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Thread: Recommended MODS for new MPS 6 owner

  1. Default Recommended MODS for new MPS 6 owner

    Hi all,

    My girlfriend recently purchased a 2005 Mazda 6 MPS. It's completely stock at this stage with the exception of some poxy 18" alloy wheels (which will be gone by next week).

    She loves the car, and having previously owned a WRX that produced ~200 awkw she is keen to invest a reasonable amount of money into the MPS to enhance its performance. As such I'm keen to hear people thoughts on what would be the best mods/upgrades to tackle first?

    Initial mods I had in mind were:

    (i) cold air intake
    (ii) exhaust, and
    (iii) ECU reflash.


    For the cold air intake I was thinking Injen or AEM, but if anybody has any other recommendations I'd like to hear them please. Any links to a cheap/reliable retailer would be great also.


    As for the exhaust, is it actually possible to buy a bolt on exhaust upgrade for the Mazda6 MPS? We enquired about an exhaust upgrade at our local wheel/tyre/exhaust/service centre and the guy there claimed that there were no bolt on exhaust upgrades for the car, and as such it would need an exhaust custom fitted and welded. Is this true? I doubt it.

    As for the ECU reflash, I was reading some other threads about handheld units that allow the ECU to be reflashed with pre-programmed ECU files. Would one of these handheld units be the way to go? Or would it be best to find a mechanic in my area that can tweak/tune the ECU?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by JonBOY26 View Post
    As for the exhaust, is it actually possible to buy a bolt on exhaust upgrade for the Mazda6 MPS? We enquired about an exhaust upgrade at our local wheel/tyre/exhaust/service centre and the guy there claimed that there were no bolt on exhaust upgrades for the car, and as such it would need an exhaust custom fitted and welded. Is this true? I doubt it.
    Incorrect, there are a couple of options, off the top of my head there is the corksport system and also the CP-E exhaust systems. Sure you can get a custom (like mine) but its not the only option. The guy at the exhaust place shouldn't answer questions when he does not know the answers himself.

    Have a look through my Ride thread (click on the coloured RR of my sig) to get a few ideas if you like. Depends on budget to how much power you wish to gain.
    To start I would suggest intake (possibly a TIP also) exhaust and Intercooler would be a good start, tune all that to suit and you're away.

    With great power comes great fuel consumption...
    M P S
    - 6 - RR | Cobb AP | CAI | TIP | ATP GTX28R | 3.25" TMIC | SS DP | REM | 3" Zorst | SSP Anchors & Countershift | DBA Rotors | K/Springs | Upper & Lower Bracing | Alpine Type S 12" sub MRP-M500 Amp
    | Grille | STi Lip | Shark Fin | 6000K HID | Fog Light Tint | Twin DEFI gauges | Custom Decals & Badges | LED lighting | CF Mirrors & Pillars | Black rims Red callipers

  3. #3

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    Go a Short Ram Intake, and not a Cold Air Intake. The CAI places the filter inside the front bar, and makes it easy to suck in water.
    I also advise you get rear diff mount done before they become an issue.

  4. Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rogwick View Post
    Incorrect, there are a couple of options, off the top of my head there is the corksport system and also the CP-E exhaust systems.
    Cool, thanks. yeah I figured the guy was clueless.

    Quote Originally Posted by rogwick View Post
    Have a look through my Ride thread (click on the coloured RR of my sig) to get a few ideas if you like.
    Will do, thanks.


    Quote Originally Posted by rogwick View Post
    To start I would suggest intake (possibly a TIP also) exhaust and Intercooler would be a good start, tune all that to suit and you're away.
    hmmm, I hadn't considered the intercooler. Do you mean upgrading to another top mount or a front mount?

    ---------- Post added at 03:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:32 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by MadAussie View Post
    Go a Short Ram Intake, and not a Cold Air Intake. The CAI places the filter inside the front bar, and makes it easy to suck in water.
    I thought the general consensus was that short rams don't actually provide any benefit because the engine is sucking warm/hot air from the engine bay. Or do you mean to box up a short ram such that it's fed externally?

    Quote Originally Posted by MadAussie View Post
    I also advise you get rear diff mount done before they become an issue.
    Ok, thank. I haven't read anything relating to the rear diff mounts but I gather they must be a common problem are they? I'll have to read up on them then.

  5. #5

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    Yes you want to have a box around your filter - any filter will have negative benefits if its sucking in hot air.. The CAI design is terrible though, where the pod ends up is right where puddles splash into. A lot of people say this and that about intakes providing benefits - and Mighty car mods did a somewhat flawed video on the subject the other day. Unless it's tuned for it, any intake wont make a difference in HP figures, but its the torque and power curve that you're changing with it. You want cold air, yes, but you can route air into the engine bay for that.

