future mods on my mp3?

[rahne]

i have a few things i want to do in the future (most of this i probably won't do til i pay off my truck, but i'm planning now). in addition to the list you see in my signature, i also have a few things i want to do but am not sure the best way to go. also, if anyone can tell me if any of the future mods need to be done prior to another (i.e. should an upgraded exhaust come before an upgraded intake manifold, etc).

-autoexe big bore throttle body vs mental addiction throttle body

-B&M vs corksport vs TWM short shifter

-fidanza flywheel vs unorthodox racing flywheel

-indigo pulley set vs GT pulley set vs medieval pulley set

-unorthodox crank pulley vs medieval racing crank pulley

-magnecor ignition wires vs nology hotwires

-ARP head studs, do i need them w/the mods i have done/plan to do?

-does anyone know of a company that makes a supercharger for the mp3?

and from the list below, does anyone know about the SLR chip? does it really produce that much power? is the ACT street performance clutch really the ideal clutch for the daily driver who likes to have fun? anyone have the racing beat cat back exhaust? does it keep the same deep sound as the original racing beat muffler? and lastly, what motor mounts really give the least vibration?

sorry to throw all these questions out at once but i want to build my car by the subtraction method and need to know the best way to go about it...

[NCZ13]

spend your money on either a stand alone or a A/F controller.

you have a ton of mods you want to do, but when it comes down to it, the best bang for buck is a proper tune.

[Lukie91985]

What's an A/F controller?

I need an idea of what my first upgrade should be as well ...

[rahne]

What's an A/F controller?

I need an idea of what my first upgrade should be as well ...
correct me if i'm wrong NCZ, but i believe it's an air to fuel ratio controller? i'm not sure what the "stand alone" refers to tho. can you let me know NCZ, and head me in the right direction for these for my mp3?

[CulRidr]

i have a few things i want to do in the future (most of this i probably won't do til i pay off my truck, but i'm planning now). in addition to the list you see in my signature, i also have a few things i want to do but am not sure the best way to go. also, if anyone can tell me if any of the future mods need to be done prior to another (i.e. should an upgraded exhaust come before an upgraded intake manifold, etc).

-autoexe big bore throttle body vs mental addiction throttle body
Don't bother

-B&M vs corksport vs TWM short shifter
I love my TWM

-fidanza flywheel vs unorthodox racing flywheel
No experience here

-indigo pulley set vs GT pulley set vs medieval pulley set
Medieval is much cheaper and a complete set (VS only 2)

-unorthodox crank pulley vs medieval racing crank pulley
depends whether you want to go underdriven or not (Medieval made both at some point, but sells the non-underdriven in bigger numbers)

-magnecor ignition wires vs nology hotwires
Don't bother

-ARP head studs, do i need them w/the mods i have done/plan to do?
No need

-does anyone know of a company that makes a supercharger for the mp3?
It's been done a couple of times, going turbo is MUCH easier with MANY more parts (done hundreds of times)

and from the list below, does anyone know about the SLR chip? does it really produce that much power? is the ACT street performance clutch really the ideal clutch for the daily driver who likes to have fun? anyone have the racing beat cat back exhaust? does it keep the same deep sound as the original racing beat muffler? and lastly, what motor mounts really give the least vibration?
Never heard of an SLR chip
No idea about the clutch
RB catback is awesome (yes it keeps the low grumble)
Medieval motor mounts will give you the least when compared to other aftermarket products


correct me if i'm wrong NCZ, but i believe it's an air to fuel ratio controller? i'm not sure what the "stand alone" refers to tho. can you let me know NCZ, and head me in the right direction for these for my mp3?

you are correct, and a standalone is something that completely replaces your stock ECU

[Keno1542]

i have a clutch for sale that keeps stock feel, but can handle more than average driving style...click link in my sig if interested

[NCZ13]

an air fuel controller will make it so youll be able to tune your car to make the most out of your existing and future mods. You cant just bolt on parts, because the stock ecu will eventually not be able to compensate.

a standalone is basically replaces the OEM ecu. It controls everything, that the stock ecu would, but once again, your able to tune the car with it to make the most out of your mods.

If your serious about this car, the microtech standalone is a great one. Talk to Lord Worm, he uses it in his car and he loves it.

[Lukie91985]

Thanks for the response ...

That specific one is a little pricey, what about the Split Second AFC? Is this any good?

