Posts Tagged ‘mazdaspeed 3’
SURE Motorsports’ ShortCut Installation DIY
For the installation of the SURE Motorsports’ ShortCut you only need 10 minutes and 2 additional tools if you have a short-ram intake already installed. If not see the DIY on how to install the SURE Motorsports’ Aeros in order to remove the OEM Intake system to gain access to the shift linkage within the engine bay.
NOTE: It is best to do this when the engine is cold. The MAF housing of the SURE Aroes and the coolant pipe by the Shift Linkage get very hot to the touch. Even the counterweight gets hot. SO to avoid burning yourself wait for the engine to cool down before you install.
Where is it:
To access the shift linkage to install the ShortCut you will enter the engine from the top and it is located under the Intake.
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Tools Needed:
- Socket wrench
- 12mm socket
- Needle-nose pliers
- Gloves (not pictured)
- Hex provided by SURE Motorsports
- Loctite provided by SURE Motorsports
- magnet extension (because I always drop things!)
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What to do:
(1) First thing is to remove the linkage from the plate. Simply pry it off with the needle nose pliers. (2). Now detach the counterweight using 12mm socket wrench. (3-4) Once this is done, slide the ShortCut over the old linkage plate so that the holes go under the current plate.
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(1) Now we use the screws that were provided by SURE Motorsports and the loctite. (2-3). Coat the screws in Loctite and reinstall counterweight using the new screws and the supplied hex wrench. Tighten screws firmly. (4) Attach Shift linkage to knob on ShortCut plate by pushing it down on top. This does not require a lot of force.
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That’s all there is to it! You are all set and ready for a much shorter throw.
A word of caution. Due to the syncros of the Mazda transmissions this does not allow you to increase your shifting speeds. It shortens the shift throw and, in essence, increases your shifting speed. However, shift normally and you will not get that horrific clanking or grinding sounds. I will have a more detailed explanation on this in my review after further testing.
Mazdaspeed 3 Throttle Body Coolant Bypass DIY
For the Coolant Bypass DIY you will need about 30-45 minutes, depending on how savvy you are around an engine. Also, you will want to make sure that the engine has time to cool down since coolant temperatures reach 180 – 220 degrees. You can easily end up in the emergency room if you do not.
Where is it:
To access the throttle body coolant lines you will enter the engine from the top.
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Tools Needed:
- Socket wrench with extensions (long and short extensions)
- 10mm deep sockets
- Needle-nose pliers
- Gloves (not pictured)
- Anti-freeze to top off what you may loose when pulling hoses.
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What to do:
(1) Open up the engine as pictured above and remove the cover and top mounted inter cooler (1). To remove the inter cooler remove the three bolts, 2 in front and one in back, as well as loosen the hose clamps and bypass valve attached to the inter cooler (2-4). Once this is done lift the inter cooler off and place carefully to the side.
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MAKE SURE ENGINE HAS COOLED DOWN before proceeding. Coolant will spill during this process and can burn you.
Now we have access to the hot pipe and coolant lines on the throttle body. (1-2) Pinch the clamps and move them back on the hose. Then using needle nose pliers, twist the hose to loosen and pull to remove them. (3) This image shows the lines we want to remove and keep. The line towards the bottom of the picture is the one we will completely remove. NOT YET THOUGH! Detach the hoses at the throttle body only and then detach the throttle body pipe.
If you were as fortunate as me, and Mazda installed the clamp bolt under the throttle body pipe, use a deep socket 10mm and feel your way around until the socket is snug over the bolt, then loosen. When you reinstall this later move the bolt so it is easier to access in the future.
(4) You should now see your throttle body completely exposed, naughty throttle body! (6) Now you need to move quickly here or you wil loose a lot of coolant. As you remove the bottom of the bottom hose completely be ready to shove the top hose in its place. Clamp it down and SAVE the bottom hose. You may want to hook it back up in the winter if you live in the North or cold areas.
NOTE: Intake charge temps that are too cool can reduce horsepower because the combustion temps would be too low. Additionally, the throttle body blade can freeze and seize up which, is without saying, bad! However, this may not happen if you haven’t done an ERG Delete. ERG temps of around 1300 degrees keep things pretty warm in there anyway.
