Intercooler option

Quite common to put in the CIVIC EG6 rad (G-Plus? etc loads on fleabay) has and then route the intercooler pipework around on each side. But not to put it on the side, rather to just put the IC in front.

Try and get the smallest IC you can for your power goals.

I'd always go over the top, makes for a much shorter & neater pipe routing. You can get the intercoolers from Rally Design for about £120 and the pipework is easy to do with silicon pipes and ally connectors

Russell

I have been giving this whole Miata intercooler problem some thought.

Basic problem, our cars are very prone to overheating, and there is bugger all room up front anyway.
And as Mr Atlex correctly points out, short minimalist piping and intercooler volume has definite advantages.

Now I am not normally a fan of water/air intercooler systems, but in our case it could have some advantages.
The first thing is that the intercooler water radiator can be made very thin.

An air/air intercooler has to be thick to have enough internal flow area, and a fat core seriously blocks cooling air to the engine cooling radiator.
So a one inch thick core would block minimum air to our engine cooling radiator.

The air/water actual intercooler part, can have a very large internal flow area and minimal internal pressure drop whilst being fairly small with possibly much shorter pipework.

I have been looking at one of these:
www.siliconeintakes.com/front-mount-intercooler/water-to-air-intercooler-p-1006.html?osCsid=j7v09r5upmi04qbrcbnreq3ti2
The water radiator 24" x 14" and one inch thick would mount very nicely in front of the radiator, if the radiator was moved back slightly.

I have seen just the water radiator, electric fan, and water circulating pump advertised separately by this same mob, but cannot find it right now. That, plus a smaller air/water intercooler core than the one above, might make a nice package for a Miata. Water/air systems do not seem to be used much if at all on Miatas, but I can see some advantages.

This kit is very pricey but would something along like this be Suitable? There is a very small pre-cooler rad at the front of the car and pipes go back to the rear of the car and go through the heat exchanger...

www.hangar111.com/shop/lotus-2-eleven-superchargers-a-upgrades/435-exige-s-240-260-cup-2-eleven-racing-chargecooler-system.html

This is the earlier version of the above kit without all the carbon, it kept IAT down well on track and there were no issues over heating (car has factory oil cooling).



This is the "cheaper" version of that kit that mounts differently but same concept with the pre cooler up front and heat exchanger in the back with the engine, precooler is small enough not to effect rad performance (its a similar size to an oil cooler albiet a bit wider and not as tall)...

www.hangar111.com/shop/597-lotus-elise-chargecooler-system-rover-k-series-toyota-2zz-engines.html

Then why add the complication and weight to a front engined MX5? It will be less efficient and less reliable then an air-air intercooler too.
I also don't get the recommendation to use the smallest core possible? 

In the nose of the car, in front of a decent radiator, each fed by their own duct. Just like every other reliable turbo track five that is able to reliably run in 30c degree weather. 

Over the top piping is in theory better, but has more packaging constraints - you have to chop holes in the top slam panel, possibly tilt the rad back or trim the bonnet webbing to get decent sized pipes and the bonnet to close - if the rad is tilted then you need to make ducting to seal in all of the gaps around the rad etc etc.

Going under the headlights and round isn't that convoluted, and requires way less effort:



The pipework may be slightly longer, but I would wager that nobody could tell the difference in 'performance', same as they couldn't between a small intercooler and a larger one (which still isn't that big on an MX5 anyway)