Hey Guys... About to be a MS6 owner!

[all4bspinnin]

Im new to the mazdaspeed 6 community. I come from driving subarus... ive had a wrx and an 06 sti. Im very active on the suby boards with almost 5000 posts!! Ive talked to a few guys out at car meets and about a year ago i went for a ride in a mazdaspeed6 and loved it. I had my subaru at the time and i always told myself if i ever sold the sti, id get one of these cars... well... the day came a few months ago and i ran around with my in 440whp integra for a while. A guy from SC made me an offer for the integra i had to take... so at that point it was time to grab a new ride. I started looking at options and finally found the MS6 i wanted... pearl while, 06, 40k miles... picking her up this week for 14k ...not too bad since everyone here in florida wants to put a "sport car tax" on everything.

Anyways, just introducing myself. Thanks for reading.

Also... since im a newbie i figured id ask a few tech questions.

Looking to get an accessport... from my research their seems to be some drama going on. Is cobb ok ? what other tuning options are out there?

Who makes the thickest tmic? Ive read the stickies and i see ETS, Street unit, Autoexe, etc. from what it looks like, the ETS is the thickest and should produce the most power... its comming down between ETS and street unit... any preferance? any technical reason why one is better than the other?

it says in the stick to run a blow off valve... im not a big fan of these since they caused the subaru's to run terribly... Im assuming if i do get one, it has to be recirculated... correct?

Im also thinking about getting my exhaust manifold/turbo Pnp'd

thanks again!!

 

[ms6acton]

welcome! im a huge sti fan also. as for your techy questions i can only help you with the bov one. these cars run like s*** when u run them vta, so recirc is a must un less u tune other wise. most people run the forge bpv. it has a unique sound. kinda like mario is jumping around for coins in your engine bay..Ting!!

well thats all i got. welcome again!

 

[Donas64]

Welcome to the forums!

 

[Parad0x01]

Welcome to the forums! I'm actually going the other way...getting an 09 sti soon. Just a question since you know your stuff, what sort of problems does a bov cause on an sti? A buddy of mine bought an 06 with one already intalled & I keep telling him that I hear they're bad for the sti but i've never found out exactly why.

 

[chiefmg]

Welcome, you are going to love your new car! To answer some of your questions:

1) About Cobb, apparently there were some issues with people being idiots on other forums. One of Cobb's employees wrote a message that basically said they were done making new parts for the platform. A couple of days later, one of the honchos wrote another message (it is stickied on here in the Lounge subforum) explaing things a little more and apologizing for the abruptness of the previous message. They are still producing the AP for our cars, just changing the way they do tunes (if I am understanding it all correctly).

2) AFAIK, ETS has the thickest TMIC at 3.5". However, you will have some rubbing issues between the hood and the IC especially if you do not have any sort of improved engine mount. I have the 3.25", it fits fine and since it flows better than the stocker it is still a great improvement. I can't give any comparison between ETS and SU, there have been some reports from people of issues with ETS intercoolers having leakage issues due to poor QC.

3) These cars are set up for recirculation of the blowoff, so you will need a BPV. Some people are running VTA but you need engine management to do it properly. There are several choices for BPVs, the Forge as mentioned (FYI, they are supposed to be coming out with a new style that won't have the ping noise on release), TurboXS, HKS and probably a few others that I have forgotten. If you look through the various vendors who carry parts for our cars you will see what's available.

 

[Atreyu3388]

Welcome to the forums! I'm actually going the other way...getting an 09 sti soon. Just a question since you know your stuff, what sort of problems does a bov cause on an sti? A buddy of mine bought an 06 with one already intalled & I keep telling him that I hear they're bad for the sti but i've never found out exactly why.

BOVs cause the same problem on any car that has a MAF. It messes with fuel curves and the MAF is missing air that would usually be recirculated from the BPV/BOV. I don't know what ACTUALLY happens (like the technical explanation), but you'll get backfire which would be an indication that the car would be running rich.

