RussellT94

Big difference between the FM and Begi S4 is FM has log manifold, Begi is tubular.

dieselmiata

I've heard lots of praise about Begi's manifold. Is the tubular design really that much better?

curly

I thought it was the S5 that was tubular. Anyhow, I know a guy that's cracked 3 of them. I'd personally stay away. Tubular, when designed correctly, supposedly flows better.

RussellT94

S4 is definitely tubular, S5 is cast, then S6 goes back to tubular. For those who recommend Absurdflow, what are the advantages over a cast manifold with a 2554R or 2560R?

dieselmiata

I don't plan on boosting too much right now, so hopefully my risk of popping the manifold is low. I figure I'll start at about 5-6 psi and go from there as I get more comfortable with my tuning abilities. Hopefully a tubular would hold up to that much.

sixshooter

Better spool (300-600 rpm commonly reported depending on design of log and design of tubular), better peak power due to gently rounded curves not impeding flow as much, and better overall efficiency due to better directing of individual exhaust pulses directly into the throat of the turbine housing (logs have a tendency to have pulse collisions and reversions). But logs are cheaper and work just fine for most people. Just don't buy less manifold than you are going to want later unless you want to build new downpipes, etc. also.
A good tubular will hold more than a Miata can throw at it. The cheap ebay ones have failed in a couple of weeks at 6psi due to thin tubing, bad welds, and crappy materials.

Quality ones last a long time.

Yummy:

dieselmiata

Awesome. I don't plan on sourcing anything from ebay. I've read enough horror stories. Seems to me that with a turbo setup, you really get what you pay for, and cheaping out just leads to headaches.

RavynX

BEGi is just up the road from me. I've taken my car there to get diagnosed for overheating and was finally stuck with a $650 bill and it didn't fix anything (it was in their shop for 1.5 months). They had my friend's car there for 4-5 months just to install and tune one of their turbo kits. From the stories I've seen on miataturbo they aren't that great for sending out complete kits. They'll ship parts to you and you'll later find out they send other parts in other packages. I know of a couple of people in town that have working kits but I always seem to hear more bad than good (but I guess that's because people usually complain about problems more than they rave success). I haven't heard much on Flyin' Miata but they've always been helpful to answer my questions in e-mails or phone calls even when I haven't bought stuff from them (previous car owner did). BEGi, 90% of the time from my experience, has told me "Sure we'll find out for you" and I never get a call or e-mail back. I think BEGi means well but they only have a handful of people there on any given day and are really busy.

This is just my experience so take it with a grain of salt. Whenever I start working on my turbo setup I'm going to go with Absurdflow on the manifold and do everything else myself with the exception of intercooler piping.

sixshooter

The piping, silicone couplers, t-bolt clamps, and intercoolers from ebay (China) are just fine to use. There are lots of big power cars running them without issues. The Chinese turbos have proven to be pretty reliable, too, albeit with slightly less efficiency. Lots of guys are running them that have had them on for years without issue.



Here's a Miata with a Chinese T3/T4 playing on an autocross course. The turbo has been running without issue for several years.

sixshooter

BEGi makes good components. I just wouldn't use an entire kit due to personal preference to build my own. I think their manifolds are quite good and would use them if needed.