FM II Vs. BEGI

[rrk0818]

ok, guys, Im getting confused..... pros / cons

first, Hydra Vs. Exede-

fm II Vs. Begi

getting conflicting info and its expensive as I want to drop the car off, pick it up done....want reliability, reliability....

250 -260 rwhp- sounds from what I hear easy to do...

stock engined 2002 miata....

have at it....

[Titus]

Hydra Vs. Exede

Hydra is safer for your engine (Wide band, knock control), offers more control of things, includes extra goodies such as launch control, offers stellar support from FM, can handle higher power. Your ODBII port will not work, which means you will not get the stock ECU's built in troubleshooting help when something goes wrong, and the annual inspection will require taking it to a station with the ODBI roller test.

Exede leaves the stock ECU in place so it maintains ODBII functionality and it is a little cheaper, but not as full featured.

fm II Vs. Begi

Pick your poison. Both are respected kits from respected companies. They do things a little differently, but should offer similar price and power results. Many have their favorite, but the argument of who's kit is best usually ends in a draw. FM's support is legendary, BEGI's not so much. BEGI is close enough to drive down and drop the car off for install if that interests you.

stock engined 2002 miata....

Don't forget to budget for a clutch and an aluminum radiator as it gets hot in Texas. Fans are worth consideration as well.

[channelmaniac]

250 -260 rwhp- sounds from what I hear easy to do...

stock engined 2002 miata....

have at it....

I don't think you'll get that much from an engine with VVT.

RJ

[rrk0818]

Im told by both groups no problem 250-260 rwhp....thats one thing they agree on...

[rrk0818]

thanks, well the annual inspection is a big concern.....didnt think you had a choice to use the rollers if you had OBDII i.E. and 2002 car...

like the idea of the hydra tunibility.....waiting to get more opinions....thanks guy

[Titus]

I don't think you'll get that much from an engine with VVT.

RJ

It's been done many times. The turbo cars don't have nearly the problems from VVT as superchargers do. Not sure why. In addition, the Hydra that comes with the FM kit can control the VVT.

[Titus]

thanks, well the annual inspection is a big concern.....didnt think you had a choice to use the rollers if you had OBDII i.E. and 2002 car...

like the idea of the hydra tunibility.....waiting to get more opinions....thanks guy

Hopefully Mike will chime in... he is running the Hydra. I believe that they try to get the ODBII codes from the port and when their computer can't sync with your ECU, it tells them to put your car on the rollers.

[MiataMike]

ok, guys, Im getting confused..... pros / cons

first, Hydra Vs. Exede-

I have no experience with the Exede. However, I am running the HydraEMS. I've had a few small problems with the system at first mostly just a learning curve things you can and can't do. (My errors) As far as reliability and safeness of the setup it is great setup. Anytime boost or timing or knock or anything bad is detected by the motor, outside the preset perameters, it will cut the power to the system. (I've been at that point quite a few times) There are tons of configuration items for the ECU its very safe if set up properly and all of the safety perameters are set accordingly. And it is currently the only ECU that is capable of controlling the VVT in the 2001 and up Motors.

From my understanding of the Exed it is a piggyback setup. It doens't allow control of the VVT and its safeness is limited to how the driver drives and tuner tunes the car. I don't know of any safety features, that doesn't mean there aren't any, only that I don't know of any.

fm II Vs. Begi

I only have the old setup that was originally designed by BEGI.

I do have the new divorced downpipe by BEGI.

There were a few fitment problems with it. Most recently when I installed it I didn't notice that the host coming down from the heater coil was touching the downpipe. Needless to say after driving away on Thanksgiving a 100 miles away or so I had an issue with the hose melting and leaking coolant. (a small leak fixed the next day) Other issues were getting the two pieces of the downpipe together took 2 people about 30 mintues of pushing (Ceramic coated) and getting the exhaust to line up also took two people and a lot of straining. The last issue was the second bung they drilled is somewhat pointed at the ground and at times I feel like if I go over something it could rip out my O2 sensor.

All in all I am happy with the way the downpipe performs it does add extra power and works very efficiently.

getting conflicting info and its expensive as I want to drop the car off, pick it up done....want reliability, reliability....

As far as dropping the car off the closest place to Dallas is obviously Austin, Tx. I do recall reading on Miata.net that Stephanie would work with Keith at FM and be able to tune the Hydra or help out with the install; but that question would be best answered by a rep from BEGI.

250 -260 rwhp- sounds from what I hear easy to do...

I don't have a lot of answers as far as this goes. I just read what everyone else does and hear issues with going beyond that with VVT. And if you want to go beyond that I don't believe the Exede would be the best product for that. The HydraEMS is what you would need to truely be safe.


I don't have VVT on my car but I have the hydra and I'm happy with it. If you want a ride or some more info let me know.

[MiataMike]

Hopefully Mike will chime in... he is running the Hydra. I believe that they try to get the ODBII codes from the port and when their computer can't sync with your ECU, it tells them to put your car on the rollers.

The Exede will give out OBDII codes.

However the Hydra is a full stand alone system and doesn't give any codes at all. Except for the 4 that are built into the Hydra itself.

The Nemesis 2.5 also has factory like features such as flashing check engine light diagnostics for conditions such as lean under load, excessive knock and barometer out of range. A flashing check engine light can alert the user to a potential problem before it causes driving problems or engine damage.

[Bacon]

Im told by both groups no problem 250-260 rwhp....thats one thing they agree on...

Start buying transmissions! Unless you can get one that stands up to the stress of all of that power you're going to be swapping transmissions fairly often. Ask Gary!

[altiain]

getting conflicting info and its expensive as I want to drop the car off, pick it up done....want reliability, reliability....

250 -260 rwhp- sounds from what I hear easy to do...

Define relaibility. A 260whp Miata is never going to be as reliable as a stock one, and it is going to require a lot more owner involvement. If you think you can more than double the factory power output and expect it to run every day, every time, with the reliability of a Honda Civic, you're going to be disappointed.

[rrk0818]

Are you telling me that a miata will not hold up like my turbo'd harley? I do expect that parts and mapping are sorted out. Thats the reason I'm getting your input!- if I cant I will pick another platform....but I think it can...I hope im not wrong!

[channelmaniac]

A Miata will hold up within reason.

If you talk to folks that have done FI on their car they will tell you that things hold together until you go over around 215 to 225 HP. Then things start breaking.

The engineers did a wonderful job in building a car that has enough headroom on the drivetrain to allow you to bump up the power quite a bit before you have to worry too much about breaking things.

RJ