Posts Tagged ‘After Market’
SURE Motorsports’ Short-RAM and Turbo Inlet Pipe for the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3
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SURE Motorsports sent me the Aeros short-ram intake and the Sidewinder turbo inlet pipe. I installed these parts as soon as I got them in. The install was relatively simple as you will see in my DIY. After the install I had to wait a few days for the ECU to relearn the Air/fuel ratios and get the true power out of the aftermarket parts. So after driving the car for 2 weeks I finally have something to report. (Right image: Stock engine bay of the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 [Before])
SURE Motorsports’ Sidewinder Turbo inlet Pipe
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Even though I had to wait for a little bit to let the ECU relearn, I instantly felt the change. When I first started the car it was a little shaky and struggled to idle for few seconds. It quickly smoothed out and all you heard was this wonderful sound coming from the engine bay. It sounded like a Jet about to take off as the Aeros short-ram intake sucked in massive amounts of air. Eventually the choke set in and it quieted down to a nice smooth idle. After the initial start, every time thereafter, I never felt the jittery startup again.
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To give you a sense of the way this new intake system sounds, image what a semi-truck sounds like when it accelerates. The hi-pitch hissing the massive turbos and intakes produce as they take in air. When accelerating normally you hear a vortex of air being pulled into the turbo. It’s a hollow, steady, powerful sound that makes you want to mash the gas pedal all the time! Under full throttle it produces a hi-pitched hiss similar to what the movies think a Raptor sounds like. Either way it sounds like Power!
When you release the gas and the throttle body valve closes all that air gets recirculated through the bypass valve. The stock air intake setup of the 2010 mazdaspeed 3 usually does not make a noticeable noise when this happens. With this new setup it sounds as though you have a modestly set blow-off valve. As of this installation, I do not have a aftermarket blow-off valve. However, I bet most people think I do now!
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As for the power of this simple, inexpensive modification… Instant gratification. These 2 simple modifications allow much more air to pass directly to the turbo and have created a very noticeable increase to my torque. Air is quickly, and much more efficiently, inducted to the turbo creating a higher air ratio for a larger combustion. This instant power creates a “stick to your seat” feeling you can’t get enough of. Second and third gear pulls are amazingly strong, and more importantly, steady and smooth all the way through the powerband.
SURE Motorsports offers the Aeros short-ram Intake and the Sidewinder turbo inlet pipe in a variety of colors as well. I chose black for a clean stealthy look and as you can see from the picture to the right, all parts fit perfectly within the confines of the original 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 engine. All sensors are accounted for so there is no annoying check engine light and all plastic fits back with no modifications as well. Nice, simple and clean!
Rating:
5 of 5
After driving the car for 2 weeks in a variety of fashions, overall the Aeros and Sidewinder are top notch products. Under normal driving it increased fuel economy due to the better mixture of air to fuel. More air and less fuel to create equal power always adds up to good! Under “assertive” driving conditions the direct and increased torque lend well to quicker 60 foot times or just an overall better, spirited drive. The price is right, installation is a breeze and the gains are amazing! These products come highly recommended if you are looking for an inexpensive and safe way to add more noticeable power to your 2010 Mazdaspeed 3.
SURE Motorsports’ CounterShift weight
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I received my SURE Motorsports’ CounterShift weight in August of 2010. It is the small, sleek and clean weight in the picture to the right. The stock counter-shift weight for the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 weighs-in at a hefty 19.7 oz. That is 1.37 lbs. The new SURE Motorsports’ CounterShift weight weighs 7.6 oz (less than half a pound). Also the design (cast) allows for a nice center of gravity on the linkage extension. Installation instructions for the SURE Motorsports’ CounterShift weight.
The purpose of this “shift weight” is to increase the speed of your shifts while keeping it smooth between gears. You may be asking yourself…”Why not remove the whole weight or machine down the stock counter-shift weight?”… and rightfully so. If you remove the weight all together your shifting will become extremely harsh and clunky. There is a reason the techs at Mazda added this weight. They probably spent tens of thousands on R&D to get it just right for the average consumer. However, if you are reading this article you may not be the average consumer and you expect things to be quick and smooth to help shave every possible millisecond of your quarter mile. After all, most times the difference between first and second could be a millisecond!