 

[Killer]

welcome aboard

 

[Atreyu3388]

It's pretty funny that your just popped up on the Forum too because I am going to be checking this out this week:

 

[Super Shredder]

my friend just bought an 09 WRX and its as fast/faster than multiple stock STi's i have been in. Welcome to the speed community, get a BPV, 3.5 inch intercooler is too much 3.25 is great, since no one is raising the 400hp mark on the 6, you would most likely switch away from TMIC anyway if aiming for that type of goal. or Turbine Tech has a watercooled top mount intercooler with a much different setup, but THE BEST choice for any one of us i can imagine.

 

[Parad0x01]

It's pretty funny that your just popped up on the Forum too because I am going to be checking this out this week:

Haha black w/ gold rims is the exact same thing I'll be looking at shorty, only the 09...theres something quirky about the hatch but I like it.

 

[all4bspinnin]

nice!

thanks for the welcome guys!! i assumed these cars were MAF technology and BOV's shoot out the already metered air causing the car to run rich between shifts, buck, etc. Subaru's hate BOV's.

So the 3.25 tmic is the hit item it seems... Sounds like i'll be going this route. Im going to do a lot of research on the water cooled one as well. I have a friend on the forums that runs an air to water intercooler on his wrx that had really good results. A bit more TLC but it was def worth it.

Oh, btw, here is my old sti.

the car had:
HKS Hi-Power Catback
HKS downpipe w/ block plate over IWG side
PnP'd Exhaust manifold w/ big bore X pipe
TGV deletes
Pnp'd TMIC elbows
Turbo XS EWG uppipe w/ tial 44mm wastegate
APS cold-air intake
heatwrapped exhaust manifold/downpipe/uppipe Heatwrap FTW!
ECU Flash open ecu tune

Custom headlights/tail lights done by me ...I do these for the suby crowd
Maddad 60mm amber/matching boost gauge in AC vent
Spec C all black center console w/ JDM red hazard button

 

[tunersteve]

Welcome to the MS6 section!

First, I think you've got some great ideas on mods, but you should look into simpler things first. The rear motor mount, short shifter, and CAI/SRI would be the areas to quickly improve on. Once you get some decent mods under your belt, then the TMIC and AP would be worthwhile. Although, the AP will grow with your mod list, but there's more bang for the buck in the little stuff.

If you look around, there are several threads and lots of info on mods, and don't hesitate to ask.

Pics when you get it too.

 

[all4bspinnin]

will do!

quick question... do the intake systems mess up the stock tune? i know with the suby, certain intakes would actually cause the car to run lean. From what i hear the MS6 ecu is complex, but also pretty smart, so im assuming an intake just works better with the factory tune?

After hearing about the 07/08 sti;s blowing up after simple mods, im hesitant to just throw a short ram on the car without tuning...

ive always kinda gone straight for a stage 1 tune and had the tuner leave a little headroom for the next few mods....


oh also... just googled the turbine tech air to water tmic... that thing is awesome. Its a bit pricey but it comes with the pump & heat exchanger so its no too bad of a deal. As long as the car retains the stock bumper beam and requires no cutting it might be a nice option.

 

[ms6acton]

nice!

thanks for the welcome guys!! i assumed these cars were MAF technology and BOV's shoot out the already metered air causing the car to run rich between shifts, buck, etc. Subaru's hate BOV's.

So the 3.25 tmic is the hit item it seems... Sounds like i'll be going this route. Im going to do a lot of research on the water cooled one as well. I have a friend on the forums that runs an air to water intercooler on his wrx that had really good results. A bit more TLC but it was def worth it.

Oh, btw, here is my old sti.

the car had:
HKS Hi-Power Catback
HKS downpipe w/ block plate over IWG side
PnP'd Exhaust manifold w/ big bore X pipe
TGV deletes
Pnp'd TMIC elbows
Turbo XS EWG uppipe w/ tial 44mm wastegate
APS cold-air intake
heatwrapped exhaust manifold/downpipe/uppipe Heatwrap FTW!
ECU Flash open ecu tune

Custom headlights/tail lights done by me ...I do these for the suby crowd
Maddad 60mm amber/matching boost gauge in AC vent
Spec C all black center console w/ JDM red hazard button

such a sexy sti!! whyd u get rid of it ?

