haha... well you have a point but at the sometime who cares? Why not make something that cost 90 percent less and is visually identical? Some people take pride in their creativeness and inventiveness and theres no reason to pay 100 + dollars for something that you can do yourself for 5.. I dunno about everyone else but i love making stuff for my car.. makes me feel like somewhat of a fabricator
Post your free mod ideas for the MS3
- Thread starter fourthmeal
- Start date
haha... well you have a point but at the sometime who cares? Why not make something that cost 90 percent less and is visually identical? Some people take pride in their creativeness and inventiveness and theres no reason to pay 100 + dollars for something that you can do yourself for 5.. I dunno about everyone else but i love making stuff for my car.. makes me feel like somewhat of a fabricator
mazdaspeed32007
Member
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- Mazdaspeed3
and they always put down the tar that gets "better" when people drive on it. the tar patches. you know what im talking about. sounds like rocks just waged war on your vehicle when you drive within 100 yards of where they "fixed" pot holes.
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- 2007 MS3
The patches made of those sticky little rocks that only stick to the underside of your car?
mazdaspeed32007
Member
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- Mazdaspeed3
oh man thats what im talking about. stupid ass idea. sounds like a lazy persons idea so they dont have to pack the s*** properly. it doesnt even flatten out. it ends up being a tear dropped bump. oye.
cosmetically, yes.
You really wont get anything out of it.. to some people it looks better and some people like the guard better.. but as far as performance increase nothing..
If anything you will be hurting your car because the guard protects the intercooler..
But really its just personal taste! i think it looks good either way
ditto, perfect fit
I noticed that on a friends Caliber SRT-4 they have a duct diverting air from a scoop on top of the hood down and back to the turbo, which is situated in about the same place as ours. Would our turbo benefit even the tiniest bit from something similar?
Oh, and I doub't the SRT-4 owners gain much from intakes, the stock one is pretty good, it has a cone filter and a ram-air duct running to it from the front grill.
Oh, and I doub't the SRT-4 owners gain much from intakes, the stock one is pretty good, it has a cone filter and a ram-air duct running to it from the front grill.
wardgillette
Member
Gutting your car for more performance? Yes, that will work. You take out the extra seats, spare tire, jack, power window system, a/c, door panels, stereo, headliner, dash panels, carpets and anything else that does not affect the engine, aerodynamics or structural integrity of the chassis. More horsepower/pound...Zoom-Zoom.
The first time I put mine on the lift I unbolted two of those damn NVH damper weights. One was bolted to the rear subframe, the other was somewhere up front. I think there was one under the hood too. 5 pounds of useless crap. I don't care if I hear that pebble I just ran over. My other car doesn't even have carpeting or door panels, this one still feels like a lexus to me.
Also, although it's not free.... it's a "free side effect" to something that most people spend money on anyway....
When you downsize your wheels to 17"(assuming they aren't heavier than the stock 18" wheels) your car gains performance from the reduction of rotating weight and the fact that the heaviest part of the wheel (the rim hoop) moved closer to the center, reducing the wheel's rotational inertia. Most people buy wheels for a visual upgrade, or to mount wider tires... and forget about the rotational inertia improvements that can be made. SCC magazine did a test on this about 8 years ago and found that a car (a JDM Evo 6 I believe) with 17" wheels was actually faster around a road course (by a consistently noticeable amount) than the same car with 18" wheels.
Also, although it's not free.... it's a "free side effect" to something that most people spend money on anyway....
When you downsize your wheels to 17"(assuming they aren't heavier than the stock 18" wheels) your car gains performance from the reduction of rotating weight and the fact that the heaviest part of the wheel (the rim hoop) moved closer to the center, reducing the wheel's rotational inertia. Most people buy wheels for a visual upgrade, or to mount wider tires... and forget about the rotational inertia improvements that can be made. SCC magazine did a test on this about 8 years ago and found that a car (a JDM Evo 6 I believe) with 17" wheels was actually faster around a road course (by a consistently noticeable amount) than the same car with 18" wheels.
