Modifiying Right The First Time!

[King-k]

I'll be Purchasing the Following for my Mazda 3 MPS:


Rear Engine Mount
Front Mounted Intercooler Kit
Air Filter
Catted Downpipe
Cat Back Exhaust System
Colder Spark Plugs
BPV

My question to all is BRANDS???


Rear Engine Mount

Street Unit or CP-e?

http://www.cp-e.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/product_full/Paula/SP3Mount2_big.jpg


Front Mounted Intercooler Kit

No Doubt, I like Turbo XS

Air Filter

Cobb SRI or CP-e Ecel Nano?

Catted Downpipe

CP-e Is a definite MUST!

Cat Back Exhaust System

Colder Spark Plugs

Denso Iridium Spark Plugs

BPV

HKS Super Sequential Blowoff Valve or Keep Standard?

Oh, and like we all know a MPS isn't complete without a Cobb Access Pert!!!

 

[SallySpeed3]

all the brands you've listed would be good choices. my only reccomendation is don't do all those mods at the same time. Oh and save a few hundred bucks and explore the PG FMIC, or their piping kit w/ebay core. If you just like the Turboxs kit cause the core fills the whole grill, you could easily find a cheaper core that matches their specs.

 

[King-k]

How's the build quality on those PG FMIC Kits?

You know?

 

[SallySpeed3]

With the exception of the bracket which you don't even really need, the quality is top notch. Very happy with my purchase.

 

[anm6]

+1 from the PG kit, An dont forget about the Cobb DP's love mine. Catless tho

 

[King-k]

+1 from the PG kit, An dont forget about the Cobb DP's love mine. Catless tho

I just checked it out! Looks nice, might rather go for that!

Tell me, Anyone using a BPV (recirculation)???

Was there any major tuning involve? Did you do it yourself? How did you do it?

 

[Jackis]

Hey King-K!
I have MPS also, almost everything presented on US market, does fit european MPS.

RMM: I have SU mount, but TRZ dogbone have better price, you can get it from Ken@PG - http://protegegarage.com/1260-trz-dog-bone-rear-motor-mount-mazda3-and-mazdaspeed3.html
FMIC: go with PG kit (at least, get their pipings and ebay core - that would be the cheapest way). Somebody over here recommends CX-Racing kit, which is PG-copy but with some drawbacks fixed.
INTAKE: it's better getting intake along with turbo inlet pipe. PG has 200$ offer: http://protegegarage.com/1648-product-1648.html; CorkSport also offers smth similar: http://www.corksport.com/corksport-power-series-short-ram-intake-2007-2009-mazdaspeed-3.html
DOWNPIPE: if you want catted - some days ago some store offered here COBB-like catted DP for 500$. If you don't want to go catted - go with Cooper813 catless full-length downpipe for 250$ or less
CBE: I don't think it is worth of getting CBE at that point. AFAIK, CBE itself is not a restriction up until 330-350whp, all the restriction is in the downpipe area, where 2 catalytic converters are located.
BPV: Any. HKS, Forge, Greddy - wahtever you like. Even stock is not so bad.

Cobb AP is not compatible with european MPS, at least hal-fa-year ago. May be they did some magic and now they do support, but I don't think so.

 

[anm6]

I just checked it out! Looks nice, might rather go for that!

Tell me, Anyone using a BPV (recirculation)???

Was there any major tuning involve? Did you do it yourself? How did you do it?

Yea run the Forge BPV VER 1. Loved the sound before I did my FMIC.. LOL Yes recirct..

 

[MSMS3]

Do the intake first. CAI or SRI, either one will build about 20 whp more.

Stay with the stock BPV, at least to begin with. BPV change does not produce any more power. Too many stock BPV's have been replaced under the false theory that they leak any more than the aftermarket ones, or just because someone likes a different sound. Sound does not mean crap to me and quieter is better as far as I am concerned. Whatever you do, DO NOT RUN BPV/BOV in vent to atmosphere (VTA). Engine hates it. Performance and drivability get worse. Run full recirc.

Get a boost gauge. Get it now. Preferably mechanical. Better yet, get a Dash Hawk or similar data logging monitoring system.

CBE's do not produce power on this engine, at least not until you get fully bolted and probably not until you exceed the flow of the stock turobcharger.

A catless or catted dp/rp will address where the actual restrictions are located -- upstream of the CBE. Nice gains are possible there.

That FMIC may be nice, but I recommend you add it later after you get all the other mods sorted out and performing in concert with each other. In combo with the dp/rp the extra flow may push you into load cut.

