HOW TO: Installing protegegarage's TMIC

[Nutari]

TOOLS NEEDED:

3/8" Ratchet
10mm socket
12mm socket

12mm Wrench (Gearwrenchs would be awesome)

#2 philips/10mm socket

Here is the ETS/protegegarage TMIC. Its so purrty.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/purrty02.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/purrty01.jpg


OK! Lets get to it. First off, remove the black plastic cover. (2)two 10 MM bolts
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/coveroff.jpg


Then, using either a #2 philips with a short handle or a 10mm socket, loosen the clamp on the upper ic hose.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/tophose.jpg


then take off the three 12mm bolts holding the ic down. One up top and two on the bottom.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/threebolts.jpg


then, take off the two 10mm bolts holding the bpv down. With that out of the way, you can get to the lower IC hose. Loosen that the same way as the top one.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/bpv-1.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/bpvremoved.jpg



Now you should be able to pull the IC straight up and out of the car. Turn it over and put it down one something that wont smash your fins (If you are planning on reusing it later) I rested it on a flat surface on top of some rags.


There are 4 10mm bolts holding down the _______ whatever pipe that the bpv mounts onto. Take those 4 out. 3 short bolts and one long one. Becareful not to break the black gasket, you will need to reuse it.


http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/4bpvbolts.jpg


now, put the gasket the new IC and bolt down the ________pipe.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/gasket.jpg

Now grab off the three rubber grommets from the old IC and put them onto the new one. This part is kinda hard as the holes arent completly round on the new ic.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/reusethesegrommets.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/pushthrough.jpg


Now you are ready to put it back in the car. YAY!

flip it back over and carefully line it up with the mounting bolts. push the top and lower hoses onto the ic first, then guide it down onto the mounting bolts.

tighten up the clamps on the hoses first, then re-connect the BPV with the two 10mm bolts.

now this next part is really tricky as the new IC has a wide plate/cover running aroudn it. The mounting bolts are all covered now so you have to maneuver the nuts onto the bolts with your fingers and carefully get it started. I dropped all three nuts many times before getting them on there.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/hardtogetto.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/hardtogetto2.jpg



I had to use a 12mm wrench to tighten them all down.

There, thats it! you should be all done. Now to take a spin and enjoy the ride!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/finished-1.jpg

Write up will come after this.


Comparison Shots

Old VS New

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/comparison02.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/comparison03.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/Deathwater/mazda/comparison04.jpg

[Nutari]

Installation:
Installation was really easy. About 30 minutes total. Simple hand tools only. almost ZERO fitment issues. I ordered the larger core (3.5") and it is just barely rubbing the black plastic venting on the hood. I am going to double check that everything is tightened down today and see if I still have that issue.



Test drive:
First test drive felt the same. I guess it had to take a little while to 'learn' that it could breath better.

After about 10 minutes of driving, I noticed that the boost comes up much faster. Acceleration from 50-100 is about twice as fast now. She totally feels like a new car.

I'd say that these two mods together(motor mount and TMIC) made more of a difference for the money than all the mods I did on my p5, which was more than $3000.

Definatly worth it for all mazdaspeed 3 owners.

Plus, you can switch it out in about 45 minutes if you are worried about warrenty work. (first) (first)

I'm going outside right now to wash her and put on her new badging.

[meha11]

excellent job there mate.
I am curious, how long did it take? can't wait for you to tell us what a difference it made....

[chowhoundMSP]

hows she feel with the TMIC on?

[Nutari]

(bump) for write up

[meha11]

i'm buying one!!!!

good info. give yourself a pat on the back.

[Nutari]

i'm buying one!!!!

good info. give yourself a pat on the back.
Its an AWESOME mod. first time I have bought something for a car and been REALLY happy with it.

Last thing I could rememeber buying for my p5 and actually being happy with it was the rims.. and thats just for looks. Performance wise, nothing I did to the p5 compared to just this mod alone.

[meha11]

i was being sincere, i am gona buy one. thanks.

[peanutsparts]

thats thihng is massive compared to the stock one.

[Nutari]

thats thihng is massive compared to the stock one.
yes it is. Until ken can work out the slight clearance problem (very MINOR rubbing on one corner) I would go with the slightly smaller core. I got the 3.5" core. There is an option for the 3" core.

[jbiird317]

nice write up man... sounds like your first impression is very good too. I am very interested in you're final assessment after having it for a few days.

Also, i may sound like a bit of newb here, but why the large plate around core of the IC, is this some sort of heat shielding?

[Nutari]

nice write up man... sounds like your first impression is very good too. I am very interested in you're final assessment after having it for a few days.

Also, i may sound like a bit of newb here, but why the large plate around core of the IC, is this some sort of heat shielding?
it takes the place of the black plastic cover and shields the wires from water and such.

[Captain KRM P5]

yes it is. Until ken can work out the slight clearance problem (very MINOR rubbing on one corner) I would go with the slightly smaller core. I got the 3.5" core. There is an option for the 3" core.

there is virtually no performance difference we have assessed between the two sized cores, so from this point on all that is being offered is the 3 inch core.

