TURBO KIT FROM BELL ENGINEERING

[kflyfshr7]

How are my fellow MP3 owners doing? I have been laying it low for a while, trying to help get this Turbo thing started with Mr. Corky Bell and his company, Bell Engineering. Here is the latest scoop for anyone who might be interested.

Corky has been in contact with a gentleman out of Texas who is in charge of all Mazda sales in the southern region of the company. Corky is in the process of getting a loaner MP3 so that he can start to build the much needed turbo that we all have been longing for. A personal friend of Corky's, by the name of Bill Cardell, who is the guru of Mazda Miata Performance, will be working in conjunction with Corky on this project. To my understanding, Corky will be building the turbo and Bill will be doing the final tuning of the product. As I have stated, the two have a car and more than a lifetime of knowledge in turbos and especially Mazda performance.

To my knowledge, Tripoint is in the process of producing a turbo for our MP3's as well. Not taking anything away from Tripoint, the main difference will come down to price between the two. Tripoint told me that their price would be in the $3500-$4200 price range. It will most likely be around 8psi and bolt on. Corky has gauranteed a price of $2950 for his turbo. It will run around 7-8psi and will also be a bolt-on. I know that Tripoint is good at what they do and I am sure their turbo will be of good quality, but I am leaning toward Corky Bell (Bell Engineering) and Bill Cardell (Flying Miata) for their expertise in this area. I urge all of you to check out flyingmiata.com and bellengineering.net to learn a litle bit about these men and their companies. Feel free to call either of them for furthur questions and/or comments. Corky can be reached at 830-438-2890 and Bill at 970-242-3800. Please comment on this topic so I can see who is interested and what they think.

 

[kep0ne]

you're right...it'll all come down to pricing. heh...i was thinking to myself today...why spend 3G on a turbo...when you can drop a fsze for the same result and less cash. at any rate...im just waiting for both tripoint and begi to finalize their product to make a decision.

 

[spoolinmp3]

I must say that corky bell and bill cardel now what they are doing. I have owned 3 miatas and my 93 1.6 miata had a flyin miata turbo kit on it by bill cardel and corky bell who I both had an oppurtunity to meet at a miata event.

Corky bell also wrote a book titled maximum boost that is a must for every turbo junkie out there!

If they come out with a kit it will be very user friendly and a plug and play affair. My 99 miata went the custom route. Both have there advantages and disadvantages.
Cork's kits are mass produced and some of the stuff I dont care for much such as intercooler, pipes and manifold among other things. But you do get great customer support. Lots of miata guys (check out miata.net forum) have switched from corkys kits to other makes or go the custom route. And lots of guys stand by corkys product 100%. Which ever route you choose you will be happy! I cannot wait to se a bunch of turbo mp3's out there.

 

[Razhael]

well... as a previous miata owner, i must say im more than excited about this, i mean, mr bell does wonderfull turbo kits and bill does all the fuel management computer tunning, if they turned a 140hp and 125torque 1.8 into a 245hp (at wheels) and 224 torque, i can just imagine what they can do with the 2.0 .... i will try to get a hold of mr bell this monday to see if my mp3 can be of any help.

 

[Razhael]

also, im more than interested in this kit, christmas time was very generous to me this time so i got the extra cash for the turbo!

 

[gonzoATX]

count me in on this... im down for whatever as long as i dont get screwed in the long run... :mad:

 

[TXMP3]

I am still in for the Bell Turbo. Just got a big fat raise too!! I will be ready to go on this at the end of the month or in early Feb.

 

[hihoslva]

Sounds like a nice price - but..... will this turbo fit the Protege5 also? I can guarantee a ton of interest from the hatchback side of the fence.

Please keep us posted!

 

[Razhael]

im sure it would fit p5s too.
kflyfshr7, can u keep us updated in this please? i tried talking to mr bell today but had no luck.

 

[Razhael]

ok, finally got a hold of Mr. Bell today. And im as happy as i could be.

Indeed, it is official, they are working on a production turbo kit. Right now they are waiting on the car they are getting from mazda, probably they will start working on developing in about 2 weeks. From there, it would be about 8 weeks or 10 weeks for the turbo kit to be available. The target they are looking for right now is 210hp engine or estimated 184hp at the wheels. Fuel management indeed is going to be tuned by Bill Cardell.

Now, i asked for different options in the kit, more power etc. , more power will come later, probably in 1 year and a half or more, good news, it would come as an upgrade for the base kit. That issue came in to the conversation since i was asking him if there was anyway to get the performance they are getting from the FMII turbo kit (245 @ the wheels) he told me they will start work with the base and continue with upgrades later until they start noticing peeps blowing off their transmissions
But as a real upgrade option would be a ball bearing turbo, like $200 or more to the price, u dont get much of a performance difference between the ball bearing and the stock, but the ball bearing promess more durability.

Now, for even better good news, he is already taking deposits, of $200, that if u give it to him before production, it will assure u a price of $2950 for the kit. After that it would be a little more expensive, more into $3500 or less.

So of course, i gave the man my credit card number!