You do not need colder plugs unless you are seeing higher than stock boost level or have gone up in total wheel horsepower by 50 hp. With both intake and with a catless dp/rp, you will hit about 18-19 psi under certain conditions and might justify one step colder plugs. Otherwise stay with stock heat range.

 

[King-k]

Thanks guys for all the help with this!

I'm from South Africa, so getting the right product to purchase at the right place is crucial.

What is the reason that the Cobb AP won't work on the MPS?


MSMS3, it truly sounds like you know what you're talking about.


I would like to run anything around 300whp - 400whp (I'm aiming for 350whp now, but would like to reach 400whp in the future)

This is what I think I should purchase, in this order... Please correct where necessary.

Engine Mount?
Dash Hawk?
Downpipe? (What would be the difference in reliability, tuning, etc. between the catless and catted?Can I keep my standard rear exhaust)
Sri?
Cobb AP?
Turbo XS FMIC Kit?
Maybe colder plugs?

I'll maybe purchase an BPV as an accessory later on. Was looking at Turbo XS's H-RBV (Which is FULL Recirculated) I like hearing the sound of my engine, not my BOV.

Please MSMS3 Help. I'm all ears.(bow) I would really like to get this right the first time.

Regards

Riaan

Thanx

 

[Darth Vader]

Rear engine mount, Intake, Dashhawk, Test pipe, then wherever your fancy takes you from there. Downpipe is a 7 out of 10 pain in the ass of a job, it's sort of the tipping point where people stop screwing around and get serious about modifying this car.

The Cobb doesn't support the Euro and Australian ECUs, they're different than the North American ones. The Hypertech tuner is a pretty good basic tune, that can easily support the mods above. Investigate here and at Hypertech.com. Prices online have been reaching the low 300s for this tuner lately, in the US.

 

[MSMS3]

Sent you a PM. AP will not work on Euro cars.

Hypertech may. Read the pm and check out the Hypertech threads.

I just installed it and have been playing with it for about a week. Have not posted on results until I can gather some objective data. Preliminary results are making me happy. Will not update my signature mods until testing is completed, but again, I believe this will prove to be a good mod for those looking for a modest bump above bolt-ons without taking the pro tune step or risk trying to self tune.

Edit: Just saw Darth's post after I hit send. +1 on what he says.

 

[King-k]

Shot Pete!!!

Keep us up to date with your Hypertech.

 

[Fenrir]

Just a heads up, to get to 400whp on this car, and to do it right, you're going to want to spend money. Don't cheap out on ANY parts. Your motor WILL explode, and it will be horrific.

Colder Spark Plugs
BPV

Rear engine mount: TRZ. Hands down. Don't even look at anything else.

Intake: I prefer the Cobb SRI to the CP-e, but that's just a personal preference. I doubt you'd see a performance difference on a dyno or otherwise between the two. Get an inlet from PG as well, best bang for your buck, they all do the same thing and Ken's is by far the nicest IMO.

Downpipe: Check out ATP's catted/catless downpipes. They're incredibly cheap, but very good quality. I've installed one before, just as nice as CP-e's or Cobb's.

Catback: Catback is pretty pointless early on, and won't really restrict you until much, MUCH later, but it can be one of the funnest mods. I have the HKS catback, and I love it. Sounds glorious. I wouldn't say not to bother, but just be aware your performance gains before big turbo with a catback are going to be negligible.

Spark plugs: One step colder after intake/downpipe.

Bypass: Stock BPV is a piece of garbage, and leaks by design, but what everyone is saying about aftermarket is accurate. I'd suggest just listening to what each sounds like (youtube can help with that) and pick based on that, as silly as it sounds. They'll all offer pretty much the same performance.

Front mount: PG FMIC kit is superb. TurboXS kit is MASSIVE and until you go MUCH bigger turbo is a complete waste and will actually hinder performance rather than help.

Do Standbacks not work on non-US cars? Check into that, because that's an alternative to an Accessport as well.

Intake/inlet/BPV is 100% the way to go for first mods.

 

[King-k]

What exactly do you mean by upgrading "Inlet" Fenrir?

 

[Fenrir]

Turbo inlet.

http://protegegarage.com/1644-pg-turbo-inlet-mazdaspeed-23.html

 

[MSMS3]

Bypass: Stock BPV is a piece of garbage, and leaks by design, but what everyone is saying about aftermarket is accurate. * * * They'll all offer pretty much the same performance.