[Nutari]

there is virtually no performance difference we have assessed between the two sized cores, so from this point on all that is being offered is the 3 inch core.
Ok, sounds good.

I need to get my hands on a dremel and cut a small groove into the ducting. I took all the ducting off and its pretty thick. It could stand to lose some weight.. :)

[tsunami]

nice write up... uber jealous of a mod that added that much power. really want to trade in my 04 3 but i don't want to have to undo all the crap i have done... ugh

[RPI-Speed3]

Man, this is a tough decision. Like elderlycoffee, I have an extended warranty. Hmm, is there any way to get the stock engine cover to fit on this?

[Olestra]

Ehehe, so you can cover up the new TMIC? If that's the case then I doubt that the plastic cover would stop them from knowing it isn't the OEM.

[Nutari]

Man, this is a tough decision. Like elderlycoffee, I have an extended warranty. Hmm, is there any way to get the stock engine cover to fit on this?
no way will the stock cover fit its like.. twice the size!. Its a 30 minute install and you can take it off SUPER fast if you have to take it in.. no worries.

[L8R]

NICE! Now get spray paint and put 'ARC' on the top! hahhaa

[Nutari]

NICE! Now get spray paint and put 'ARC' on the top! hahhaa
heh..

or like..

GREDDY

yeah..

[k-lea]

thats thihng is massive compared to the stock one.
You should see the before and after with the Miata's stock IC and the new one.

Anyways, looks good man. You sure are slapping stuff on pretty quickly. You are almost at the pace I was when I first bought the MSM. CATCH UP!

[zoom-zoomhatch]

I don't see why this would even be such a big warrenty issue, or what would break that they could link to this?

[Nutari]

I don't see why this would even be such a big warrenty issue, or what would break that they could link to this?
nothing really. Thats why I bought it. Such a simple, easy to install mod that comes off in minutes if you are REALLY paranoid about warrenty work.

[gtwo]

If you don't mind me asking, what new badging are you putting on there?

[Nutari]

If you don't mind me asking, what new badging are you putting on there?
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123654959

[justa4banger]

so other than spool time, any HP gains with this mod? just curious

[Captain KRM P5]

so other than spool time, any HP gains with this mod? just curious

http://www.msprotege.com/members/Captain%20KRM%20P5/Run_2_Compare.jpg

[Drake13]

Do you guys know if anyone is coming out with a RAM Air hood to work with the TMIC?

[03.5MSP]

He he, the A/F ratios on the MS3 are about as amazing as the MSP ones.

[Mutmatt]

you should see the MS6's as well :) mazda likes to smell fuel when they punch it!

[Drake13]

Is it just me or does that power gride appear to be backwards (glare)

Why such a decrease after 4.5k RPM?

[dread]

Is it just me or does that power gride appear to be backwards (glare)

Why such a decrease after 4.5k RPM?

looks good to me are you talking about the a/f graph, because I don't see a drop off until after 5500 rpm's which is caused by the throttle control and is normal for a ms3, until someone come find a way to control the throttle.

[Nutari]

You should see my A/F ratio.. tee hee...

(first)

[Airmack]

stock hp at under 210? am i missing something here? I thought we have 260 hp?

[Captain KRM P5]

stock hp at under 210? am i missing something here? I thought we have 260 hp?

dynos read wheel horsepower, auto manufacturers rate thier vehicles at crank/engine horsepower. by the time you factor in parasitic loss through the drivetrain, the actual horsepower that is hitting the street is much lower than what a manufacturer prints. for example, a protege from the factory was rated at 130hp but most dynos put the car at barely 100 to wheels. this is where you will see abbreviations such as "whp" - wheel horsepower - and "rwhp" - rear wheel horsepower- etc etc. this dyno was also done on a mazdaspeed6, where the all wheel drive system will show more parasitic loss than a two wheel drive setup. you also have to take into account the type of dyno being used - a dynodynamics system typically rates lower than a dynojet or a dynapack style system, so on and so forth. these variations along with personal beef will often lead people to cry foul or cry BS when a dyno is posted, regardless of how accurate it may be as there are many factors which can affect a dyno result. the dyno's correction factor, the RPM at which sampling started, the climate - all of these and more are factors which can lead to dyno variation between two cars and even dynos of the same type and brand.
whats important when modding is not the number itself, but the consistency of difference between the baseline and the modded result. so if one car dynos stock at 200 and another 220, with the particular mod providing gains of 220 and 240 respectively, give or take a few, this shows that the mod provides consistent gains vehicle to vehicle.

for the record, on cobb's forums, the mazdaspeed3 dynoed stock at 215whp. i have had a canadian customer tell me his mazdaspeed3 dynoed in the same range on a different system.

there is also the case of factories overrating and underrating thier own vehicles from the factory. dodge claimed thier srt4 neons initially had 215 hp, yet when dynoed - even stock - the vehicles would show closer to 230 or 240 to the wheels! GM had the same 'issue' with saturn ion redlines/cobalt ss supercharged where they would dyno higher than rated. mazda unfortunately has a recent record of overrating thier vehicles. the rx8 was initially rated at 255 hp, yet independent testing showed that the number at the engine was around 238 hp. the same happened with the miata. it was worse on the rx8 automatics, where factory rated horsepower was adjusted to below the 200 mark. the severity of this error on mazda's behalf led to buyback offers and free maintenance compensation to thier customers.

sorry for the lecture, not even a fully comprehensive one at that, but it explains for those not aware why dyno numbers don't match the brochure - basically two different numbers at work.

