hello, got some questions.

[ptruong31]

alright so i previously posted a thread about deciding between a civic si and mazdaspeed 3...and im kind of starting to learn towards the ms3 but got some more questions. im a mod newb so please bare with me >< im very new to mazdas and most of my modding knowledge goes towards the civic. well my series of questions begins with...what mods do you guys do to your ms3? i know for a civic its mostly just i/h/e, ecu tune, and forced induction but thats up to the owner but i was wondering if there is more to that on the ms3? also does anybody know the piping diameter of the header and exhaust? i've searched and searched and cant find the diameter of the stock of header or exhaust. and this is one question that you guys probably answer a lot but here goes, whats your brand of choice for i/h/e for the ms3? i dont really want this thread to turn into a debate, just looking for information. thanks (hi)

*edit* i forgot my final question =X for recent customers of 2009 mazdaspeed3s in socal area...how much did you buy your ms3 for? i know prices should be dropping because of the 2010 model releasing...and anybody know when 2010 model will release btw? im thinking about purchasing the car within this or next month and i want to get the 09 for a good price. i know edmunds has the car for invoice at about 21.8k and i was thinking about pushing for maybe 21k otd or so...just wondering if its possible. oh, and also... i read somewhere that the ms3 comes stock with coilover suspension with adjustable height and dampening..can someone please confirm this? thanks again

 

[H3br3w_Ham3r]

alright so i previously posted a thread about deciding between a civic si and mazdaspeed 3...and im kind of starting to learn towards the ms3 but got some more questions. im a mod newb so please bare with me >< im very new to mazdas and most of my modding knowledge goes towards the civic. well my series of questions begins with...what mods do you guys do to your ms3? i know for a civic its mostly just i/h/e, ecu tune, and forced induction but thats up to the owner but i was wondering if there is more to that on the ms3? also does anybody know the piping diameter of the header and exhaust? i've searched and searched and cant find the diameter of the stock of header or exhaust. and this is one question that you guys probably answer a lot but here goes, whats your brand of choice for i/h/e for the ms3? i dont really want this thread to turn into a debate, just looking for information. thanks (hi)

*edit* i forgot my final question =X for recent customers of 2009 mazdaspeed3s in socal area...how much did you buy your ms3 for? i know prices should be dropping because of the 2010 model releasing...and anybody know when 2010 model will release btw? im thinking about purchasing the car within this or next month and i want to get the 09 for a good price. i know edmunds has the car for invoice at about 21.8k and i was thinking about pushing for maybe 21k otd or so...just wondering if its possible. oh, and also... i read somewhere that the ms3 comes stock with coilover suspension with adjustable height and dampening..can someone please confirm this? thanks again

Remember that this is a turbocharged vehicle so we have turbo manifolds. Now that we are on the proper terminology lets begin.

Intake:either a SRI or CAI should give similar gains. CAI will run the risk of sucking up water but that is very minimal. I chose a Cobb SRI and love it. Turbo inlets are also a simple upgrade that can add some power.

Exhaust: The general consensus is that the best thing to do is replace the stock downpipe. Some claim 40 HP from just that but I am skeptical as of now. Cat back exhausts add some noise but little power. Not many people with turbo manifolds yet but those who do have them are very fast. Catted downpipes are best to help ensure you don't have boost creep. I have not purchased one so I cannot comment on brand names.

Suspension: The stock suspension is not adjustable. Most people do only springs to lower their rides which can result in a bouncy ride. I went with a full set of coil overs which are damping adjustable and have front camber plates so I can really dial in my car. BC is the only company that sells them with camber plates. Mazdaspeed offers aftermarket coil overs but when they are 600$ more than the BC's and don't have camber plates I didn't see a reason to get them.

Other mods I'd rather not rant about: Upgraded intercooler, either a better top mount or front mount. High pressure fuel pump, upgraded bypass valve, reworked turbo, clutch/flywheel combination, short throw shifter, breaks, and spark plugs.

If you can think of something with a technical name that goes on a car a company out there makes an upgraded one for this car. You will drive yourself crazy with the options, the same as any other car.

 

[ptruong31]

Remember that this is a turbocharged vehicle so we have turbo manifolds. Now that we are on the proper terminology lets begin.

Intake:either a SRI or CAI should give similar gains. CAI will run the risk of sucking up water but that is very minimal. I chose a Cobb SRI and love it. Turbo inlets are also a simple upgrade that can add some power.

Exhaust: The general consensus is that the best thing to do is replace the stock downpipe. Some claim 40 HP from just that but I am skeptical as of now. Cat back exhausts add some noise but little power. Not many people with turbo manifolds yet but those who do have them are very fast. Catted downpipes are best to help ensure you don't have boost creep. I have not purchased one so I cannot comment on brand names.

