Flyin Miata Stage 1 turbo system for 1990-93

I bought this kit at the end of 2018. I installed it February 2020, and stressed tested it like crazy since i got the coolant relocation kit from Flyin Miata. The reason why I waited so long is because I had the money at the time, and wasn't sure how the future was going to play out. so bought the parts, stored, and assembled when able to. Didn't want to rush anything.

I have a 1990 miata, and the engine was solid, but i found a 93 engine. rebuilt it, and slapped the turbo on it. install was rather painless since did the majority of it while the engine was outside. Instructions were thorough, and customer service has always been great.
Only issue with the install was that the kit i received did not compensate for my cruise control. It sort of sucked having to gut the cruise control, but i had a limited window of time to make it happen. I remember a staff member from flyin miata reached out to see if order was alright, but since i just took inventory and stored, i didn't notice my kit wasn't for cruise control. so that sucked cause cruise control was the first thing i ever fixed on my own on that car. but oh well.

So now for the actual review of the turbo kit. running it 8 pounds of boost. man is it a blast. no more praying to a higher power when i enter the freeway. this thing hauls, and is totally controllable. the engine loves to rev up so you lay on it and you are on boost so fast that those cool kids won't be able to make hair dressers joke at you at the light. absolutely love the upgrade, well worth the price (i think i got it during black friday).

another issue i faced, i started to overheat. but not during normal driving, i like to stress test and go from so cal to phoenix in one shot and straight back. or up to lake tahoe, or vegas round trip just stopping for gas, just anything that eats a day. once the heat rose, i felt i was fighting the temperature gauge and wondering if i was going to make it. It got sketchy. i don't blame the kit, i compromised the lines running out of turbo so they began to leak and temp heat up whenever i ran to temp after my long hauls, i even tried swapping out lines to fix the line leaks. Why aren't i mad, cause i'm an idiot, that's on me. I got an upgraded radiator and fan (not flyin miata, they were sadly out of stock), bought a coolant relocation kit from FM, and the plastic undertray cause mine was missing. That was it, that was the key to the puzzle. Now i blast into palm springs laying the turbo on thick, and come straight back and my temperature barely moves. when it does rise up, it's hardly anything, and regulates fast.

that's my thorough review. the turbo is fantastic, sad i had to gut my cruise control. I had cooling issues, but i blame my driving preference instead of the parts, and was so pleasantly surprised after i bought the under-tray and coolant relocation kit. This kit is well made, stressed tested it left and right, always made it home.

'- Installed on 1991 NA 1.6 with 75k odometer (Purchased the full FM turbo kit)
- Took roughly 50 total hours (I also have NO mechanical skill, messed stuff up, but learned alot)
- With this kit, I had to install a full FM exhaust makeover (the old system was 28 years of rust and neglect)

//INSTALL: This project includes everything you'd expect; wiring, cutting, cussing, drilling, trimming, test fitment, 2nd test fitment, torquing things down to spec, stepping back and smirking at your progress, then realizing "hey whats this part still doing on the workbench?"... 3rd test fitment. If you take your time and read the manual you'll certainly have an easier time than I did. FM is very helpful with answering any questions and working you through any issues you might have. The hardest part for me was the wire/vacuum line routing from A-pillar to under the dash, because contorting your body to stare under your steering wheel is unnatural- my suggestion is remove your driver seat if you need more space to work. Overall, install was simple for a novice like myself.

//STARTUP & DRIVE: Make sure you're double checking your timing with the timing light and checking for engine knock noises. Give the engine bay and floor a once-over for leaks while the car is running. I had an issue with a seized brake, but that's because I had my car on stands for 4 months. If you installed an AFR with your kit, make sure your numbers are good in all the different ranges as well as idle. You can do your homework on those numbers by looking around on forums etc. First 500 miles of driving is break-in period, and you should be checking your engine bay and fluids regularly to make sure all things are holding up. After that, its all fun. Rev out those gears to hear those sweet BOV releases, it's a head turner in my small town for sure

//OVERALL: Fun project, plenty of horsepower (more than double stock for me) and I can't thank FM enough for providing such an immaculate full kit that requires no extra runs to your local nut and bolt shop. Seriously, that alone takes so much headache out of the whole thing.

//YOUTUBE: FlyinMiata has a full installation of this turbo kit on their youtube channel- so if the manual has you scratching your head, check there. The full 10 video series is located in their "Stage 1 Turbo Install" playlist

I had a shop here in Maine install an FM2 Turbo combo consisting of a 2554R, Full FM Exhaust, Clutch Happy Meal with light flywheel and MS2 engine management. The end result was 205WHP (more than double the 95 it had on the same dyno prior to installation). 200hp in one of these cars is nothing short of amazing. The shop claimed the kit was one of the best-fitted and most complete they had ever had the privilege of working with. Very happy with fit and finish, and the quality of parts is second to none.

I ordered this stage 1 kit for my 91 Miata last year holiday season. And have one of my friend who is a auto shop owner to installed for me on his leisure time and it took about two weeks to finish with couple hrs a day with me on side help him out. He told me the instruction is very detailed and he didn't have any problem to install the kit. Since this is my daily driver (45 miles) to the office I thought the drive ability will suffer and the gas mileage will reduce in a big way as I'm getting more than 50% of additional horse power and torque to the little 1.6 engine. And I was wrong, I'm getting consistence local/highway combined 22 mpg compare with 28 mpg before the turbo install. That's 21% decrease in fuel economy with 50% + gain in power is well worth it. And the drive ability below 3000rpm Miata feels normal, then after 3000rpm and turbo start to boost up and boy what a night and day difference for passing a slower vehicle under any condition especially up hill just step on the gas paddle in 5th gear and car will just keep accelerate which this surprised my passenger and knowing that this is CA smog legal is a icing on the cake for me. Highly recommended if you are looking for legal and real power for your Miata this is the only after market kit for you.

I also made this upgrade part of an extended total project for my 1990 1.6 (150K on the odometer, 71k on the replacement J-Spec Motor) - Turbo, MS Motor Mounts, FM Springs, FM Rear Shock Mounts, Paco MotorSports Braces, Delrin Door Bushings, Coolant Reroute, FM Adjustable End Links, MiataRoadster Shortshifter, and a full tune up (Water Pump, Belts, Etc).
The only additional items I had to purchase were gaskets I ripped (Be careful with the gasket if you opt for the hard oil lines). I made more support calls to FM than I care to admit to make sure my install was correct. Awesome support. Most difficult part of install for me was also installation of turbo outlet IC pipe to the IC which route in the same area of the lower radiator hose AND the hard oil line which is in this same area. Turns out there is only one exact correct way to route these together without crimping or distorting the hoses. Took a few install attempts to get it just right. Then everything fit perfectly.
I had the transmission out of the car for my install. Note:If you have your tranny out, the engine will lean forward and make the oil pan drill difficult. I had to use a jack to push the engine back into place to line the drill up properly.
I had a NASTY electrical issue (due to previous owner) that FM support spent weeks with me on trying to figure out. I can't thank them enough for staying calm as I was losing my mind.
Power is amazing and delivered so smoothly. The SOUND takes the car to an 11. It's not obnoxiously loud, its snarly and mean and I LOVE IT. Also when you're cruising out of boost she sounds like normal, so no worries about droning on long cruises.
Completely Ecstatic customer for life.