[Evo Scooter]

Most tuners I have talked to say the same thing, look at the HP gain and not the actual # when you get a tune. Probably the only way to get RWHP (Real World Horsepower, call it artistic license) is to use a G-Tech or to calculate based on 1/4 mile runs. Even that will cause you headaches as you still have to account for environmental factors (Temp, humidity, altitude, etc.) if you want to post and compare the results.

The first time I dynoed my Evo I got 225-230hp on three separate runs with no mods, it was rated for 271. My last dyno with a intake, exhaust and tune netted me 278 HP and 297 TQ. I recently took out a restrictor pill between the boost solenoid and the O2 housing and picked up about 2 lbs of boost and I feel I have gained some more HP so I probably need to go dyno again.

From the looks of the graph it almost seems that the MS3s running out of breath at higher RPMs. I think opening up the intake and exhaust will do wonders for the car, especially at high RPMs. This is probably where the major changes can be made.

Anyway, to get back on topic. Nice install!! Thanks! I need to get one of these.
dynos read wheel horsepower, auto manufacturers rate thier vehicles at crank/engine horsepower. by the time you factor in parasitic loss through the drivetrain, the actual horsepower that is hitting the street is much lower than what a manufacturer prints. for example, a protege from the factory was rated at 130hp but most dynos put the car at barely 100 to wheels. this is where you will see abbreviations such as "whp" - wheel horsepower - and "rwhp" - rear wheel horsepower- etc etc. this dyno was also done on a mazdaspeed6, where the all wheel drive system will show more parasitic loss than a two wheel drive setup. you also have to take into account the type of dyno being used - a dynodynamics system typically rates lower than a dynojet or a dynapack style system, so on and so forth. these variations along with personal beef will often lead people to cry foul or cry BS when a dyno is posted, regardless of how accurate it may be as there are many factors which can affect a dyno result. the dyno's correction factor, the RPM at which sampling started, the climate - all of these and more are factors which can lead to dyno variation between two cars and even dynos of the same type and brand.
whats important when modding is not the number itself, but the consistency of difference between the baseline and the modded result. so if one car dynos stock at 200 and another 220, with the particular mod providing gains of 220 and 240 respectively, give or take a few, this shows that the mod provides consistent gains vehicle to vehicle.

for the record, on cobb's forums, the mazdaspeed3 dynoed stock at 215whp. i have had a canadian customer tell me his mazdaspeed3 dynoed in the same range on a different system.

there is also the case of factories overrating and underrating thier own vehicles from the factory. dodge claimed thier srt4 neons initially had 215 hp, yet when dynoed - even stock - the vehicles would show closer to 230 or 240 to the wheels! GM had the same 'issue' with saturn ion redlines/cobalt ss supercharged where they would dyno higher than rated. mazda unfortunately has a recent record of overrating thier vehicles. the rx8 was initially rated at 255 hp, yet independent testing showed that the number at the engine was around 238 hp. the same happened with the miata. it was worse on the rx8 automatics, where factory rated horsepower was adjusted to below the 200 mark. the severity of this error on mazda's behalf led to buyback offers and free maintenance compensation to thier customers.

sorry for the lecture, not even a fully comprehensive one at that, but it explains for those not aware why dyno numbers don't match the brochure - basically two different numbers at work.

[dread]

Its not running out of breath the electronic throttle control is pulling the throttle, according to CPE.

[gsxr75001]

so with all this said is the top mount even worth it, im kinda confused. i want to buy it but is it a big difference

[JimmyMac]

Well... mines on it's way!! Can't wait to get it!

[Captain KRM P5]

Its not running out of breath the electronic throttle control is pulling the throttle, according to CPE.

which we have control over now (the throttle plate) but we'll talk more about that later.

[zoom-zoomhatch]

which we have control over now (the throttle plate) but we'll talk more about that later.

What a tease!

[Captain KRM P5]

What a tease!

(humpleg)

[MadOzodi]

(humpleg)


(upyours)

We know where j00 work!!!!!

(smash)

Seriously though, I'll be up in Chi. in June and plan to visit the store and do some shopping when I'm there!!!

(drinks)

[chriscecc914]

will the ets tmic fit with a turbo upgrade? how much power will it support

[whitey4311]

No CAI yet?

I bet that combined with this TMIC would be tits!

[SPEED305]

i wanna know about a FMIC. that look has me SOLD!!