Suspension: The stock suspension is not adjustable. Most people do only springs to lower their rides which can result in a bouncy ride. I went with a full set of coil overs which are damping adjustable and have front camber plates so I can really dial in my car. BC is the only company that sells them with camber plates. Mazdaspeed offers aftermarket coil overs but when they are 600$ more than the BC's and don't have camber plates I didn't see a reason to get them.

Other mods I'd rather not rant about: Upgraded intercooler, either a better top mount or front mount. High pressure fuel pump, upgraded bypass valve, reworked turbo, clutch/flywheel combination, short throw shifter, breaks, and spark plugs.

If you can think of something with a technical name that goes on a car a company out there makes an upgraded one for this car. You will drive yourself crazy with the options, the same as any other car.

so is cobb sri & replacing stock downpipe street legal in calfiornia? and thanks for your input btw you've been a huge help.

 

[8.5MS3]

so is cobb sri & replacing stock downpipe street legal in calfiornia? and thanks for your input btw you've been a huge help.

As of now i believe only their sri is CARB certified. biggest gains on this car really come from a tune. also with forced induction you will want some sort of device to monitor the health of the engine, dashhawk is the most popular, cobb ap has the same features but can only display one parameter at a time and allows you to tune the car yourself with access tuner race

 

[Wastegate13]

If you're looking to mod a car for power buy the SI as a daily and pick up something cheap as a project. You will save money by doing things yourself at your own pace and you will always have a nice, reliable car for your everyday activities. The single best piece of advice I can give you is not to go balls out with your daily driver.

PS: Bring on all the "I am fully bolted with a big turbo and I daily drive my car except when it's acting up or throws a rod out of the block and then I'm stuck making payments on a car that's in pieces in my garage".

 

[Nismothecat]

I dont think the Cobb SRI is Carb legal. at least when i bought one for my MS3 it wasnt.

 

[Wastegate13]

I dont think the Cobb SRI is Carb legal. at least when i bought one for my MS3 it wasnt.

It has recently been granted CARB approval.

 

[Nismothecat]

hey thats cool!!! couldnt find anything on thier website. but any CARB approved part is good news.

 

[H3br3w_Ham3r]

hey thats cool!!! couldnt find anything on thier website. but any CARB approved part is good news.

You can send a self addressed envelope to Cobb and they will mail you the CARB sticker. As for the down pipe I have no clue weather or not it is street legal in California. It is catted but I would ask some of our Cali owners.

 

[Nismothecat]

You can send a self addressed envelope to Cobb and they will mail you the CARB sticker. As for the down pipe I have no clue weather or not it is street legal in California. It is catted but I would ask some of our Cali owners.

unless it has a CARB sticker/number/exemption its not smog legal. with CA being broke they are cracking down on stuff like this to bring in a little extra money.

sometimes CA sucks.

 

[ptruong31]

If you're looking to mod a car for power buy the SI as a daily and pick up something cheap as a project. You will save money by doing things yourself at your own pace and you will always have a nice, reliable car for your everyday activities. The single best piece of advice I can give you is not to go balls out with your daily driver.

PS: Bring on all the "I am fully bolted with a big turbo and I daily drive my car except when it's acting up or throws a rod out of the block and then I'm stuck making payments on a car that's in pieces in my garage".

well i thought about the option of picking up a project car but to have two cars will kill me on the insurance so in the short run it doesnt work out well for me. im only 21 so my insurance rates having dropped low enough to buy two cars yet and also im not gonna fully tune the car to milk as much hp out of it as i can...i just want want to throw in some mods to make it a little faster more fun and maybe a little louder and possibly throw in a couple more mods down the road but i only project myself having this car for maybe 4-5 years more or less.

 

[ptruong31]

You can send a self addressed envelope to Cobb and they will mail you the CARB sticker. As for the down pipe I have no clue weather or not it is street legal in California. It is catted but I would ask some of our Cali owners.

if i were to get my hood popped and a cop looked at the down pipe, would he be able to tell it was modded?

 

[Wastegate13]

if i were to get my hood popped and a cop looked at the down pipe, would he be able to tell it was modded?

The downpipe is on the back side of the engine and I'd imagine that with the factory heat shields reinstalled you would be hard pressed to spot an aftermarket piece unless you were already familiar with the vehicle.

 

[ptruong31]

The downpipe is on the back side of the engine and I'd imagine that with the factory heat shields reinstalled you would be hard pressed to spot an aftermarket piece unless you were already familiar with the vehicle.

ahhh okay very good to know, thank you (cool)

 

[H3br3w_Ham3r]

ahhh okay very good to know, thank you (cool)

COBB

Can't operate behind bars!

RUN!(five-0)