cheapest way to get more horsepower

[Greenbread]

i have a 3's. i want more horsepower and torque. besides a cold air intake wut else can i do cheaply. Also how much performance am i gonna get out of a cai

[bluntman]

AEM dyno'ed a 2.3L before and after installing one of their CAI. The HP increased peaked at an extra 10hp, I would think that Injen created about the same amount.

[TuRbOtEcTicS]

Buy a CAI.

[sndsgood]

dump all your interior panels seats dash spare, etc etc etc. cost is free, downfall is u look ghetto

[bluntman]

Anything that will let the engine breathe better (CAI, header and exhaust) will increase your performance numbers.

[ZiO]

i want more horsepower and torque.
Buy a sports car.

[bluntman]

Well, the poster said "cheapest". :D

[Greenbread]

Buy a sports car.

(gets in car drives to porshe dealership, yes id like a gt2 please) (guy hands me a 200,000 bill)

[TuRbOtEcTicS]

how do you take off the back seats? Ive tried before but couldnt figure it out.

[Super Matty P]

I would suggest stepping down to a 15" wheels with a nice width on it. Reduce that rolling weight and height should help....

honestly nothing is really available yet. Give it some time.

[torque222]

horse power doesn't come cheap.... when you mod, do it right the first time and spend the money accordingly..and lots of it.....more money equals more mods, more mods equals more power, more power equals more speed, more speed equals another fucking ticket.....lol

[Da 6]

My 2.3 lost alot of low end TQ from straight thru mufflers but being your exhaust is way difrent I can't say. Only way you really can tell is install a cat back and a month later remove it. but yeah cheapest way is weight redux and not using 89 or 91 octane fuel. CAI also works wonders. Anyone have cel problems for fuel trim levels? 2.3 was a rarety but some of us did get them from time to time comonly from going from a 50-75MPH freeway condition to a 3-5mph rush hour traffic in same drive cycle.

[djltoronto]

My 2.3 lost alot of low end TQ from straight thru mufflers but being your exhaust is way difrent I can't say. Only way you really can tell is install a cat back and a month later remove it. but yeah cheapest way is weight redux and not using 89 or 91 octane fuel. CAI also works wonders. Anyone have cel problems for fuel trim levels? 2.3 was a rarety but some of us did get them from time to time comonly from going from a 50-75MPH freeway condition to a 3-5mph rush hour traffic in same drive cycle.
Do you mind elaborating on the "not using 89 or 91 octane fuel"

Thanks

[AzMz3]

Do you mind elaborating on the "not using 89 or 91 octane fuel"

Thanks

I think he means keep using 87 as the manual states as you will not gain any performance until flashers come out to reprogram the ECU for the high octane. In other words it is just a waste of money to put 89 or 91 octane in an US Mazda3!

[Da 6]

alot of people still beleve their non JDM(U.S./canada spec cars) need 89 and 91 octane cause of friends and shell with their V-Power promotions.

*edit* that 2 times we agree!

[AzMz3]

alot of people still beleve their non JDM(U.S./canada spec cars) need 89 and 91 octane cause of friends and shell with their V-Power promotions.

*edit* that 2 times we agree!

Yeah you are right sometimes...LOL (hippy)

[DigitalHeadShot]

I think he means keep using 87 as the manual states as you will not gain any performance until flashers come out to reprogram the ECU for the high octane. In other words it is just a waste of money to put 89 or 91 octane in an US Mazda3!

You can use 89 for better gas milage but you wont pick up any power from it.

[Da 6]

e89 was used only in V6 with intakes and those 3i 3s and 6i pinging due to cold reigon they were in...car will not recignize (gainn ground pounding HP) over 87 unless you start touching fuel management, doing some FI, spark(ignition systems) or get ahold of a jdm pcm and be test goat for us spec.


Now the EVO ya got there...go as high an octane as ya want...That car will love you for it! (cool)

[AzMz3]

You can use 89 for better gas milage but you wont pick up any power from it.


I'm pretty sure you will not get better gas milage from running 89. If it did I'm sure it would have been listed on the sticker with the higher MPG. Some people do buy cars by that number.

[tgv121281]

Guys, 1st off this place is great. Exactly what I was looking for. Anyway, I need some help/opinions/suggestions. Been saving up some $$$ and I'm ready to start on my 3. So lets see what everyone thinks...
1-CAI---Injen vs. AEM, which & why?---PS, is this something someone w/ very limited knowledge about engines can do??

2-Catbak---Borla-thumbs up/down...other suggests?--same PS as CAI

3-strut bars---can anyone tell me where to find one for a 3??????

4-Perf. Chip---ANY INFO would be useful

5-S.PLugs & Wires---do these really do ANYTHING?

6-Body---All I can find is the basic rear wings, can anyone shed some light(and I'm not really sold on the cf hood thing thats was posted on this site yet, GREAT idea though-wouldnt mind seeing some more group discounts!)

What other suggests besides whats on these posts/threads? Not looking into stripping my car down just yet...too new for that!

PS-my ride is a 3s 5-door 2.3L, 5-spd!


THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR HELP, VERY MUCH APPRECIATED

[Da 6]

injen suposedly gives a better gain over aem...Can't tell you much on that but it's tru for the 6 sake but 3 wise the intakes are difrent. Make shure you get a cai and not a sri!

as for catback nobody as commented on borla but everyone coments on Magnaflow(MF)

If the 3 is like the 6 the only strut bar out is $210 and the design of the car makes the strutbar an astetic mod.

chips...not yet. Ebay ones don't work

bodywise car is still new and people and parts grow everyday. just show intrest when it comes time for prototyping and aftermarket will grow. when things happen like for us 6 sake where people complain about parts not comming out and when they do, make excuses on why they won't buy it.

wires are cool...msds experts can step in on this one

as for stripping it down...my car has overgone a make over. I pulled the front bumper alone over 20 times already. you will feel queasy taking a screw driver to the car but after a few tries and people who have a clue what they are doing somewhere near that fear will go away. Only real thing to worry about is the dealerships. some support mods where others just sit back and blame everything you did to the car to cause the items not related to fail.

[AzMz3]

Guys, 1st off this place is great. Exactly what I was looking for. Anyway, I need some help/opinions/suggestions. Been saving up some $$$ and I'm ready to start on my 3. So lets see what everyone thinks...
1-CAI---Injen vs. AEM, which & why?---PS, is this something someone w/ very limited knowledge about engines can do??

2-Catbak---Borla-thumbs up/down...other suggests?--same PS as CAI

3-strut bars---can anyone tell me where to find one for a 3??????

4-Perf. Chip---ANY INFO would be useful

5-S.PLugs & Wires---do these really do ANYTHING?

6-Body---All I can find is the basic rear wings, can anyone shed some light(and I'm not really sold on the cf hood thing thats was posted on this site yet, GREAT idea though-wouldnt mind seeing some more group discounts!)

What other suggests besides whats on these posts/threads? Not looking into stripping my car down just yet...too new for that!

PS-my ride is a 3s 5-door 2.3L, 5-spd!


THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR HELP, VERY MUCH APPRECIATED

1. Injen or AEM? The answer is up to you, the gains are very similar. It is just a matter of which one you like better.
2. Exhaust? I'm still waiting for dynos of each and every one before I choose. But will definately be a 2.5" diameter header back exhaust.
3. Strut Bar? Eye candy, will not help on this car at all. And the Mazda6 and Mazda3 are to totally different cars.
4. There will never be a chip out for the Mazda3, as the ECU does not allow for it. It has to be reflashed and they (SCT) should be out very soon.
5. Plugs and wires? I don't see the need to upgrade the plugs, if an upgrade is even available. Same with the wires.
6. There are a couple of body kits out, more for the 5door station wagon that the sporty sedan. LOL

[Da 6]

I didn't mean exactly like the 6 but as in same boat of not functional...

[tgv121281]

AZ, thanks alot for the input...thats a few hundred dollars I'll be spending on other items.....Let me know what you hear about the exhausts as far as numbers go..l..FYI ptuning offers a package deal for Borla exhaust & Injen or Aem CAI for about $700.....I was looking at the specs Borla is a 2.25"....I think MF is 2.5"......either way Im not happy with the tips...I was looking for 4" exit....see any? Or is it very simple to just get a tip from elsewhere and swap them?

[low_psi]

NOS, two bottles, the big ones!

[Aleksander_t]

You could always get a bunch of your buddies to push you at the start, increased my performance by 2 seconds in the 1/4 mile!! For course, that was a 80's chevy spectrum that I bought for 500$, I did 1/4 in 25 seconds!

You may want to look at some light weight wheels, because of rotational mass, if you change your stocks, for something light, (eg. 23 pound stock for 13 pound 15' konig holes which are like 400$ USD) you'd save like 40 pounds which equates to 200 pounds since each lb off the wheels you save acts like 5 static lbs. That should make your 1/4's 0.2s faster.

Problem is the 17'ers Have bigger breaks then we poor 15'ers so they may not work.

Just my 2 cents.

[tgv121281]

Guys I'm goin gwith a Borla cat-back and AEM CAI.....what do ya think?
Figuring on maybe 12whp & 15lb ft tq??? Any takers? Am I way off? Just sla my ass back in line if so!

PS-I've heard people saying they loved the sound of their CAI's, and their Catbacks's....does that mean that with both of them on it should sound niceeeeee?

[Da 6]

My 2.3 with bosal(straight thru) covered up the intake. when somene drove my car tards me wot the intake and bosals sang in harmony :) The 2.3 was louder than the 3.0 with injen intake and magnaflows. I realy don't see much of you 3's at the mazda meets other than csweeny(X 6 owner) and one other guy who autocrossed with us. I'd love to compare the 2 in sound :)

[pro00]

horse power doesn't come cheap.... when you mod, do it right the first time and spend the money accordingly..and lots of it.....more money equals more mods, more mods equals more power, more power equals more speed, more speed equals another fucking ticket.....lol
you explained my reason for living
Thank you!!!!! lol:D:D