Miata vs MEV Exocet lap times

[drbuzz]

I am in he US and am considering converting my time attack turbo Miata into an Exocet. For those of you who have already done something like this what does your race ready Exocet weigh in at?

How much did your lap times drop if you converted your race Miata to an Exocet?

My current turbo set up has 400 horsepower. Does anyone else run something similar and if so what type of spring rates are recommended?

Does anyone run 275 tires? Would those be to wide considering the weight of the car?

How safe are these? Has anyone rolled or had a serious crash in one. I know the Miata with cage is very safe. Thanks!

[johnp]

Extract from www.ma5daracing.com/2013/mx150r/files/2013regulations.pdf
5b.14 WEIGHTS
The minimum weight including driver will be 815kg for the duration of the race meeting up to and including post event scrutineering. Should any ballast be required to achieve this minimum it must be securely bolted to the passenger floor, in accordance with MSA regulation J5.15.

I weigh 85kg and carry 30kg ballast putting my car at 700kg (1543lb) using MEV's racing exocet (MX150R) chassis. Our engines are restricted (normally aspirated 1.8L without VVT) so can't help on that.
Tyres are also restricted (Kumho Ecsta V70A (size 195x50x15))

Haven't crashed mine but there are pics on this site of a standard Exocet (no cage)
www.mevowners.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=exocet&thread=2315&page=1
www.mevowners.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=headline&thread=3122&page=1
..so with a race cage you have no worries

Maybe Kevin Patrick's your best bet in USA for a racing version there but if you reduce your weight by a particular factor then its inverse will give you your new power to weight ratio.

Hope that's some help.

[Warren van Nus]

Hey dr buzz. I'm Warren, Kevin's Mechanical Engineer. We're supposed to keep quiet about it on these boards, but I'll say the American Race Exocet is now "slightly" different. It's all laser-cut, DOMEX-clad, all DOM, and now includes a fully integrated cage (not a bolt-in). 400 ft-lbs of torque would flex this new chassis less than 3mm at each corner. It's actually been designed to take LSx or 302 swaps since we live in the land of cheap horses. A 400hp turbo motor should be just fine in the chassis. That will get you past a Veyron power/weight ratio.

We've partnered with one of the top national Spec Miata teams and a few coilover manufacturers to design bespoke coilover setups for the Exocet (street and track). Hopefully we'll have those available by the time you get your build done.

[drbuzz]

Thanks for the info guys. Warren when will the first race version be built? Also I am 6'4" 250 pounds. How much more room will be in this race version? When can I get one?

[drbuzz]

Thanks for the info guys. Warren when will the first race version be built? Also I am 6'4" 250 pounds. How much more room will be in this race version? When can I get one? I would love to have one for this season (by April) but dont know if that is possible. I have the donor and all the parts ready to go.

Hey John do you have nay photos of yours? My kids love green and it looks like your is that color. Just wanting to see a bigger picture. Thanks

[johnp]

PM sent

[Warren van Nus]

Jan 20, 2013 14:33:57 GMT drbuzz said:

Thanks for the info guys. Warren when will the first race version be built? Also I am 6'4" 250 pounds. How much more room will be in this race version? When can I get one? I would love to have one for this season (by April) but dont know if that is possible. I have the donor and all the parts ready to go.

Hey John do you have nay photos of yours? My kids love green and it looks like your is that color. Just wanting to see a bigger picture. Thanks

Expect tons of room, especially with a low racing seat. The seat can be positioned 8" further back than in a Miata.

I don't think 275 width tires is a good idea. 205/215 seems to be the sweet spot with such a light car. The Atom has more rear weight than the Exocet, and even the supercharged Atoms have issues getting heat into a 225. 205 will fit in the fenders.

We have a few UK-spec Race Exocets running around. If you're near Atlanta, I suspect one will come to the next Caffeine and Octane show. The first US-spec is planned for completion in about a month. The build process is identical to the regular Exocet now that the cage is integrated, so it won't take you any longer to build.

[The Exocist]

Jan 20, 2013 14:13:33 GMT Warren van Nus said:

Hey dr buzz. I'm Warren, Kevin's Mechanical Engineer. We're supposed to keep quiet about it on these boards, but I'll say the American Race Exocet is now "slightly" different. It's all laser-cut, DOMEX-clad, all DOM, and now includes a fully integrated cage (not a bolt-in). 400 ft-lbs of torque would flex this new chassis less than 3mm at each corner. It's actually been designed to take LSx or 302 swaps since we live in the land of cheap horses. A 400hp turbo motor should be just fine in the chassis. That will get you past a Veyron power/weight ratio.

We've partnered with one of the top national Spec Miata teams and a few coilover manufacturers to design bespoke coilover setups for the Exocet (street and track). Hopefully we'll have those available by the time you get your build done.

I look forward to hearing more about these.