Slug
Greenie N00B Member
This is a newb thread; written by a newb; for the newbs or anyone thinking about purchasing a used MS3; that will be updated as I traverse all that is related to my 2013 MS3. If you don't like reading repeated newb topics or don't have the patience dealing with "newbishness" this thread is probably not one you'll want to be lurking in.
I dont drive the car hard and never go "wot", and do not have a "racer" mentality. I don't have plans to track, drag or do any street racing activities. So this thread is more about DD level type stuff (yawn, I know
).
Mod Diary:
I dont drive the car hard and never go "wot", and do not have a "racer" mentality. I don't have plans to track, drag or do any street racing activities. So this thread is more about DD level type stuff (yawn, I know
).Initial impressions:
I hadn't realized how much I actually missed driving a turbo vehicle until I started driving this car. In stock form, acceleration pushes you nicely against the seat and the torque steer makes you feel more connected to the driving experience (the car doesn't do all the control work for you like some new sports cars, thereby taking the fun out of driving spirited).
I hadn't realized how much I actually missed driving a turbo vehicle until I started driving this car. In stock form, acceleration pushes you nicely against the seat and the torque steer makes you feel more connected to the driving experience (the car doesn't do all the control work for you like some new sports cars, thereby taking the fun out of driving spirited).
The suspension is a bit stiff and the end of my daily commute has terrible roads and therefore my daily commute has become uncomfortable due to the stiff suspension. Not a deal breaker, but something to note. The stock suspension is a tad rough, but expected in a sports/performance car.
The transmission and shifting is a fickle bitch in this car. Coming from manual econoboxes and non-performance vehicles, the difference is stark and unsettling. I initially thought the transmission was suspect. But it turns out hard shifts, gear noise and finicky linkage is normal for this car. You will hear the LSD whine when making hard turns and you will get gear teeth chatter and audible gear clanking as you cruise through the gears, especially when the engine/transmission is cold. This is normal.
In a quest to determine its shifting normalcy I had other speed owners and Mazda master technicians drive my car. They said mine felt normal and in some cases much better than theirs did "stock." I've uncovered in my online research that this transmission can take abuse and a lot of power. I'll take this over a perfect feeling soft econobox transmission, especially in a performance vehicle, but that is not to say I won't try to make the shifting feel better over time.
The transmission and shifting is a fickle bitch in this car. Coming from manual econoboxes and non-performance vehicles, the difference is stark and unsettling. I initially thought the transmission was suspect. But it turns out hard shifts, gear noise and finicky linkage is normal for this car. You will hear the LSD whine when making hard turns and you will get gear teeth chatter and audible gear clanking as you cruise through the gears, especially when the engine/transmission is cold. This is normal.
In a quest to determine its shifting normalcy I had other speed owners and Mazda master technicians drive my car. They said mine felt normal and in some cases much better than theirs did "stock." I've uncovered in my online research that this transmission can take abuse and a lot of power. I'll take this over a perfect feeling soft econobox transmission, especially in a performance vehicle, but that is not to say I won't try to make the shifting feel better over time.
The seats are not very satisfying either as a hefty and tall individual. The seats lack adequate mid-thigh support for a tall person and seem just a tad too short or don't have a steep enough bucket angle. Long drives become uncomfortable in the leg area and therefore, I won't be taking the car on road trips for that reason.
Overall, its an OK purchase that will get me by. I don't love the car, and it takes some getting used to all the Speed's quirks.
Mod Diary:
Motor Mounts - my plans for mounts is simple, I don't plan on tracking/racing the car, so I hope to improve DD drive-ability by replacing the rear motor mount (RMM). Since I'm currently focused on improving drive-ability, my focus for an RMM was to keep the added vibes at a minimum but also achieve great shifting performance. My initial research uncovered that the best potential mounts based on user feedback overall are the CP-E stage 2 or a Damond RMM. I also drove a couple speeds that have the CP-E stage 2 installed and the vibes after break-in were pretty much stock and it felt great (even for my me, being vibe sensitive).
My research found that the following rear motor mounts may be rated in increasing stiffness/NVH in this order:
Focus E-Mount
Cork Sport Inserts
Cork Sport 80
CP-e Stage 1
CP-e Stage 2 (currently installed, vibes are hardly more noticeable than the stock vibes after "break-in" period, I highly recommend it if you are sensitive to vibes but need performance.)
Damond (preferred by sp0rk over CP-e Stage 2)
JBR & Cobb comparative
Others
So, I purchased the CP-E stage 2. initial impressions were that I couldn't take the break-in period vibes (between 800 and 1200 RPM the car vibrated hard - felt through seat, mirrors were unusable, dash sounded like it was going to fall apart) due to my long daily commute (in stop/go traffic) and the mount was removed within a day. Shifting was improved immensely though and the transmission felt beautiful with the mount installed.
