what should i do with my money!!?

[Pbo]

alright so i've had my 06 speed6 for around 2 months and im starting to get tired of its lack of mods, i can smell "stock" everytime i get into it. i've got around $1500 to spend and i'm debating too many options. please give me some input on what you think would yelid the most power/ best performance.
......i was thinking hks bov, ETS top mount intercooler, CP-E reflash & tune as the main choice.and maybe a CAI for the hell of it .... any suggestions would really help. im obviously relatively new to the speed6 world so any of you guys out there with some experience help me outttt

[mazdaturbo80]

(please contact admin for vendor status-VRMS6)

[nate0123]

[quote=mazdaturbo80;4127586]
soliciting business on this forum requires that you first become an authorized vendor - please PM Antoine if this is something you would like to pursue

in the mean time, please be mindful about not crapping on exisiting threads and please hold off on soliciting business until your AV status is approved and you have the blue text under your userid

[tunersteve]

In no particular order:

AWR rear motor mount - $80
Cold air intake (Fujita, used MS, CPE) - $300
Forge BPV - $155
SU test pipe - $130
Cobb Accessport - $695
TWM Stage 2 shifter & bushings - $200

You'll be running real nice after those mods. A little more than $1500 but you could easily take one of those smaller mods out and be just fine.

[coyfish]

Start with cheaper bolt ons like everything tunersteve posted. You should learn a little bit more before you purchase more epensive mods to make sure you dont waste your money.

As for the blow off valve. Mazdaspeeds dont work well with them. Get a bypass valve instead such as the forge bpv. You can look that stuff up using the search function.

[tunersteve]

I'd also suggest considering the dashhawk to replace one of those if you're interested in monitoring the vehicle.

If you drive the car a lot, the short shifter, shifter bushings, and motor mount will really improve the driveability of the car. You'll never realize how crappy the car feels stock until you try someone elses.

Like coyfish said, you'll run better with a BPV or BPV type setup. Forge, HKS with the fitting, etc. will work, but my philosophy is form over bling. Forge was the cheapest available from a reputable manufacturer and it gets the job done.

[speed6_dude]

(jacked) Sorry for the thread jack but i wanna hear more about this short shifter. The install, does it require a new shift knob, and who sales a good one!

[tunersteve]

(jacked) Sorry for the thread jack but i wanna hear more about this short shifter. The install, does it require a new shift knob, and who sales a good one!


(google) Search button is your friend!

Takes about an hour, no new shift knob, and TWM sells it. Don't thread jack anymore! (thumb)

Now, back on topic!

[speed6_dude]

Thanks and sorry once again!

[Pbo]

a motor mount was top priority before anything else, i actually just ordered AWR rear mount. and as for the TWM shifter and bushings, it seems you guys like 'em for a reason. i do drive the car alot so i think TWM setup will be a good mod that ill be adding real soon.
and as for the test pipe, tunersteve, i'm trying to keep the car as quiet as possible, if only they made an exhaust with a deep pitch similiar to the stock sound cruising under 2000 rpm, i love that sound
im gonna looks into the bypass valves also as you guys said bov arent as efficient

[tunersteve]

a motor mount was top priority before anything else, i actually just ordered AWR rear mount. and as for the TWM shifter and bushings, it seems you guys like 'em for a reason. i do drive the car alot so i think TWM setup will be a good mod that ill be adding real soon.
and as for the test pipe, tunersteve, i'm trying to keep the car as quiet as possible, if only they made an exhaust with a deep pitch similiar to the stock sound cruising under 2000 rpm, i love that sound
im gonna looks into the bypass valves also as you guys said bov arent as efficient

I installed the test pipe thinking it was going to make the car louder and you can't even tell a difference in sound. No drone either on the highway (took a trip from MI to SC with the pipe installed). If it does increase the sound, its not enough for me to notice it.

[coyfish]

Mine I thought got a little louder when you stepped on it. Had a different growl.

How hard is it to install the short shifter? People have said its a PITA. I really want one because the throw is killing me in the stop and go I do everyday to school. I also play a lot of tennis and my elbow kills me shifting on the way home. Also does the shifter require permanant work like sawing or is it removable ??

[tunersteve]

Mine I thought got a little louder when you stepped on it. Had a different growl.

How hard is it to install the short shifter? People have said its a PITA. I really want one because the throw is killing me in the stop and go I do everyday to school. I also play a lot of tennis and my elbow kills me shifting on the way home. Also does the shifter require permanant work like sawing or is it removable ??

Took me an hour to complete. You do drill one hole, but its nothing that will compromise the original shifter if you were to remove the TWM.

[coyfish]

Just 1 hole. I could live with that. No way a dealer will find that to void my warranty lol. Damn though an hour? Anything particularly difficult or are the instructions straight forward? What stage did you get?

[tunersteve]

Just 1 hole. I could live with that. No way a dealer will find that to void my warranty lol. Damn though an hour? Anything particularly difficult or are the instructions straight forward? What stage did you get?

All you really need to do is remove your center console. The instructions are very detailed and should be easy for anyone with little experience. Mine is the Stage 2 with bushings. If you install the shifter, the bushings should be a natural upgrade. Don't skimp out on the bushings. Trust me on that one.

