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My Daily Driver
My car is a Winning Blue
2005 Mazda3s 4-Door (sedan).
This car, like all of my previous cars, received great reviews.
The 3s is praised for its superb handling, and amazing features and
refinement for an inexpensive car.
The engine in the Mazda3s makes 160 hp and 150 lb-ft of torque.
Definitely not as fast as my 230 hp supercharged Focus, but not too shabby,
either. I got the smooth and relatively short shifting 5-speed manual
and cloth seats (with neat blue inserts). It has a reasonably good
6-speaker stereo with in-dash 6-disk changer, tilt and telescoping steering
wheel, dual front airbags, front passenger side air bags, curtain air bags,
ABS with Electronic Brake Distribution, 4-wheel disk brakes (non-ventilated
in the rear), power locks and windows, really cool electroluminescent
gauges, remote keyless entry, anti-whiplash seats (probably borrowed
from it's sister car, the Volvo S40), anti-theft engine immobilizer,
rear wing spoiler, power moonroof, auto-dim rear view mirror with digital
compass and HomeLink (programmable garage door opener), cargo net, and the
sport package (17" wheels and side sill extensions).
Until I bought my 2009 RX-8, my Mazda3 was without a doubt the most
refined car I've ever owned. My Contour was close, but not quite as well
put together as this car (and it cost $2000 more back in 1997). The car
is smooth, quiet, and everything is put together well.
One of my biggest complaint is that the paint appears to be
delicate. The car quickly developed many scratches and chips.
Another minor complaint I have is that the remote keyless
entry does not unlock the trunk. That must either be done with the key or
with the lever inside the cabin. I also wish that the clutch pedal travel
weren't so long. I never realized how short the clutch travel was on my
2001 Focus until I started switching between the Focus and the new Mazda.
In addition to the delicate paint, I already have some major rust
issues on this car at 4.5 years and 150,000 miles. That may sound like a
lot, but all of my cars have been high mileage cars that I kept for a while,
and none had even close to this much rest when I got rid of them.
The quickest 0-60 mph time I've seen (all reviews I've read have been of
the 3s 5-door hatchback, which seems to be about 200 lbs. heavier) is 7.3
seconds in Car & Driver, and they did that by shifting just
before the rev limiter at 7100 RPM (redline is displayed as 6500 RPM).
So far, the best online forums I've found for the Mazda3 is
www.mazdaforums.com.
I still also hang out at
FocalJet.
CURRENT MODS, Short Version
CURRENT MODS, Detailed Version
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On February 10, 2005, I ordered
5Zigen FN01R-C
wheels in 17x7" size and titanium bronze color from
Discount Tire.
That's a lightweight 17" wheel at only 16 lbs. (OEM 17x6.5" wheels are
22 lbs.), and 5Zigen is a well respected name in wheels. I got them mounted with
Hankook Radial K106 tires
in P215/45R-17. These tires are very inexpensive, and definitely worth
a try as a summer only tire.
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Draxas/
Thermal Research & Development
exhaust with high-flow catalytic converter, installed Friday, June 10.
It's a 2.5" polished T-304 stainless steel exhaust. I'm hoping
for at least 8 whp with this system. It's typical for a good cat-back
exhaust for a 4-cylinder engine to make about 6 whp. I'm hoping that
replacing the cat with a high flow version will add a few more. This
system sounds good without being much louder than stock, and it's high
quality T304 stainless steel. A recent dyno by someone with the off-road
pipe in place of the catalytic converter had a 12 whp maximum gain
(and shifted the maximum power up to higher RPM) and a 10 lb-ft gain in
torque across the entire RPM range.
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I purchased a
F2 Cars Mazda3 cold air
intake at JetFest05. It uses an ASPEC "powerstack" type cone air filter
that never needs oiling. You clean it in water, let it dry, and put it back
on.
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I have
Hankook Icebear W300 winter
tires in the OEM size (P205/50R-17) on the OEM wheels.
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F2 Cars rear anti-roll bar
was installed on March 15, 2006. This anti-roll bar is 25 mm thick (most
are 21 or 22 mm), and included urethane bushings. This will cause the
car to push (understeer) less. THIS
- My
TWM Performance short shifter with
real leather boot (black with blue stitching) and .44 magnum
shift handle (with blue allen bolts) was installed March 15, 2006. This short
shifter is 2.5" shorter, and also bends slightly toward the driver.
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Installed at the same time (all by
Sharp's Supply):
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Quaife ATB differential from
CorkSport.
This is a must for putting big power to the ground, especially with
a front wheel drive car. It also improves grip in slippery
weather. It looks like I may well be the first non-racing Mazda3
owner to install this part!
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SPEC Stage 2 clutch from
NSN Motorsports. According to NSN,
this clutch is good for 279 lb-ft. of torque. I later replaced this clutch,
when it wore out, with a new OEM clutch (October 9, 2008).
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Exedy lightweight chro-moly steel flywheel.
It weighs 11 lbs., which is several pounds lighter than stock, but not so light
to (hopefully) cause drivability issues. Because it's steel and not aluminum,
it should last just as long as an OEM flywheel. The lighter weight allows
the engine to rev more quickly, free up some power to the wheels, and possibly
results in better fuel efficiency.
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A taller fifth gear from
NSN Motorsports. This
lowered the engine speed by 5% in fifth gear, making expressway
cruising slightly quieter and more fuel efficient.
