question on "safe mods"

[bbychvz]

I'm a little paranoid with all the "set backs" that "can" be caused with modding the car. I'm really not interested in going "balls to the wall" with HP. So with that in mind what are a couple of SAFE setups?

I was thinking: CAI or SRI
CBE
BOV
& a boost controller set to "up the boost" only 2 PSI

Or: CAI or SRI
CBE
BOV
A EMS I only want to boost 2 PSI so would this be a waste?

Are these safe setups? Avoiding smoking turbos? & fuel pump issue's?(I live in Cali BTW)

Thanks for the info.

P.S. If this needed to be moved then please do so.

 

[Sacrilicious]

if you want to do "safe" mods, i suggest:

1. SRI - modest hp increase + turbo spooling sounds.
2. rear engine mount (inserts or aftermarket replacement) - smoother clutch engagement and less wheel hop.
3. short shifter/shifter bushings - faster/crisper shifting (as in just the shifter portion of shifting)
4. lighter wheels/wider tires - better acceleration and handling.
5. springs/sway bar - less body roll and firmer planted feel in turns and over bumps.

 

[jbiird317]

personally i think the BOV and MBC are not "safe" mods. I think the BOV is best when run in recirc mode unless your car has been tuned for VTA, so it is a waste of money. As for the boost controller, I wouldnt mess with that. THere are much better, safer ways to get extra power out of this car, especially if youre only increasing the boost by 2psi.

 

[Sacrilicious]

personally i think the BOV and MBC are not "safe" mods. I think the BOV is best when run in recirc mode unless your car has been tuned for VTA, so it is a waste of money. As for the boost controller, I wouldnt mess with that. THere are much better, safer ways to get extra power out of this car, especially if youre only increasing the boost by 2psi.

+1

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

Bunches of people have ordered the exhaust manifold. I'm waiting to see what kind of real world results guys start getting from that before I do anything expensive (although I have an MS-CAI and some would call that expensive - or at least over-priced). If the manufacturer's claims are close to real world results, it may turn out to be the single most effective mod we've seen yet that doesn't involve cheating the computer somehow.

 

[TurboWagon]

Not to steal your thread but I also had a question about a "safe mod".

This is my first ever Turbocharged car so my knowledge of certain modifications that deal specifically with the FI components is very small. However, I am REALLY considering upgrading the TMIC to either a 3" or 3.25" but I like my current exhaust. Will not upgrading the exhaust for the TMIC make for too much restriction therefore not being worth the modification?

Also, is this something I should even consider on a stock engine (even airbox)?

As far as my thoughts for the original thread starter: I dont think you can go too wrong with either the SRI or CAI as many have mentioned before me. Personally, I really love my K&N drop in but some people have problems with them being over oiled.

 

[bbychvz]

if you want to do "safe" mods, i suggest:

1. SRI - modest hp increase + turbo spooling sounds.
2. rear engine mount (inserts or aftermarket replacement) - smoother clutch engagement and less wheel hop.
3. short shifter/shifter bushings - faster/crisper shifting (as in just the shifter portion of shifting)
4. lighter wheels/wider tires - better acceleration and handling.
5. springs/sway bar - less body roll and firmer planted feel in turns and over bumps.

That seems pricey

why don't I just get rid of the BOV & stick with
SRI CBE & EMS. That's safe enough right????
springs/sway bar - I should add that though.

 

[redspeed]

You don't need a ems with just a sri and cbe. And the cbe is not worth the cost, just adds noise. If you want to be safe, just get either sri or cai and motor mount or inserts. You can add to that a little by removing one or two stock resonators to help the stock exhaust a little bit.

A tmic will also be safe with those mods.

 

[Sacrilicious]

if you wanted to stay with affordable mods, i would say:

1. SRI
2. rear engine mount
3. shifter bushings

that's the rough order of my own personal preference.

as redspeed says, the CBE is a waste of money if you don't touch the front side of the exhaust. all it will do is fart louder for you... for $500+, that's a LOT of money to pay for a noisemaker! (bang)

think about it this way: if you're blowing outh a straw and you cut off the lower half and replace it with a bigger straw, it's still going to be just as hard to blow through the thing because the first half is still restricting you.

 

[CX-7owner]

SRI
Mount
Forge BPV
=about 400 dollars.

 

[BluMicaR]

I'd say get an intake, an after-market exhaust with a high-flow cat that eliminates one of the stockers, and then wait for the COBB AccessPort, end of Jan middle of Feb. Your BPV upgrade is not going to give you HP ups for the $$, and it really doesn't do anything; if it did, it would just keep your boost pressure up while you shifted, and flat shifts can do that. Really, you'd still only need a 'constant' spool if you were racing Vin Diesel for pinks. Car spins up plenty fast if you're shifting in the right rpms.

As far as intakes, go CPE, Cobb, or Mazdaspeed. Let them say what they will, short ram and cold-air are just plain going to give you equivalent if only slightly different gains. At 30+mph the engine bay is NOT going to be 'hot' at all, unless it's summer, even then, c'mon. Funny how even in August when we were pushing 100 with sick humidity I could beat my car like I was racing for my life, and stop to pop the hood and my intercooler was chilled-feeling. That means there ain't a lot of bay heat emanating into the area until you stop for a bit; once you're underway again, that heats getting pulled out pretty efficiently.

 

[meha11]

Not to steal your thread but I also had a question about a "safe mod".

This is my first ever Turbocharged car so my knowledge of certain modifications that deal specifically with the FI components is very small. However, I am REALLY considering upgrading the TMIC to either a 3" or 3.25" but I like my current exhaust. Will not upgrading the exhaust for the TMIC make for too much restriction therefore not being worth the modification?

