I've got the CorkSport axle-back exhaust on my wish list for my 2.5L 2014 Mazda3, but I'm wondering how much highway drone results from its installation? I've had many exhaust systems on my cars. Some have had very little drone at highway speeds and others were pretty obnoxious. Since I have...
I've been driving exclusively in Sport-Manual mode for all driving except highway cruising and loving it. Makes for a much more enjoyable and engaging drive, and I've seen no significant drop in my fuel efficiency numbers in my spreadsheet.
My biggest beef as far as storage is concerned is that there is no good place to keep change. I have mine in a zip-lock bag in the armrest storage bin.
I think the Mazda Toolbox is only for updating the maps on the nav card. I don't think there is any way to update the software yourself. I would love to know if there is. I could update MyFordTouch on my previous 2012 Focus Titanium myself (and it needed it, several times!).
As far as how to...
Wow. That sucks, guys. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how comfortable I was on a recent 6,035 mile trip my son and I took around the country visiting multiple national parks. We had several 10+ hour drives. I have the leather sGT seats, though. I don't know how different the seats...
I'm cautiously optimistic. The real question is whether I will be able to resist the temptation to sell my beloved 2009 RX-8 and buy this new car, if they do it.
SRI intakes are still used on many modern race cars. I just took a photo of a Mustang with one at Belle Isle. They're loud, which is why you won't generally see them on an OEM car. Granted, I'm sure it doesn't make a ton of power, but CorkSport doesn't claim a ton of power with this intake.
That's an easy one to answer: BECAUSE IT'S FUN. The same reason people have modified their cars from the beginning. The same reason people modified all the old school cars from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Define "high powered car." Compared to most of those old school cars, this 2.5L Mazda3 is...
Uh, yeah, 50 hp is wildly optimistic. No way. I've been doing this stuff with every one of my cars going back to my 1997 V6 Ford Contour, including a heavily modified 2001 Focus ZX3 with 13 psi of boost and water/methanol injection, and have learned to heavily research just about everything I...
I suspect that the 2.0L and 2.5L, 16" and 18" wheels and tires all have the same overall diameter, if for no other reason than to keep parts and programming simpler for Mazda and their suppliers.
That would only be relevant if the car doesn't make enough power past that power peak to continue to gain speed. In any particular gear, engine speed correlates to one particular vehicle speed. As long as the car makes enough power past that power peak (at higher RPM) to overcome friction in...