Mazdaspeed5!

[Donas64]

Not really, but close.

I was reading the latest car driver and they will be swapping the engine & suspension from a wrecked MS3 to an Mazda5 that mazda donated for the project. Performance figures and impressions to follow. Here is a link to the online article:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...atures_classic_cars/c_d_boss_wagon_vi_contest

 

[NCZ13]

this was posted earlier...

edit: but in the 5 forum i think

 

[Donas64]

I did a search and didn't find any links to it. I searched for mazdaspeed 5 and nothing relevant appeared.

 

[Mazda3]

Unfortunately I don't think a Mazdaspeed 5 would sell enough to justify building it, but I would love to see it.

 

[coolmazda5]

This idea is not new but who knows, with high gas prices and people going to "smaller" cars it may be a sellable thing, like the Opel/Vauxhall Zafira OPC/VXR

Thanks Donas64 for the heads-up, I saw you found the link below

Rest, it is also posted it here under the Mazda5 section, to excite the people mover crowd (naughty), LOL
http://www.mazdav.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123715283

 

[Olestra]

Lol, that thing will be ridiculous. Imagine getting blown away by an SAV. =)

 

[coolmazda5]

Lol, that thing will be ridiculous. Imagine getting blown away by an SAV. =)

"Did you hear and see that soccer mom car leaving the supermarket? WTF?" (drive2)

 

[coolmazda5]

A quick update on the MAZDASPEED5 project...

Allright.... here you go all naysayers, LOL (worth reposting here )

Awesome, it looks sick, although does not seem that bolt-on LOL

We knew that the engine-bay wiring harness from the Mazdaspeed 3 would have to be used in the conversion. We were hoping the connections aft of the fire wall would allow the Speed 3 ECU to function with the 5s remaining electrical architecture that controls the radio, power windows, air conditioning, and so on.

Not a chance. The layout of the body wiring harness is the same in both carsboth form a large H, crossing under the front seats with the same grounding locationsbut the makeup is so different that we realized the project would require the full harness of the Speed 3 to accompany the engine swap. The Mazda 5 uses a body control module (BCM) to talk to all of the electrical components, while the Speed 3 uses what the Mazda service manual calls a passenger junction box (PJB). Both counterparts include a computer to control the various functions, but they differ widely in shape, size, and electrical connections. The largest difference is that the PJB incorporates the cabin fuse box.

In both cars, the PJB and the BCM sit behind the glove box, but Mazda R&D said that substituting the BCM for the PJB would be next to impossible. By now, Barnes was already wondering what was happening with the project and why one of the guys responsible for wrecking his MX-5 in the Nelson Ledges race was in charge.

......

Initial acceleration results were, um, less than desirable because the engine stuttered at high rpm. The new front-mounted intercooler and aftermarket intake apparently were not agreeing with the factory-tuned ECU (we didnt want to cut a hole in the hood to feed the Speed 3s top-mounted intercooler). The 3549-pound project car stuttered its way to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds. Sheesh. The 379-pound lighter Speed 3 can do it in 5.5. Yikes! If its any consolation, at least our car can outrun a stock Mazda 5 manual by 1.7 seconds. Also, chassis performance shined. Thanks to its tire upgrade, our 5 needed only 165 feet, or two more yards than a Speed 3, to stop from 70 mph and held onto the skidpad with 0.88 g of grip, just 0.01 less than a Speed 3. With any luck, well get the engine software worked out. Look for improved performance numbers in a future issue.

Source:
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews..._boss_wagon_mazdaspeed_5_project_car/(page)/1

 

[Raynman]

Mazdaspeed5...For when the kids have to be in soccer practice NOW!

 

[TinmanMS6]

I'd hit it.

 

[Olestra]

Crazy!
I love the ghetto rigged cluster in the glove box.
I bet it 0-60 in under 7 sec with a different driver. =P

 

[R-X-R]

i dont think infants can take that much boost.,,

 

[coolmazda5]

i dont think infants can take that much boost.,,

LOL, but it would really give the booster seats a meaning (ricer)

 

[johnnyB5646]

Whatever, my baby girl loves the accelleration. She waves and saves "byes-bye" to the slower traffic

 

[CTt3P5]

Nice, I love the stance in that last pic. I'd push mom out of the seat to drive the kids to soccer practice.

 

[altspace]

Heh, I read this issue a few weeks back. Got it in the mail and started flipping thru pages when it caught my eye and said, "Wait a minute". Too bad all that work did not give them significant gains, however they were having issues with the COBB parts at the time so we will see.

 

[coolmazda5]

Heh, I read this issue a few weeks back. Got it in the mail and started flipping thru pages when it caught my eye and said, "Wait a minute". Too bad all that work did not give them significant gains, however they were having issues with the COBB parts at the time so we will see.

Yeah, same thing here, but I have the belief that if a known performance shop (i.e. Hennessey just to say a name) would do have done it, it would have been cleaner and faster (i.e. keeping the stick shift in the same position as the OEM, it is more ergonomic IMO) and would have found more efficiencies around to get more dough out of the engine.

Although it says that C/D magazine did it, C/D actually sponsored a community college (Washtenaw Community College) to do it as a school project.

At least somebody has tried it (2thumbs), I still doubt it is a commercially viable opportunity.

 

[tillyspeed81]

yeah... would it be probably more economical to just go with say F2's turbo system? The gains are probably pretty similar....but still I'm out to go pick up C&D....and read the entire article...(doughpoke)

 

[chapel]

Does anyone know what happened to this?