To answer the second part of this question, you can do that if… You have the tools to do it, don’t care about retaining your stock parts for resell value and have a few spares in case you mess up. Although you must also consider the fact that you may have an unbalanced weight at this point. SURE Motorsports’ CounterShift weight adds just the right amount of weight in a concise and balanced mass.
Rating:
5 of 5
After driving the car for a week and looking for anything that I could find, I found only good news. To tell you the truth, all I noticed was quicker shifting. I expected to miss a shift or for it to be clunky due to the drastic difference in weight. After 2 days I said to myself, other than the stick feeling lighter I don’t feel a difference. That is when I knew I had a quality product in my possession. SURE Motorsports’ CounterShift weight was the perfect mash-up of form and function and I could not be more pleased with it. Especially for the price!
SURE’s CounterShift Weight Replacement for MS3
Today I received my new SURE Motorsports 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 CounterShift weight replacement. Now many of you may be asking… “Why replace the counter-shift weight, what is it anyway?”. The theory behind this simple little weight is that the heavier it is the smoother the shifting. Although this is true it can make the shifting sluggish. Some of you may not even notice that your shifting is sluggish. However, being that I have had a short-shifter installed into every one of my cars up until now, I notice!  By removing the stock weight the shifter will move much faster but will be a lot more harsh and clunky through shifts between 1st and 6th. Being clunky can cause you to miss a gear and that is never good in the quarter mile!  So SURE Motorsports has created a nice “in between” which will add shifting speed while remaining smooth through the gears.
Below is how to replace the Stock 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 counter-shift weight with the SURE Motorsports Mazdaspeed 3 CounterShift weight and here is the product review for SURE Motorsports’ CounterShift weight.
Where is it:
The counter-shift weight is found under the (1) stock or (2) aftermarket air intake. Yes you must remove the intake to get to this part.
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Tools Needed:
- 10mm socket wrench
- 12 mm wrench or socket wrench
- phillips head screwdriver
- needle nose pliers
- Gloves
What to do:
Remove the shock Air box [10mm socket wrench, phillips head screwdriver, needle nose pliers]. (1) Remove screw, loosen fan Pipe. (2) Detach sensor and loosen Clamp. (3) Detach sensor wire mount with needle nose pliers. (4) Pull up and out! (5) If you want you can remove the rubber intake hose [loosen clamps and pull], however, you can still easily get to the counter-shift weight regardless.
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Loosen the screws on the top of the bar [12mm wrench]. (1) Be firm but gentle so you do not put too much pressure on the shifting linkage. (2) Here you can see the difference in size between the SURE Motorsports CounterShift weight [top] and the Mazdaspeed 3 stock counter-shift weight [bottom]. (3) Use the same stock screws and bolt the SURE Motorsports CounterShift weight right back on.
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Now all you have to do is replace your Intake and you are all set. Happy shifting!!!
Plan of Action
The initial plan of action for my 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 is to slowly build up power starting with your standard bolt-ons. First we will start with a Dyno of the stock engine. We will find the original wheel horsepower of this car straight form the factory for our baseline. After that let the fun begin!
Current Plan:
- Cold air intake
- upgraded top mounted inter cooler
- Blow off valve for fun!
- upgraded exhaust system
- engine mounts
After I install these after market parts I will then dyno the car again. These simple and inexpensive bolt-ons should be easy to do without any assistance from a shop and will be fully documented and available for download from the DIYs section. I am currently researching which brand to use for our upgrades and will keep you posted every step of the way.
If there is one thing I’ve learned from my 7 years of modifying cars is, do the research upfront, you pay for what you get and it is better and cheaper to do it once than twice. So my advice to you and words I live by… It is better to save and get the best than buy a less expensive and less effective part only to buy the one you really wanted later. Your $1,500 exhaust would end up costing you $2,250 (Greddy SP2 to a turbo back GHL on my MSP).
Stay tuned!