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I had to purchase a release fork and pilot bearing separately
The release fork is Mazda part number L30116530A, and costs $59.77
($74.71 retail) from
Online Mazda Parts.
The pilot bearing is Mazda part number YF0911303, and costs $6.33 ($7.45 retail),
also from
Online Mazda Parts.
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I replaced my F2 rear sway bar with a
Progress 22 mm rear sway bar on July 20, 2006.
It's set to its stiffer setting to reduce underteer even more. I couldn't get the
F2 bar to stop creaking and groaning. The bushing design was poor, and caused the
grease to squeeze out after a week or two of use.
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My
CorkSport motor mount inserts were installed
on February 22, 2007. They are a compromise: not as harsh as a full rear motor mount
replacement, but still reduce wheel hop, give crisper shifting, and improve throttle
response. There is a slight increase in engine vibration in the cabin, but it's well
worth it.
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Enkei
RPF1 wheels
in silver color and 18x7.5" size. They weigh only 17 lbs. in this size. They
are a highly regarded wheel, and are frequently used in road racing. The
tires are
Pirelli PZero Nero M+S tires in
P225/40ZR-18 size. These tires are known to be a very good all-season tire
with emphasis on summer and wet performance (the tread pattern is identicle to
the Pirelli PZero Nero, but the M+S version has a compound usable in Winter).
They have just enough Winter grip to get me by if I find myself stuck in some
not uncommon off-season Michigan snow. My current
5Zigen wheels will become my Winter wheels,
and will have Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero tires in P225/45VR-17 size.
After having two of these wheels bend due to bad roads in this area of the country,
I have given up on them. I will go back to using my 5Zigens for summer and the OEM
wheels for winter.
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On April 10, 2008, I had the following things installed at
Sharp's Supply:
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Cosworth balance shaft delete kit.
Removing the engine's balance shaft removes 18 lbs. from the front of the car,
6 lbs. of which is rotating mass in the engine. Dyno test by owners have shown
a 4 whp gain (about 5 hp at the crank), and the engine revs quicker, and the
fuel efficiency should be slightly better. Engine vibrations are only slightly
more noticeable, and the engine is a bit louder (which I like--it sounds
more aggressive). The engine now holds about 1 more quart of oil. This means
oil changes will be slightly more expensive, but it also means that I can
definitely use the light duty oil change interval in the manual of every 7500 miles.
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Simota short ram air intake with
carbon fiber/Kevlar heat shield. I replaced my previous
F2 cold air intake because a few months
earlier I went through a puddle on an expressway ramp going 70+ mph in
third gear and sucked up water, which killed my MAF (probably shorted it out).
That little repair cost me $500, including rental. Power levels should be similar
to within a horsepower or two, and throttle response should be better with the
Simota's shorter intake path (which indeed I have noticed, although it is
likely also due to the balance shaft removal).
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Racing Beat springs and
KONI Sport (yellow) dampers installed.
I was worried that the KONI Sport dampers, combined with the 20% stiffer than
stock Racing Beat springs, would be too stiff for my daily driver on crappy
Michigan roads. I have the dampers set to their softest setting (recommended
after I spoke to KONI, Racing Beat, and Steve at NSN Motorsports) to start.
The Racing Beat springs lower the car 0.5 in. in the rear, and 0.6 in. in front,
and are linear. The stock springs are linear front, progressive rear. This is
done to reduce the likelihood of oversteer, but is worse for sporty handling.
It turns out this suspension setup is just about perfect for my daily driver!
The ride is much better controlled, with little nose dive, squat, and body roll,
with clearly improved handling (although my tires may wear out a bit faster now),
quicker off-the-line acceleration, wihtout being harsh or jarring in the least.
It's firmer, but still yields a reasonably comfortable ride quality. This
combination was much less expensive than a fancy set of coilovers would have
cost, and doesn't lower the car too much (like all of the coilovers do).
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Hankook iPike W409 winter tires
in size P225/45R-17 mounted on my 5Zigen wheels. These tires sacrifice dry
road performance for more aggressive snow and ice grip, which I'm looking
forward to this winter.
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Because I kept bending my Enkei RPF1 18" wheels, I've decided to sell
them. I have 17x7.5", 5x114.3 bolt pattern, 45mm offset hub-73
Rota SDX wheels painted in
Yamaha black with Candy Blue lip for my summer wheels now. These
wheels weigh only 16 lbs. (my 17x7" 5Zigen FN01R-C wheels weigh 15 lbs.,
and the 18x7.5" Enkei RPF1s weighed 17 lbs.). The tires I have on them are
Yokohama AVID H4S in
P225/45R-17. I'm switching brand and model because the
Yokohamas are less expensive than the Pirellis I had on the RPF1s, and
sound like they'll be a great tire for my purposes (good all-around performance
and very long tread life). I'll be sacrificing some grip, but gaining significant
tread life, and possibly lower rolling resistance, resulting in an improvement
to fuel efficiency, which was lost when I switched to my current summer wheels
and tires (to the tune of about 2 mpg on the expressway).
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I replaced my Simota intake with the new
CorkSport SRI for the first
generation Mazda3 on May 9, 2010. The Simota had caused a problem with the MAF
connector; it had corroded so badly that I could no longer get the filter apart
from the carbon fiber box; and the carbon fiber box had corroded and was falling
apart. The CorkSport intake appears to be much higher quality, and was
reasonably priced. The filter is a dry type filter (needs no oiling).
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