Recent content by richashley

Bent wheel Check the Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists website. If they have a franchisee near you it should be fixable ... but it may cost $150. They should not have to remove the tire. If you need a replacement, check with Blackburns Hubcap and Wheel.

RB vs. axle back I had the axle back and hated it. It droned terribly, I hate to think what it would be like with my hard engine mounts. Get the RB if at all possible.

Redline MTL

The harder AWRs will make the car shake like a dog passing a peach pit, why would you want anything stiffer?

Agressive tread patterns will create more noise and vibration, although the typical all-season tire is not what I'd call "agressive". The steel wheels may also increase vibration because they are heavier than alloys and may not be as true. Why not go back to the tire store and ask them to...

One of the tires may have a bad belt or one of the rims may be out of round. Where did you buy them from? If you bought them retail, either condition should be covered under warranty.

The AWRs are good, but do all 4 and get the 70 durometer bushings if you want the car to be bearable on the street.

You've described the noise the same way I would have. It's just the increased vibration transmitted by the stiffer mounts. Based on my experience, I think you'd be wise to install the rear mount. Yeah, it's a pain. But without it I'm afraid the rear mount is overstressed.

Finally got everything installed I first put in an AWR front mount; supposedly a 88 durometer, but I'm not sure it wasn't a 95 because I got it from a third party. Increased the vibration a lot and helped some with hop, but seemed to make it easier to spin the tires. Then I added the AWR side...

Look at the Sylfex site referenced above. It's pretty much a plug in, as is the Audio Link from IL Motorsports (click on the British flag to translate to English and look in the "NB" section).

Intake air box The snorkle does have a number of restrictions in it that are probably intended as silencers. The snorkle can be opened up, it splits in half lengthwise (you have to force it some) and the restrictions can then be cleaned up and taped over. The tall vertical "box" attached to...

Removing snorkle If you look around, either on this site or on Mazda Forums there is a good discussion about modifying the stock air intake to actually get cold air (the stock inlet is in an area that doesn't get any fresh air). It should help and it is an alternative to just doing the SRI or...

K&N In addition to being reusable, a K&N's big advantage is that it works well, in some cases even a little better, when it's been in for a while. Paper filters, when new, will often outflow a K&N drop in, but after not too many miles the K&N flows better because it maintains its maximum air...

Plugs I vote for the projected nose plugs. They are fine with 87 octane and make a small but notieable difference. I just used the standard copper plugs because they are inexpensive and the plugs are so easy to change...why spend the extra for platinum, etc.

Thanks Thanks for the info. I'll let you know how it works when I get to it. Probably delayed a bit now thanks to the stone that cracked the windshield this afternoon. Rich