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You can either (1-3) buy caps to fit over throttle body coolant inlets or reuse the other hose to close off inlets. You don’t really want stuff getting in there.
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That is all there is to it! Now reinstall the throttle body pipe, inter cooler and top-off your coolant, if need be, and start her up!
SURE Motorsports’ TIG Installation
For the installation of the SURE Motorsports’ TIGs you will need about 2-4 hours, depending on how savvy you are around an engine. While the entire installation can be done without lifting your car there are many bolts and clasps that need to be removed or pinched and this can take a while. Also, you will want to make sure that the engine has time to cool down since it gets very hot in there!
Where is it:
To access the intake manifold and throttle body you will enter the engine from the top.
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Tools Needed:
- Socket wrench with extensions (long and short extensions)
- 7mm-12mm deep sockets
- 22mm open wrench
- Needle-nose pliers
- Flat head screw driver
- Universal joint extension (bending extension).
- Magnet in case you drop a bolt!
- Gloves (not pictured)
- Anti-freeze to top off what you may loose when pulling hoses.
- lock-tight
- Sea Foam to clean up some carbon if you want to!
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What to do:
(1) Open up the engine as pictured above and remove the cover and top mounted inter cooler (1). To remove the inter cooler remove the three bolts, 2 in front and one in back, as well as loosen the hose clamps and bypass valve attached to the inter cooler (2-4). Once this is done lift the inter cooler off and place carefully to the side.
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(1) Now remove the vacuum regulator, black box, from on top of the intake manifold. There are 4 screws. Now we start disconnecting some sensors. (2-4) The sensor in the front with a blue clip is a little tricky. Using a flathead or needle nose pliers push out the clasp in the back of the sensor. They separate outward. once they are started you can use your tools to pull back on it to slide it off. Once the clasp is removed you will pull up on the hose to remove it. (5) Squeeze and pull up on the big grey sensor on the left hand side of the intake manifold to detach it. (6) now detach and remove the sensor next to the intake manifold valve pump. This is located to the top right of the intake manifold. (7) To remove the sensor connected to the throttle body, slide back the red tab to loosen the clasp. There is also a MAP sensor attached to the left side of the intake manifold. Sorry, I forgot the picture but is is behind the big Grey Sensor and bracket. This requires a single 7mm socket. Once the bolt is removed, carefully wiggle out the sensor from the intake manifold.
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Now lets tackle the throttle body. (1-3) Remove coolant lines. MAKE SURE ENGINE HAS COOLED DOWN. Coolant will spill during this process and can burn you. Pinch the clamps and move them back on the hose then using needle nose pliers, twist the hose to loosen. Then pull to remove them. (4) Now remove the inter cooler throttle body pipe from the throttle body. If you were as fortunate as me, and Mazda installed the clamp bolt under the hose, use a deep socket 10mm and feel your way around until the socket is snug over the bolt, then loosen. When you reinstall this later move the bolt so it is easier to access in the future. (5) Remove 4 bolts that secure the throttle body to the intake manifold as seen in image 4. (6) Then remove metal gasket and maybe spray it down with some Sea Foam to clean it up. As you can see the MS3 is prone to crazy amounts of carbon buildup and oil overflow (but that is a whole other post!).
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Removing the intake manifold is the fun part! (not really!). (1) First we start with loosening the ERG tube. This requires a 22mm 0pen wrench. (2-3) Next we will remove the sensor mount from the intake manifold on the front left, the one the big gray sensor is attached to. There are 2 bolts. While you are here you can find the bolt where the dipstick tube mounts to the intake manifold and remove that as well (not pictured, you have to feel around for it).
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Finally, we get to the intake manifold itself. (1-3) Loosen the 5 top bolts. Do not completely remove yet. This is so you do not cause any unnecessary strain on the intake manifold. We will count bolts clockwise. Bolt one is pictured in image 2, Bolts 2-4 are easily accessible from the front-top of the intake manifold and bolt 5 is highlighted in image 3. (4) Remove bolt 6 which attaches the fuel rail cover. Bolt 7 is the tricky one. (5-6) This you will need your universal joint extension to get to and it is located at the bottom of the fuel rail cover. (7) Remove the 8th and final bolt. This is located under the throttle body inlet.
