x'ed

Hello all,

I will be buying a RA next month, probably a used 09 with SST. I currently dd a mazdaspeed 3, love the car but it's had a ton of problems, so i have a lemon law case that looks like it is finally going to result in a full buy back from mazda. Sucks, because I have almost 3k in mods on it, but I am ready to move on. Have 70k on the car now, mods are test pipe, fmic, cp-e stanback with plug and play, cai, upgraded fuel pump, devilsown meth kit, cobb springs, koni yellow shocks, hawk pads. Probably makes somewhere around 300whp, maybe a little more, and probably 330w/tq.

I was looking around forever for cars, didn't want a manual trans this time because I also have a nissan 240sx with an sr20det (also tbe, fmic, boost controller, walboro, cai, hks bov, ground control coilovers, sway bars, end links, camber arms, toes, lots of crap) that is manual, and having 2 manuals isn't practical anymore.

Been lurking for a couple days and will continue to do so. Doesn't seem to be a ton of hardcore modders in the RA's here, which i get. The evo is out of my price range, plus I don't really want a car with that much easy potential that will turn into a money pit.

Hopefully I'll find out that some of you guys are very knowledegable, I am not. I am not going to go crazy with modding the RA, just my basics, looks like ams offers AWESOME packages for pretty cheap, I'd probably just stop at stage 2, but initial plans (right after buying the car) would just be the ams flash, good springs, koni yellows and hawk pads.

Anyways, just an early intro, I won't post much until I own, but I am excited by what I have been reading. I put my heart and soul into the mazda, but she was a real *****, hopefully I have better luck with the RA.

I am pretty heavy into the mazda***********.org world, love posting long *** posts. I will become pretty active here once I join.

anyways, looking forward to the RA.

RalliX

I am sure you will love the RA like most of us.
Besides, we have tons of knowledgeable people on this forum.
Good Luck !!!

Boston_eagle

The ralliart is a fantastic car and I think a great option for you!

Keep is posted but I say go for it! You will love it; I have the SST and I love it: it is my favorite transmission I have had.

x'ed

I hope so, not to be a dick but there are a ton of newbish type questions in here. Maybe it's because it's a new platform, or maybe it's because I am used to guys who are funny *******s, like myself, over at mazda***********.org.

If you guys haven't heard of "forum wars" on speed channel, we just entered a car against 8thgencivic.com, totally destroyed them, it will air in april. There was a sick *** evo there too, i think from here, that battled nasioc in a 500whp sti. also a 1400whp ford gt, 1000whp viper, bunch of cool ****. We finished 3rd overall in slalom and autocross, beating the viper and ford gt.

It's a super tight knit group over there, I hope this forum is the same, becomes I love technology, but wasn't blessed with the ability to work on cars myself, even though I am great with general electronics, I am basically a huge fail at working on cars.

How is the RA not more popular, 2500 bucks to ams and you go home with a 365hp/tq awd monster? that **** is incredible. I am actually extremely excited about this car, but don't want to *** all over my computer until I am 100% sure my lemon law case is settled. But if all goes as planned, I should be stage 2 by march 1st and hopefully do some track days with you guys (ill be using the 240)

p.s., my posts tend to be very very very long.

Westbound&down

1. with the mods you've listed you are no where near 300 whp and 330 torque on a mazda 3. I myself came from that forum and platform, lets not kid ourselves.

2. Yes there alot of noob threads on here, which has gotten worse in the last 8 months. It seems this car is an entry level tuner mobile and that breeds alot of silly uneducated drivers and their questions. We're doing our best to combat it.

3. The RA stock dynos around 190 whp and 220-230 torque. The numbers are lower then a mazda 3 speed. The 365 "hp" package from ams is estimate crank power. The stock turbo much like the teeny tiny one on the 3speeds is only capable of 270 whp maxed out with ever bolt on you can imagine, and starts to die off around 5800 rpm. A nicely bolted stock turbo setup on the RA an yeild a reliable 255 whp and 280 ft lbs. To gain more, swapping to the very avaliable Evo X twin scroll, manifold, and so on is required. Many of us on it have seen as high as 320 whp and 350 ft lbs.

4. Welcome, and as a free new member gift, a tip! Research research research.

x'ed

im not kidding myself at all, i made 298 with my mods and 330tq. i dyno'd 235 stock, 265 with cai and tp, then with the cpe standback, fmic and the increased boost i was able to run with meth and the fuel pump I hit 293whp. 290-300whp is very easy to hit in the ms3, it's getting above 320 that is tough. there are stock turbo ms3's with 360wtq. If you really came from that platform you would know how easy it is to hit 290whp in that car.

and it's not a mazda 3 like you said, it's a mazdaspeed 3. it's really shocking to me that you say you came from that platform and would doubt that I am near 300whp. i have no need to internet **** swing. Jesus, there are dudes who only run intakes and tbe's that make 275whp on the ms3.

http://www.mazda***********.org/foru...66-9wtq-53665/

thats a link of a similarly modded car, minus manifold (which doesn't do a ton when others are bolted on) and thats on an AP, not a custom tune standback like my car.

I don't want to get into it with you, looks like you are one of very few so far on here that really are down to experiment and know what you are talking about. But I don't make **** up, the ms3 is a torque monster (which actually sucks because the car isn't geared well for that kind of torque).

and from what I have heard, with tp/dp/drop in/ an ams flash the RA puts down around 240-250whp. Thats a number I plan on lingering around for awhile, I need to focus my attention and money on my track car for now.

Like I said, I am just doing the flash, test pipe (i thought koni yellows, but they don't make anything for this car) so some comparable good shock and spring combo and hawk pads. I look forward to learning from you.