 

[all4bspinnin]

it was forcing me to stay at a job i didnt like. Also, since i was paying 641 per month, i was unable to finish college. I do miss that car... lots of good times!

 

[tunersteve]

will do!

quick question... do the intake systems mess up the stock tune? i know with the suby, certain intakes would actually cause the car to run lean. From what i hear the MS6 ecu is complex, but also pretty smart, so im assuming an intake just works better with the factory tune?

After hearing about the 07/08 sti;s blowing up after simple mods, im hesitant to just throw a short ram on the car without tuning...

ive always kinda gone straight for a stage 1 tune and had the tuner leave a little headroom for the next few mods....


oh also... just googled the turbine tech air to water tmic... that thing is awesome. Its a bit pricey but it comes with the pump & heat exchanger so its no too bad of a deal. As long as the car retains the stock bumper beam and requires no cutting it might be a nice option.

So far it seems as long as you reset the ECU by removing the negative terminal on the battery, your car will 'learn' the intake and give you a pretty generous gain in power.

Also, IIRC, all of the FMIC/TMIC setups don't require any reinforcement cutting on the vehicle, which is definitely a plus.

 

[all4bspinnin]

So far it seems as long as you reset the ECU by removing the negative terminal on the battery, your car will 'learn' the intake and give you a pretty generous gain in power.

Also, IIRC, all of the FMIC/TMIC setups don't require any reinforcement cutting on the vehicle, which is definitely a plus.

ahh... ok. So the ecu relearns its fuel trims to the new intake. Good to know!

Im a big fan of tmic's... i ran a fmic on the sti for a few months and didnt like it at all. You had to hack the bumper, and it gave the turbo a nice amount of lag. I put a tmic back on and never looked back. Thats nice that the ms6 doesnt require any cutting etc.

my plan is to keep this car simple, yet peppy when i want to mash the gas pedal.

thanks for the info... anything else i should know? i read the first mods sticky a few times... im going to go back over it again...

 

[chiefmg]

Steve pretty much hit the high points. There are lots of small mods that add up to a more enjoyable drive. It will all depend upon your focus for the car. Ask yourself what you want to accomplish and then go for it. I personally have a bunch of stuff that I have done over time, got most of them used so cheaper. It all adds up though, for me the car is awesome now and really opens peoples' eyes (especially those newer butch Camrys that try to follow me through corner!).

Oh, and don't ask me for my mods as I don't publish them. Steve knows them and can tell you I am pretty well rounded without being over the top.

 

[tunersteve]

Steve pretty much hit the high points. There are lots of small mods that add up to a more enjoyable drive. It will all depend upon your focus for the car. Ask yourself what you want to accomplish and then go for it. I personally have a bunch of stuff that I have done over time, got most of them used so cheaper. It all adds up though, for me the car is awesome now and really opens peoples' eyes (especially those newer butch Camrys that try to follow me through corner!).

Oh, and don't ask me for my mods as I don't publish them. Steve knows them and can tell you I am pretty well rounded without being over the top.

I had to pull teeth to find out what he had, but I can say that you've got one very well rounded car with a lot of similar ideas to my personal plans.

Like it's been said, you can shell out the cash for the AP and a tune right up front, but I would venture to say you'd probably enjoy the car even more if you built it in increments. You're obviously not new to the world of modding cars, but each car is a little different. How much are you looking to spend on mods right out of the gate? What do you want to accomplish right off the bat? That can really be your guiding hand in terms of what to do going forward.

 

[chiefmg]

I had to pull teeth to find out what he had, but I can say that you've got one very well rounded car with a lot of similar ideas to my personal plans.

I'm just biding my time to enter the ROTM and blow everyone away.