[Rainmens]

1. Balance Shaft Delete [BSD]
2. Header
3.Transmission bulletproofing [ATX only]
4. Lightweight Flywheel (MTX only)
5. Stronger Clutch (MTX only)
6. Intake Manifold
7. Tuners


We now move on to more in-depth installs and warranty-voiding parts. You get rotational weight reduction with the Balance Shaft Delete and Flywheel, removal of the pre-cat restriction with a Header, more air-flow with the Intake Manifold and air fuel/timing tuning.

1. Balance Shaft Delete [Cosworth BSD]
Price: $25-30
Install: 2-4 hours (http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=44045.0)
Pros: Faster Reving Engine due to less rotational mass, slight power gain, 1 quart oil capacity gain.
Cons: Difficulty of install, slightly louder engine, more noticeable in-cabin vibration, potential problems utilizing engine warranty at a dealership.
Peak Power Gains: +3 hp / +3 tq
The balance shaft delete kit requires someone somewhat skilled in the ways of the automobile. If this is the first mod you elect to ever do to your car and are new to modding in general it is HIGHLY recommended you get someone who has worked on cars quite a bit assist you or do the install for you while you watch. I would suggest this mod to anyone seeking everything they can out of their stock engine without tearing into very costly modifications like flywheels/clutches and the like. While the install time is still extensive and requires a bit of patience it\'s not near as difficult or as expensive as the aforementioned.

The brand of balance shaft delete kit I decided to go with was the Cosworth, for two reasons. It\'s removalable and two, it\'s made by cosworth. There are a few other balance shaft delete kits on the market, such as marcy motorsports and SCI makes one too. The balance shaft frees up some power up high in the RPM band much like a lightened flywheel would, only not as much. It also yields a more responsive throttle and RPMs raise and fall a bit faster. If you are worried about your car being louder or vibrating in cabin or best yet, engine warranty being voided when you see the dealer for service... this mod is not for you. The vibrating in cabin is very minimal and I can\'t feel it anymore, but there is a definite growl to your engine once the balance shaft is removed. The balance shaft weighs in 18lbs and 6 of those are rotational. The added quart of oil capacity is one more benefit, your oil will lose it\'s viscosity that much slower!

Where To Buy
F2usa.com

2. Header (Made by F2)
Price: $350-$450
Install: 3-4 hours
Pros: Freer exhaust flow, more power in higher rpms
Cons: Removal of factory cat, illegal (off-road only), CEL, noise
Peak Power Gains: 10whp/10tq

Every header will throw a cel. This is due to the removal of the cat and 02 sensor errors that result. There are a couple fixes for this the non fouler trick as well as a wiring trick with a small capacitor and resistor both can be found with a simple search. The thunder header had a built in elbow the same as the protege version to remedy this but from my testing it appears to be to far from the exhuast stream. i am getting work done soon to shorten the tube and see if it takes care of the issue.

Install advice
I read the instructions from Draxas but with talking with Juan from HiBoost he said the easiest way to remove the header is to remove the hood and then all the cowl pieces down to the stamped metal. (you must remove the wipers for this as well) then to remove the header from the block and slide it up out of the bay. The only hard part about this is the angle bracket that holds the header to the block is a B*TCH to get off. I hit it pretty good with \"knock er loose\" and then had to have a second set of hands. I was under the car with a box end wrench b/c of clearance you can\'t get a socket in where the bolt is. then i had help from top with another wrench attached to mine into a > shape and he was pushing as i was pushing and we were finaly able to crack the two bolts free. everything before and after that is a breeze, aslo be sure to follow the tq pattern and specs installing your new header.

Gains
Are noticable more in the mid rpm range then anywhere else. I definatly notice an improvement going up the big hills on my way to work i didn\'t have to downshift as i used to. Also it seems to have a nice kick with the vvt change over seems a bit more of an impact then it used to be.

Bean\'s note
Too loud after already having a cat-back, test pipe, and header? Have a muffler shop weld in a resonator or install an ECV (exhaust control valve) to control the flow/volume of your exhaust setup.

Where To Buy
F2usa.com

*************** Special thanks to Business for this write-up***************
3. Transmission Bulletproofing (by LevelTen)
Price: $279-$3000+
Install: 1-6hrs (shop)
Pros: Fully built transmission is able to handle upwards of 450whp, firmer shifts, faster response, better cooling, increased reliability, higher stall speed for launches, etc
Cons: You\'ll have to send in either parts or your whole transmission for a lot of these upgrades, so down time and the high cost doesn\'t even begin to include installation costs
Peak Power Gains: N/A

LevelTen is currently the only manufacturer that offers products/services for automatic transmissions for the 6. They are well known in the racing community and have built some excellent drag cars and have had their hands in everything from the Ford Focus to Mazda3 to Toyota 4Runner.

