Putting a Speed6 on a Diet

[Stealth01]

OK, so we all know that our cars are a little...uh....portly for performance sedans. 3600 pounds for a 274-hp car isn't that great, especially when Evos and STi's weigh in at 400-500 pounds (or so) less.

Obviously, getting our cars down to 3100 pounds just isn't going to happen, but there has to be a way to save SOME weight on this beast without sacrificing integrity and/or convenience.

Some obvious things, like removing the donut spare and jack, lightweight wheels, and so on are easy. But what other ways are there to save weight on this car without making it an unpleasant daily driver?

 

[StealthWyvern]

lw battery.. but in all honestly keeping it 100% stock without removing seats ect..ect... your looking at dropping some serious change on custom lw parts.

 

[Stealth01]

Yeah, that's what I figured. And comparing to the Evo and STi isn't right, but even the Legacy GT is lighter by 300 pounds. One of the FEW complaints I have about this car.

 

[StealthWyvern]

I think your better off beefing up the rear axels, and rear diff support if you plan on lauching that thing. The money would be better spent on go-fast parts. LW wheels, battery and remove all stupid crap from the trunk is a start but from their your getting into deep pockets area... I think at least.

 

[Stealth01]

Oh yeah, my first mod WILL be the CPE rear diff mount, as soon as I have $250 to drop on it.

 

[Reyan]

STI's and EVO's are boy toy racers, mazda did not build the Speed 6 for that purpose, it's supposed to be sprited and atlethic for more mature people. (basically young families/professionals).

 

[tunersteve]

Trimming weight off the car is gonna be tough. Without sacrificing creature comforts, there's not a whole lot to do.

Start with the spare tire/jack. Remove the trunk liner and rear seat cover (in the trunk). Next, consider going to a stainless single exit exhaust. Light wheels, along with two-piece rotors (which I'm not sure we can find), along with a lighter batter & tray (CP-e) and you are pretty much stuck.

If you wanna go further, take the back seats out, along with the rear door panels, and the plastic trim ducting to the TMIC. Along with that, the plastic cover on the TMIC and the splash guard on the front might shed a few pounds too.

Long story short, you're gonna be hard pressed to do it. Just beef the car up in the power dept., and you'll enjoy it. We're no Evo/STi, so you may as well accept that now.

 

[zinger002]

how about you lose some weight.... ya ever think about that.... yeah... lol.







...jk

 

[Stealth01]

STI's and EVO's are boy toy racers, mazda did not build the Speed 6 for that purpose, it's supposed to be sprited and atlethic for more mature people. (basically young families/professionals).

Yeah, I know that. I'm 43, and I like the NON-boy-racer quality of the MS6. My goal is to get the car to a 5-second 0-60 or slightly under, nothing more. Don't expect to keep up with modded STis or anything, but it would be nice if I could run with an S4 or 335i.

Trimming weight off the car is gonna be tough. Without sacrificing creature comforts, there's not a whole lot to do.

Start with the spare tire/jack. Remove the trunk liner and rear seat cover (in the trunk). Next, consider going to a stainless single exit exhaust. Light wheels, along with two-piece rotors (which I'm not sure we can find), along with a lighter batter & tray (CP-e) and you are pretty much stuck.

If you wanna go further, take the back seats out, along with the rear door panels, and the plastic trim ducting to the TMIC. Along with that, the plastic cover on the TMIC and the splash guard on the front might shed a few pounds too.

Long story short, you're gonna be hard pressed to do it. Just beef the car up in the power dept., and you'll enjoy it. We're no Evo/STi, so you may as well accept that now.

I was thinking:

1. Spare tire and jack, since there's NO good way to run a donut spare on an AWD car anyway.

2. LIghtweight battery and tray

3. lightweight wheels

4. CF hood and trunk (EXPENSIVE)

1, 2, and 3 might save me what...maybe 100 pounds? After that, I think things are just too damn expensive and I'll have to go for power mods to boost my speed a bit.

how about you lose some weight.... ya ever think about that.... yeah... lol.

...jk

Hahahaha. Well, since buying the MS6, I'm down from 200 lbs to 178. DOes that count?

