Just a random thought...

"Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy" (zipppyart)
05/16/2014 at 02:01 • Filed to: None

Why didn't Mazda use their F series in engines in the Miata? Too heavy, too expensive, or what? Keep in mind that this is just a thought.

The F-series engines could be found in the 1st generation Mazda MX-6, Ford Probe, and fourth generation 626 as the F2, and as the FS in the second generation of the MX-6 and equivalent cars. The F2 was pretty much bulletproof, and extremely reliable, and made a healthy amount of power. Doesn't seem to be common to swap either.

DISCUSSION (22)

All Motor Is Best Motor > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
05/16/2014 at 02:06

Because while I'd love to see an 860 lb-ft turbodiesel Miata, I don't think we want to start seeing rolling coal bro-miatas.

http://www.ford.com/trucks/superdu…

/end troll

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > All Motor Is Best Motor
05/16/2014 at 02:09

Damn you... Now you got me thinking of trucks again, DAMN IT!

promoted by the color red > All Motor Is Best Motor
05/16/2014 at 02:27

COAL ROLL BRO?

Squid > All Motor Is Best Motor
05/16/2014 at 02:42

If a PowerJoke would fit in the front of a Miata, and I could afford to put one in, I'd totally do it. And then I'd find all the bro trucks and roll coal while smoking the tires and call them dickless pussies. All while flying a giant rainbow flag bordered by hair dresser scissors.

Squid > Squid
05/16/2014 at 02:44

Oh and the exhaust would be a shakotan star with the exhaust exiting at a general window level of the brodozers. . .

All Motor Is Best Motor > Squid
05/16/2014 at 02:53

Wouldn't you do dual smoke stacks (or whatever they're called)?

Squid > All Motor Is Best Motor
05/16/2014 at 02:54

Nah, I think the shakotan style would be funnier.

All Motor Is Best Motor > Squid
05/16/2014 at 02:58

Probably.

GhostZ > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
05/16/2014 at 14:03

1. Maybe they didn't have a RWD transmittion for it? Miata is longitudinally mounted, the FE is transverse. That means it would take a miracle to design an engine bay that could fit both.

2. Not a significant bump in power or performance over the existing engines?

3. Not more efficient?

Textured Soy Protein > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
05/16/2014 at 14:05

The NA & NB Miata motors were from Mazda's B engine family, which I'm pretty sure is generally smaller/lighter than the F motors. Very generally speaking, Mazda's smaller cars got B motors and then you got F motors if you went up to more mid range cars and the smaller trucks.

promoted by the color red > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
05/16/2014 at 14:14

I'm guessing it's because the 1st-gen Miata is heavily based on the 323/323 GTX.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > GhostZ
05/16/2014 at 14:20

1. They were mounted in their B-series trucks of the same era.

2. Miata engine put out 114 bhp (85 kW) @6,500 and 100 lbft (136 Nm) @5,500, while a naturally aspirated F2 with an 8.6:1 ratio put out 110 hp (82 kW) @ 4700 rpm and 130 lbft (176 Nm). Raising the compression to 9.2:1 made it get upto 127 hp

3. Likely, the F2 was a 2.2, and the miata had a 1.6 or 1.8.

GhostZ > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
05/16/2014 at 14:25

1. Huh, didn't know that. Maybe there IS hope. It is however, possible that the transverse mounting required a taller engine bay, which the Miata's low hood wouldn't accommodate or be simply too expensive to modify.

2. I was looking at HP numbers, but torque reveals the true story.

3. Higher displacement =/= less efficient. Heavier rotating mass is less efficient, though. So theoretically, if the 2.2 was made of higher quality metal or had some other efficiency improvement (such as a better cam profile, better intake, etc.) then the difference between them would be small.