[MS3 Hot Hatch]

Cool logo. It must look great installed. Can't wait to get mine, but I'll have to pay a dealer for installation if I want the warranty. That takes some of the fun out but warranty is warranty.

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

[quote author=RonTonkinMazda link=topic=70133.msg1222923#msg1222923 date=1172113450]
the install can be done by anyone green warranty only covers parts so if you install it or mazda it does not matter
[/quote]

Who do I blame for any "accidental" flooding or water going up the intake?

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

[quote author=proclam link=topic=70133.msg1223005#msg1223005 date=1172114616]
With the way you are asking about hydrolock, I am a little concerned.... you didn't manage to do that already did you?!
[/quote]

No. I'm a neophite in these matters. I have not dones any performance mods to any of my cars yet. I'm an old fart, but never got to to it when I was young. My neighbors friend got his CAI in a Nissan Maxima that messed it up badly with water going up the intake. I do not know the details. I was concerned about it, but he must have done something bad driving wise or he may have taken the under cover or something... who knows.

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

[quote author=RonTonkinMazda link=topic=70133.msg1224959#msg1224959 date=1172179974]
Ok the GB ends tomorrow i have 17 left so plenty to go around
[/quote]

Some people got their tracking numbers. Are you e-mailing them. I cannot see mine it in the order online. I guess that you need my VIN# and milleage reading. Is that right?

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

[quote author=Julio link=topic=70133.msg1225670#msg1225670 date=1172196519]
[quote author=RonTonkinMazda link=topic=70133.msg1225638#msg1225638 date=1172195905]
the thing i just relised is this is perfect for a bypass valve! you can put it right where the joint is and not have to cut your intake and lower the value thats a great option for those who are worried about the hydro locking issue
[/quote]

I will for sure look into it, I just don't like the Idea of going with CAI and adding any "possible restriction" such as the splash shield.
[/quote]

How much power can you loose with a splash shield really? A fraction of pony if anything? Il prefer a safer setup. It does really make me feel better at least psychologically.

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

Sgon,

Are you going to keep it without the splash guard? Looks good installed, but I'll go with splash guard.

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

[quote author=proclam link=topic=70133.msg1227955#msg1227955 date=1172266867]
28th also...
[/quote]

I beat you all. Mine will not be here until March 1. I will not be able to install it until the 3rd anyway.

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

I'm tempted to take Friday off from work if I get it delivered on Thursday. I will not be dynoing. I wanted the MazdaSpeed CAI. It looks better to me than the CP-E. The bottom line is that either is better than stock and that there si competition and alternatives. This forum rocks. My dealer would not even give me a $10 discount on it. I told them about CP-E selling one and the BS me all the way about warranty, etc. I'll be buying any future MazdaSpeed accessories from Tomkin going forward. I have not decided about the which exhaust to get yet, however.

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

[quote author=vincent65 link=topic=70133.msg1238253#msg1238253 date=1172645562]
MS CAI installed and looking good. I didn't know my car had a turbo until today. Sppoooooooools up strong and loud. I know how people feel about the accuracy of a butt dyno but it definately feels quicker to me. The install was not as easy as I had hoped. This is my first mod on a new / late mode car so I shouldn't expect much. I struggled with the stock air director for a while and had a hard time getting the resistor ballast off (tight bolts). I also had a hard time getting the breather hose to fit onto the breather nipple. It just wouldn't line up correctly without a bunch of turning and twisting. I got out of there unscathed without any broken auto parts just a bunch of bloody knuckles. All in all I'm very happy with the sound and performance. Thanks to all who contribute tips and suggestions. It really helps.

Anyway, I don't think I'll be on the next gb for the MS CBE. My funds are tapped. My brother moved to Arizona and took all our community tools with him. Thats the last mod I do with a 1/4 in drive socket (could be why I had so much trouble). My funds are earmarked for a nice set of metric sockets and open end wrenches.

-Vince


[/quote]

Man, you make me feel good. You must be joking when you stated that you did not know that your car had a turbo. I almost believed you. I know how it feels not to have all the tools that one would like. I feel your pain. I'll install the CAI, but the exhaust is going straight to a local muffler shop for installation.

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

I just got an e-mail from UPS. Delivered in my front door at 3:25pm. I called up my neighbor to pick it up for me. You never know... Saturday will be fun. What is it about the ECU learning stuff? Somebody gave a tip about disconnecting the battery but I cannot find it. Otherwise, it takes 200 miles to learn? It's going to be a long week, and waiting for its delivery was a long week already.

