My 3s mod plan - advice/comments?

[fateexceeds]

I started this thread to document my progress in modifying my Black Mica 3s Sport 4-door 6-speed, as well as to get some advice & input from my fellow forum members! My goals for the vehicle are twofold:

1) to make the car even more fun to own and drive without breaking the bank (too much!)

2) to keep things tasteful and OEM-like, especially by purchasing parts from Mazda-specific vendors whenever possible (i.e. Corksport, Racing Beat, Tri-Point, etc.)

Also, I'm thinking about getting into auto-x. My mechanic friend was trying to talk me into it when I had my Protege many years ago, but I held off because of the distance (at the time I was living 1.5 hours away from where he went) and because I became a father and couldn't swing the time commitment. However, there is a local SCCA chapter that meets right by my house, and I've seen auto-x events at my local mall. Anyway...

Without further ado, here is my list of current and planned mods (subject to change, of course!):
(updated January 2014)

Current mods:
-CorkSport short ram intake
-CorkSport strut tower bar
-JBarone Racing short shift plate
-JBarone Racing solid shifter base bushings
-DDM Tuning aluminum pedals
-OEM footwell LED lighting kit
-OEM all-weather floormats
-Tri-Point Engineering adjustable rear sway bar
-Tri-Point Engineering sway bar endlinks
-Tenzo Tracer V1 Black Matte 18x8.5 +48, wrapped in Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum 225/40R18
-McGard SplineDrive wheel lock kit
-35% window tint

Future mods:
Performance & Suspension:
-CorkSport Power Series cat-back exhaust or Racing Beat Power Pulse axle-back exhaust
-CorkSport urethane exhaust hangers
-Koni Sports
-Road Magnet 1.25" lowering springs
-PowerGrid front sway bar endlinks

Appearance:
-door vent visors
-blue accents for the engine bay to match my CS SRI

Undecided:
-TWM Performance full replacement shifter
-MSDS exhaust header
-CorkSport big brake kit

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Please feel free to leave advice/suggestions/comments/constructive criticism.

 

[jrod89]

Stoked

I'm just waiting to read the replies!! I also just bought the Mazda3 sSport 6sp and wanna add some mods, but I'm a COMPLETE newb to the "Auto" world. I don't even know what some of the things you listed are!! I may steal some of your ideas for my own Mazda!(boom03)

- Jared

 

[fateexceeds]

I'm just waiting to read the replies!! I also just bought the Mazda3 sSport 6sp and wanna add some mods, but I'm a COMPLETE newb to the "Auto" world. I don't even know what some of the things you listed are!! I may steal some of your ideas for my own Mazda!(boom03)

- Jared

Hey Jared, welcome to the forums. Nice choice of car! (2thumbs)

As you can probably tell, there is a ton of great information available here, and Mazdas are really easy to work on, so you'll be up to speed in no time.

And feel free to steal whatever ideas you like; mine are hardly original!

 

[wingzero_]

So all your performance mods are available, when are you going to start?

 

[fateexceeds]

So all your performance mods are available, when are you going to start?

As soon as I have the funds! (Just paid a big tax bill on my house, so it'll be a few weeks).

I'm thinking of starting with the SRI and the short shift kit, since you have to remove the stock air box to install the shift kit.

 

[wellesleymazda]

The shifter from MS3 is another thing worth investing, in my opinion. It feels so much better than the plastic one in the regular M3s

 

[fateexceeds]

The shifter from MS3 is another thing worth investing, in my opinion. It feels so much better than the plastic one in the regular M3s

oh wow, I didn't realize the shifter was plastic in the regular 3! that is definitely going on the list - thank you.

 

[fateexceeds]

Just ordered the CorkSport SRI and the JBarone short shift kit!

 

[XspeedyD]

the short shift kit is awesome, you will love it. I like how your trying to stay with corksport but i hear the motor mount inserts are still even too soft on the SPEED 3. idk how it is wit the reg 3's. I have the cp-e 75 duro and it hardly has any vibes, and the ones it has i like, makes me feel more planted to the car. the racepipe was a nice touch on the stock exhaust system in my car as well. looks pretty good to me, you should be happy.

 

[fateexceeds]

the short shift kit is awesome, you will love it. I like how your trying to stay with corksport but i hear the motor mount inserts are still even too soft on the SPEED 3. idk how it is wit the reg 3's. I have the cp-e 75 duro and it hardly has any vibes, and the ones it has i like, makes me feel more planted to the car. the racepipe was a nice touch on the stock exhaust system in my car as well. looks pretty good to me, you should be happy.

thanks man! I'll have to check out the cp-e motor mount inserts.

 

[XspeedyD]

thanks man! I'll have to check out the cp-e motor mount inserts.

well they arn't actually inserts its a whole new mount. reason being the corksport inserts were too soft for us is because the material in the mount is to soft. the inserts make it better to but its still soft.

 

[fateexceeds]

well they arn't actually inserts its a whole new mount. reason being the corksport inserts were too soft for us is because the material in the mount is to soft. the inserts make it better to but its still soft.

oh, ok - I just assumed you were referring to inserts rather than a replacement mount. my bad! I just went on cp-e's website and looked it up. do you happen to know how the cp-e compares to the AWR and TRZ mounts (i.e. any advantages/disadvantages, quality of materials, etc.)? I see that the cp-e uses a rubber bushing as opposed polyurethane - in your experience, does it truly hold up better as cp-e claims?

I don't have any experience with motor mounts, so I was leaning towards the CS inserts simply because of the low cost ($35). my plans are pretty fluid at this point, so I appreciate any input that can help me find the best solutions for my goals!

 

[XspeedyD]

yeah i'm not sure what you are looking for exactly, the speed suffered from extreme engine movement to where the engine would slam the firewall and i would always grind 3rd gear when going WOT and the tranny would even grind downshifting. So i got the stiffest mount from a reputable company. i know that has eliminated every issue i just listed so i'm super happy, its a solid product. about how it lasts longer i have no idea but cp-e likes to do their research first so i'm going to side with them. if you don't experience those issues then maybe the inserts are all you need.

 

[coololddude]

First on your list is to trade the 3 for a MS3!!

 

[fateexceeds]

First on your list is to trade the 3 for a MS3!!

hahaha. I wish!

I actually test drove a black MS3 w/ tech package, because it was what I truly wanted; I was even sitting there doing the paperwork to purchase it until my sales guy found out from his manager that he was wrong when he told me that the 0.0% financing was available on the MS3. the best they could offer was 4.99% for 72 months, which would've put my payment somewhere around $370, which was too much for me. So I settled for the regular 3 with 0.0% for 60, with extended warranty (5 yr./100k mi.), for $286/mo.

 

[fateexceeds]

CorkSport SRI and JBR shift kit installed today!

 

[JBR]

Looks great!!

 

[fateexceeds]

Looks great!!

thanks!

 

[fateexceeds]

purchased the CorkSport strut tower bar tonight... will post pics when it arrives

 

[fateexceeds]

CorkSport strut tower bar out of stock until June 11th...

next phase will be more suspension mods - I'm thinking rear sway bar and lowering springs