 

[Reyan]

Yeah, I know that. I'm 43, and I like the NON-boy-racer quality of the MS6. My goal is to get the car to a 5-second 0-60 or slightly under, nothing more. Don't expect to keep up with modded STis or anything, but it would be nice if I could run with an S4 or 335i.


Keep in mind that the S4 and 335 has more hp at the crank than you do, and the 335 unless it's an xi is a rwd, I would suggest an AP and a tune for some get up and go.

 

[Stealth01]

Keep in mind that the S4 and 335 has more hp at the crank than you do, and the 335 unless it's an xi is a rwd, I would suggest an AP and a tune for some get up and go.

Yeah, I know. And I have a mod "wishlist" that includes an upgraded TMIC, Cobb AP, DP, and upgraded BPV, all after I get the CPE rear diff mount, of course. But that's assuming I can pry money away from the finance minister's vice-like grip.

Just feeling whipped because the office "car guy" scene now includes:

1. Heavily modded STi
2. Z4 M class
3. 335i
4. Coming soon: 2010 S4
5. Mustang GT (which I can take, at this altitude)
6. My MS6

And then there are the friends/acquaintances with their modded Stealth R/Ts, modded STis, 300 WHP Eclipses, etc. So I've been bitten by the mod bug. SOunds like I need to just get $$ and get power mods.

 

[tunersteve]

While the rear diff mount is a good investment, unless you seriously plan on launching the car, it can wait. Spend the money on an AP, TMIC, CAI/TIP, and other go fast goodies, and then get that when (or if) you decide to to any suspension work, like the rear sway.

Sounds like you've got quite the variety there at work. The GT is an easy kill until you get someone with a tune or next year when the 5.0 is back in them. STi's are a crapshoot, depending on mods.

 

[ms6acton]

+1 on power mods first. intake, tip, tp, tmic and ap and u should be able to keep up with most of those cars at your work, and they are all super easy installs.

 

[Stealth01]

While the rear diff mount is a good investment, unless you seriously plan on launching the car, it can wait. Spend the money on an AP, TMIC, CAI/TIP, and other go fast goodies, and then get that when (or if) you decide to to any suspension work, like the rear sway.

Suspension mods -- eventually. Those are my last priority. But the rear diff I want to do first for several reasons. First, peace of mind. I already worry about it because I launch the car a lot. Not clutch-dump launches -- always feathered -- but it's a worry point I want to eliminate so I can feel safe doing the power mods. It's also relatively cheap to do, and would be an easy one to slip past the finance minister.

Sounds like you've got quite the variety there at work. The GT is an easy kill until you get someone with a tune or next year when the 5.0 is back in them. STi's are a crapshoot, depending on mods.

I used to be the only one with a performance-oriented car. Then the Mustang came along. Then the Z4, the 335i, and the S4 should show up next week. I REALLY like the 335, and if I could afford it, would just trade on a 335 xi, but I can't. So bleh. And the guy with the STi is a tuner who is willing to help me out on all my installs, so that helps, too.

+1 on power mods first. intake, tip, tp, tmic and ap and u should be able to keep up with most of those cars at your work, and they are all super easy installs.

Again, I'll just feel better doing the rear diff mount first, since I do tend to launch the car a bit more than I probably should. I just like the pushed-back-in-your-seat feeling WAY too much.

 

[Stealth01]

WHoa....holy delayed double post, batman

 

[Stealth01]

you'll probably break an axel before the diff mount,and in most case it will probably the left rear axel. Feathering the clutch you'll be alright.

Great...so is there a fix for that?

 

[ms6acton]

you could just not launch the car... i kno i kno, not likely haha

 

[Reyan]

Great...so is there a fix for that?

Don't launch past 5500 rpm. I launched at 6500 and what a trill untill I heard a loud bang and the front tires started spinning like a FWD. lol. That's when the axel broke, the car car able to drive home.

 

[tunersteve]

I just don't see the point in launching this car unless you're at a drag strip.

If you want the seat of the pants power, go with the go-fast mods. If you're even considering the rear sway, you really should do it with the diff mount, if you're really set in your way. The amount of disassembly to get there is so large that you'll save yourself easily 4-5 hours by doing them both together.

 

[coyfish]

Launching is what makes this car fast . But ive only launched mine twice in 2 years now.