MS3 Starter Mods

dronizm5

Member
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2008 Black Mazdaspeed3
Hey I am looking to do a few mods to my 08 MS3. I have been looking around and I was wondering if I should put a BOV or a BPV. However, I don't know the difference. Can someone shed some light on this subjec for me? Also Mazda stopped selling the CAI made for the MS3, I am a little hesitant on using the CAI because I heard they can suck up water and cause some nightmares. So I wasn't sure if I should get a SRI for the car.
 
I went with the CPE cai,turbosmart recirculating bov, and im gonna try the
new full control computer reflash from CPE.
I would'nt worry about sucking in water with a cai, i live in Florida and we get
a lot of water here in the rainy season so far no problems. Stay out of 2ft
floods remember you drive a car not a boat.
 
the COBB SRI intake is HIGHLY recommended on this board... I just installed mine today and am VERY happy.. its also priced nicely
 
I am looking for the Forged BPV for the MS3 but I only see it for the protege is that the correct one or is there a site that states one specifically made for MS3.
 
Yeah, it rains all the time down here, and I haven't had any problems driving through water. Someone would have to be an idiot going puddle jumpin with their ms3. And yes they make forge bpv for our ms3.
 
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BOV is Blow-off valve. BPV is Bypass valve. These cars run best with a BPV because of the sensors built in to detect air flow.

The forge has received fairly good reviews on here, and its a good bpv for the money, but I like the HKS SSQV better. The sound of the forge is just far too annoying for me. The HKS SSQV with the recirculation fitting is a GREAT BPV for this car, and it sounds much nicer than the forge. Protege Garage has a great kit for it so that all you have to do is un-bolt the stock BPV and bolt this one right on. When I ordered a BPV last week, I got this kit from PG. It is a little more money, but I think it is worth it.

As far as the intake goes, there are a lot of good options, but I think an SRI of some kind is the way to go. Some people will say a CAI gets SLIGHTLY better results than an SRI which sits in the engine bay. However, the difference is really negligible. The COBB SRI is inexpensive and has received great reviews. I personally also like the HKS ram intake (but make sure you get a dry filter for it...not the yellow one which needs oil). It's very well-made. Both of these ram intakes will get you very good results, and the difference between them and a CAI is very small...not enough to really notice. No matter what, any new intake you get for this car will give you great results because the stock air box is so restrictive. In the end, it comes down to personal preference a bit, but I recommend either the COBB SRI or the HKS SRI.


Just as a note, another couple of useful inexpensive mods for this car would be a new rear engine mount, and a short shifter with aluminum bushings. A few companies make the rear engine mounts. I like my street unit one, but there are a couple of other options that give good results as well. In terms of the short shifter, TWM and COBB both have these available, and both are improvements over stock. The COBB one is cool because its adjustable though. If you get a shifter, also get the aluminum bushings that you can install...they make the car's shifter feel much tighter and more accurate. TWM and street unit both make bushings for the shifter.
 
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