Slee256

Correct. Keep in mind that the output numbers posted by AMS on their website are CRANK horsepower and torque values, and thus they're significantly higher than what you'll actually be getting at the wheels.

gloom

Poor Westbound that needs to read our noob posts. I like him though cause he helps out anyway

I would never trade my RA for a Mazdaspeed for the simple reason of the RA being AWD. That **** matters alot if you live in a cold climate area like me or if you enjoy being off the road as much as on it.
It's really stable when you step on the throttle and gives few unwanted surprises imo compared to the FWD's I've driven.
Turning the ASC off will make it even better imo, when you're used to how it handles. Some suspension work is needed though, cause as some say, she's quite a heavy gal
The RA has a good platform and you can choose what to do with it.
The car has really grown on me, and because of it and this community I am learning new things every day.

Westbound&down

Dyno number like the ones youve displayed are only good for obtaining gains.

There are countless threads about the ms3 making anywhere from 215-230 whp stock, many more then they are in the 260 and so on. Each dyno brand, set up, location, and tuner will yeild different results, which as stated make unexplained higher numbers simply that. The newer Ms3 is known however to make more power. Clearly the meth injection helps alot.


As for the ams tune, yes 240-250 is viable. Keep in mind that you will see this power at roughly 5500 rpm as it will drop off from there. Also keep in mind ams does mail in tunes only, where you need to mail in your PCM to get it reflashed, so there is a downtime associated with it.

Outside of ams i wouldnt touch any ofthe emailtune options. Places like ttp and others for a while tried their best to show good tunes, only to be proved otherwise. Your best alternative would be the Acess Port. A turbo back, evo x intercooler, high flow filter, and a stage 2 AP tune will make 240-250 whp as well.

As for suspension... there isnt a shock upgrade presently. The stock shocks are quite good, and handle well with any of the spring options (eibach, rrm, swift,and so on). For a big big difference in handling the gt spec h brace, whiteline sways, and a spring set up with negative camber will do wonders my friend. wonders.

x'ed

only problem is, i never claimed that my car made 260whp or claimed that any ms3 did. you said "there are many more ms3's that put down 215-230whp" i pretty much fall in that category, i made 235whp, which is about 90percent more common than 215whp. I really doubt you owned a ms3 by what you are saying. I never said what a dyno was good for measuring, I just said how much power I had, and you doubted me, but you were wrong. Like I said, 290 whp on fully bolted or close to fully bolted ms3's with ap or standback, upgraded cdfp's and meth is very very common. I am not claiming any trap speed, just dyno's, and the dynos for fully bolted ms3's are pretty damn consistent.

It sucks to hear power drops off at such a low rpm (same thing happens in the ms3, but mostly because the engines like to go boom). I like a high revving engine.

I'll have 24k in cash for a car, maybe I'll end up with an X, the msf guys are pushing me hard that way and it looks like used mr's with sst go for about 27k, so I guess I could just save a little longer.

I need to test drive the cars. I love how affordable the RA is used, but seems like there are some pitfalls I didn't see (as is to be expected, my ms3's biggest pitfall was that it likes to break, all the time. My A/C stopped working out of nowhere today).

thanks for the replies, seems like you'll be an awesome resource for this platform eastbound. maybe not for the ms3, lol, but for this one, yes. Cracks me up that you used the "Each dyno brand, set up, location, and tuner will yeild different results, which as stated make unexplained higher numbers simply that." lol, you act like i was **** swinging with my dyno, i was just saying what I dyno'd on that particular day, you felt the need to question something I knew to be a fact. I am not the kind of guy you need to tell stupid basic things like "all dynos are different" to, and "dynos don't mean anything, trap speed does". I appreciate what you were trying to do in a way, but was just confused as to why you would think I would like about my dyno.

Westbound&down

not only did i own a ms3, i also owned an ms6. My ms3 had a cobb intake, inlet tub, ets top mount, corksport dp, custom catback and accessport.

My ms6 had a full turbo back, the same ets top mount, a first gen talon bpv and the cobb ap.

I know the cars well. I always found it funny that guys stated theirs made 270 whp, 300 whp, yada yada on said dyno but never had baselines. Furthermore, it was hilarious because of the dramatic drop off (alot worse then the RA) in power at 5500 rpms. You may have made 290 whp, but it didnt last long.

The MR's are a great vehicle. Buying a used one over the RA has some major advantages. Brakes probably being the biggest. They also have a bilstien/eibach suspension setup stock, which is lovely, the super sport mode which has launch control ( jury is still out on if its an advantage, we can break boost) and so on. My main reason for getting an mr is the interior, love it. Of course though, here in canada, a new mr is 52k. Not the 32 my car was new.

MyEvo8Urs

iTrader: (4)

I am surprised Mazda will Buy Back any car that was modded.. Good Luck!

Slee256

What does that statement mean? Also, I thought you drove a Ralliart with an Evo X turbo swap. Are you saying that you now have a Ralliart and an Evo MR?

Westbound&down

no i was giving the reasons i would buy one.

Also stated the MR is 52k brand new in Canada, while my RA is 32k new.

captobvious75

I almost bought a 2010 MS3... got a retarded deal. But... the Talon TSI is the car i miss the most out of my list below... and i attribute it to the fact that it wasn't the fastest car, but its was the most fun on the streets with the boost and AWD. I firmly feel the RA is right on that same spirit level... great street fun. To me, boost starting in the low RPM range is better than boost starting at mid RPM range.

If you plan on tracking it... i think the best mod for this car is better tires. The handling sucks strictly cause of the tires...