Mazda Talk Forums

Coilovers? Sways? CAI? Axleback? I'll have about $3000 to spend, and it looks as you have most if not all on your site for me. I'm thinking "The Q" would give me a little bark, I hade the MS on my Mazda 3 NA and other than the drone at about 3000 RPM's we loved it, I had a MS CAI on it as well. And I need to get my NC to corner better on the road and on a trackday here and there (not autocross). So what you think? I don't want to be pissing blood after being in the car for any amount of time, from a brutal ride. Sorry about the "Urinate" comment I'm a nurse.

If you have not already done so, take a look through our 2012 Project Car thread because I am consistently amazed at how well the Progress Spring and Sway combo works. Nonetheless, coilovers like our choices from TEIN and OHLINS are on an entirely different level of performance and if a track day once or twice a year are in the mix then I would include coilovers.

My suggested shopping list for $3000 and the goals outlined in your post includes TWO big ticket items, one transforms the handling, the other transforms the torque and sound:

Roadstersport Street Exhaust combo. That's the Street Header, Midpipe, and Q Muffler. That's what we have on my wife's 2012 and she loves the extra power and sound, just enough additional attitude that she makes excuses to drive it and give it more throttle. Be sure to watch the brief video sample at the bottom of the product listing at the link above to get just a little taste of the very mild sound (if had not turned the stereo off you might not even notice). Now if the track day was going to be more than once or twice a year I would step up to our RoadsterSport Max Power Header Combo or our PPE Long Tube Header and Midpipe with Q muffler....both will give you a result with even more torque but both will also give you quite a bit more sound. Every choice is a tradeoff.

TEIN COILOVERS. This might be more firm than you want for daily driving. If you decide the coilovers are more serious than you want for the daily ride, then Koni Shocks, Progress Springs and our Racing Beat Sways is my suggestion for MUCH better than stock handling with a ride that is still more plush than most sports cars from the factory.

So how about Sways (which one's) I can wait for the Progressive one's if thats the one, Q-muffler, what coilovers and CAI? I can always go the full exhaust later on. Can "one" buy a header exhaust without cats? Yea I don't have smog tests here.

We are going to make some of our midpipes soon without converters (including double resonators instead), but can't yet say what day they land on the shelf. In the meantime we do have our Racing Beat Header and two Racing Beat connecting pipe choices but even the choice with single resonator is pretty loud.....even with the Q at the back.

The Progress sways are slightly stiffer than the Racing Beat but both are great choices, you can't go wrong with either. Assuming you are going with relatively soft springs (Progress, Eibach, Racing Beat), then it would not hurt to go a little stiffer on the sways.

On intake, I prefer our AEM slightly, though the Racing Beat is also excellent (another choice where you really can't go wrong with either and my slight preference is merely because the cross tube is aluminum with the AEM and steel with the Racing Beat).

Thanks alot for that info. Brian.

Brian,

I will buy your mid-pipe whithout converter and with 2 resonators. What a great news!

When you say : "some of our midpipes soon without converters", which mid-pipes do you want to modify? The GWR one of course, but do you plan to modify the PPE one too?


Thanks,
David.

PS : When a Rotrex kit will be available, it will be a greater news!

Talking about RoadsterSport Midpipe only.

Ohlins and RS Q. Get 70N/mm front and 50N/mm rear springs. Good on the street, don't need new stabilizer bars.

Maybe you could switch to Tein coilovers and add a Moto-East tune and stay under $3k.