized just how fun it was and how little it mattered how the car looked. Hell, some of the fastest cars out there were trailered track monsters missing rear bumpers and had panels held on by rivets.

IMO and after a ton of research it seems that the miata is one of the most economical cars for this purpose. I have never loved the look of the miata but I have reviewed some of the costs with wearable parts and they are crazy cheap compared to the FRS/BRZ platform. The aftermarket is full of not just parts but multiple different engine swap kits that suit all power levels and experience, so basically the build can grow with you.

Most recently I stumbled upon the Kmiata website which offers k24 block with a k20A2 head. This gives you an 8200(?) red line and around 240ish whp - reliable hp. I've looked into this for the past couple days and realized that to build a track car and get the most out of the engine I would have to forgo the road legal thing and just trailer the car to the track. In Ontario e tests are a huge pain in the ass. Also the car won't be very comfy to drive in and will be stripped out so if I'm being realistic a full blow track car is the way to go with a standalone ecu.

I've always loved all engine builds due to their resilience to heat and good power bands. And for whatever reason high revving engines have always got me all warm and fuzzy. There's something to ringing out an engine to its full limit.

Anyways, just thought I'd drop a thread on a pretty cool engine swap idea which would be a pretty cool combo of a great chassis paired with one of the best NA engines. I'm curious if anyone else has experience wrenching Honda engines and what their thoughts are