Z me Pro

Does anyone have the Mazdaspeed 10.7-1 high compression pistons? What kinda power do you get out of them anyways??

what does it take to install the pistons? How much would it cost, and what other parts would you need to get for it?

PhotoPro5

I would probably recommend that you do the full FS-ZE conversion as long as you're going to break the motor open and replace the pistons. There's a new intake manifold, cams, probably an exhaust manifold (not sure if the J-Spec manifold is any different) along with gaskets and other assorted items. You might as well get some head work done while you're at it. Installation is pretty involved, as you're having to diassemble the motor in order to get to the pistons. Labor would probably equal , if not exceed, the parts cost.

I'm not sure about the price but, in the end, the motor should put out 170 hp on the dyno, just like the FS-ZE.

You could turbo the motor, maybe for a slightly higher price, but get considerably more power and without having to change the internals (though I would suggest in the interest of engine life, you replace pistons, rods, and whatever else while you're at it).

A turbo kit would cost in the neighborhood of 4000 dollars.

gcs118

PhotoPro5, no offense but you did not answer any of his questions...

But I have a few more to add:
To get to the pistons, do you have to go through the bottom taking out the crankshaft and rods, or is there a way to remove the wrist pins and such from the top? I would definitely do the install myself, but not looking at Mazdaspeed really.

carguycw

You can remove the pistons through the bottom on many cars, but many newer Jap motors have main bearing saddles that make this impossible. I'm not sure if F-series Mazdas fall into this category.

However, the question really ought to be whether you SHOULD remove pistons through the bottom, and the answer is NO. In order for the rings to seat properly, the cylinder bores should ALWAYS be honed when new pistons are installed. This requires pulling the cylinder head. If you don't hone the bores, the engine will never make adequate power or run properly, and will probably burn oil like a ****. Don't even think about it. If you're pulling the engine apart, DO IT RIGHT.

Z me Pro

anyone?

PhotoPro5

Pistons are 49 bucks, each.

gcs118

carguycw...you said to do it right. Can you explain in pretty good detail what all one would have to do the swap pistons? Also, how much is it to have the cylinders bored out? I figure while I'm in there, boring would be pretty easy, but have never heard any price quotes. Thanks for your time.

carguycw

Explaining how to swap pistons is too broad of a topic to really address in an email. Best thing to do is to buy some general books on engine rebuilding, and buy the FSM and the Mazda factory engine supplement if you don't already own them.

In short, to bore out the cylinders, you will have to pull the engine, take most of it apart and take the block to a machine shop. Machining prices vary widely depending on the services you want; I'm guessing in the range of $200-400 to get the cylinders bored and honed, but it depends what other work you want done while you're at it. You should probably start by asking around and finding out which shops in your area are good at this sort of work.

Installshield

I vaguely remember from the www.probetalk.com forum that it is possible to pull the pistons with the engine still in the car, but I agree with you, not the best idea. Not only is it easier to see and work around a pulled engine, everything needs to be completely spotless when you re-assemble the engine which is probably a tall order with the engine still in the car...

You guys mentioned boring the cylinders too, which would mean the use of oversized pistons and the Mazdaspeed pistons are not. The honing process doesn't require larger pistons though, and I would think that would be the only thing needed if the cylinder walls are in decent shape. Just thought I would point that out.

You will have to get some engine management upgrades of some sort to get any noticeable power gains. + immediately have to use Premium gas all the time. The gains could be impressive, but tedious if you do it yourself and not that cost effective unless you have means to a stand alone ECU for cheap, or at least a programmable piggyback...

carguycw

I agree with Installshield here about pulling the engine; I meant to talk about pulling the engine in my previous posts but I forgot to mention it. Although it may not seem obvious to the mechanically inexperienced, it will be MUCH easier to do this job with the engine out of the car, regardless of whether or not you intend to bore out the cylinders. It is almost always possible to pull the pistons from any given car with the engine installed, the question is whether or not it's worthwhile to try it. FWD vehicles typically don't have much room to work around the engine, and if you're doing a complete top-end teardown, doing the job with the engine installed will typically involve lots of skinned knuckles and cursing.

BTW the 10.7:1 Mazdaspeed pistons are available oversize; the part numbers are in the FAQ. I agree with Installshield that boring the engine will probably not be required, and honestly, the additional displacement will be pretty minimal and probably won't increase power enough to justify the cost. FWIW, it's possible to hone the cylinders with the engine installed, but trying to bore them in place is a very bad idea, and I recommend ignoring anyone who claims they can do it.

Good luck!

Installshield

Oops..I apologize for my ignorance.

If any of you guys ever plan on having this done, do a lot of research on the subject regardless of whether you are doing the install yourself. Unless you take it to a dealership ($$$$$) to have the block machined, you are stuck with the local guys around town...More likely than not they will try to stick it in...As Chris said you will run into the slippery bunch that will claim to bore the cylinders and everything with the powerplant still in the car's frontend to keep the labor down. They will also promise ridiculous power gains if they do "another small tweak to the head and block". Don't let anyone take you for a ride and this is less likely to happen if you are at least "semi" educated on what is being done.

Installshield

this would make more sense if your were only looking for power. The MSP's 10.7:1 is still relatively low for high compression pistons. I don't think anyone should even consider any of these pistons until the ECU problem is more than tackled, some guys around here seem to think an ECU upgrade for a tuned NA/FI -FS is not needed...

ImportUnlimited

my friend is paying 120 to bore out his 5.0 engine

carguycw

I assume you're talking about a Mustang 302W V-8 "5.0". If this is the case, of course it's cheap. Every engine machinist in America has seen hundreds of them and can bore them out with their eyes shut and one hand tied behind their back. Getting quality work done on an import engine will be a little pricier.

Second, this still sounds WAY too cheap for quality machine work. This suggests a few possibilities to me...
(1) The machinist is his buddy.
(2) This is not *quality* work. He's hired some guy with a shack in his backyard and a handheld drill.
(3) This is the cost for ONE part of a multi-stage machining job. He's also getting the crank milled, the block align-honed, etc. and the machine shop is charging $120 for the boring part of a $1,000 job and making the money elsewhere.

FWIW

gcs118

Two things...

1) What does FWIW stand for?

2) What kind of gains might I see if I got a stand alone unit such as the Haltech E6K? I wouldn't have the money for stand alone and pistons at once, so if I go and spend $1300 or so, I'd want some gains before I got to the real mods. Any ideas?