any mods to get better performance out of my 2012 Mazda 3 skyactiv

[chriscarroll319]

I'm looking for performance upgrades for my 2012 Mazda 3 skyactiv. I've been looking around online but have been finding many different opinions on mods. Any ideas for better performance?

 

[chrislitz]

I'm looking for performance upgrades for my 2012 Mazda 3 skyactiv. I've been looking around online but have been finding many different opinions on mods. Any ideas for better performance?

To pretty much sum up everything I've read online, your best bet is to stick with suspension upgrades. This includes a rear sway and perhaps a spring/strut upgrade. This is where you'll get the biggest effect for the least amount of money.

Mazda engineered the car pretty carefully power-wise. Corksport makes a short ram intake and exhaust for the car. The short ram from what I've seen seems to have low end losses and top end gains. The noise given to the car is nice though.

They also make a cat back for around $400. You can find YouTube clips of it to hear the sound. Power gains will be minimal, but you probably get just a few hp and, like the intake, the nice tone.

Overall, I'd say look into a rear sway bar, stiffened motor mounts, solid shifter bushings, and if you want more, check out the two corksport items.

If you are looking for other mods, look into HID headlights, window tint, wheels/tires, and LED interior bulbs. That's just a start. Happy modding and good luck

 

[JC79G35]

^I agree with the above comments.

Although the low end loss is not noticable as far as the CS SRI. Only thing I can see great about the exhaust is the tone and the possible weight savings.

 

[color0]

The CS SRI doesn't seem to make a huge difference on my car in terms of acceleration, but the 2-3mpg gain is completely worth it. Objectively I'm getting an extra 20-30 miles out of each tank, consistent with the readout numbers so far, which should allow me to fill up about 1 time less per 3 months. 4 tanks of gas saved is $170, that's the cost of the SRI made up in one year!

 

[JC79G35]

^I have a question, did you install the CS SRI the same time as your wheels? Only reason I ask is if the lighter wheels may have helped the gas mileage? I'm still on my fill up when I installed the SRI and now I just hit a half tank and got 235 miles so far on the 6AT Skyactiv.

 

[color0]

Nope, my wheels and tires are light for their size, but still 1lb heavier and 3" wider than stock. The rolling resistance is OK because the RE760 is not a race tire, but the aero drag at speed kills fuel mileage. I also have a rear lip spoiler which I haven't tested thoroughly but should be good for a -1mpg hit freeway. Just before the SRI I averaged 27mpg city and 35mpg highway at best. With the SRI in, I am so far doing 28-29mpg city and 37-38mpg highway, big improvements. Keep in mind I typically drive 70+ on the highway, if I stay below 60mph like I did today, I've recorded an uphill trip 39mpg and a downhill trip 52mpg! And I have checked my computer before for accuracy, so my numbers should be good +/- 1mpg.

Long story short, Mazda knew what they were doing with the Skyactiv engine, and if you un-restrict its airflow you can get some serious fuel mileage out of it. If you're interested, in two weeks I should be rocking a custom axle-back I designed specifically for max flow velocity, like the intake I expect to see at least 2mpg gains out of it and it should make up for its cost within the year.

 

[DarkRyder]

Nope, my wheels and tires are light for their size, but still 1lb heavier and 3" wider than stock. The rolling resistance is OK because the RE760 is not a race tire, but the aero drag at speed kills fuel mileage. I also have a rear lip spoiler which I haven't tested thoroughly but should be good for a -1mpg hit freeway. Just before the SRI I averaged 27mpg city and 35mpg highway at best. With the SRI in, I am so far doing 28-29mpg city and 37-38mpg highway, big improvements. Keep in mind I typically drive 70+ on the highway, if I stay below 60mph like I did today, I've recorded an uphill trip 39mpg and a downhill trip 52mpg! And I have checked my computer before for accuracy, so my numbers should be good +/- 1mpg.

Long story short, Mazda knew what they were doing with the Skyactiv engine, and if you un-restrict its airflow you can get some serious fuel mileage out of it. If you're interested, in two weeks I should be rocking a custom axle-back I designed specifically for max flow velocity, like the intake I expect to see at least 2mpg gains out of it and it should make up for its cost within the year.

can i see some pics of this when you are done?

 

[color0]

can i see some pics of this when you are done?

Literally in the same forum you just clicked into, dude.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123827420-Quiet(ish)-High-MPG-Axle-Back-Exhaust