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1st Generation MS3:
You must loosen your steering pump. 2nd Genneration MS3s do not need to do this. (1) Completely loosen top 2 bolts and only loosen bottom bolt to swivel the steering pump out of the way to access the first bolt.
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Now remove all bolts and we should be able to lift out the intake manifold. Forcefully pull the ERG tube out of the way, out and down. (1) However, because there is still a hose attached, which you can remove if you want to, but don’t have to, it will not come out completely. You can see this hose clearly when it is removed. You do not need to completely remove the intake manifold to install the TIGs. But if you want to spray it down with some Sea Foam, you should completely remove it for better access. I detached the Spark plug sensors to move wires out of the way so you can see the hose better. (2) Get the intake manifold gasket ready to go. Also be sure to take warning off and grab the TIG washer for use on the lower mount point. (3) Remove the metal gasket and replace it with the SURE TIG. With the SURE engraved tab facing towards you and on the top left, slide the TIG into place.
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(1) Getting the bottom TIG washer in is a bit difficult. Gravity and the ERG tube like to fight you and make you wish you had 3 hands. (2-3) You can try an light adhesive or lock-tight to pre-mount the washer or finesse it in while you slide the intake manifold back into place. BE CAREFUL, because it can easily fall behind the starter and disappear! Do not worry though. If it is too difficult, just leave it off and DO NOT use the bottom bolt (8th) when you reinstall. Yes, I lost mine behind the starter and did not end up using it. Everything is fine!
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To get the intake manifold back on you will need to finesse it in. Slide it down carefully as to not break the studs, all the while, holding back the ERG tube. (1) Once that is done and you did not loose the washer 
, hand screw in bolt 8 and 3 with plenty of slack. (2) We need to tighten the ERG tube first. If you do not do this first the threads will not sync properly. Once the ERG tube is fully tightened proceed with install bolts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8. DO NOT install bolts 6 and 7 and bolt 8 is optional ( Do not install bolt 8 if you do not use the TIG Washer). Also, “Walk” the tightening process of the bolts. I went back over each bolt 3-4 times until they all were nice and flush. This allows you to evenly distribute the pressure as you tighten the intake manifold.
DISCLAIMER: You can easily crack the manifold if you over tighten bolts. I recommends no more than 18lbs of torque. To be safe I used some lock-tight to make sure the bolts stayed and I tighten them firmly by hand and I will check on them a little later to make sure they stayed tight. I hand tightened mine so it was snug but did not use leverage to tighten. Nothing cracked!
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Once your manifold has been securely bolted up it is now time to mount the throttle body TIG. (1) Place the TIG on the throttle body so that the SURE logo engraved tab is to the top left. Use a bolt to help it stay in place. (2) This tab is not only for design but allows you to easily position the gasket for the second bolt. (3) Then securely fasten the throttle body to manifold. DO NOT OVER TORQUE. If you would like to do the Coolant Bypass of the throttle body, now is the time. Go to the Coolant Bypass DIY now or skip to the final stages of putting you engine back together below.
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The hard part is over! Now we just wipe down any liquids that do not belong and start putting everything back into its place. (1) Replace the throttle body pipe and coolant lines. (Picture below shows throttle body pipe reinstalled with Coolant Bypass.). Also notice I made the clamp bolt easier to access for the future. Now start attaching all brackets and sensors as well as the oil dipstick tube back to their respective places. Because the second bolt of the Grey Sensor bracket was such a pain in the ass, I did not use the bolt. (2) If you did not use the bottom bolt of the intake manifold or the bottom bolt to the Grey Sensor bracket then you should have 4 Bolts remaining when done. (3) If you did the Coolant Bypass like me, your leftover hardware will look like image 3.
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Finally, be sure to top off your coolant if needed and start her up! If all your sensors are correctly plugged in and everything is securely fastened you should not get a CEL. If you do then you missed something! See my Review of the TIGs if you want more information on them.
