MS3 modding Cliff Notes....what works?

[dommo_g]

When I first bought my MS3, I decided not to do any mods until I saw what other people are doing and having success with. Now the car is almost 3 years old, has 15k miles and I'm thinking maybe this summer I might start messing around. The big Mazda forum to me is just so hard to navigate, they have sooo many damn sections and subsections that I don't even go there. Plus I'd have to catch up on 3 years of what's been going on.

So who's a regular on the big forums? Who knows what's been popular, what's been proven to work and what products do people like? I'm just looking for a Cliff's Notes on what's working.

[erod550]

I've done a lot of reading on MSF.org. The general path for people doing basic bolt-ons and not going for 400whp is:

-Intake
-Turbo Inlet
-Downpipe at a minimum, full exhaust if you want
-TMIC upgrade or FMIC, up to you. You'll get more power out of an FMIC but you can run into cooling issues since it blocks the radiator
-Some sort of tuning device, most go with the Cobb AP or the CP-E Standback
-Upgraded CDFP internals or an upgraded pump with the internals already in there. KMD internals seem to be popular as well as PTP and CP-E already assembled pumps (you have to return your stock one as a core)
-BPV - there's lots of debate on whether the stock BPV is good enough. Lots of people claim it's crap and leaks but lots of other people are running 18psi on the stocker with no leaks. I'll admit I got one because I like the sound. It's my little bit of rice without going so far as putting weather stripping on the bottom of my car as a lip like some have done.
-Water/Methanol injection to keep knock at bay - The Devil's Own kit is popular and I think there are others. I haven't done a lot of research on this as I'm not sure if I'm going to use it.
-Exhaust manifold - Several tubular manifold choices. The DNP one seems to be pretty popular


And that's about it as far as bolt-ons go. From that point you can put a whole new manifold on and go big turbo, do forged internals, get all the flashes from CP-E and easily make 400+ whp, maybe even 500 if you want to and CP-E's recent "breakthrough" is all it is cracked up to be.

There's lots of talk about people blowing up on the forums too, even stock or with basic bolt-ons, but the general consensus is don't boost below 3000rpms if you can help it, basically don't go WOT in 6th gear at 55mph, keep an eye on your Knock Retard using a Dashhawk or Aerforce or other scan tool and make sure you don't have any KR at WOT. And get tuned to make sure your AFRs are safe as with any other car. Though the tuning isn't necessarily a guarantee that you're not going to blow. People have blown with and without tunes.

But that's the basics for now. With all of the above and an 18psi tune, most people at sea level are making around 300whp or maybe a bit more. I'm going to have all of the above except for an exhaust manifold and maybe meth (haven't decided) and I'm hoping for 260-270whp at altitude.

[Colombia28]

Been a member of 3forums forever. So here's a quickie

Mods i actually have:

- Cobb Intake (Or any intake for that matter): great first mod, actual noticeable increase in throttle response, hp, and tq. Turbo sounds also become audible = cool imo.
- Cobb Inlet (Or any silicon inlet): changes the sound of the turbo/spool, but in a good way. Makes intake to turbo 100% unrestricted. Slightly noticeable increase in performance, mostly in the midrange i feel.
- Cobb Short Shifter: i'll be honest. I am currently as of sunday having some major problems that i am certain are being caused by this piece. But i won't say its a bad part. When it was working it was great, i still love it, only i would love it more if it wasn't dieing on me. Fun
- Cobb Front and Rear Sways: not currenlty on the car, waiting for winter to go away. But i can tell you from reading the 3forums they are great
- Streetunit TestPipe: Awesome mod. Noticeable power gains throughout the rpm range, great added sound. Solid in every way if you are not ready for a downpipe.
- Streetunit Rear Motormount: Another good mod. Makes shifts feel more solid. Makes the motor feel more connected. Downsides (maybe) increased idle vibrations, but not enough to make it uncomfortable. One rpm over idel and the vibs go away, so they really are not a problem. Solid piece, and solid choice.
- Streetunit Shift Base Bushings: cheap mod to make shifting that little bit more pleasurable. Makes shifting feel better all around.

