I'm going to be picking up a little brother for the s2000 but it needs a heart transplant. My buddie who is also a mechanic recommended a motor swap. Thus, I need input on what would be a good match for the car without upsetting the weight distribution of the car. I'm looking at the following:

1) F20C
2) K20A, i think its the same rotation..need clarification
3) rotary..i have no idea what
4) sr20det

budget is no greater then that of the f20c which i think is around 7k

 

Ford 5.0. Do a search for "Monster Miata", I think is what it's called.

 

the K20A does spin the same as the F20C. In fact, the K20A is similar in a lot of ways; it was built from the foundations of the F20C.

The K20A would likely be cheaper I would think. With its flashable ECU getting power would be easier, too. The disadvantages are that the flow is not as high as the F20C and you would need a custom bell housing to mount a transmission (lots of cash). If you get a K20A, make sure it is the one from the Type S (K20A2?) as the one from the Si doesn't have TRUE DOHC VTEC; it has a system like VTEC-E with only 2 lobes and no high lift cam lobe.

It's too bad a bell housing for the K20A to the S2000 tranny doesn't exist. If it did, I would think you'd see many S2000s with the K20A.

The rotary would be interesting...and maybe the easiest as it is Mazda.

 

I would either go with the 5.0 or replace with another Miata motor and maybe add a turbo. Miata 1.8's are cheap and easy to come by.

 

Twilight, check out miataforum.com. There's a whole "engine conversion" forum dedicated solely to this issue with tons of info. There's also a power mods section for turbo/supercharger discussions. Good luck.

 

Agreed, it's a great comunity with a lot of knowledgable folks over there.

 

BRP M62 supercharger on the stock engine. Probably the easiest, but might not be the cheapest depending on the price you could get a boneyard engine for.

 

FYI Super Street covered a F20c conversion in a '90 miata

 

many of those engine swaps make the car nose heavy and kill the whole point of the Miata in the first place

 

that's why i think anything over 2.0 would be overkill. I'm personally going more towards the rotary due to the weight savings. I also think it would be killer to have a honda engine installed though.

thanks