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mazdaspeed32007
Member
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- Mazdaspeed3
minus the weight i wonder if throwing on a set of 17's would effect the gear ratio for the worse. i know this transmission has a really close gear ratio already and dont know the effects of rim size to gearing from experience.
Not if you size the tires properly. The tires affect the miles per revolution, not the wheel size. My tires are a bit undersized, I had them on the wheels from the last car I used these rims on. I'm sure there's a difference, but not enough for me to notice.
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- 06 LS MS6
07 BM GT (shell has been struck from the roll)
the heaviest part of the wheel is the black thing attached to it
slashsnake
Member
Anyone actually have any posted Dyno results or times on reg cat vs. gutted cat?
Most every car I've seen this attempted with has had the same result when they dyno'd. The science of it is this... higher turbulence of exhaust gasses through the empty cat reservoir, higher backpressure, and lower power output.
Not sure if it is any different with this car. Anyone have any proof of increase there?
Most every car I've seen this attempted with has had the same result when they dyno'd. The science of it is this... higher turbulence of exhaust gasses through the empty cat reservoir, higher backpressure, and lower power output.
Not sure if it is any different with this car. Anyone have any proof of increase there?
i just modded my airbox and am enjoying it. i first removed the lower half and zip tied the filter on, just to be sure it would be worth while. it seems to make the response a bit quicker around 4000 rpm. seems like the turbo is drawing air easier. so instead of drilling i used a jigsaw and removed almost the whole right side and the face where the snorkle was attached. this seemed to me to draw air from the wheel well and grill.
i also came across an edmunds review for a SEMA speed3 where they claim the stock airbox is there mostly as a sound muffler. it also mentions an aem intake that adds 3-4 hp peak, but 14 hp in the middle of the band. i don't think this mod adds as much, but it is noticeable, as is this slight increase in turbo/bpv noise.
as for those who suggest that this mod disrupts the airflow that the stacked coil creates, i would argue that the snorkle is a crap stacked coil and since it occurs before the filter, it is useless as a means of smoothing airlfow. any smoothing would need to happen post-filter.
a fun simple and free mod.
recommended!
i also came across an edmunds review for a SEMA speed3 where they claim the stock airbox is there mostly as a sound muffler. it also mentions an aem intake that adds 3-4 hp peak, but 14 hp in the middle of the band. i don't think this mod adds as much, but it is noticeable, as is this slight increase in turbo/bpv noise.
as for those who suggest that this mod disrupts the airflow that the stacked coil creates, i would argue that the snorkle is a crap stacked coil and since it occurs before the filter, it is useless as a means of smoothing airlfow. any smoothing would need to happen post-filter.
a fun simple and free mod.
recommended!
this is less of a mod and more of problem prevention: use some type of strong wire mesh (like chicken wire with smaller holes) to create a grill for the sub port.
the sub sits under the passenger seat, and when i first got my speed3 a passenger lost some coins from his pocket that ended up in the sub. i had to remove the passenger seat and the sub to stop the horrendous rattling they created.
so to prevent this from happening again i cut out a piece of sturdy wire mesh about the size of the port and simply pushed it in an inch or so. since the sub box is plastic and the port decreases in size as it goes in, the mesh bit into the box as i let pressure off and it sprung back. it has not rattled a bit and no more small objects have taken up residence in my sub.
the sub sits under the passenger seat, and when i first got my speed3 a passenger lost some coins from his pocket that ended up in the sub. i had to remove the passenger seat and the sub to stop the horrendous rattling they created.
so to prevent this from happening again i cut out a piece of sturdy wire mesh about the size of the port and simply pushed it in an inch or so. since the sub box is plastic and the port decreases in size as it goes in, the mesh bit into the box as i let pressure off and it sprung back. it has not rattled a bit and no more small objects have taken up residence in my sub.
SallySpeed3
Member
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- GT Mazdaspeed3, Cosmic Blue
good idea