Review of SURE Motorsports TIG
First of, I did some stat logging from my COBB AP Tuner. I watched my boost temperatures for about 2 days. Here is what I logged:
Pre Installation:
Day 1:
Morning: 68 degrees. At 65mph+ I stayed between 85 and 92 degrees. At idle I was around 115 degrees. This was a 20 minute drive with no traffic on 95 south. I data logged a third gear pull and went from 100 degrees at 3500 rpm to 87.8 at 6077 rpm back to 96.8 at 6700 rpms.
Afternoon: 80 degrees. Did a couple 3rd gear pulls as I was fine tuning my COBB AccessPort. My Boost Air Temp was at 129 degrees at idle and down to 114.8 degrees under boost.
Day 2:
Morning: 70 degrees. At highway speeds it was reading a steady 91 degrees. At Idle it was reading at 120 degrees. I did a 3rd gear datalog again and temps ranged from 96 to 102 during the pull from 3000 to 6700 RPMs.
Afternoon: 82 degrees. Did a couple 3rd gear pulls while monitoring with the COBB AccessPort. My Boost Air Temp was at 131 degrees at idle and down to 116 degrees under boost on average.
Post Installation:
After the install of the SURE Motorsports’ TIG I did notice a drop in boost temperatures. It was not drastic but it did drop a bit. The TIG installation I did was the single intake manifold TIG and Throttle Body TIG, as well as, the coolant bypass on the throttle body.
Day 1:
Morning: 72 degrees. This morning I drove the car normal with my typical commute to work. Under normal throttle, barely entering closed loop or going Wide-Open-Throttle (WOT). My temperatures stayed around 85-90 degrees. At idle my temperatures stayed at about 106 degrees.
Afternoon: 86 degrees. I logged a couple pulls in 2nd and 3rd gear. Both times the temperatures stayed between 98 and 104 degrees.
Day 2:
Believe it or not the temperatures were exactly the same and with my logs and watching my COBB AccessPort, the readings were the same within a degree or 2 of variation.
Conclusion:
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This modification has lowered my boost temperatures by about 15 degrees at Idle and 10 degrees under normal driving conditions and about 5 degrees at WOT. It also reduced Knocking in my engine from 3000-4000 RPMs without adjusting my tune. You may be asking, “Why so little at WOT”? Think about how fast the air is moving through your engine at this point. The only way to lower temperatures drastically at WOT is via an upgraded Top-Mounted Inter Cooler (TMIC) or Front-Mount Inter Cooler (FMIC). However, the TIGs will help keep the air cooler throughout it’s travels!
Rating:
5 of 5
Even though the temperature didn’t significantly reduce in WOT I still give this product a 5 of 5 because of 2 things. First, The quality is top notch. The SURE TIGs are virgin grade PTFE -400°F up to 500°F and is a reusable gasket. Re-usability is a bonus! Second, Temperatures did reduce. It did exactly what it was suppose to do and if I were to add the second gasket to the intake manifold it would be even more significant. Also, you do not need a lift to do the installation. If you are mechanically inclined this installation should take no more than 2-3 hours max. If you don’t include engine cool down time!
Fuel Injection Cleaner with the Mazdaspeed 3
So being the driving enthusiast I am, In 1.5 years I have put 35,000 miles on my car. During my driving I noticed my gas mileage started to decrease. I cleaned the air filter religiously so that wasn’t the case, I change the oil every 5,000 miles with the recommended synthetic blend and only have a few bolt on mods at this point which increase airflow and should help with gas mileage, in theory.
With all this considered, when I went in for my latest oil change it was recommended that I get the fuel injection cleaning service for $75 dollars…Â Took me all of 1 second to respond NO! But this triggered a thought… clean the fuel injectors, dummy! So I went to Advance Autoparts and purchased a bottle of STP fuel injection cleaner. I asked the man behind the counter if this stuff really works or should I get the service done. He responded, “It works just fine and that service that is offered has the potential to make things worse because the blow air through the injectors and it could damage the pin”. Good enough reason to try it out for me!
