thanks for the heads up, i think i am going to hold off on the suspension upgrades until i feel out what the stock gear can do and what the car is currently capable and go from there.
First off the car spent the day at mazda, i had them turn on the smart turn signal option and have my auto lights come on slightly later. They also applied the xzilon interior and exterior protection treatment (see
http://www.xzilon.com/ for more info). More work tonight as well, installed the JBR power path stage II intake system (Short ram and TIP) along with some yellow fog overlays. First off the intake system not only installed super easy but the hardware is top notch (t-bolt clamps, knurled flanges on the maf housing, and large lips on the couplers). Improvement is huge, the car no longer runs out of breathe up top in the revs and pulls quite a bit harder.