I see a lot of these show up for sale in the forums ...

[Tom03es]

The Split Second is good but I believe since it is only a piggy back controller, you can only tune it during OPEN LOOP ECU conditions. Any tune made in CLOSED LOOP operation will be overriden by the stock ECU maps.

[Lukie91985]

Well that sucks because I would probably have no clue what I was doing anyways ...

Maybe I'll just save my money, clean up the car a bit, and sell it for something already monkey'd with ...

[rahne]

an air fuel controller will make it so youll be able to tune your car to make the most out of your existing and future mods. You cant just bolt on parts, because the stock ecu will eventually not be able to compensate.

a standalone is basically replaces the OEM ecu. It controls everything, that the stock ecu would, but once again, your able to tune the car with it to make the most out of your mods.

If your serious about this car, the microtech standalone is a great one. Talk to Lord Worm, he uses it in his car and he loves it.
so a stand alone, such as the microtech, won't cause the check engine light to come on i assume, but will it allow it to come on when any codes are thrown just like the stock ECU?

[Tom03es]

Well that sucks because I would probably have no clue what I was doing anyways ...

Maybe I'll just save my money, clean up the car a bit, and sell it for something already monkey'd with ...
If I'm going to own a car that's been "monkey'd" with, I want to be the one that's done the monkeying. Trying to sort through someone else's mess does not sound like my idea of fun.

[Sveivo]

If I'm going to own a car that's been "monkey'd" with, I want to be the one that's done the monkeying. Trying to sort through someone else's mess does not sound like my idea of fun.

Word.

Stock > Monkey'd

[mx-p5]

If you want noticable power gains but aren't ready to boost yet

pick up an intake, header, highflow catted midpipe, and catback exhaust. I would say MP3 ECU, but, you've already got it! lol

And I personally love my TWM setup. i went full gorilla and bought the whole kit and don't have a single complaint, other than the dang knob gets COLD. lol


There is an AWR 4-2-1 header for sale right now too, one of the best made for our cars performance wise

Also a few catback and header back exhausts for sale at the moment.

[Sveivo]

TWM envy here.

[mx-p5]

Get off ya wallet and order then! lol

[rahne]

do you know of a thread on here that details what is needed and what changes have to be made to put the MS turbo on an mp3? or if there are any issues with doing it?

[mx-p5]

it's pretty much a direct bolt on if you can source all the parts.

plus your MP3 ecu for MSP ecu, or full standalone if you go that route



but be warned, go to the darkside and your bank account will vanish.

Stock side mount intercooler sucks, plastic intercooler piping sucks, stock turbo manifold sucks, stock MSP tune sucks

lol

[CulRidr]

do you know of a thread on here that details what is needed and what changes have to be made to put the MS turbo on an mp3? or if there are any issues with doing it?

As was stated above, just follow the exact directions for any other sedan, with the only exception that you'll be swapping your MP3 ecu (which will net you some nice cash for the project) for the MSP ecu, instead of a regular ECU. oh, and you'll have the advantage of already having a VTCS'less IM :)

[Lukie91985]

I thought he would need a new tranny ...

[CulRidr]

you don't need it, but some upgrades would be beneficial (upgraded clutch, an LSD would be nice, and then you get into the BIG bucks if you get into higher boost...)

[mx-p5]

yeah, cause when you start thinking, "Hmm, i got a tranny that can handle more boost. let's turn it up!"

your motor goes KA_PUT

[Lukie91985]

pick up an intake, header, highflow catted midpipe, and catback exhaust. I would say MP3 ECU, but, you've already got it!

So your suggesting contrary to what was suggested in that I should get the ECU first?

Esh ...

[mx-p5]

you have an MP3?

I have 2 protege5s that have crappy ECU's from teh factory, so, for an upgrade for me, i upgrade to what you have stock


But, if you further want to upgrade your MP3, yeah, full standalone will do that.

But, you WILL notice good gains with an intake, header, midpipe, and catback

[Lukie91985]

That's what I wanted to hear as those are much more affordable up front ...

Thanks!

[mx-p5]

in the long run, standalone costs about the same as all the other mods combined.

[rahne]

WOW. i've been checking through some of the sites i've found through the forum, JDM Sam's (***********************), protegegarage.com, corksport etc. there is so much more out there than i ever knew. who is the best member to talk to on here that can tell me more about all the cool shit available and what i need to do, and in what order, based on my wants? i appreciate all the info i received thus far, but i'm wondering if there's an engine nerd know-it-all out there that could head me in the right direction. especially now that i'm considering the turbo! i may have to re-think my whole game plan here...