When my tank was very low on fuel (1 to 2 bars) I added the fuel injection cleaner before filling up with 93 octane. Then I crossed my fingers. I drove it for 3/4th a tank of gas with the fuel injection cleaning additive. I did notice that the car ran a little funny. Nothing severe but it felt chunky and a little hesitant. I also did not beat up the car. I drove it like a granny. I didn’t accelerate to hard and didn’t go much over the speed limit during this time.
With this tank I did not notice any real improvements in my gas mileage. So after I got down to a 1/4th of a tank I filled up again with 93 octane. During the second tank of gas the car felt much smoother and had no hesitation. I also started to notice an increase in gas mileage. However, being that my driving is not the same every week I chalked it up to the increase in highway miles that week. So I tracked my gas mileage again on the third tank and the fourth and the fifth.
At about 8 tanks later and I had been averaging a steady 26.5 miles per gallon or greater for my routine driving. The best was 28 miles per gallon and the worst was 25 miles per gallon. But most of the time my computer read right around 26.3-8 miles per gallon now.
I am now at 38,000 miles and I am still pulling the same averages which leads me to believe that fuel injector cleaner is worth every penny! Just don’t go and add it to the fuel before you hit the track!
Maryland International Raceway Quarter mile – April 2011
On April 3rd 2011 I went to Maryland International Raceway (MIR) in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. This is a nice and well run quarter mile drag strip. On April 3rd of 2011 I went for the Test and Tune event they have periodically throughout the year. I wanted to go early in the season to get a baseline for my car. As of this day the only power mods I have on the car are the SURE Motorsports Aeros Short-ram intake, Sidewinder turbo inlet pipe and a prototype test pipe. I was also running on 93 octane with no octane boost.
I decided to call this my baseline instead of stock because these are very basic and inexpensive bolt-on mods that most entry level tuners will have on their cars almost immediately. With this said, I showed up at 10am and headed over to Tech Inspection. Passed with flying colors, of course, and was assigned number 902. Be sure to look at the times under the column with Car #… 902 in the pictures below. I ran a total of 9 runs that day but I will only show the 3 important ones!
My First Run was at 10:30am and is not pictured here because it is not very good. I had to use this to feel out the power band, when to shift and, of course, shack off the first run jitters! I ran a 14.876 with a top speed of 100.61.
Second run at 10:36am. It wasn’t very busy in the morning! Other than the horrific reaction time of .387 the run was my best run of the day. Found the shift points and sped through to the finish with a 14.151 and a top speed of 101.55. Not too bad, but I felt I could do better with the reaction time.
Well, needless to say, That wasn’t the case. I did 2 more runs between 10:36 and 11:07 and they were horrible. I guess I got too anxious or the fact that I was next to a 9 second dragster and couldn’t hear my engine may have had something to do with it. Although I did beat a old Civic hatch, which was fun. However, I only ran a 14.384 and he ran a 14.892. That would have potentially have been my best run but my reaction time was .628 and his was .266. I am amazed I even won that one.
So after that, I broke for a bite to eat and let my car cool down for an hour. At 12:05pm I decide to get back on the track. My nerves are calm, I am feeling good and… Dear god I am next to another dragster pictured to right. The tree lights up and I nail the reaction time! but the wheels spin a tad. That’s okay, feeling good… I go into third gear and EEERRRRR, miss shifted… Worst run of the day as you can see.
I raced three more times after that but I couldn’t break 14.7 seconds, no matter how well I launched or went through the gears. The car just got too heat soaked to get any more power out of it. So I shut her down for a few hours and watch others race for a bit.
I decide to go for one last run for the day at 3:51 pm. The car had plenty of time to cool down and I was as ready as I would ever be at the point. It wasn’t a bad run after all, I just have to work on my reaction time a bit.
So as you can see from these slips, with the Mods I have on my car and a little more practice, at this stage it is a 14 second car. Three basic, inexpensive bolt-on modification and we are .151 seconds from needing a helmet when racing! Not too shabby if I may say so myself!
How to Adjust Rear Suspension Dampening on 2010 MS3
As stated in my article about the BC Racing Coilovers, in order to adjust the rear dampening you must remove all the paneling in the rear trunk compartment. This DIY will show you just how to do it in about 20 minutes. Remember, with the BC Racing Coilovers for the Mazdaspeed 3 you have a total of 32 points of adjustment. Position 1 being the softest and position 32 being the hardest.
