MX5 NC BBR 225 ITBs and cams // What's the plan?

A brief discussion about what we're fitting to the NC MX5 and why!...
BBR 225 conversion:
Drive by wire controlled direct to head billet 45mm DCOE throttle bodies
High performance intake and exhaust camshafts
BBR StarChip ECU remap - complete OEM ECU integration
To join the already fitted:
Racing Beat exhaust manifold
Top Gear Performance manifold back exhaust system

[@CyclistGruff]

Was the car driveable to the dyno with no map and TBhrottle bodies fitted? Loved the video

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

Yes, only part throttle and low revs but was surprisingly well-behaved and drove fine considering. 👍

[@CyclistGruff]

@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS really appreciative ❤️

[@joogullae3456]

DAMN YOU ARE A GREAT DRIVER!!! Beautiful set up btw can't go wrong with naturally aspirated high rpm screaming miata

[@InitialB]

Got to get one of these this year, maybe we could collaborate at a track in the future?

[@owenmckee4053]

Great series, now I'm looking at mx-5s again and prices are mental right now...

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

The whole market for cars is still a bit mad isn’t it, I’m sure there will be a return to sensible prices for anything that can be considered a hobby car rather than transport, especially if their thirsty(ish) in the next six months.

[@chanhyung88]

Are these available for 2.5 motor too?

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

Yes, slightly different but available for the 2.5 from BBR too. That would make a terrific combination! 😊

[@ModFix]

Hi, found your channel yesterday. Great channel 👌 I've been going around in many circles trying to decide on a new track car (had an E46 330ci) and I was thinking about an mx5 NC. I was wondering how tall you are? I'm 6ft4 and I was thinking if I'm too tall, I should give up the dream now 😆 BTW I'd have a bucket seat and helmet. Any advice much appreciated. Thanks 👍

[@becauseiwasinverted7971]

I swithered back and forth on the 225 kit. In the end I figured the BBR super 200 with their full exhaust kit was a better option and I wouldn't notice any real difference in performance (torque pretty similar and power curve not that peaky with eitber and both the same 7900rpm rev limit). Its the noise that kept tempting me though but I thought it was basically an extra 2k+ jusy for the noise......I'm not too proud to admit that I have regrets. If for whatever reason you don't want the kit, I'll give it a nice home if you like? Enjoying the series and looking forward to the next one with the itbs singing

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

😊 you nailed it there, our reason for fitting the kit was all about the change in character and ‘specialness’ that come from the ITB noise. I think that’s the only way the large outlay is justifiable, from a pure performance standpoint there’s not enough difference for me. 👍

[@AmbiguousAndrew]

Are you still selling the super 200 kit?

[@ryanjoint4038]

Matt, any update on this one please? I'm really curious to see how you got on with the install. Cheers Ryan

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

Hey Ryan, needed a nudge on this, will be a vid in the coming week. Ran into some issues unrelated to the 225 kit. 👍

[@sayanpal9491]

how noisy it is with the bbr 225 kit for daily driving

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

It really does come down to personal taste and the sort of journeys you do?... I don't think I'd want to do loads of motorway/highway miles.

[@sayanpal9491]

@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS : I have heard ITBs are noisy, what about going for the super 200 package which is headers and cams. I meant from a daily driving point of view with decent motorway miles

[@sabreburst]

Exactly what I'm dreaming of doing to my NC1 once I have the money. With everything fitted, how much hp does the car have and how noticeable is the difference from stock?

[@Simon-zv4hi]

any updates?

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jWHKm52ibdFkj5I

[@johnmoran168]

I am getting the BBR 200 kit fitted to my 08 NC in a few weeks , I can’t wait , everything else done , coil over, nice anti roll bar kit and brakes all fresh , based in Ireland and found it very hard to find a mechanic to do the work , you guys in the Uk are spoiled. Love the series and looking forward to seeing the finished product. Pricy but this little car deserves it .