P.S. to culridr: i was wondering if anyone would take my list and break down each part? i totally missed your post doing just that until now, lol! thanks...

[mx-p5]

What parts list are you looking for? If you have any questions about going turbo, make yourself comfortable in the Mazdaspeed Protege section.

Those guys have been pushing the limits, and breaking them with thier cars.

And considering the block is the same, it'll all be applicable to you too

[CulRidr]

99.99% of the questions you might have will have been answered before, so if you have one, just search for it (although it's not always easy to find what you are looking for).

[zoomin MP3]

Hey Lukie, the Split Second Air Fuel Controller is probably something you should look into. It's a "piggyback" unit, so it only allows you to do so much tuning. Your air fuel ratio can be adjusted in 500 rpm increments, and as stated before, only in open loop. When the car is opperating in "closed loop" it's going for the most efficiency in emissions/gas mileage. Jamesk did A LOT of research and communicating with Split second about using their AFC to tune a naturally aspirated car (the unit was originally designed to be used on the MSP only). He even has maps on here that you can load onto the software to get yourself a good tune to start with. Plus any local tuning shop should be able to hook it up and tune it for you without much trouble. Our cars run quite rich under full throttle situations and if you can lean it out a little, you'll notice big gains in power while still having great reliability.

I was personally going to go with this unit because of the price and ease of use. However, I had extra money and came across a great deal and ended up buying the microtech.

[rahne]

thanks pro and cul. like i originally said, i think i'm going to pay off my truck before i do any more major mods (then just get a nice-sized personal loan and do it all at once), so i have some time. i'll just keep searching through all these great threads and seeing what others have done and have to say about it! i appreciate the help...

[zoomin MP3]

Oh yeah, and Rahne, I agree with everything culridr said. Do some looking around on this forum in different threads relating to stuff you're interested in and you'll find so much info it'll take weeks to get it sorted.

One thing to keep in mind if any of you MP3 owners do go turbo though. Don't use the MSP ecu. The MSP's came with 4 wheel ABS and the ecu has those sensors integrated into the speedo signal. If the ecu is not receiving a signal from the tranny sensor AND the wheel sensors (which our MP3's don't have) your speedo isn't going to work. Buy a very cheap P5 ecu (without ABS) and get at the very least a piggyback Fuel and Timing controller.

-autoexe big bore throttle body vs mental addiction throttle body. Read some posts by LordWorm in the NA tune section about this stuff. A bigger throttle body strapped to OUR stock motor would most likely LOSE power.

-B&M vs corksport vs TWM short shifter. B&M is hard to find for our cars now. TWM is what I have and love it. It's a bit stiff at first, but once it breaks in it's a joy to use. It's also the shortest throw of any aftermarket shifter for our cars.

-fidanza flywheel vs unorthodox racing flywheel. Heard of several ppl on here with the fidanza, haven't heard anyting about the UR flywheel.

-I have the full set (4) of medieval's pullies and love them.

-unorthodox crank pulley vs medieval racing crank pulley. I prefer the stock size of the medieval pulley because it saves a ton of weight without any worry about not spinning the PS pump/ water pump/ alternator enough due to underdriving (which is what the UR pulley does)

-magnecor ignition wires vs nology hotwires are not necessary

-ARP head studs aren't necessary at this point.

-There is currently no supercharger kit for the protege. There are a couple running around, but they're all completely custom. I'm kind of looking into retrofitting a centrifugal style SC kit for a honda to fit our engines. It'll be at least another year though before I can have enough money to get serious.

-Never heard of the SLR chip. Where'd you see it. What does it claim? Where does it hook up?

-The motor mounts that put the least amount of vibrations into the cab are the stock ones from Mazda. If you're looking to reduce wheel hop and increase torque delivery to the ground, you can safely replace the front mount with a solid urethane mount and not have too noticeable vibrations. I noticed a BIG difference in vibrations inside the car after replacing the REAR mm.

Hope that helps. We all love to talk cars and share info with others, so don't be afraid to ask. On the other hand, like culridr stated a lot of the info you'll need has already been answered. Just look around and try the search function. Some times it gets you what you want, other times, not so much. lol