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

[quote author=Midak link=topic=70133.msg1242840#msg1242840 date=1172798926]
[quote author=flyrevs link=topic=70133.msg1242642#msg1242642 date=1172793898]
I got my MS3 CAI and went out to install it. OK the first step: take off the engine cover. Hum this should be the easiest step right?
Wrong. One of the 10mm bolts was cross-threaded by the dealer last time I had her in to fix the P2006 CEL (they replaced the runner).
I didn't notice it at first and started to put a bit of muscle into it and it would not budge - at all. After I inspected it, it is visually inserted at an angle and there is about 3/16" of free space between the top of the bolt and the engine cover. I was going to try and get it out but then realized it might snap off and then the dealer would blame me.

Now I'm PISSED, :x :x remember my last rant where the dealer put 20 miles on the car? The easiest bolt on the whole car and a certified tech can't get it right. So I'm supposed to trust these clowns to work on the engine? I'm going into the dealer tomorrow and talk to the manager of the entire dealership. I called him and he was out so I left a voice mail and he knows I'm pissed. I'm going to tell him if this is the kind of service they do, then I'm taking my car else where.
I'm also going to explain the 20 miles they put on my car last time.

What would you guys do if this happened to you?

[/quote]
I would ask that it be fixed and all parts replaced at the dealers expense. If they refuse, contact Mazda to see what they can do. Does that bolt screw into the block?
[/quote]

The dealer lost your original bolts and put some crap instead. I would be pissed... hell yeah I would. The one's that I have are black. You got to give it to them...

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

Thanks to CosmicBlueMS3 I completed the installation last night successfully. Are you guys sure that the ECU will not detect this thing until 200 miles? It seems to me that it is faster already with just 20 miles after install. I feel more wheel spin when I rarely had any before and a little more torque steer (which was mild before). 4th gear at 60mphs feels more like 3rd used to feel at the same range more or less and I get a few 100s more rpms to play with (this is my first and only "performance" mod on my car). If my imagination is betraying me, I don't know how this car is going to be after the next 180 miles. We are talking about and estimated around 300 lbs of torque after all with this CAI only.

One thing that I noticed is that the dealer did not put all the bolts back after the courtesy oild change at 3,750 miles two months ago. There were two bolts missing when I first went down there to take the under cover off. Don't worry I called them up already and made them order them for me despite the fact that I could get them at Home Depot for less than $1.00.

Installation instructions:
1. A picture of the fuel ballast would have helped this ignorant enthusiast or at least and indication that it has a sticker with read letters (it might seems like common sense to most of you but you cannot see the bolts from above)

2. It would have been nice if the instructions said that a 3.5MM allen wrench or its almost equivalent 9/64" would be enough for the MAF re-install (nobody carries a 3.5mm allen wrench that I know of)

3. A picture in the instructions is not accurate: the fuel ballast mount does not bolt according the the picture (but it's easy to figure out of course after CosmicBlueMS3 told me what it was...)

4. The actual downpipe of the intake is less than 1/4" from the radiator hose, which gets hot quickly

Just my 2 cents.

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

One more thing that I wanted to add. That blue thingy, and those who installed it themselves know what I'm talking about. How much would it have cost Mazda to include a just in case blue thingy in the box with the CAI? $0.05? I almost broke it twice as it is so fragile. I would had been pissed at myself if I did.

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

[quote author=flyrevs link=topic=70133.msg1248103#msg1248103 date=1173042349]
Hey anyone see the post in another mazda forum where some guy has stated measured gains (multiple runs) of 34.5 HP from the MS3 CAI ?
I hope this is real as that's a nice gain.

"Originally Posted by Speedy3
Ok, got it! I ran 3 runs in 3rd gear WITH the MazdaSpeed CAI. Here are my results (Mean values of 3 runs each):

Stock
3rd Gear: 224.0 HP @ 5300 RPM, 238.8 ft-lbs @ 4233 RPM

With MS CAI
3rd Gear: 247.5 HP @ 5200 RPM, 273.0 ft-lbs @ 4267 RPM

The gains

HP: 10%
Torque: 14.3%"
[/quote]

I believe it is more than the 20hps claimed in most places for this car. My car gives me more room in 1rst and 2nd than before and 4th gear feels better in the 75-to-90mph than before "almost" like third used to feel in the 45-to-70mph range. Third now is mounstrous (it was great before). I thought that I would have to wait until 200 miles, but I have only driven it around 50 miles since installation on Friday night. I will forget the difference soon as I get used to it. I also get more DSC/TCS warning lights when on than before and more but still suttle wheel spin.