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

Exciting times John!! The 200 kit really does look to be a sweet spot in terms of value for money and proven gains. Hope you find a good mechanic and are soon enjoying what sounds a terrific car! 😊

[@becauseiwasinverted7971]

Can I offer my opinion if I'm not too late? I have a 63 plate NC with MeisterR and the Super 200 kit installed earlier this year. I also went for BBR's Stainless mid pipe, sport cat and the GT back box so basically a mix between the super 185 and super 200 kits. I love the mods. I was very tempted by the super 225 ITBs as well but thought I'd want to get the full exhaust still which really is silly money compared to the value of the car all in. I thought what I got was a good compromise. £/BHP, the super 200 kit is best value from BBR NA tuning so if you need the power for lap time in competion then go that way. In reality though, if its just about the road experience, I think the Super 185 is possibly the better value, especially if you do what I did and get the full exhaust anyway. Look at the power and torque curves for each. They are extremely linear and there's almost no difference in peak torque and it actually comes in sooner on the standard cams I think of the 185 so the 'feeling' of accelerarion is presumably pretty much the same plus you get the soundtrack from the exhaust and BBR frees up the rev limit in both. Just my opinion though. If I was to do it again, I think I might have gotten the 185 and been just as happy. Let us know how tou get on either way

[@brendawg8002]

Hi John. Also based in Ireland, would be great to hear how you got on/where you got the work done.

[@johnmoran168]

@@brendawg8002 Hi there , got the work done with Morgan Demsey in Mullingar, very happy with his work , took great care with all . The car is a joy now , I would highly recommend both the kit and this mechanic.

[@brendawg8002]

@@johnmoran168 That's fantastic John, thanks for getting back to me. I'll bear Morgan Dempsey in mind as I'm based in Drogheda so Mullingar isn't a million miles away. Looking to purchase a nice NC at some point next year and the BBR Super 225 kit is really appealing to me...

[@KarolisSiauliai]

The MX5 outside footage with itb sound is really great and other part that I liked a lot is the cornering at 4:40 with straight steering wheel in 4th gear... Would shit my pants for sure, both as a driver and as a passenger too. Great skill!

[@IsaacRodman]

From what I understand these parts don't tune well. Please post a video showing otherwise if possible. I would like to see a dyno chart ideally, and if not a graph of the median RPM versus engine load and AFR actual versus desired ratio

[@alexburgoa4759]

3:10 I completely agree with you here. The Miata has that soul to be driven to the limit NA and ITBs make the engine come to life with sound and response. Ive got my eyes on the na 1.6 kit from bbr with the ecu for a literal plug and play kit. 1760USD for a complete kit is a steal definitely need to do this asap

[@petermad7476]

First go 1.8

[@MartinEkh]

we need next video :)

[@adamscroggins8483]

I’d love to do this but it’s uneconomically expensive for me and most I expect.

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

It really is, such a lot of money and it has to be taken in quite a different context to make any sense. We really didn’t think it was something we were going to be able to afford/justify for a couple of years. My take on it… I considered what day £10k buys you as a road and track car and considered this as being (for me at least) the ultimate. The project currently stands is at £9.5k with a few other bits not yet discussed in the vids and some track spares and there’s nothing else I’d rather for the money. One benefit of the high regard for BBR too, seems to be that converted cars command fairly strong money, certainly beyond what would be typical of a modified MX5.

[@ianchristopher5430]

Such a tease!

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

😂😂

[@mihaiserbanescu8676]

That's the kit I was thinking to put on mine when I picked my NC 1. But thinking maybe turbo could be better, about 300hp is mental on a tiny car that weighs in at 1100 kg or so. But the sound of the itbs... My goodness!🥰

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

Either would be a truly special car! It comes down to personal taste. 😊 This will be my third MX5 on ITBs!! I also did the big power thing, but it wasn’t quite as enjoyable for me. Everything became a bit too complicated, kept having to add things to what should be a simple, lightweight car.

[@mihaiserbanescu8676]

@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS adding things, like what? Did it affect the reliability a lot?

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

@@mihaiserbanescu8676 my other two ITBd MX5s were terrific from a reliability standpoint, with the exception of me money-shifting from 4th to 3rd in the 1.6, that did a little end bearing. Hoping the mk3 will be similarly reliable. We’ve done a 6 speed box, light flywheel and mildly uprated clutch as well as the 225 stuff and we’ve also got some new seats to fit - part of the running cost total I mentioned. They’ll all be covered in future vids. 👍

[@mihaiserbanescu8676]

@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS amazing! This is cool, because I want to do a similar project with yors, but I was torn between choosing the turbo or the 225 itb pack. It's just 2k between them but the power difference is big. I'm excited to see your next videos and see how it comes out. It might make me decide on one of the options.

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

@@mihaiserbanescu8676 I’d really like to get together with a 2.5l, turbo and SC owner and compare notes, would make a great vid, especially at the track!!

[@STRampo500]

how do you find the nc for size im 6'3 and fairly biuilt and would quite like one with a bbr200 or similar but worried it will be too cramped to drive comfortably?

