A miata owner who has just bought a Festiva

[lostcoastmx]

"Is there any tricks when rebuilding to gain more fuel efficiency?"

I'm planning on using an Aspire head with roller rockers for my 1.3 MPG build. Roller rockers have less friction.

Karl

ill keep that head in mind for the rebuild..thanks Karl!

Scott

[lostcoastmx]

my miata

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3965013/2000-mazda-miata-mx-5

[lostcoastmx]

cant figure the pic thing out...oops

[Safety Guy]

If you don't know already, you need to host your pics on a picture site like Photobucket.

I'd like to get a Miata some day. Maybe a '93 or so which needs a lot of work. As light as possible. I'd pay maybe $1000 to $1500. Cheap cheap cheap...

Karl

[lostcoastmx]

yeah I tried car domain..didnt work,lol..the 90-91 were the lightest but lacked major chassis support and got pretty flexy...optimal year is 94..1.8L, stiffer, lightest 1.8 miata and relatively cheap..you could find one for that price with some searching..awesome cars...I hated miatas for a long time....until I drove one. lol I recommend it.

[lostcoastmx]

"Is there any tricks when rebuilding to gain more fuel efficiency?"

I'm planning on using an Aspire head with roller rockers for my 1.3 MPG build. Roller rockers have less friction.

Karl

Btw Karl, what does it take to put the aspire head on the festiva block?

I can get a reman head from my work for 400 bucks so i might just go with that...if its not too crazy.

[htchbck]

Putting an aspire head on a festiva block is the same as putting a festiva head on a festiva block No extra work required!

[Oren09]

If there's a junkyard near you, I'd recommend pulling an Aspire head.
Buying a head from a yard and having a machine shop do a valve job is probably cheaper than buying a reman head. You could even skip the valve job but may have leaky seals if you do.

[Movin]

I would get any head you use done. I believe you said MPG build..going for gas mileage?
That's fun stuff but mileage inevitably leads to lean fuel and high combustion pressures
and temperatures and efforts to suppress ping and detonation. The weak link in all this
is valve temperature, valve wear, valve pitting and valve-valve seat burning. Start fresh
with valves to maximize valve to head contact through new clean metal for optimum
cooling.

If you are not using an adjustable cam sprocket and a degree wheel to dial it in-
And almost always the marks will not quite line up but will be closest this way...
Using the setting that slightly advances the cam builds low rpm torque quicker
retarding builds high rpm horsepower.

Thinner head gaskets and/or extra head surfacing gives more compression, good
for mpg, especially at high altitude. More is not always better, judge your build
carefully.

Grooves cut to enhance burn and reduce unburnt in quench area are being researched
I have no further info I will offer in this technology.

Fuels with differing burn rates enhance each other..adding faster fuels such as hydrogen
or slower fuels such as natural gas or wood gas benefit mileage more than the btu's
suggest they should.

I'll let someone else talk about lubrication, tires, areo stuff..ect. This is really fun stuff

[lostcoastmx]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76676910@N08/6874620375/
my miata