Also, is this something I should even consider on a stock engine (even airbox)?

As far as my thoughts for the original thread starter: I dont think you can go too wrong with either the SRI or CAI as many have mentioned before me. Personally, I really love my K&N drop in but some people have problems with them being over oiled.

TMIC was the first thing i did then ms cia second, see my sig for gains, you dont need the exhaust for a tmic.

EDIT. oh yeah, bov is NOT safe, not performance enhancing and just a waste of time and money.

 

[Sierra117]

TMIC was the first thing i did then ms cia second, see my sig for gains, you dont need the exhaust for a tmic.

EDIT. oh yeah, bov is NOT safe, not performance enhancing and just a waste of time and money.

Somewhere on here, one of the users (think it was Driver311, could be wrong) did some testing that our stock BOV leaks like all hell. If you get a proper replacement valve such as the Forge or possibly TurboXS BPV will work just fine.

 

[Sacrilicious]

ya, i want a BPV too, but in every video i see, all i can think about is the "ring ring" sound of a bicycle bell every time i hear it going off! (bang)

the stock bpv may be leaky, but at least it sounds sweeeeet with that MEAN pissed-off pew-pew every time i shift!

 

[USAF_TRobertson]

Safest Mods:

MazdaSpeed CAI (Does not void warranty)
MazdaSpeed CatBack (Does not void warranty)
Cobb AP (Does not void warranty if your not stupid)

 

[bova80]

try a 1g dsm bypass valve http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SskGaxay6wM

 

[Sierra117]

Safest Mods:

MazdaSpeed CAI (Does not void warranty)
MazdaSpeed CatBack (Does not void warranty)
Cobb AP (Does not void warranty if your not stupid)

None of it will void your warranty, period, unless it is directly related to the failure of the part. If you get hydrolock and bring your MS CAI car in and say fix, they will say ok, and then hand you a very nice bill for thier time.

 

[USAF_TRobertson]

None of it will void your warranty, period, unless it is directly related to the failure of the part. If you get hydrolock and bring your MS CAI car in and say fix, they will say ok, and then hand you a very nice bill for thier time.

You know what I mean, you will typically have less problems with a dealership with Mazdaspeed parts vs. other aftermarket companies.

 

[meha11]

Somewhere on here, one of the users (think it was Driver311, could be wrong) did some testing that our stock BOV leaks like all hell. If you get a proper replacement valve such as the Forge or possibly TurboXS BPV will work just fine.

I'm an instrument designer not a mechanic but here is how i understand it. We have a stock bypass valve (BPV) which re-circulates metered air back into the intake system.

BOV is an aftermarket valve (on our car) that vents metered air to atmosphere which is potentially bad for the car. I understand that this is marked at boy racers that like annoying sounds from their engine bay.

Writeup by rotus8 posted the other forum, i dont think he will mind (i hope not anyway)-

I would like to augment Boost's excellent description of turbo systems to include the bypass valve (sometimes called blow-off or BPV) function. I feel this is a mis-understood part of a turbo motor and an explanation is in order. I have added a few bits to Boost's diagram with his permission.



The bypass valve is there to solve a specific problem with turbo engines. Imagine the engine is running at full boost. The turbo is spooled up supplying lots of air through the intercooler, through the open throttle plate, and into the engine intake. Now, suddenly close the throttle. The turbo is still spinning madly trying to shove air into the intake, but it can't get past the closed throttle. The pressure in the intercooler and related tubing rises dramatically and the turbo is forcibly stopped, if it doesn't blow one of the hoses first. Not good.

The solution is the bypass valve which opens in this case and bleeds this excess air back to the intake of the turbo. This allows the turbo to continue to spin so if the throttle is opened again, the boost can build quickly again when the bypass closes. It also prevents the damaging high pressures and shock to the turbo itself.

The control of the bypass valve is quite simple. There is a hose from the intake manifold to the valve. Inside the bypass valve there is a diaphragm with the intake pressure on one side and the intercooler outlet pressure on the other. The valve opens when the intake manifold pressure is lower then the supply pressure by a set amount. This amount is about 15 psi for the stock bypass valve in the MS3. When the throttle is closed with the engine revving, the intake manifold pulls a high vacuum quite quickly; the bypass will open rapidly. Remember the bypass is sensing the difference between the turbo pressure and the intake vacuum (negative pressure).

Notice in the diagram the position of the hose returning the bypassed air back to the intake. This air is returned between the MAF and the turbo. The purpose of the MAF is to measure the amount of air going into the motor so it can inject the appropriate amount of fuel. When the bypass valve opens, the air from the intercooler is dumped back to the intake of the turbo, supplying essentialy all the air the turbo is asking for. The flow through the MAF is stopped because no more air is needed. This signals the ECU to stop injecting fuel into the motor because since there is no net air going in, no fuel is needed.

If a BOV is installed that vents to air instead of recirculating back to the turbo intake, the turbo will keep sucking air through the MAF even though none is going into the motor. The ECU thinks air is still going into the motor so it keeps injecting fuel. This unneeded fuel is wasted, and can damage the motor by washing the oil off the cylinder walls

 

[Sierra117]

I'm an instrument designer not a mechanic but here is how i understand it. We have a stock bypass valve (BPV) which re-circulates metered air back into the intake system.

Now we are starting to play semantics. Almost every kit on the market for our cars comes with the ability to run recir/partial recirc. You say BOV/BPV, I say BOV in VTA or Recirculation.