Posts Tagged ‘Dyno’
2010 Mazdaspeed 3 w/ Octane boost – worth it?
So I decided to try out some octane boost and see if I noticed a difference in performance. In my previous Mazdaspeed Protégé it made a great deal of difference due to all the mods, however my current 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 is bone stock currently. So while I was looking for electrical tape at the CVS I came across the bottle of octane boost by Gummout. For $2.67, less than a tank of gas, I decided to pick up a bottle and see what I could notice if anything.
Last night I had to fill up (The instructions say to wait until the tank is low and use when you fill up) and I dumped in a bottle and added 11 gallons of 93 octane and drove off. I had a 45 mile drive home at this point which is good for testing this out!
So I drive normal and got the good old Butt Dyno ready for about 10-15 minutes to get all the gas to cycle through and make sure I am getting the “good stuff”. I hit the entrance ramp from 665 to 97 north heading back to Baltimore and floor it to merge in.
The Butt Dyno then tells me the following:
- Acceleration is smooth and powerful.
- Instant response from the gas pedal to the wheels
- RMPs creep up quicker and much smoother
- Getting to higher speeds quicker
All-in-all I can say that the octane Boost is actually noticeable. Just to make sure though, I plan on not adding any to the next tank and then adding it again to the tank after that. The major inaccuracy of the Butt Dyno is mind over matter so I want to be sure and by rotating octane boost a few times I should be able to tell if my mind is playing tricks on me for sure.
Summation:
So is octane boost worth it with the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3. For less than a tank of gas and keeping that RPM curve steady I say YES. Maybe not something I would use every fill up but definitely will use it for nice days with some “spirited driving” or at the track.
2010 Mazdaspeed 3 + octane Boost = smooth operator!
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!