Miata Morphs into Cruise Missile with LS-swap
Stuffing an LS1 into a Miata is a delightfully insane endeavor that produces a potentially untameable track monster.
The world would be a lot less interesting without the LS engine. Its relatively small size enables enthusiasts to put it in just about everything. Fox Body Mustangs routinely get the LS treatment. So do older workhorses like the Ford Ranger. Want an LS in your old Volvo station wagon? That’s no problem either. Even the small but mighty Miata is LS capable.
Basically, mundane vehicles undergo LS swaps all the time. But what happens when an enthusiast favorite gets one? That’s what Speed Academy wanted to find out. Dave Pratte relished the opportunity to take a track-ready NB Miata out for spin to see how the sports car performed when stuffed with an LS. He got a lot more then he bargained for!
A Japanese Sports Car With an American Heart
The Mazda Miata captivated enthusiasts when it debuted three decades ago. Like the Corvette, Mazda has tweaked and modified the Miata over the years while keeping its essence firmly intact. Tuners also embraced the two seater. That’s enabled a healthy Miata community to flourish. However, the Miata isn’t a high horsepower machine ready to slay the drag strip. It’s more like a svelte dancer, able to pivot around a track with ease. Even more hardcore builds generally don’t push the Mazda beyond 200 horsepower.
But an LS swap is an entirely different animal. Brad Angevaare of Angevaare Motorsports provided the Miata in question. Previously, the team at Speed Academy sampled the Miata when it sported a supercharged four cylinder good for about 220 horsepower at the wheel. Now the Mazda sports an LS1 from a 2000 Chevrolet Camaro SS with a matching T56 transmission and what Angevaare describes as a “Getrag rear end.” Other than that, it’s the same Miata Speed Academy tested earlier, which is equipped with a host of track-ready modifications. The important number to remember is 402. That’s the amount of horsepower the Miata boasts at the wheels.
One Sweet Miata
Pratte takes the Mazda out on the track to see what a Miata with more than double the stock horsepower can do. He almost immediately realizes the insanity of what he’s doing. “It’s gonna be a traction-limited experience here boy and girls,” says Pratte. He acknowledges the Mazda now has “more power than traction.” The LS-swapped Miata measured in at about 2600 pounds before the drive. That’s obviously an insanely low weight for something so powerful and it makes total sense that it would behave that way for Pratte.
But does the Mazda lose its essence when stuffed with an LS? According to Pratte’s experience the answer is a resounding no. “It’s well balanced though, like when it gets into a slide it’s still a Miata,” says Pratte. He’s absolutely fighting to keep the Mazda from spinning out while talking about his experience. Pratte doesn’t really shift much around the track either, which is probably a good thing, given the necessity of needing both hands to counteract the wild Miata. “You really only need third gear. You don’t need second gear because it’s got so much torque!” exclaims Pratte.
The Best of Both Worlds
Overall, Pratte enjoyed the LS-swapped Miata quite a bit. “This car has huge potential. It’s a proper rocketship,” says Pratte. He definitely feels like the Miata works well when paired with the LS. It slides a lot when pushed, but for him that’s just the way they behave. The LS just enhanced the experience. That doesn’t mean it was perfect. Pratte disliked the 225 width tires for being too bouncy. The limited slip differential also exhibited strange behavior on the track and couldn’t quite keep up with the Mazda. And the T56 displayed odd behavior with the downshift between fourth and fifth.
None of those factors really impacted his assessment of the Miata itself. It’s fundamentally a great car with an LS swap, and his drive clearly demonstrated that assertion. It’s just one step short of greatness. That’s not fault of the LS though. Anyway, it’s definitely worth a watch to see Pratte fight to keep the Miata under control. Hopefully we see this insane beast on their channel in the future.