[coyfish]

Thanks for the help appreciate it

[tunersteve]

Thanks for the help appreciate it

Not a problem. The Stage 2 lowered the shifter a little over an inch, but the throw is nicely reduced as well. I love being in 3rd-6th and shifting effortlessly. 1st and 2nd are nice, but once you get up, you can't even tell I shift it. It's a quick flick of the wrist to change gears.

[coyfish]

I really dont understand why these cars dont come with short shifters.

[coyfish]

Installed my short shifter. Took me 5 hours thanks to a stipped bolt that had to be hand sawed off and dumb instructions. Throw is nice but the bushings didnt really make things as crisp as i thought. 2nd gear still feels mushy.

[tunersteve]

Installed my short shifter. Took me 5 hours thanks to a stipped bolt that had to be hand sawed off and dumb instructions. Throw is nice but the bushings didnt really make things as crisp as i thought. 2nd gear still feels mushy.

Which bolt did you strip out? The car feels firmer, but not too firm. I went from a Kartboy shifter and bushings in a Protege to the TWM in the MS6 and I have to say I like the feel of the TWM much better.

[coyfish]

In the instrucions it told me to remove the "shifter cable." This is the shoulder joint ball in socket thing that the shifter connects to the rest of the tranny. Basically the instructions said to simply slide it off but on my car there was an extra plate on the side you are supposed to slide it off on. This plate was connected by a screw on the bottom. This cheap screw was in there so tight I knew it was going to get stripped. Anyway the pain was sawing it out of such a tight spot. My electric saw wouldnt fit in there so I had to manually saw it with a paper thin saw for like over 2 hours. Sliced my finger while I was at it. After that ordeal was done it didnt take me too much longer.

This is the only car ive ever really worked on and im learning as I go but there are engineers that make these clips. Its like they design most of the clips to be as cumbersome and impractical as possible. Hmmm where should we put this clip . . . how bout the bottom where you cant see it or stick your finger!

A bit frustrated still but I think i will start liking the shifter more after I drive it a few times. I love the 1 inch lower knob tho.

[simplymurderous]

if you want to save some money i have a used ets tmic, street unit boost tubes, turbosmart bov, magnaflow catback, and an injen CAI...if your interested in anything just let me know and ill give you more info and pics

[tunersteve]

In the instrucions it told me to remove the "shifter cable." This is the shoulder joint ball in socket thing that the shifter connects to the rest of the tranny. Basically the instructions said to simply slide it off but on my car there was an extra plate on the side you are supposed to slide it off on. This plate was connected by a screw on the bottom. This cheap screw was in there so tight I knew it was going to get stripped. Anyway the pain was sawing it out of such a tight spot. My electric saw wouldnt fit in there so I had to manually saw it with a paper thin saw for like over 2 hours. Sliced my finger while I was at it. After that ordeal was done it didnt take me too much longer.

This is the only car ive ever really worked on and im learning as I go but there are engineers that make these clips. Its like they design most of the clips to be as cumbersome and impractical as possible. Hmmm where should we put this clip . . . how bout the bottom where you cant see it or stick your finger!

A bit frustrated still but I think i will start liking the shifter more after I drive it a few times. I love the 1 inch lower knob tho.

Actually, I had that same problem now that you say that. I bored it out after I stripped it out, and didn't have to worry about it again. Glad you like the new feeling.

[coyfish]

Haha thx man. Yeah it was funny at the end of the instructions there was an asterisk. It spoke of this mystery part holding the shifter cable. Said "might be difficult to remove." Rofl thanks for telling me now stupid instructions !

[spd_freak]

I'm so glad I'm not the only person feeling that pain...
Took me a good 3 hours for the stage 2 install because of that plate mazda decided to build to survive thru nuclear warfare.
Can't tell you the amount of obscenities I yelled at my car.
Love the shifter anyways though.

Now I noticed you want to keep your car quiet. As much as I love my forge bpv... in combination with the cp-e air intake it is loud....very loud.
its not too noticeable with the stock box but add that cold air intake and it turns heads. I loved the products and would recommend them to you with no doubt but if thats not what your looking for you might want to wait for a short ram air? I dont have experience with them but I have heard...and i would assume...that because the mouth is in your engine bay instead of your fender it would reduce the noise.

just my .02

[chiefmg]

I also had the plate you all speak of on my car. Part of the problem is that the head is a metric Phillip's (or maybe Japanese, I can't recall). With mine, I ended up cutting off the head with my Dremel then unscrewing the rest from the bottom with a set of Vise-Grips. If I were to do it all over, I would remove the whole shift plate from the car (I like to see how little I have to do to make a job easier). It was definitely worth the effort though. I have a B&M short shifter on my Protege, and while better than stock it is nowhere close to the TWM on my Speed. Even my fiance likes it, the extra effort required to shift is more than offset by the reduced throws.

I have a Forge BPV w/Mazdaspeed CAI, and I love the sound. It is definitely louder than stock, I love how it turns people's heads when I go by (I am sure most think that my car is broken!).