Current situation: sold my new CP-e stage 2 and purchased a used/broken-in stage 2 that I test drove in the car I'm purchasing it from (vibes were almost stock levels and felt awesome).
Update - If you are sensitive to vibes, just get a used CP-e Stage 2. The performance is amazing and the vibes added are negligible and minuscule. While driving the vibes are identical to stock vibes. At idle, you get slightly more vibes than stock, but they are not any worse than having your base and radio turned up to "30" and are soft, not harsh feeling. You honestly won't notice the difference after a couple days of driving.
Update - due to perceived transmission issues and the mount exacerbating these, I removed it again and the car was taken to the dealer for warranty transmission evaluation/service. Currently on stock mounts again. - dealer could not duplicate any transmission problems but I sold the RMM anyway to opt for something less stiff.
Update - ordered Cork Sport RMM inserts to give them a try.
Update - Installed CS RMM inserts. Compared to a CPE-Stage 2, there are only 1/4 of the idle vibes and that is it. No added vibes while cruising or decelerating. Initial clutch slip to get the car going will have a rougher feel, but still about 1/4 of the vibes I experienced from the CPE-Stage 2. The butt dyno feels a bit more pep on initial acceleration through the gears. The engine feels like there is about 65% less movement on shifts and throttle blips. There is still pretty much the same engine growl on startup that was experienced with the CPE-stage 2. Which is awesome. For the daily driver, who wont be rampaging through gears like a 600lb gorilla the inserts are probably more than enough for satisfaction in engine movement control and comfort. If I was making more power, I'd probably go back to the CPE-Stage 2.
Update - CS RMM inserts have been in now for over a month. My brain seems used to the improvement and I could do with a tad bit more stiffening. Also, I think the inserts lift the transmission about a 1/4" due to extra material of the insert and since installing the inserts I've noticed its slightly harder to shift into first from neutral at a stop light.
Shifter - I've tried a JBR short shifter plate and JBR solid shift bushings. Both I've come to the conclusion are a waste of time/money for someone who is focused on day to day drive-ability. Not because they are JBR (the JBR quality was awesome), but because the nature of both mods reduces the drive-ability/comfort factor without much overall shifting benefit.
Even after multiple shift linkage adjustments and hours spent dialing in the short shifter plate (SSP) and linkage and trying different combinations (I even modified the ssp to have a lower ball head height), shifting/transmission feel was still reduced over the stock feel and even though the shift throw was reduced, I felt like I was taking a step backwards in drive-ability.
I tried the solid shifter bushings with the ssp in and ssp out and in each case, all they seemed to do was transmit more gear noise through the shifter, magnifying the already annoying gear clack and gearbox sounds. My solution? Remove them and just tighten the stock bushings. Now, with the stock bushings tightened, the shifter feels just as solid as with the metal shift bushings but I don't have the extra transmitted shifting noise.
So, I would recommend just tightening down your stock bushings if you don't plan to traverse your gear box like a rampaging 600lb gorilla and if you want a shorter throw, replace the entire shifter unit with a TWM or similar unit. Pricey yes, but the TWM feels beautiful (I drove another speed with one, if I had the funds, I'd get one).
Power - none planned yet due to warranty concerns. My goal if I did start power mods is a cool ~300 hp/tq to the wheels. The order of mods will be high pressure fuel pump (HPFP) internals --> intake & turbo inlet pipe (TIP) --> larger diameter exhaust (considering CorkSport or Magnaflow) --> pro e-tune (considering Freektune and others). Simple, and will allow for modest gains with a few bolt-ons.
Tuning/monitoring - I will be picking up a Cobb Access Port V3 at some point.
Update - due to Cobbs recent AP updates, I'm also looking into Versatunner now.
Appearance - blacked out the emblems and hit the top of the rear spoiler with matte black pasti-dip (7 coats).
Update - removed the plasti-dip as it was flaking around the edges.
Audio - (returned) Cheap Eonon GA6163f Android 5.1.1 head unit with PAC module for easy connection to Bose system. I returned this a few days after installing due to a multitude of problems. If you need assistance to resolve the bose compatibility and sound volume, the best resource is this:
My research found that the following rear motor mounts may be rated in increasing stiffness/NVH in this order:
Focus E-Mount
Cork Sport Inserts
Cork Sport 80
CP-e Stage 1
CP-e Stage 2 (currently installed, vibes are hardly more noticeable than the stock vibes after "break-in" period, I highly recommend it if you are sensitive to vibes but need performance.)