Intake/inlet/BPV is 100% the way to go for first mods.

I have almost 40,000 miles on my car. I am running and holding 18-19 psi of boost on the Hypertech tune and before the tune had spikes to 20-21. I absolutely cannot make the stock BPV leak and do not believe for one minute that they "leak by design." There are guys on another forum running much higher boost on bigger turbos and still using the stock BPV because it does not leak.

Now, what it does do is that it is a bit slower on release and recovery than some of the aftermarket ones, so it is a bit more "driveability" friendly. You can get a sense of more "snappy" recovery with some of the aftermarket ones.

One reputable magazine, Grass Roots Motorsports, actually tested the stock MS3 (MPS) bpv against the Forge gen 1. They found that while the Forge allowed quicker recovery in the lower gears, the stock bpv recovered as well as the forge once you got into third gear and higher and guess what? It held about 1 to 1.5 pounds GREATER boost in those higher gears where it matters most. So I'm sticking with the stocker.

Also, the "liveness" issue becomes irrelevant in performance runs when you power or flat shift, because you don't loose all of your boost during the shift. You keep it on boil.

For every so-called "leaking" stock bpv, I'll show you an aftermarket bpv that is also "leaking." I'll also show you someone who just wants some eye candy under the hood or wants a different sound. That's all fine, but is no excuse for claiming the stock bpv leaks, by design or otherwise.

And I have yet to see any objective evidence that aftermarket inlet pipes add even one horsepower to the engine. I'd love to see some before and after TIP install dyno runs to prove me wrong. I just can't find the evidence. Sorry.

 

[Fenrir]

I have almost 40,000 miles on my car. I am running and holding 18-19 psi of boost on the Hypertech tune and before the tune had spikes to 20-21. I absolutely cannot make the stock BPV leak and do not believe for one minute that they "leak by design." There are guys on another forum running much higher boost on bigger turbos and still using the stock BPV because it does not leak.

Now, what it does do is that it is a bit slower on release and recovery than some of the aftermarket ones, so it is a bit more "driveability" friendly. You can get a sense of more "snappy" recovery with some of the aftermarket ones.

One reputable magazine, Grass Roots Motorsports, actually tested the stock MS3 (MPS) bpv against the Forge gen 1. They found that while the Forge allowed quicker recovery in the lower gears, the stock bpv recovered as well as the forge once you got into third gear and higher and guess what? It held about 1 to 1.5 pounds GREATER boost in those higher gears where it matters most. So I'm sticking with the stocker.

Also, the "liveness" issue becomes irrelevant in performance runs when you power or flat shift, because you don't loose all of your boost during the shift. You keep it on boil.

For every so-called "leaking" stock bpv, I'll show you an aftermarket bpv that is also "leaking." I'll also show you someone who just wants some eye candy under the hood or wants a different sound. That's all fine, but is no excuse for claiming the stock bpv leaks, by design or otherwise.

And I have yet to see any objective evidence that aftermarket inlet pipes add even one horsepower to the engine. I'd love to see some before and after TIP install dyno runs to prove me wrong. I just can't find the evidence. Sorry.

Stock BPV was designed to leak. Mazda said so, but what would they know they only made the car, right?

I'm sure some out there hold boost just fine, but it's really the exception in my experience. If Grass Roots saw the forge holding LESS boost, I'm willing to bet it was a defective valve or there was some other issue present.

 

[Darth Vader]

Easy, guys. It's an old debate and really not worth reopening. Lots of data is out there, both sides, people can make their own decisions.

 

[MSMS3]

Darth is right. We can debate this and laugh over a cold beer.

Here is the Grass Roots chart. I don't think either valve was defective. They just work differently. But if the Forge was defective, that would tend to prove my point that they all are subject to being defective, but the overwhelming majority of all bpv's including the stock one work just fine.

What the chart shows is that the stock valve is "doggy" or less responsive to normal shift release and recovery in the lower two gears, but holds boost better than the Forge after that. Those just happen to be the facts from the test.

So, there is something for everyone here. If you want a more lively valve for daily driving around town, the Forge will do that. If you want more absolute power, there is no advantage for the Forge and perhaps an advantage to the stock valve.

I just get ticked when hard statements are made claiming that the stock valve is a "piece of garbage" when it clearly is not, and may be superior to aftermarket valves for serious performance purposes, when objectively tested.

Beer anyone? If you find your way down my way, I'm buying the first round. BPV's are like women. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and they all get prettier at closing time.