New Member Questions
 

Hey Guys,

New to the forums (yes, for the moment I'm a "brownie"). Last Saturday I traded in my slammed 02 Acura TL-P (inb4 FYHN) and bought a 2012 Mazdaspeed3 in Velocity Red with the Tech Package (53,500 miles) and so far I like it a lot. I'm new to the GenPu but not this platform I've done an engine swap on an 07 GenJuan and worked on an 09 and a 380 whp 07.

I'm curious what I will need to address as far as preventative maintenance and what I should look out for to fail or malfunction on the GenPoo. I plan to buy a Used Cobb V3, CAI/TIP, BPV, Shifter bushings and Turboback during the summer, but other than that I don't plan to do to much to this car (I will never slam another car).

Thanks for reading!

Welcome!

Welcome!

First of all, you can't really do any of what you've listed above safely without upgraded HPFP internals. That should probably be your first modification, and I'd buy them new if I was you.

There's also surprisingly little to be gained with the shifter bushings, as all you can do is replace the shifter base bushings. Realistically-speaking, the only thing that does for you is create a shift knob that vibrates more with the chassis.

Read your welcome letter, post in new members section, and then buy HPFP internals.

Hpfp and rear mm.

Intercooler too and you're good on bolt ons

RMM, internals, AP, intake, other mods you desire.

For maintenance, change the oil and filter, spark plugs, tranny fluid, inspect the tires, brake pads and rotors for wear and replace as necessary. A boost gauge or AP will be able to monitor boost and vacuum - to determine if you have any leaks.

I suggest before buying any mods, do a lot of research and determine your goals for the car, and then buy accordingly. Lots of folks end up buying the same part twice once they realize the power is not enough.

All good suggestions guys, I was hoping not to buy the HPFP internals until I got my preliminary work done, but it's probably smart I buy that first to avoid cuts. I really don't want to change the RMM at this time (maybe later down the road once it's necessary), did that to my friends 07 and although it put the power down better the rattle from a dead stop starting in first was so immense, this is still my DD. I'm surprised the bushings do little to nothing, my friends assured me they make shifting much nicer.

Oil and filter have been changed along with the front pads. Going to be checking all my fluids tomorrow along with the Slave/Master cylinders for leaks. The tires have good tread but their some knock off brand I've never heard of (Kingstar?) I'll be changing those within 15,000 miles I'm sure.

I'd say its difficult and it would be short sighted of me to state I have clear plans for this car. I could see myself going E85 and big turbo but I could also see myself fully bolted, tuned and content. We'll see where the road takes me but I'll build the car so if I wish to bite the bullet and go big turbo it wouldn't be TOO difficult. I'll probably defer to you guys often when it comes to my decisions to mod as you've all been there. I won't be doing much visually to the car, the appeal of this platform IMO is that it is a sleeper.

Thanks again for your input guys.

HPFP internals are mandatory, no way around it.

I couldn't live without the rmm, you get used to the vibes, I stocked out once and hated the slop.

Shifter bushings are a waste IMO, I bought them to get me past the threshold for free shipping, no felt difference really.

Look into the versatuner, and compare to the AP. There is a thread with a group buy going on, and there has been alot of interest considering Cobb got ghost on us.

I'll look into it, also what do you mean by "Cobb got ghost on us."

Thanks.

Some feel as though Cobb is moving onto newer and better things, in regards to the AP and any advancements on the device/software.

Versatune looks promising, and is doing the opposite amd expanding on this platform.

On the stock hardware and tune, the internals are fine. Its when you run flow mods (intake, intercooler, exhaust, etc with a tune of course) that it becomes an issue.

Got it! Thanks guys! I also have concerns because I've never ground a gear in my life. I've driven stick here and there for almost 10 years and in the past 6 days I've ground once in second and three times going into third. Starting to wonder if it's the syncros.. I have a 3 month 3000 mile limited warranty so I may take it back to the dealer and have them check it out. Maybe I'm paranoid because it's a new car for me.?

You dont ground a gear, you grind.