Balance Shaft Removal Kit

goldwing2000 said:
The 2.3L Ranger/Mustang/T-bird/Pinto engine shares absolutely nothing with the MZR 2.3L engine (besides two numbers and a decimal).
Hot rods won't sell to the masses (not since the 60's) and insurance companies won't cover them, so the factory doesn't bother building them anymore.
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I don't totally agree with the statements about. There are some similarities with the 2.3L Ranger.
And hot rods do sell.....SRT-4 and all of the other sport compacts are set to do pretty good too. Not to mention the new Mustang, Corvette and a few others. Unless you don't classify them as hotrods.
 
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Goldwing, I got ya on the 2.3L engine part, I'll remember that for the future. However, are you also saying that the balance shafts are just for NVH control to make the car "comfy" for everyone, and that removing them won't affect engine longevity?

In your opinion, how about in boosted applications? Problems there?
 
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mazda 6 has also done trhe conversion...balance shaft is just like the resonator and extremely soft motor mounts. Theses are comfort items for the majority of the consumers who don't wanna hear their engine or feel the engine. yes this is something you might wanna think about durring warrenty period. flukes happen and they do send your engine off to get examined to see why it blew. Like any mod there will be a verrrry itsy bitsy margin something could go wrong regardless. it's a mod worth while doing if you have a clue what you are doing. If you havn't taken engines apart before I wouldn't recomend you doing this by yourself ;)... hagardy covers older historic collectables and hot rods iirc...
 
The balance shaft are for NVH only the will not have any effecy on the longevity of the engine no matter which way you proceed to mod your car. That has been stated a million times. If you are not comfortable with that then this mod is not for you.
 
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AzMz3 said:
I don't totally agree with the statements about. There are some similarities with the 2.3L Ranger.
And hot rods do sell.....SRT-4 and all of the other sport compacts are set to do pretty good too. Not to mention the new Mustang, Corvette and a few others. Unless you don't classify them as hotrods.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying you're wrong but last I checked, the 2.3L ranger had a cast-iron block, dual plug heads and was a total slug. I see the new ones have an aluminum block and DOHC but are they the same family as the Focus engine? I'm genuinely curious, here.

And yes, hot rods do sell. They just don't have the same volume or profit margins as sedans, pickups and SUVs.
Some Corvettes could be considered hot rods but they don't sell much because nobody can afford them.
Most Mustangs are definitely not hot rods. Most of them are just two-door coupes with a very few that could be considered high-performance.
Same goes for Camaros and Firebirds. That's why GM gave them the axe, they couldn't sell enough to turn a profit.

To my way of thinking, good examples of factory hot rods would be the Viper and the whole SRT series from Dodge, Cobra-level Mustangs from Ford, Corvettes and maybe the SSR from Chevy and some of the various factory rice rockets.

But hey... that's just my opinion. Anything can be a hot rod in the hands of an inspired owner.
 
so ya, you guys have pretty much gotten this one covered... balance shafts are put there to reduce the noise and vibration of the engine. I've yet to see the MZ3s or even a diagram of them in that motor but I know that on the SpecVs people are getting even better gains and it doesn't beat up your oil as fast either.
the QR25DE has two of them that spin twice as fast as the engine (i.e. up to 12k rpm each) and froth the ever-loving hell out of the oil reducing its life but making the vibration lowered. JWT makes a great kit for the motor and people have seen gains as high as 9hp by using it and the baffle that replaces it.
so yeah in conclusion you remove the balance shafts you get less rotational weight, thereby making/freeing hp but you will void you engine's warranty if they notice it. its a great mod if you don't mind the risk but know that the risk is definitely present.
 
Hmm, okay i am totally wrong. I will admit that! Just the name "balance shaft" sounds important though and thats what i was going with. Emotion and not logic. :p

Boo to me for being an ignoramous.
 
goldwing2000 said:
The 2.3L Ranger/Mustang/T-bird/Pinto engine shares absolutely nothing with the MZR 2.3L engine (besides two numbers and a decimal).

The balance shaft was put on these motors for the same reason they used bubblegum motor mounts, inch-thick carpet padding, rubber-mounted steering columns, etc.
It's all to keep whiny yuppies from bitching about NVH. There is zero "value-added" in the areas of performance or engine longevity. In fact, as previously noted, both the balance shaft and soft mounts actually limit or even decrease performance.

It's the price you pay for living in the world today. People buy an economy car and expect it to feel like a Cadillac. If the manufactures want to sell cars to the masses, then they listen to the people who complain the most. Tuners/hot-rodders don't bother complaining to the companies, they just change the cars around to the way they want them. Hot rods won't sell to the masses (not since the 60's) and insurance companies won't cover them, so the factory doesn't bother building them anymore.

Life sucks, get a helmet.
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Good post. (headbang)
 
Dexter said:
Hmm, okay i am totally wrong. I will admit that! Just the name "balance shaft" sounds important though and thats what i was going with. Emotion and not logic. :p
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yeah it sounds like something that you'd want to keep! I did the same thing when I was starting to read into the balance shaft removal mod on b15Sentra.net. seriously, why do they screw with us like that :D
 
PhreakV said:
so ya, you guys have pretty much gotten this one covered... balance shafts are put there to reduce the noise and vibration of the engine. I've yet to see the MZ3s or even a diagram of them in that motor but I know that on the SpecVs people are getting even better gains and it doesn't beat up your oil as fast either.
the QR25DE has two of them that spin twice as fast as the engine (i.e. up to 12k rpm each) and froth the ever-loving hell out of the oil reducing its life but making the vibration lowered. JWT makes a great kit for the motor and people have seen gains as high as 9hp by using it and the baffle that replaces it.
so yeah in conclusion you remove the balance shafts you get less rotational weight, thereby making/freeing hp but you will void you engine's warranty if they notice it. its a great mod if you don't mind the risk but know that the risk is definitely present.
Click to expand...


Any links to the threads you are referencing? I'm just looking for all the info I can read on this stuff :D

Lets try to keep this thread on the facts, and leave the personal business out of it. No one wants this thread closed.
 
Dimitrios said:
Why did this thread turn into a 2nd grade pissing match? Grow up people.
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Agreed.

Useless, inflammatory posts deleted and/or edited.
 
well let's make sure it stays open by offering some good info/discussion on the pros & cons of balance shaft removal... :D
 
Interesting. I for one, would not even mess with the balance shafts, let alone spend my free time doing that for 3 hp/tq, that I won't even feel. Isn't there a better way to get that nominal gain?
 
I think the benefit to a mod like this is not so much of a gain in HP or TQ, but the ability for an engine to rev a lot faster, and that in turn helps you get to the areas of the powerband which do make the most power.

Am I correct?
 
Badger Biker said:
I think the benefit to a mod like this is not so much of a gain in HP or TQ, but the ability for an engine to rev a lot faster, and that in turn helps you get to the areas of the powerband which do make the most power.

Am I correct?
Click to expand...

Like stated by others that have done it. It is more of a drivability(sp) mod than a HP mod.

Then again this is not a mod for everyone. I like the effects it has and consider it too be very worth while.
 
mazda3zoom said:
i thought this thread was just locked??? cuz of this---> (bicker)
Click to expand...

Not locked. Just cleaned up a bit. (thumb)
 
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