Please take a look at their product list and give them a call if you have any questions.

Where To Buy
LevelTen

4.Lightweight Flywheel
Price: 400-$500. Install (if done separately from new clutch) is about $500.
Install: 5 hours at a shop
Pros: Quicker revs, slightly quicker acceleration (with a catch, see description), slightly better gas mileage.
Cons: (applies to NA vehicles) Excess clutch slippage is needed to get going, and this extra slippage adds to the massive vibrations of an AWR 70D engine mount.
Peak power gains: N/A
Lightweight flywheels are probably best used in conjunction with a stronger clutch, which are used for future forced induction setups. Almost like the aftermarket clutches, lightweight flywheels are sort of pointless for an NA vehicle, and can actually hurt performance more than help. An NA car will struggle to get the car moving with a lighter flywheel due to reduced rotational inertia in the flywheel. The stock flywheel is a good balance of performance and drivability, once you give it some gas, the stock fly\'s heavy inertia will help the car move forward when finessing the clutch. With a lightweight fly, more clutch slippage is necessary to get the car going. This slippage causes you to wait an extra second or two at any stop. Reason being is that a lightweight fly\'s reduced rotational inertia simply isn\'t enough to get the wheels moving, so you have to hold the clutch until the car begins to move.

Forced induction systems may have it different though. I haven\'t gone the boosted route as of yet, but I would assume that the massive power increase could assist in getting the car going much faster. A turbo would also take full advantage of your new clutch\'s holding power, as well as exploit any lost HP that was regained via a lightweight flywheel. An NA car must rebuild momentum in the lightweight flywheel during every shift, whereas a stock flywheel already has most of it\'s momentum ready to be used.

To make a long story short: don\'t switch to a lighter flywheel without forced induction in mind. I did it, and greatly miss my stock clutch. I hope the Mazdaspeed is still balanced between drivability and performance.

Where To Buy
Therpmstore.com

5. Stage 1-5 clutches
Price:usually between $400-$500 depending on the brand. Roughly $500 if a shop installs it for you.
Install: 5 hours. Strongly recommend taking it to the shop (unless you\'re comfortable dismantling the area around the tranny)
Review: http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=28493.0
Pros: Stronger clamp load, much stronger torque capacity.
Cons: Expensive, and almost pointless to do if you plan on staying NA
Peak power gains: none
Most aftermarket clutches (including Mazdaspeed\'s) claim around 40% clamp increase and 70% torque capacity. If you have plans to go the forced induction route, a stronger clutch would certainly compliment that. The stock clutch can only transmit so much power to the wheels before slipping up, and it would be both hazardous and embarrasing for your clutch to give out under heavy driving . If a turbocharger is in your car\'s near future, invest in an aftermarket clutch - many clutches have been reported to hold up to 280-ish HP and torque. That\'s more than enough for a basic clutch upgrade. Should you boost over 300hp/tq, you\'re probably rich enough to dish out the cash on a higher stage clutch anyways lol.

Where To Buy
Therpmstore.com

6. Intake Manifold [Cosworth]
Price: $695 [Very hard to find]
Install: 1-2hrs
Pros: Large HP jump, eye-catcher in the engine bay
Cons: \"Should\" have ECU tuning when installed
Peak Power Gains: 10-15whp in upper rpm range
Cosworth has designed a complete new intake manifold from cast aluminum to increase the airflow when compared to the original equipment plastic manifold. The Cosworth cast alloy intake manifold kit is comprised of the manifold and associated fittings and hardware. Also provided with the Cosworth manifold are new o-rings insuring a complete seal between manifold to cylinder head joint.
The main benefit of the Cosworth intake manifold is the higher flow rate over the stock manifold.

