Friend with a 2005 3 S looking for mod guidance

[Schmitty]

So a friend/co-worker of mine is looking to get a little more out of his 3S. I want to make sure to give him some sound advice but I haven't dealt with the NA ones too much. He is looking to replace his stock parts as they need replacing and when he does gain a little performance if possible.

Here is what he is thinking about....

HID - Pretty sure he will be doing this right away
Brake Pads - Informed him that he can get higher performance ones but they have drawbacks
Cat Delete - If possible and if it nets a decent gain
CAI - If it gains some performance he'd be down
Shark Fin - He as a sedan, so I'm pretty sure I can support it

Any input on these or other mods that might be worthwhile?

 

[Picklz]

Turbo kit or trade it for a MS3 IMO

I don't really know that he'll be able to gain much power wise. I think I've heard the CAI doesn't do very much on the NA motors. HID's are probably on of the favorite mods I've done on my 3.

 

[Schmitty]

Well the turbo is always the primo option. LOL.

 

[dmention7]

Brake pads: Hawk HPS pads are pretty top-notch for upgraded performance and streetability.

Exhaust: If I'm remembering, the only decent gains are going to come with a header and hi-flow cat. Probably 10-15hp if you do the full exhaust. Otherwise, get a catback for the sound and call it good.

Intake: Probably 5-8hp to be had there. If it's still around, the F2 CAI was pretty much the best.


Like Matt said, power mods on the NA 3 are pretty weak. 180whp is about all you're going to get without extreme work. I don't even think anyone's even hit 200whp yet. For the money, a stage 1 or stage 2 turbo kit is probably the way to go. 225-240whp @ 7-8psi for about $4-5k is easily done on the stock block.


If you really want to make the car shine on a budget, give it an intake and exhaust to let the motor breathe a little better, then an upgraded rear sway bar and coilovers.

 

[DrWebster]

You want an NA 3 to go faster, you need to trade in for something with a turbo. You're just wasting money with a lot of the "performance" mods out there. That money is best spent on appearance or suspension. There's a reason everything in my engine bay is completely stock.

 

[mazdamn02]

Intake and catback will net a few ponies and add to the fun of driving, brake pads are a plus when the oem ones are dead. Motor mount perhaps?

 

[dmention7]

Good call... rear motor mount, shifter bushings, and synthetic transmission fluid will all go a long way to tightening up the car and making it more fun, if not faster.

 

[Picklz]

Yeah I guess the main question would be is what does he want out of the car/mods? If he wants more put you back in the seat power, a turbo or new car is probably his best bet. If he wants more fun out of it, suspension and mounts/bushings are probably the best bet as they'll allow you to take better advantage of the power that's there already.

 

[ms6z]

Anything without TURBO sucks....LOL

 

[AJ]

Dom saya http://www.fakejazz.com/images/nos.jpg

 

[Picklz]

Anything without TURBO sucks....LOL

OOOooooorly?

 

[Bartron8000]

If I was him I would just do suspension, brakes and wheels & tires. There is a good enough amount of power there and if Mazda kept its philosophy that motor should produce a good amount of torque (I wouldn't know never driven one). And like everyone else said, NA is hard to produce more power without spending a lot of time and money on.

 

[spek1098]

Make sure if you recommend the cat delete that he's aware the he's trading low-end torque for top-end horsepower. I have a F2 I could sell for fairly cheap if he wants one of them, best power mod of the buck in any Mz3. I would recommend the Cobb Stage 2 Suspension setup with some wider tires. Those 2 things provide almost as much fun as the upgrade in power my car has.

 

[holmstar]

Does anybody know know anything about the m3s tripoint turbo-kit listed on protegegarage? Is this the same tripoint as the tripoint racing team?

 

[dmention7]

Yes, it is. Don't know anything about the kit though.