Where is it:
To access the dampening controls for the BC Racing Coilovers you must remove the paneling inside your trunk. You can see in the second image that the controls are just behind the seatbelt spool.
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Tools Needed:
- Socket wrench
- 10mm sockets
- fillips head screw driver
- Flathead or punch to pop anchors
- Needle-nose pliers
- Gloves
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What to do:
Start by removing the (1) spare tire cover and (2)foam from around the spare tire. (3) This will expose all the necessary push-pins that we need to remove to pull out the rear kick plate. (4) Using a flat head or punch, pop out the push-pins and completely remove them from the hole. (5) Once you have removed the 2 push-pins on the left and right, with 2 hands, at shoulders length apart, grab under the panel and carefully pull up to remove the panel.
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Now that we have exposed more push-pins for the side panels we can start removing all anchors. (1) First we remove the anchors as pictured by exposing the bolt to loosen the anchor. (2) Using a 10mm socket wrench completely loosen the bolt to pop out anchor. (3) Once that is removed, removed the other anchor to completely free up the back of the panels. (4) while we are in the back of the car we should expose the screw holding on the seatbelt cover panel. using a fillips head screw driver, remove the screw. (5) Next remove the anchor that is behind the seat backs as pictured below.
Be sure to do this for both sides of the trunk.
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Now lets move to the front of the trunk by going through the rear doors. Here you will see a few push-pins we need to remove. (1) Remove the push-pins from the seat belt cover panel. (2) Then, down by the back seat hinge we need to remove another push-pins. (3) carefully pry the panel loose. You do not need to completely remove this panel. (4) Once the panel is loose you will see the hidden push-pin that you must remove in order to remove the seat belt cover panel. (5) Once again, gently pry off the seat belt cover panel. (6) This will expose the trunk side panel for removal.
Be sure to repeat on both sides.
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Now we are all set to remove the trunk side panels to expose the BC Racing Coilover dampening controls. (1) Starting from the rear, begin to pry off the panel carefully. (2) To make things easier for you I would suggest pulling it out entirely to give you a comfortable amount of room to access the dampening controls. (3) You can see the BC Racing Coilover dampening controls now. (4) To adjust them you access them from the top, in. (5) This image show the left side exposed as well.
Be sure to adjust both sides!
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If you are an avid racer and plan on doing a lot of adjustments I would leave the panels off until you have the proper settings. (1) This is how I go to the track. Even though this DIY should take you about 20 minutes, it can add up after a while as you tweak for that perfect setting. Once, I am done tracking the car or if I have the setting I know I will be happy with, only then would I suggest putting the panels back on.
Also, Don’t forget about the front suspension. (2) Just pop the hood and twist away to the best setting for your racing environment.
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TVS Caps By SURE Motorsports
So when I first heard this term I was a little more than confused. What the hell is a TVS cap? The answer is so simple I am embarrassed to say it took me a few minutes to put it together… The TVS Caps are Tire Valve Stem Caps. Yes, fancy caps to go over the tire valve stems on your tires.
These caps are a way to enhance the final touches of your look because of the sleek look of the aluminum, laser etched caps. They are a great compliment to my rims as well as your ride, the icing on the cake if you will. They have a good solid feel to them and fit nice and snug over the valve stems.
They are available in SURE Blue, Stealth Black and Ignition Red as well. I chose the blue to see how they would look. However, I was severely conflicted between black or blue, stealth or show. A little show never hurt anyone!
Installation Instructions
Please don’t make me slap you. If you need a DIY to install the TVS Caps please sign the back of your title and send it to me along with your car. Thank you!
Review for the Mazdaspeed 3 BC Racing Coilover Suspension
Overview
I have been running my BC Racing coilover suspension for my Mazdaspeed 3 for well over 2,000 miles now. I have run the suspension dampening at 16 and 32 with a ride height set at 1 inch during my testing. The BC Racing coilover suspension for the mazdaspeed 3 allows you to easily adjust the ride height and dampening of the struts with over 32 points of adjustment with position 1 being the softest setting and position 32 being the firmest setting. For my installation I did not completely slam it due to the fact that I contend with speed bumps, potholes, and iffy winters where I live. I also did not want to roll the rear fenders, which you will have to do if you lower the suspension all the way.
