TMIC/Accessport dilmena

[SallySpeed3]

Hey guys. As I'm thinking/daydreaming of the upcoming holiday season and the goodies that I'll finally be able to get for my speed3, an upgraded TMIC and the Accessport. I know that any upgraded TMIC (either SU's or ETS's) will give me about 20 extra horses and torque. From what I've read it seems that the extra power comes from about an extra 2 lbs of boost because of the extra air flow. So heres my question/dilemna. With the addition of the accessport, which is basically going to re-regulate my boost output, am I going to see those numbers from the TMIC go away or dwindle? If that's the case I'd rather put my 600 bucks towards a full downpipe or something else instead of the TMIC for now.

 

[8.5MS3]

The TMIC upgrade will help, however there is only so much boost you can push through the stock exhaust, this is what will limit you. the original protune I had on my car at 20psi cost me my cats. 18 seems to be the safe limit on the stock exhaust setup. I would go for the AP.

 

[CHICO2003]

Interesting dilemma. I have both and feel they're both easily worth it. Ideally, you probably want to leave the 'tuning' for last. Then again, with countless maps available for the AP that's not really much of a factor. Keep in mind that TMIC, while still providing a benefit, won't be nearly as beneficial in the cold winter months as it will be in the hot summer. Its ability to avoid heatsoak is probably its greatest advantage and being up here in the northeast, it wont' be until next May when you can REALLY see the difference it makes.

So all things being equal... I'd probably lean towards the AP. To my knowledge, the TMIC isn't going to increase the boost so that point is irrelevant. I could be wrong though... I did both at the same time so there's no way for me to know. Whichever choice you make, be sure to look around the FS threads first. Deals can be had. Good luck.

 

[SallySpeed3]

My plan was to get both the AP and the TMIC at the same time. I know I'm definitely getting the AP hands down no matter what. It's the next mod in line I'm not sure about, TMIC, downpipe, testpipe, just not sure....

 

[8.5MS3]

if your worried about the warranty get the TMIC. a downpipe will be a b**** to install/unistall for dealer visits and they can easily tell if you've wrenched the bolts. If not i would go downpipe.

 

[DAUC]

I came into this same dilemma in a way. I knew I wanted the AP but didn't know what was next. Like said, leave the pro-tuning for last. With that said, My choice was a CP-E catted DP. I wanted to stay close to some of the OTS cobb tunes until I could get the protune. The reason I chose the DP was that there is no OTS maps from Cobb for just an TMIC. Any maps with a TMIC also have TBE. I would probably go stage 2 before upgrading TMIC, unless you want to go FMIC, which Cobb has stage 1 maps for.

Not saying you cant use cobb maps and upgrade TMIC, you just wont be getting the full benefits.

FWIW, my next upgrade will most likely be FMIC..

 

[SallySpeed3]

I came into this same dilemma in a way. I knew I wanted the AP but didn't know what was next. Like said, leave the pro-tuning for last. With that said, My choice was a CP-E catted DP. I wanted to stay close to some of the OTS cobb tunes until I could get the protune. The reason I chose the DP was that there is no OTS maps from Cobb for just an TMIC. Any maps with a TMIC also have TBE. I would probably go stage 2 before upgrading TMIC, unless you want to go FMIC, which Cobb has stage 1 maps for.

Hmm, I was eventually going to get a downpipe. I guess I was thinking TMIC first just because I know it will be less of hassle to install, and I could do it myself. I would love to get the Cobb DP, but it's a little pricey. Would the corksport dp work with the ap?

 

[Wurf]

Hey guys. As I'm thinking/daydreaming of the upcoming holiday season and the goodies that I'll finally be able to get for my speed3, an upgraded TMIC and the Accessport. I know that any upgraded TMIC (either SU's or ETS's) will give me about 20 extra horses and torque. From what I've read it seems that the extra power comes from about an extra 2 lbs of boost because of the extra air flow. So heres my question/dilemna. With the addition of the accessport, which is basically going to re-regulate my boost output, am I going to see those numbers from the TMIC go away or dwindle? If that's the case I'd rather put my 600 bucks towards a full downpipe or something else instead of the TMIC for now.

Please explain how adding air flow after the turbo would increase boost? Boost is just a measure of restriction to airflow. If anything, the boost should decrease unless the reduced temps from the improved TMIC allow the factory ECU to provide more boost to the motor via the waste gate. I don't know if that's what typically happens with a TMIC upgrade.

 

[SallySpeed3]

I might have worded it incorrectly, but from what other members have told me with a TMIC upgrade, they see their boost lvls going up 1 or 2 lbs. after installation.

