More HP and MPG

LOL, that is probably not going to get much of a response unless someone has tied one on and gets crazy. There's not much to do, but there are some threads on CAIs and stuff like that. Search.
 
Push the pedal harder. Do you race your van? I think we've only floored ours twice just seeing what it'll do, but seriously, do some people buy this thing to race it or something? You can throw hundreds $$ at it in simple bolt-ons, but all you're going to achieve is a couple 5 ponies or so and probably hurt your low-end (most used) power. I've wasted money on vehicles in the past and have learned to spend my hard-earned income elsewhere, but then again, I have a family to haul around so I don't even think about these kinda things anymore. Sorry, I should have contributed to your question in some way.
 
The Mazda5 with the manual transmission is geared lower - it's peppier than the automatic.

The flip side is that the automatic gets better gas mileage at highway speeds ('06 through '10, the '12 has a sixth speed).
 
Power gains and cost go hand in hand. When you are dealing with I4, there is little to no gains with I/H/E. I haven’t been on the Mazda247 site long but I have not come across a single aftermarket ‘upgrade’ that is worth the cost. If you want noticeable gains it’ll cost you OR you’ll have to do your own work.

Here are some options.
1) Lose weight. Yourself and the car. Sawsall is your friend. Keep power/weight ratio in mind.
2) http://www.junkyardturbos.com/, Do some reading and research and join some turbo forums to start building your own.
3) Pay someone to build ‘something’ for you.
 
The Mazda5 with the manual transmission is geared lower - it's peppier than the automatic.

The flip side is that the automatic gets better gas mileage at highway speeds ('06 through '10, the '12 has a sixth speed).

While the 2012+ have a six-speed manual, it's rated for the same mileage as the automatic (21/28) and spins at higher RPM because of the gear ratios:

Manual = Final Drive (4.11) * Sixth Gear (.68) = 2.7948
Automatic = Final Drive (3.46) * Fifth Gear (.69) = 2.3874

So the automatic spins marginally lower than the manual, though the manual will obviously provide for more engagement and flexibility. I'm wishing I had gone with the manual now. Oh well, maybe in a few years I'll trade it in on a Sky-D or G 5.
 
No I don't race it but just we haul our twins and our daughter around and full of cargo it would be nice if I had a little extra in reserve.
 
I've seen a chip brought up in here in the last year. Expensive with not too much gain. Personally, would like to see 2 things: supercharger and a header/exhaust tuned to boost power below 4 grand. I know a supercharger robs power compared to a turbo, but power delivery is immediate and who cares about a 1% parasitic loss when you gain 15%. But, since the belt is on the wrong end of the engine from the intake, its just a pipe dream. Plus, where you gonna get a FMIC for it?
 
Power gains and cost go hand in hand. When you are dealing with I4, there is little to no gains with I/H/E. I haven’t been on the Mazda247 site long but I have not come across a single aftermarket ‘upgrade’ that is worth the cost.

I agree, the gains are marginal when you factor cost. My vehicle has a full exhaust that's even heat wrapped. Has an oversized port-matched throttle body (this gave the most noticeable gain, though we can't really do with the 5) and various other externals. The gains are there, but only in the upper rpm's. As you go through the modification process, it makes you want to put your foot to the pedal harder, so mpg will suffer as a result. Guess we just aren't happy with leaving things as-is, must do some Tim Taylor-ing.
 
like others have said, you will either get extra milage OR horse power, not usually both.

that being said, the Tripoint Engineering Mazda3 turbo kit WILL fit the mazda5 with very minimal modifications. (if any at all) that will certainly give you a little bump in power. a turbo kit could also give you a little bit extra milage on the highway, since the engine wont have to work quite as hard to pull the car around. not exactly cheap, but it would make for an interesting solution.
 
You can try advancing the timing like they do on the Mazda 3. There seems to be mixed reviews on the benefits on this mod, but it can easily reversed. Here is the video on the mod for the M3.

 
push the pedal harder. Do you race your van? I think we've only floored ours twice just seeing what it'll do, but seriously, do some people buy this thing to race it or something? You can throw hundreds $$ at it in simple bolt-ons, but all you're going to achieve is a couple 5 ponies or so and probably hurt your low-end (most used) power. I've wasted money on vehicles in the past and have learned to spend my hard-earned income elsewhere, but then again, i have a family to haul around so i don't even think about these kinda things anymore. Sorry, i should have contributed to your question in some way.

lmfao!
 
You can try advancing the timing like they do on the Mazda 3. There seems to be mixed reviews on the benefits on this mod, but it can easily reversed. Here is the video on the mod for the M3.


LOL, how about taking the tire off so you aren't having to get hurt and struggle? "Owww, ugh, uhhhh" Too funny.

So, first of all, how many horses or foot pounds are we talking about here? Secondly, I'm not a timing expert by any means, but it makes sense that when you change the timing from where it's supposed to be, that you're giving something up for anything you gain. If the valves are closed for less time to make use of a higher octane gas, doesn't that mean that it's not pulling in as much air?
 
The guy doesn't know what he's talking about. There is NO HP gain by advancing timing. Advanced timing has the effect of moving the torque curve to kick-in sooner in the lower end, which you trade off in the higher end. You can also quickly reset the ECU by disconnecting the battery and pressing the brake pedal for ~10 secs. This will discharge the current so you don't have to sit and wait 10 mins.

Here is a good read and also mentions some tradeoffs.
http://www.miata.net/garage/KnowYourCar/S10_Timing.html
 
...I'm not a timing expert by any means, but it makes sense that when you change the timing from where it's supposed to be, that you're giving something up for anything you gain. If the valves are closed for less time to make use of a higher octane gas, doesn't that mean that it's not pulling in as much air?

Silentnoise713 nailed it here, but just to shed some additional light for you. This modification changes the ignition timing by simply offsetting the signal to the PCM. What you are thinking of is valve timing, which is controlled by the camshaft. With our VVT (variable valve timing) engine, the PCM also controls the valve timing offset based on RPM and load, but the lift (how wide the valves open) and duration (how long they are open, including overlap) are fixed. The amount of air is basically fixed, though that does change somewhat as the PCM adjusts the VVT.
 
There is a guy sellling a full MSP setup for $1800 on the forum. All you would need is the AEM F/IC for $350 to control the larger injectors. With a little dealing, for $2000 you could easily pull another 50 HP out of the car. Any other mods are just small steps that wont give you what you want. I'm very much considering something like this for when my warranty is up. I would run 2-3 Psi for daily use and maybe 8 for when I need to move out in short bursts. You could always build your own "kit" too. Not sure what that would run but I bet you could build something for under $1000 if you tried!
 
Or save $4500 and get the Tripoint Engineering turbo kit.

What is this MSP kit anyway?
 
Last edited:
the MSP kit is from the mazdaspeed protege, and will NOT fit on the Mazda5 - completely different engines. not to mention that the turbo will be way too small.
 
Back