Installation
The installation for this suspension system is not for the faint of heart. It will take a pro about 2 hours and a DIY-er such as myself, about 4 hours. The front suspension is the hardest to install, however, the rear is easy and quick. You can see the DIY for installing the BC Racing suspension here.
Tuning
The BC Racing coilover suspension turns out to be a very well made and functional system and it is not just for show, although it shows nicely! It is built for the track, whether you are auto crossing or hitting the drag strip the easy access dampening controls can get you fine tuned for either, quickly. However, at no fault to BC Racing, the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 makes it difficult to access the rear dampening controls. You must remove the side panels within the trunk to access them. I have heard it is much easier to access on earlier models though.
Handling and Ride
So how does all this translate to handling and ride? It translates very nicely, indeed. Stability and stickiness to the road or track are increased ten-fold. Depending on your settings, body roll is nearly eliminated around S-turns keeping all 4 wheels firmly planted on the road. The stock suspension of the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 can handle 0.96g’s in the skid pad. I have a very strong feeling that this suspension system will crush that number and go side by side with a Porsche Carrera in handling. But that is just my personal opinion and is not tested to my knowledge.
The ride is a lot stiffer as to be expected. You feel every bump, hump, groove and crack in the road. More so the harder you set the dampening. 32 is bone jarring, however, I found that at 16, about half way, it is a very comfortable ride even though it is more aggressive than the stock suspension.
Rating:
5 of 5
As you can see you really can’t go wrong with the BC Racing coilover suspension and just when you think it can’t get any better… yet another plus to the BC Racing coilover suspension is the price. A completely new suspension system can be purchased for as low as $999.00. I would personally be willing to pay $1,500 for this system! The amount of control, custom tuning and increase to handling and stability all packaged for perfect fitment makes this product one of the biggest bangs for the buck I have yet to see for the Mazdaspeed 3.
SURE Motorsports’ Shift Anchor Installation
For The installation of the SURE Motorsports’ Shift Anchor you will need about 30 minutes and very few tools. You will do a lot of pulling and prying of the center console so be careful but firm.
Where is it:
To access the Shift anchors you must open up your center console.
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Tools Needed:
- Socket wrench with extension
- 10mm sockets
- Needle-nose pliers
- wire splicers (works better for popping off shifter links)
- Gloves
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What to do:
(1) Make sure the E-brake is up and you remove shift knob and then (2-3) start by opening the cup holder and removing it by hand. (4) Now pry apart the sides to loosen panels around shifter and lift from the front. (5-6) remove panel and unhook 12v connector to expose shifter.
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(1) Now with your shifter exposed (2) you can start removing wire harnesses from the shifter. (3) with the wire splicers or needle nose pliers you can remove the shift links. Just place between link and shift carriage and pry until they pop out. (4) With your extension and socket wrench remove the 4 bolts that hold the shifting carriage. (5) Then remove it completely to gain access to the anchors.
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Take the shifter to a table to be able to handle it better. (1-3) Using needle nose pliers start punching out the stock anchors. (4) remove rubber anchor inserts.
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(1) Lay out the Sure Motorsports’ anchors. You will notice some have a symbol on them. Also, the anchors are color coded. 2 pair are a slightly lighter blue. Make sure these stay together during assembly. (2) The go in a specific spot on the underside of the shift carriage. (front is in the right of this picture) (3) Once you have these lined up place them on the floor in the proper spots. (4) Carefully, as to not move the bottom anchors to much, lay the shift carriage over them. (5) insert the screw into the top anchor and (6) slide into place.
Note: I would loosely tighten down all anchors before final tightening. This is so you have some play if you are slightly off in other corners.
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(1) Now fully tighten down all anchors and reattach the wire harness and shift linkage. (2) Reconnect 12v and other plugs to panel and (3) snap panel back into place. (4) replace cup holder and shift knob.
That’s all there is to it, happy shifting!
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