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

One more thing. It's a lot smoother to take off in 2nd in regular driving/traffic with the CAI than it used to be before. I can't believe what a difference this CAI makes. I'll forget about the difference in no time, however.

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

I thought mandrel bending took care of whatever Stretch is talking about. CP-E might be a great aftermarket supplier. Do they manufacture cars? I believe no tuning aftermarket supplier can ever know much better than a manufacturer. There is always room for improvement like the TWM bushings, engine mounts, etc. and, yes, the MS CAI is AEM. I wonder how many other manufacturers manufacture all their parts? None. Car manufacturers sometimes limit themselves to platform, power train, distribution and service, etc. and even some of those components come from multiple suppliers. I'm sure AEM built this CAI to Mazda's specs. No doubt about that. Do I trust Mazda? I just didn't just buy a Speed3 five months ago, this is my third Mazda.

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

[quote author=stretch link=topic=70133.msg1251834#msg1251834 date=1173201414]
CPE chimed in over at Mazda247, and I think this is certainly pertinent information to this thread, too:
[QUOTE author=www.cp-e.com]Thanks for explaining the process to everyone stretch. I think people are assuming that our MAF housing is 2.75" like the Mazdaspeed piece, but it is not. we can't disclose the diameter we use, but it is NOT 2.75", it is smaller than that by a good margin. And we don't do that to restrict flow, we do it so we can properly meter the air.

I think it would help if I posted a picture of our MAF housings in transition from raw aluminum into a MAF housing.

In the picture above, you can see the progress from left to right. We start with a 3" aluminum tube and we machine it to the dimensions we want. The center MAF housing has all the correct dimensions, but it still needs an airflow straightener and a MAF flange. Finally, on the right is the finished product, but with the airflow straightener our of the housing so everyone can see it.

And here is a shot of our airflow straightener compared to the stock one. They're similar, but no the same! We had to tweak their design to get it to work properly with our MAF housing.

And we don't do all this extra work because we think its fun, we do it because not paying attention to these details could cause problems later down the road when you continue adding aftermarket parts to the car. Stretch is right on with his arguments.


Jordan[/QUOTE]
[/quote]

Why would you need a straigthener in a madrel bent tube? It's a different intake the stock vs. the CAI and the air flow is different. Your picture does not tell me anything. It's in/out of square box vs. flow through a mandrel bent tube dude.

 

[MS3 Hot Hatch]

[quote author=RonTonkinMazda link=topic=70133.msg1251262#msg1251262 date=1173162263]
[quote author=Nymisus link=topic=70133.msg1251258#msg1251258 date=1173162166]
so 62 is better than stock and as the numbers rise so does vibes and comfort, but strength increases?? I think I got it thanks.....now which one should I get.....(damn I've already spent to much on this car and there is so much more I want!!!!!!!!!!!)
[/quote]

i think the 62 will sell fast it will be a huge improvment over stock and not so harsh
[/quote]

In other matters, what's the caliber or rating of the stock mount?

Going back to Stretch...

I would not doubt that CP-E might have been considered by Mazda to build the Speed CAI or that CP-E might have approached Mazda at least (if they did not do that, CP-E needs a new head of marketing or sales). Taking asside any business or political decision (for instance hopefully Ford did not have anything to do with it, etc.), CP-E must have attempted to make the case to Mazda recently or in the recent past. And if you are correct, it should continue to do it. Making the case to us might only get it a few extra thousands or not. Making the case to Mazda might get it a huge contract, etc. In that case, why did Mazda choose AEM as a supplier (I bet somebody else made the stock intake for Mazda to Mazda's specs like most car manufacturers). Mazda went through the R&D, advertising, etc. to launch the Speed3. Including a specialized torque management system, LSD, etc. Why would they screw up with a lousy $300 intake? How much do they actually make per intake? Is it worth it to screw up your customers for less than $100 in net profit at most? I'm sure that they looked at all the angles and arguments and alternatives. Only time and further testing will tell us the ultimate truth about the final fuel trims with the MS CAI once the ECU settles down if it ever does. We'll see in a couple of weeks, and we also need to see results from CP-E's CAI regaring fuel trims. Only that would settle this discussion.