2007 Phantom Purple Mazda3, daily driver/road warrior

[philrab]

Philrab's 2007 Phantom Purple Mazda3, daily driver/road warrior

I've been lingering, offering a little help here and there, haven't posted much otherwise. Probably a little late, but here's a quick build thread.

My 2007 Mazda 3 marks my fourth Mazda (fifth, if you count my wife's 2008 3 sedan). I rack up 20+ thousand miles a year on a long commute, so comfort was priority one. No crazy mods, nothing extreme, just make the car more usable and comfortable.

Engine:
Spin on oil filter conversion
James Barone Racing RMM/shifter bushings/short shifter
DIY SRI/ modified airbox

Suspension:
Koni STR.t's with OEM springs
OEM Speed3 rear sway bar

Everything else:
TRS 5000k HID's
Lamin-X yellow fog overlays
Kenwood Excelon X997 head unit
Big 3 with Sky High Car Audio wiring
Infinity 6.5" components in the doors, coaxials in the back on a JL 320.4
Infinity 860W 8" sub in a custom ported enclosure; retired
Sundown Audio SA12 in ported enclosure(I do car audio work on the side) on a Kenwood 500rms mono amp
Redline Leather Goods shift boot, padded armrest cover, and e-brake boot

And the pics:

Where all the magic happens/my little shop

 

[philrab]

DIY SRI/modded airbox pics
Pretty simple, I just removed the resonator/snorkel and chopped the bottom of the airbox off. I was smart enough to leave all the mounting points alone, so this thing is rock solid. Cost me nothing, sounds much throatier under throttle, no downsides.

 

[philrab]

Newest addition. I wanted more bass than what a single 8" could give me. The 8 will stick around for times when I want some bass but need most of my hatch space. For when it's just me, shows, comps, or just when I want to be loud, I built this.

For comparison, it's on my bench next to the 8" enclosure. 2.15 cubes net, tuned to 33 hz. Sundown Audio SA12 on rated power.

Start with a slab of 3/4" MDF, power tools, and start making sawdust.

Strutted front the rear to prevent panel resonance. The front was later double baffled, and reinforcements were cut and glued into all the corners. Also ran a bead of Liquid Nails into all the seams. No leaks, and this thing is built like a brick shithouse. Weighed 50lbs + before the sub.

Tested before finishing. It banged hard, no port noise or nasty sounds/rattling. All good.

Three coats of truck bedliner, black Kyrlon in the port. All murdered out. May go back and add some purple paint splattered on to break up all the black, but for now.....

That is how she stands. The bedliner works with the all weather mat in the hatch and black carpeted panels. This thing absolutely runs a train on dubstep and rap, plays 30hz up to about 45hz crazy hard, but it's flexible enough that it'll work well with Alternative/Post Grunge up into the mid 60's without being too boomy or overpowering. Very pleased.

 

[agr99]

Beautiful. You have great taste in subs and have some skill with box making.im looking forward to how this turns out

 

[philrab]

Beautiful. You have great taste in subs and have some skill with box making.im looking forward to how this turns out

Thanks. This car is reaching a plateau, just not a whole lot more I want out of it. Painting the wheels bronze will be on the menu hopefully soon, beyond that just going to do some work and save some money for a sub stage upgrade. I'm thinking a Sundown Audio X series or ZV4 on 1.5-2K will finally satisfy me. Maybe. for a little while.