Where to Buy
focussport.com

7. Fuel & Spark Tuning [Microtech Standalone ECU & Haltech Standalone ECU]
Price: $1435, $800
Install: 1hr to a day (depends heavily on installer)
Thread: http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=53367.0
Pros: Full control over engine (fuel and spark)
Cons: Cost, possible engine damage (dependent on tuner)
Peak Power Gains: 6-15 across the entire power band. (stock vehicle; easily more gains to be had with various boltons and additional tuning. The deciding factor is the tuner.)The Microtech is a standalone ecu capable of controlling fuel and spark. It\'s easily adjustable using a wideband o2 sensor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wideband_%28automotive%29) and free windows based software accessed by a 9 pin serial connection (or USB to serial adapter). Installation consists of about 30 wires that relieve the stock ecu from controlling the engine. 8 injector wires (2 per cylinder), 8 coilpack wires (2 per cylinder), 2 water temp sensor (water temp sensor provided with unit), 2 air temp sensor (air temp sensor provided with unit), 1 switch signal, 3 power (fuel/spark/coilpack relay), 3 ground (fuel/spark controller, relay for coil packs), 2 for crank angle sensor, 2 for the cam angle sensor. Additional wiring for various other aux inputs and outputs are available (fan controls, aftermarket tach, vis controls, wideband o2).

What you get in the box
Microtech LT10 (controls fuel), X4 (controls spark) wiring harness for both units, relay for coil trigger, fuse holder/fuse for power connections, vacuum hose, manuals (PDF/paper), a sweet sticker, base map, serial adapter (used for storing maps) and most of all a little special time with Steve @ NSN if needed. All instructions are provided as a step by step for install and a tuning tutorial to get you on your way to fine tuning.
Extras Needed: Soldering iron/solder/skill, shrink wrap tubing, electrical tape, wire loom, wire cutters/crimper, end crimps (14-18 gauge), multimeter(not needed but good for verifying connections), ring terminals (power/ground), wideband o2/gauge and patience/time.

Ending Notes
Have plenty of time to perform the install and follow ALL directions and you\'ll have little trouble. Be prepared to cut the factory harness for the injectors and coils. DO NOT try to make it look \"pretty\" out of the box, get the system up and running before tucking and looming extra wires. Check all connections 3 times and don\'t monkey with software till you know what you\'re doing. Have a question? contact Steve @ NSN via email or phone.

Where to buy
Mazda6online.com

What you get in the box
The F10X System optimises engine performance through the following capabilities:
Complete 3D fuel control (1024 points)
Dual fuel maps
Fuel correction maps
Closed loop fuel injection and idle speed control
4 user definable outputs
Datalogging
Windows software
The F10X is much more than a programmable fuel injection computer - it provides logging of engine data and allows access in real time to maximise performance and trouble-shoot problems in a vehicle while running.

Typical Applications:
Control of fuel injection on modified engines
Conversion from carburetion to fuel injection
Race and rally applications of all description
Design and development purposes
Educational use by universities and technical colleges
Original equipment in cars and motorcycles.

Where To Buy
Ebay-$800

[Business]

So what of intake manifolds and tuning? Or is that in the forthcoming stage IV? hehe

[Rainmens]

Business wrote:

So what of intake manifolds and tuning? Or is that in the forthcoming stage IV? hehe

Done and done! Dont forget to send me the VB, and tranny cooler info my good man! Gotta keep you ATX guys in the loop!

[coervi]

so if i could get a spare atx i could send it the levelten and they could make it so i can run a turbo?

[Rainmens]

coervi wrote:

so if i could get a spare atx i could send it the levelten and they could make it so i can run a turbo?

Im assuming you realize a spare ATX is a spare transmission right? If so, thats alot of money to spend for a upgrade most people DO NOT do when boosting. But to answer your question, YES you could buy a spare tranny, ship it to them, and have them \"bulletproof\" it.

[supp trash can]

Question... is the Cosworth Intake Manifold for the 2.3L Duratech Ford Focus the one that you are referring to?
Or is there an actual one made just for Mazda.

Also I heard installing that requires some fabrication... and it\'s not a bolt on?

[Business]

The Cosworth Intake Manifold works on any 2.3l duratec. Hell, even the 2.0l zetec.

The difference is that the 6 has the powersteering reservoir to the left of the intake manifold. There is minor work that needs to be done to clear this and also the throttle body for the 6 has a different bolt pattern than the focus, so a new hole needs to tapped for that.

It is easy for a fab shop to get it to work.

[Danny NJ]

if i get f2 step headers do i need i hi flow cat?

[Rainmens]

^^ It comes with a cat ( a shitty one), or a race-pipe.

[Panda6]

Someone told me that by putting a header for the 2.3l Engine, you actually lose torque. Is that true??? Can someone enlighten me on this plz, thanks =]

[Rainmens]

No, you wont lose TQ per se'... you may lose it in the lower RPM's, but you will gain it in the higher.

[Panda6]

Originally Posted by Rainmens

No, you wont lose TQ per se'... you may lose it in the lower RPM's, but you will gain it in the higher.

Oh I see, thanks Rainman