Damond (preferred by sp0rk over CP-e Stage 2)
JBR & Cobb comparative
Others
So, I purchased the CP-E stage 2. initial impressions were that I couldn't take the break-in period vibes (between 800 and 1200 RPM the car vibrated hard - felt through seat, mirrors were unusable, dash sounded like it was going to fall apart) due to my long daily commute (in stop/go traffic) and the mount was removed within a day. Shifting was improved immensely though and the transmission felt beautiful with the mount installed.
Current situation: sold my new CP-e stage 2 and purchased a used/broken-in stage 2 that I test drove in the car I'm purchasing it from (vibes were almost stock levels and felt awesome).
Update - If you are sensitive to vibes, just get a used CP-e Stage 2. The performance is amazing and the vibes added are negligible and minuscule. While driving the vibes are identical to stock vibes. At idle, you get slightly more vibes than stock, but they are not any worse than having your base and radio turned up to "30" and are soft, not harsh feeling. You honestly won't notice the difference after a couple days of driving.
Update - due to perceived transmission issues and the mount exacerbating these, I removed it again and the car was taken to the dealer for warranty transmission evaluation/service. Currently on stock mounts again. - dealer could not duplicate any transmission problems but I sold the RMM anyway to opt for something less stiff.
Update - ordered Cork Sport RMM inserts to give them a try.
Update - Installed CS RMM inserts. Compared to a CPE-Stage 2, there are only 1/4 of the idle vibes and that is it. No added vibes while cruising or decelerating. Initial clutch slip to get the car going will have a rougher feel, but still about 1/4 of the vibes I experienced from the CPE-Stage 2. The butt dyno feels a bit more pep on initial acceleration through the gears. The engine feels like there is about 65% less movement on shifts and throttle blips. There is still pretty much the same engine growl on startup that was experienced with the CPE-stage 2. Which is awesome. For the daily driver, who wont be rampaging through gears like a 600lb gorilla the inserts are probably more than enough for satisfaction in engine movement control and comfort. If I was making more power, I'd probably go back to the CPE-Stage 2.
Update - CS RMM inserts have been in now for over a month. My brain seems used to the improvement and I could do with a tad bit more stiffening. Also, I think the inserts lift the transmission about a 1/4" due to extra material of the insert and since installing the inserts I've noticed its slightly harder to shift into first from neutral at a stop light.
Shifter - I've tried a JBR short shifter plate and JBR solid shift bushings. Both I've come to the conclusion are a waste of time/money for someone who is focused on day to day drive-ability. Not because they are JBR (the JBR quality was awesome), but because the nature of both mods reduces the drive-ability/comfort factor without much overall shifting benefit.
Even after multiple shift linkage adjustments and hours spent dialing in the short shifter plate (SSP) and linkage and trying different combinations (I even modified the ssp to have a lower ball head height), shifting/transmission feel was still reduced over the stock feel and even though the shift throw was reduced, I felt like I was taking a step backwards in drive-ability.
I tried the solid shifter bushings with the ssp in and ssp out and in each case, all they seemed to do was transmit more gear noise through the shifter, magnifying the already annoying gear clack and gearbox sounds. My solution? Remove them and just tighten the stock bushings. Now, with the stock bushings tightened, the shifter feels just as solid as with the metal shift bushings but I don't have the extra transmitted shifting noise.
So, I would recommend just tightening down your stock bushings if you don't plan to traverse your gear box like a rampaging 600lb gorilla and if you want a shorter throw, replace the entire shifter unit with a TWM or similar unit. Pricey yes, but the TWM feels beautiful (I drove another speed with one, if I had the funds, I'd get one).
Power - none planned yet due to warranty concerns. My goal if I did start power mods is a cool ~300 hp/tq to the wheels. The order of mods will be high pressure fuel pump (HPFP) internals --> intake & turbo inlet pipe (TIP) --> larger diameter exhaust (considering CorkSport or Magnaflow) --> pro e-tune (considering Freektune and others). Simple, and will allow for modest gains with a few bolt-ons.
Tuning/monitoring - I will be picking up a Cobb Access Port V3 at some point.
Update - due to Cobbs recent AP updates, I'm also looking into Versatunner now.
Appearance - blacked out the emblems and hit the top of the rear spoiler with matte black pasti-dip (7 coats).
Update - removed the plasti-dip as it was flaking around the edges.
Audio - (returned) Cheap Eonon GA6163f Android 5.1.1 head unit with PAC module for easy connection to Bose system. I returned this a few days after installing due to a multitude of problems. If you need assistance to resolve the bose compatibility and sound volume, the best resource is this:
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