Hey CHICO2003,
This is probably one of the best newb threads ever. You’re using "search" and asking good questions when you need to. Awesome!
Motor Mounts: Have you ever seen someone play music by rubbing their finger on the edge of a wineglass? The reason the wineglass rings is that the finger sticks/slips/sticks/slips as it slides along the rim. This finger vibration (the stick/slip) causes the glass to vibrate, and then, just like a bell when it vibrates, the glass rings. Well, in an automobile anytime you are letting out the clutch and anytime you lose tire traction to the driving wheels you are vibrating the drive train of the vehicle (stick/slip just like the wineglass). The vibration ends up squishiest parts of your drive train; the tiers, suspension and motor mounts. Makes sense, right? Well, these vibrations can get those squishy parts moving around quite a lot and then the sensation we all know and hate, called “wheel-hop”, occurs. This sensation is caused by those vibrations resonating with the drive train in such a way that they cause additional loss of traction. So reducing wheel-hop improves traction and I doubt I have to explain how cool it is to have more traction. Anyway, the point is, changing motor mounts can reduce wheel-hop. Motor mounts also reduce the amount of twisting the engine does when power is applied. Reducing this twisting makes power delivery more accurate and really improves the driving sensation. It also reduces the stress on parts connected to the engine that don’t move in the same way – like your hard pipes, exhaust, etc. Since the stock MSP motor mounts are extra squishy, this is an awesome upgrade.
The two manifolds you mention in your post are very different. The “Cast Single Runner Intake Manifold” is an INTAKE manifold (goes between the CAI and the intake side of the head) and the “Thunder Turbo Manifold” is an EXHAUST manifold (goes between the exhaust side of the head and the turbo). Yep, they both have the word manifold in their names, but one lets air into the engine and one lets exhaust out of the engine. You’ve already upgraded part of your exhaust system and part of your intake system, so taking the next step and getting a new intake or exhaust manifold makes a lot of sense.
To complete your intake system upgrades, you could get hardpipes and an intake manifold. You already seem to know where to go looking for these.
To complete your exhaust system upgrade, you could get an exhaust manifold, down pipes and a CAT. Now, there is a lot of discussion in this forum about the upcoming SteedSpeed turbo manifold which looks to be a promising (and sexy) product. It might even come with the option of SteedSpeed downpipes. Check it out here:
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123686345
The basic rule for making engine power is to increase the volume or efficiency of combustion. Just like dynamite, the more you use (volume) or the tighter you pack it (efficiency) the bigger the explosion. Upgrading intake and exhaust will obviously effect how much air can pass through an engine in a given amount of time. That’s why tuning usually starts there! Bigger pipes = more in/more out (volume).
