When is enough, enough???

[trobbins]

I have had my MP3 for about 2 months now. The only thing I have added is a MHP CAI. I religously read the topics on this site. My question is, when is enough, enough. I some what regret added the CAI as it seems to degrade the integrity of the car. I could not imagine added a $3000 turbo (It would be pretty sweet, I will admit) but then you subject the integrity of the car. I would rather have a good looking car that will last 100,000 plus miles then have a car that is faster but run the risk of blowing something up. The engineers at mazda overengineer the car to make sure it is strong, but they don't subject it to the extremes that some of these modifications will add.
Also, a car is in no way a good investment, you will never get a return on a $3000 turbo. If I were to buy a used car and saw someone had added a turbo to a non-turbo car I would think twice about buying it.

For someone that can afford to buy a MP3 and dump a ton of money in it and not rely on it to last them a long time, then fine, bolt on anything you want. But for the time being I need this car to last for a long time, and the best way to do that is to keep it as it is and enjoy what the people at mazda have given us.

Just my thoughts.

Tim

 

[derrick1623]

tim, i somewhat agree with you on this...my last car almost had 150000 miles on it.reliable as s***.that's what i hope i bought this time too. however, with all the extras and perks of the mp3...you'd think it would have more power, be faster, and for christs sakes,come with an alarm...so thats the things i'll be spending my money on. nothing too major as to blow my engine or anything; just something,anything to give it more umph.just my 2 pennies

 

[DooMer_MP3]

Tim,
I somewhat agree with you here. I think the problem comes with doing things the cheap way or doing things the right way. If you add a turbo, there is a lot of work that must go on besides just bolting the turbo on. Header, forged pistons, exhaust pipe, probably a better clutch. That is no cheap affair. I, for one, (if I ever fathom adding a turbo) would do it the right way. But I have no money to do that now, and it is way too early in our car's age to know what works well and what doesnt.

The only thing I can see adding in the forseeable future is a AEM short ram (or something else that gets good dyno results). From what I've heard, the AEM is a great solution due to the fact that its a sinch to install, and is nearly a CAI since the filter sits in the large gap behind the headlight. AND its under $200 .

All in all, I just don't have the money to keep adding things on, and especially to void my warranty. Maybe in 3 years when I'm making $65k, I will consider it. But right now, I'll take what Mazda gave us .

P.S. Just curious, in what ways have you found the MHP to degrade your car?

 

[trobbins]

Well, not so much to degrade my car, don't get me wrong I like the CAI. It just seems like it is another thing that could go wrong. I pretty much have it in there good now, but it is just another worry. I guess I am not disappointed with it as much as I was but part of me feels stupid for taking a brand new car and playing with it, kind of the idea of 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.' I just think that we already have a 'personalized car' meaning not many people have them. If i had a civic and there are 10 million of them on the road then maybe I would think about changing things to make it different. But for the time being I am happy with what I got. Except for the door ding I discovered yesterday.
Dent wizard can pull it for $140

Tim

 

[big_ben]

Hey Derrick, mine came with an alarm. But anyways, I too agree with not putting a turbo on right now. When you add a turbo to a car, it adds an incredible amount of heat to the engine. Not to mention a huge amount of stress to all of the factory engine parts. There is so much more that goes into nstalling a turbo on a car and making it not harm the engine. I just don't see the sense in buying a brand new car and then ripping the engine apart. A much better investment would be the FS-ZE engine listed on this site for $2000. Anyway, thats my two cents.

 

[ArcTan2x+k]

i agree with you guys....i dont wanna blow my warranty for 1st. then i am much thinking about buying esthetic things to my car , like a wings west bodykits and touring spoilers...and also put an exahust and maybe a CAI if there is one THAT IS MADE FOR THE MP3 not someone that will make it fit.

the Fz-Se engine is 2000$ how much hp? will it fit our car? and the SHIPPING PRICE!!! :mad: :mad:
will it avoid our warranry...?

 

[freekwonder]

thats why im going to leave my MP3 stock (no mods) and import an Escort cosworth to play with, plus i have the 6 year warranty on mine and dont want to screw it up. that would be a sweet pic a blue MP3 and a copper Cosworth

 

[Razhael]

i think it depends on each person tastes, or reasons why they bought this car. In my case, im truly dissapointed at the engine power, everything about this car is wonderful except this. Now, im not a speed freak thats gonna put 70 nos shot on the engine until my pistons blow away. I just want the car to move a little bit faster...

now, as i have said before, im not a car expert, but i have been considering everything, and i for a fact know, that for getting a turbo u need to prepare the car first( cat back, headers, clutch, flywheel, better pistons, etc..)

but im seriously considering the ze engine... i dont know.


in resume, if u bought the car as a base for mods, DO IT, if u want a reliable daily driver, just change tha oil and put some gas and let the warranty take care of the rest. its all in the tastes each of us have

 

[TonyMannn]

To each his own. Putting mods on a car to enhance performance is not a bad thing. It can be bad when wannabe's cheese thier cars out with gay ass stickers, or pretty much any thing you buy at Pepboy's or Autozone. If high quality mods are added in the correct sequence, and are installed by someone who knows what they are doing, It will be ******* sweet. In Japan mods are oem. Thus, our engines are capable of tremendous power, but it has to be done properly. Our engine is pretty much a stock 4 cylinder with a tweaked ECU and a pretty exhaust. People who throw a CAI on it, and think they can suddenly take off at redline at any given time are fooling themselvs. You need to prep the engine with stronger parts before you should ever race. keep in mind that protege's have never really been the target of modding by aftermarket companies. Dont throw the first parts that you find into the car. Our cars have been on the road for 6 months. We all saw what happend with the first experimental CAI by MHP. It was s***. The first turbo will be s***. The first anything that is released for our car will most likely be s***. Not to sound pessimistic as I am very eager to make a speed machine, but the fact is BE PATIENT!

 

[ArcTan2x+k]

totally right Tonyman!!!
personnaly...i'll wait till next spring for mods on my car...winter is coming!

 

[DuCKieMP3]

I think the best mods we can do to the car is to make it as close as possible to the japanese version... i think it is safe enough and we already know the parts are made for the car.. That is what I am trying to accomplish so far... I think the turbo is a stretch...the engine is so new ...play with it some more without taking the risk of killing it with some turbo kit that is not even reliable...