 

[DAUC]

Hmm, I was eventually going to get a downpipe. I guess I was thinking TMIC first just because I know it will be less of hassle to install, and I could do it myself. I would love to get the Cobb DP, but it's a little pricey. Would the corksport dp work with the ap?

I was just advising you on what I have come across with the Cobb AP so far. I paid enough money for everything to have it all work together. The TMIC would def be easier, I just did not see it as the logical next step for what I had, and you are pretty similar.

From what I understand, any aftermarket DP (corksport, cobb, cp-e, ebay...) will be better than the stock piece and allow you to run a cobb map with a TBE (stage 2).

Keep in mind that cobb's maps use a catted TBE, which is why I went with the CP-E catted. The Corksport one is a very nice piece from what I have heard, but is only technically half of what other DPs are. for a full corksport DP, you also need to purchase the test pipe. both are still cheaper than cobb or cp-e though. but you can tell the difference in build quality.

just for reference, http://www.accessecu.com/accessport/mazda/AP-MAZ-002/MS3Maps.html.

Also, if you're not in a huge rush, keep an eye out on the sale forums. I have found some pretty good deals there. Got a used AP and my CP-E dp from them, and probably saved around $450 between the two. Good luck!

 

[zx2man]

A after market intercooler regardless if its a tmic or fmic makes a pretty big difference on this car. So does a downpipe,with the downpipe being more so. Depends on what you overall goal is. Some good advise has already been given..going with downpipe-accessport right now will get you some pretty big numbers..but then keep in mind that it will be even more of a better idea to upgrade your stock tmic due to heatsoak issues. If you plan to protune your car in the future,the upgraded tmic does help..and dont worry about boost psi so much. the little k04 turbo in these ms3's make power and torque rather rapidly and are extremly effiecient. my 17 psi map is making 296 whp and 322 torque. My 15 psi map is making 286 whp and 310 torque...so you can see that by a difference of 2 psi..the power differences are there..but not that great...keep in mind that both of these power curves are very linear. Honestly im in the class of thought that when you start opening up the exhaust system on this car to free up the turbo for more power then you need aftermarket intercooling for the car to run at its best...bottom line..yes go downpipe and ap..but then be prepared to get a aftermarket tmic or fmic if your wanting the most potential out of your car. It boils down to whats your goal for this car? How much money do you want to spend? Goodluck SallySpeed.

 

[SallySpeed3]

Thanks for the replies guys. It's helped in my decisions. I'm going to go with the AP and some sort of DP, hopefully I'll be able to find some good deals on this forum.

As far as how much money I'd like to spend, after the AP and DP, I'll definitely be getting the TMIC come spring time. And after that, not a whole lot left I think I'd want to do other than some cosmetic stuff. Other than going forged and getting a bigger turbo, which I dont want to do, is there really anything left that will give noticeably more power? I want to keep it a daily driver, but a daily driver that can whip some ass on the road.

 

[8.5MS3]

Thanks for the replies guys. It's helped in my decisions. I'm going to go with the AP and some sort of DP, hopefully I'll be able to find some good deals on this forum.

As far as how much money I'd like to spend, after the AP and DP, I'll definitely be getting the TMIC come spring time. And after that, not a whole lot left I think I'd want to do other than some cosmetic stuff. Other than going forged and getting a bigger turbo, which I dont want to do, is there really anything left that will give noticeably more power? I want to keep it a daily driver, but a daily driver that can whip some ass on the road.

a good protune, light wheels, 2 piece rotors, SS brake lines and suspension work

every lb of unsprung weight is the same as 10 lb. every 6lb weight reduction is the equivalent of about 1hp.

sounds like ricer math. but less rotational mass = more power put to the ground

 

[Wurf]

I like the looks of the new Corksport intake system that utilizes the TMIC setup under the hood of the car as an intake to create a ram air. You run a FMIC with this setup and the piping does not go over the top of the motor - it would get in the way. Check their site for more info. A FMIC is more difficult to install than a TMIC but not as hard as the DP.

I would like to run that with the new PG exhaust manifold and a catted DP. You should be opening generous cans of whoop ass as long as you can hook it up. Not sure the AP will handle all that properly though.

 

[Wurf]

Never mind previous post. I went to the Corksport site and don't see any evidence of this intake setup I mentioned. It's like it disappeared. Maybe I have vendors confused but I could swear I saw this setup on their site as a new product.

 

[8.5MS3]

Never mind previous post. I went to the Corksport site and don't see any evidence of this intake setup I mentioned. It's like it disappeared. Maybe I have vendors confused but I could swear I saw this setup on their site as a new product.

I remember seeing that setup as well....

 

[SallySpeed3]

Nah you're right. Corksports FMIC comes with a ram air intake system, but I don't think you can buy them seperately. If I were to ever do the FMIC I would probably just go with PG's kit. But thanks for the info.