    And with the diff mounts, yes they're a common point of failure. Look at both diff mounts, and a rear engine mount. Preventative mods
    MPS6

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    Quote Originally Posted by JonBOY26 View Post
    hmmm, I hadn't considered the intercooler. Do you mean upgrading to another top mount or a front mount?
    Either, depends on what you're after budget etc

  7. #7

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    turbo inlet pipe
    short ram intake
    front dump / down pipe
    cat back exhaust
    front mount intercooler
    rear, passenger and driver side mounts, diff mounts

    blow off valve is optional

    tune!

    save up and do all that at once

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    Garrett GTX turbo

  9. Default

    Thanks of the suggestions so far. Well I think a CAI or SRI is a must, along with an exhaust upgrade. Diff mounts will be a must also as the car has quite a few km's on it so it would be prudent to get them done. As for the exhaust it appears that 3" is the way to go.

    Are there any particular online stores or suppliers that you guys would recommend for sourcing aftermarket MPS6 parts?

  10. #10

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    edgeautosport.com
    streetunit.com

  11. Default

    Ok so I've just been browsing the cp-e website and noticed that the exhaust systems are cat-back, not turbo-back as in other vehicles, such as the WRX we just sold.

    Am I right in assuming that there's not really much point upgrading the exhaust to 3" from the cat back if you are not also willing to upgrade the down pipe, as the down pipe will be an upstream bottleneck. Do people usually replace both at once? or is it common to replace just the exhaust from cat back?

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    Better replacing the DP more gains from it.

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    If performance is what you're after, most of the gains will be at the downpipe. Changing the factory cat-back exhaust will mostly offer just sound. There will be better flow (changing from the stock T-piece to a smooth Y-piece) but that's about it. The stock mufflers are pretty good on the MPS in terms of flow, noise reduction and not sacrificing power. To do the lot, DP, catback and installation I would allow $2,500 to $3,000

  14. Default

    I'm about to get a 6MPS hopefully end of this week and the mods I have in mind will be mainly suspension. I want the car to be able to handle well before it goes fast and this will be street use, no point having so much power.
    I'm thinking of Whiteline rear sway bar, CP-E and Turbinetech diff mounts, and some lowered springs, maybe a strut bar.

  15. #15

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    Go a rear strut bar before the front one. And in fact, find some Do-Luck Fender braces (or any other brand fender braces) off yahoo japan/ rinkya. They're around $250-300 for a set, and stiffen the car up immensely (I've used these on previous cars). Floor cross braces are also available from jap land for the Atenza, and sourcing good bushes is also a good idea. Getting the chassis sorted before power is my plan too. And Brembos!!! I strongly believe these cars can be made much, much faster without screwing any extra horses out of it.
    MPS6

  16. Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rogwick View Post
    If performance is what you're after, most of the gains will be at the downpipe. Changing the factory cat-back exhaust will mostly offer just sound. There will be better flow (changing from the stock T-piece to a smooth Y-piece) but that's about it. The stock mufflers are pretty good on the MPS in terms of flow, noise reduction and not sacrificing power. To do the lot, DP, catback and installation I would allow $2,500 to $3,000
    Thanks. I was browsing the dyno results on the cp-e website (listed for their various mods) and I did actually notice that the gains from the downpipe upgrade are substantially more than gains from the CAI. If my girlfriend is satisfied with the sound of her MPS I might recommend she just upgrade the down pipe for now as she doesn't have a lot of money to spend.

    When buying the down pipe I notice that there is the option to have a high flow cat included. Is it necessary to have this cat included? or is the cat on the exhaust enough?

    Also, how about the turbo inlet pipe? Is an upgrade to the inlet pipe likely to yield better gains than an exhaust upgrade? Unfortunately there are no before and after dyno charts for the turbo inlet pipe.

    Thanks for all the help so far guys, it's been great. I'm getting a much better idea of where she should spend her limited dollars in order to maximise her performance gains.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by JonBOY26 View Post
    Thanks. I was browsing the dyno results on the cp-e website (listed for their various mods) and I did actually notice that the gains from the downpipe upgrade are substantially more than gains from the CAI. If my girlfriend is satisfied with the sound of her MPS I might recommend she just upgrade the down pipe for now as she doesn't have a lot of money to spend.

    When buying the down pipe I notice that there is the option to have a high flow cat included. Is it necessary to have this cat included? or is the cat on the exhaust enough?

    Also, how about the turbo inlet pipe? Is an upgrade to the inlet pipe likely to yield better gains than an exhaust upgrade? Unfortunately there are no before and after dyno charts for the turbo inlet pipe.

    Thanks for all the help so far guys, it's been great. I'm getting a much better idea of where she should spend her limited dollars in order to maximise her performance gains.
    For the six the only way to fly is the Corksport full Sri that includes tip and the airbox. Looks great and sounds awesome. We have it on our six.


    Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
    Last edited by Jmac; 15-05-2012 at 09:53 PM.
    MY16 WRX STi Crystal White Pearl
    -= Rally Armour Flaps - 2XS Muffler Delete =-

    FG FPV F6 MKII Vixen - SOLD
    -= Bluepower SRI - ID1000 Injectors - Venom Cat - XCAL3 - ProcessWest Stg2 Intercooler - 359 RWKW=-

    CX9 Grand Touring Stormy Blue
    -= The rolling armchair =-

    6 MPS Velocity Red - SOLD
    -=Cat Back Exhaust - Pirelli PZero=-

    3 MPS Aurora Blue - SOLD
    -=PG SRI - PG Inlet - ETS TMIC - GFB Hybrid BOV - Best Mufflers DP - Eibach Pro - AccessPort STG2 - Autotech HPFP - ITV22 - Michelin PSS=-

  18. #18

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    ^ Is that an actual 6mps corksport box, or a 3mps one made to fit?

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by MadAussie View Post
    ^ Is that an actual 6mps corksport box, or a 3mps one made to fit?
    six.
    I dont have the CS on my three. I hightly doubt the three one would fit.

    http://www.corksport.com/corksport-p...ri-system.html
    Last edited by Jmac; 16-05-2012 at 02:57 PM.
    MY16 WRX STi Crystal White Pearl
    -= Rally Armour Flaps - 2XS Muffler Delete =-

    FG FPV F6 MKII Vixen - SOLD
    -= Bluepower SRI - ID1000 Injectors - Venom Cat - XCAL3 - ProcessWest Stg2 Intercooler - 359 RWKW=-

    CX9 Grand Touring Stormy Blue
    -= The rolling armchair =-

    6 MPS Velocity Red - SOLD
    -=Cat Back Exhaust - Pirelli PZero=-

    3 MPS Aurora Blue - SOLD
    -=PG SRI - PG Inlet - ETS TMIC - GFB Hybrid BOV - Best Mufflers DP - Eibach Pro - AccessPort STG2 - Autotech HPFP - ITV22 - Michelin PSS=-

  20. #20
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    Thanks. I was browsing the dyno results on the cp-e website (listed for their various mods) and I did actually notice that the gains from the downpipe upgrade are substantially more than gains from the CAI. If my girlfriend is satisfied with the sound of her MPS I might recommend she just upgrade the down pipe for now as she doesn't have a lot of money to spend.
    Correct. The DP is arguably one of the best 'bolt-on' mods available for the MPS. A intake mod certainly helps the MPS breathe a bit better. You can hear my intake from hundreds of meters away (line of sight) so you can tell its sucking a fair bit of air.

    When buying the down pipe I notice that there is the option to have a high flow cat included. Is it necessary to have this cat included? or is the cat on the exhaust enough?
    Depends what you plan to do with the car (exhaust) down the track. If you do plan to get a full system exhaust, it makes sense to get a cat fitted to the DP one-time. If you really think a cat-back isn't for you, then you can probably get away with the standard catalytic converter. Just check though, I can't remember if the cat is on the stock DP or just after? Mine is in the shed under a bunch of things. Can't remember if the MPS6 has two cats either (one of the DP and one on the cat-back) just check. I have a few pics of my modified exhaust on my thread (including how much I paid) to give you an idea. It might make or break you mind or at least offer the info you need. Not many folks get under the MPS with a DSLR camera and take snaps

    Also, how about the turbo inlet pipe? Is an upgrade to the inlet pipe likely to yield better gains than an exhaust upgrade? Unfortunately there are no before and after dyno charts for the turbo inlet pipe.
    These can be pricey to buy. Will you notice it...probably not much. Hard to say as I had my TIP, DP and Cat-back ALL installed at the same time, big increase at once. If you've ever seen the stock TIP you would be thinking a high flow larger pipe would be the go. Ultimately a full intake (from decent large filter, large diameter intake pipework, cool fresh air, and TIP will yield the best results...obviously. Intake and DP are more important than TIP though in my opinion. I believe boost comes on a touch earlier with a modified TIP though. To answer your question directly though...No a TIP will not yield better gains compared to a full system exhaust upgrade, its a minor mod many overlook, BUT from an airflow perspective, its great having a large diameter smooth radius bend.

    Thanks for all the help so far guys, it's been great. I'm getting a much better idea of where she should spend her limited dollars in order to maximise her performance gains.
    I would also consider a Hypertech flash unit for a limited budget mate. Second hand they're a good deal. Much more drivability, maximum boost in the lower gears, better response. Source an intake, DP, (Intercooler if you wish I got mine for $200 off a mate) and some kings springs, the MPS will be a whole new car to drive. I've taken a few more mods to heart, but really, that is what you need to really enjoy the car *without spending too much. It's ok out the box, but in my opinion it becomes a great car with a few modifications. Just ask the C63 AMG driver struggling to catch me once, around twisties lol

    Hope that helps

    With great power comes great fuel consumption...
    M P S
    - 6 - RR | Cobb AP | CAI | TIP | ATP GTX28R | 3.25" TMIC | SS DP | REM | 3" Zorst | SSP Anchors & Countershift | DBA Rotors | K/Springs | Upper & Lower Bracing | Alpine Type S 12" sub MRP-M500 Amp
    | Grille | STi Lip | Shark Fin | 6000K HID | Fog Light Tint | Twin DEFI gauges | Custom Decals & Badges | LED lighting | CF Mirrors & Pillars | Black rims Red callipers

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