Mods i don't have to have knoweldge of others experience with:

- Cobb AP: Off the shelf maps are iffy. Some owners report great increases and no problems. Others report no problems but no noticeable increason in performance. Others report problems and no increases. Others report sparatic increases and problems. ect ect ect. Moral of the story is the off the shelf maps are, in my opinion, not to be trusted.
But, they did realse the tuner software, but i have seen little to nothing on the 3forums of peoples experience with it.
- cp-e standback: from what i read/hear is its good. Thats all i have on that one.
- Cobb/cp-e downpipe: terrific mod for the MS3, hp and tq increases by and average of like 30hp and 30tq or something insane like that. Great mod, but the downside is you will in almost every case need a tune. The stock ECU can't handle it in conjuntion with any other performance mods. Prob can't handle it alone either.
- BPV's/BOV's: touchy subject really. One side will say the stock plastic BPV is prone to leak, and bleed boost. Some say thats not true. Aftermarket BPV's have been "proven" to hold boost better and longer than stock. Not sure where i stand on this one. I am still running the stock BPV.

Thats all i can think of right now.

[erod550]

Ah yes, I forgot about the rear motor mount. Also a good upgrade. You drive a fairly modded SRT-4 so I'm sure you're no stranger to vibrations. I see a lot of whining about vibes on MSF but to me, the stiffer the mount the better. I put it on there to help with wheelhop so I want it to do the best it can at reducing that. It also helps with making the shifting feel more solid and I miss 3rd gear less now with the mount and the shifter/bushings. I also don't really have any vibrations except at idle with the AC on and when first engaging first gear or reverse, and I have the 90 Duro Race mount.

For shifters, I have the TWM shifter/bushings and I love it and haven't had any issues with it. Put it on at around 2500 miles and have 10k now.

[Colombia28]

The TWM Shifter is prob a better choice at this point. It's now cheaper and more readily available.

[T-time]

twm makes a great short shift. i have their one for the reg 3 and its wonderfull

[kingtut]

Great post and excellent info. I'd have to agree about the OTS maps. It seems like many times I'm reading about an engine popping, they were running an OTS.

I do plan on going with an AP. However, its going straight from the box to a trusted Tuner.

[milehighspeed3]

I think the 2 best for my money are an intake and bushings. Both are easy installs as made a big difference for me.

I have a blow off valve and am not really sure how much if any that helps. The turbo inlet is decent, but not a big difference like the intake.

I have the Cobb AP and am pleased with it, very simple to use and decent power. I have recently gone from version 2 to version 5 of the maps, but have not installed the new one yet. It also is helpful for reading and clearing CEL codes, as well as providing real time info such as boost control,ect...

[RedRoadster]

So here's a question.. if one does the FMIC conversion, can one also add an oil cooler / additional radiator to the spot where the TMIC was?

[Colombia28]

So here's a question.. if one does the FMIC conversion, can one also add an oil cooler / additional radiator to the spot where the TMIC was?

I don't know the exact answer to this. But, i do know of people running FMICs and oil coolers. If that helps.

Also to add to the list of parts i don't have but know things of:
- FMIC: great addition to the performance list. Downsides iv hear/read of are increased lag.
- upgraded TMIC: better than a FMIC in my opinion for this application. The unpgraded TMICs are shown to increase hp and tq by a large amount, though that may be on account of cooling the charge more efficently, but either way, increases are a + . Heat soak does not seem to much of a problem with these, but again this is all second hand info as i don't own one. I can say, that people say, lol, that (strange sentence) the 2.50in TMIC is to big, and air just gets "buffered" strangely in the small gap left between the top of the TMIC and the hood. Word is the best choice is a 2.25in.

[kingtut]

I think the 2 best for my money are an intake and bushings. Both are easy installs as made a big difference for me.

I have a blow off valve and am not really sure how much if any that helps. The turbo inlet is decent, but not a big difference like the intake.

I'd definitely agree with everything here. Except, I do seem to hold boost a bit longer with the upgraded BPV.

[Stealth01]

Don't forget the rear diff mount....Oh wait...never mind. Not a problem on your car.