[@owenmckee4053]

What's your thoughts on the 6-speed vs the 5? I'm not fussed about the leather seats or the AC or Bilstein suspension the sport model affords, but I do like the idea of the 6 speed mated to the 4.1 final drive LSD available on the option pack. From factory the 6 speed has a 3.727 final drive LSD which means the gear ratios aren't too far off the 5 speed with the 4.1. I'm looking at getting a MK3 purely as a B-road blaster so I'm not interested in the argument that my MPG will be affected as will my cruising RPM. I'd love to know if you've got any input on the matter

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

Man after my own heart Owen, we just fitted a 6 speed to ours to give the peppier gearing with the 4.1 diff. Often overlooked but really important on these relatively low power cars. 😊

[@adh4053]

Who is this we you keep talking about

[@TheRyanl164]

Thanks for the video, I plan to do the same with mine in the future, but like you say it is a big chunk of money. So making sure it's the one first :D

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

It is so much money in the context of the car’s value and a big chunk for anyone to find. There will be lots of vids to come - hopefully they give some positive feedback but rest assured any thoughts will be unfiltered and honest. 👍

[@user-jt6nw6wm5q]

Does it matter if you use an nc1 vs nc2 ? I mean the nc2 has forged crank, higher redline etc.

[@rightwingsafetysquad9872]

On BBR's website it describes it as fitting the NC1 and NC2 the same. The NC1 redlines at 7,300 rpm, the NC2 at 7,800 rpm. Peak power is at 7,300 and drop-off above that is slow. The torque and power plots are identical up to 7,300, but the NC2 will be faster because of the extended redline. Their much cheaper Super 200 kit results in 200 hp on the NC1 and 205 hp on the NC2. I know this is old, but I'm just now finding it, so maybe someone else will find it in the future.

[@Retrobeemer]

*I love a 4 pot twin cam on ITB's but having had a few E30 M3;s it's not surprising really. The M3 had to go a couple of years back but I've just snagged myself a 2.0 NC for just £1200 with a new MOT and the plan is to build it into a budget track car and use it to raise cash and awareness for the Street Homeless here in Cornwall. The idea is to allow those interested to enjoy passenger laps and help me maintain the car at some local speed events, like the Watergate Bay hillclimb. The goal is to get out on track next year so the hunt is on for some coilovers and maybe a hardtop? We're dependent on donations though, so it may take a while but I'm confident that it'll be well worth the effort. A quick question - will an NA steering wheel and boss fit an NC? Thanks in advance chaps. Mark*

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

Sounds a truly worthy undertaking Mark, best of luck with it!! I helped out at a Mission Motorsport day a few years back, giving passenger laps to veterans and other attendees in my S2000 powered mk1, was such a good day and so rewarding. 😊 I think there’s a fair chance the mk1 Momo wheel will fit on a Momo hub, but please seek confirmation as that’s just a hunch. Sorry I can’t be definitive.

[@Retrobeemer]

@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS Did the same giving passenger laps in my E30 M3 at Castle Combe about 5 years or so ago. Thanks for coming back to me re steering wheel. I’ll take a look.

[@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS]

@@Retrobeemer I’d love to drive an E30 M3… closer to an E46 or an MX5 in feel? Or somewhere in between?

[@Retrobeemer]

@@CIRCUITDRIVERCARS Nearer the MX5 I'd say. I had an E46 M3 in CS spec afterwards but never really gelled with it. The limit was far higher and potential consequences that more severe for getting it wrong. I still miss my E30 M3 but at least I have this as a reminder... kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3S8Z2l9iZeibZI

[@kaden2985]

😓 PЯӨMӨƧM

[@FuglyPaul]

Really don't want to be too negative here but can you get 225bhp on a 2006 car? Surely you need the mk3.5 engine from 2008/9 onwards with the stronger bottom end for 225bhp?

[@becauseiwasinverted7971]

I think there is a guy on KZbin with an NC1 with the BBR ITBs that was running the Super 225 kit but revving to 7.5krpm. Think his power was there or there abouts. Don't think they build much more power above 7krpm

[@rightwingsafetysquad9872]

On BBR's website it describes it as fitting the NC1 and NC2 the same. The NC1 redlines at 7,300 rpm, the NC2 at 7,800 rpm. Peak power is at 7,300 for both, NC2 makes 220 hp at 7,800 rpm. The torque and power plots are identical up to 7,300, but the NC2 will be faster because of the extended redline.