Kraftwerks Supercharger

Kraftwerks 01-05 Mazda Miata Base Supercharger Kit

[12/23/2009] Reviewed by: Zen Yieh

Applicable to: '99-'05 1.8 liter

The KraftWerks Miata Kit:

• Rotrex C30-74 Supercharger at 5 PSI* with KraftWerks Supercharger Insert
• Rotrex Self-Contained Oiling System with Oil Cooler
• KraftWerks Recirculating Bypass Valve
• KraftWerks Automatic Belt Tensioning System
• KraftWerks SuperCard Engine Management Unit
• KraftWerks Aluminum Intake and Discharge Piping
• KraftWerks Silicone Hoses
• KraftWerks Oiled Air Filter
• KraftWerks MAF Relocation System
• KraftWerks Racing 4-Rib Belt
• KraftWerks High-Quality CNC-Machined Brackets
• High-Quality Metric Fasteners and Hardware
• Installation Manual and CD-ROM

After many years, I finally decided to add FI to my Miata. The reason that I chose the KW Rotrex was that I heard that Oscar Jackson came out of retirement to make it. I have heard great things about the rock dead reliability of OJ‚s old kit and his excellent customer service. So if it‚s good enough for Oscar, it‚s good enough for me. Beyond that, I had a few other criteria in a boost kit. Reliability was first in my mind. The kit is very well engineered and well thought out. All of the parts bolt-snap-clip in/on to existing holes in the chassis or frame. The product seems like it was OEM engineered and installed at the factory and because of the Rotrex‚s small footprint, the system is „elegantly simple‰ and has fewer parts. Fewer parts = increased reliability which is REALLY important to me as it is my daily driver. Also I was looking for something that offered me some room to grow if I decided to go „bigger‰. KW base kit offers about 157whp and has the potential to go 300+. I am looking forward to the Stage 2 kit! My friends installed the Rotrex at their shop it in about 2-3 hours and it seemed very straight forward. The instructions were very clear. One thing to be sure of is to make sure that none of the newly installed parts make contact with the hood. When you have a battle between a hose clamp vs. an aluminum Hood reinforcement, guess who wins. Easy enough fix, just turn the crossover tube down a little. The Kraftwerk Rotrex is awesome! Nice linear torquey power and seamless operation. The best way that I can describe it, is that it feels like someone dropped a much more powerful 6 cylinder engine into the engine bay. When you are moseying around town it feels about the same, but when you need the power, BAM, it's there! I no longer do have to downshift on the highway to pass, but when I do, the Miata now does it with authority! I recently had an opportunity to drive a KW back to back with a stock Miata, and it pulls from idle to red line! After 6000+ miles, the operation of my „new‰ Miata is seamless. No knocking, no pinging, no dials to fiddle with, just more power! The car should have come this way from the factory!

Fun Factoid: The $590K Koenigsegg CCR (google it) is a 1000 HP supercar. They use two Rotrex units to help them develop reliable horsepower. It's probably the only part in my Miata that is shared with a supercar. The story does not make my car any faster, but it makes for good bar chat!

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