I am planning on buying my intake cam soon. i have been told by a cuple people that i should get a Apexi S-AFC. DO i HAVE to get the S-AFC or will my car be fine without it with the intake cam?
Plus... Does mazda sell a factory repair manual that tells the wiring diagram. i need the wiring diagram if i even plan on getting the S-AFC.

Thank you,
chris

 

There's no reason (that I see) as to why you would need a S-AFC for an intake cam. Cams are generally a drop-in stand alone mod.

It's good that you're asking these questions. I hope that you take the time to learn what these mods do and why the do or in some cases don't work, before you blindly install them into your brand new car!

Mazda does sell the wiring diagram. Look in you owner's manual, it will list the part numbers so that you can go to any dealership and order them.

Jason

 

So the computer compensates for the new cam and lets more air in and fuel in safely? Would a AEM short ram or K&N or PiperX drop in filter be better for better efficiency of the cam?

 

The stock computer should compensate for the cam.
The S-AFC will allow you to get more power, out of the system that you already have. You HAVE to know how to tune it though, and you have to be using the correct gauges in addition to the S-AFC. At a minimum, you should be using a A/F gauge and EGT gauge. Ideally you will want to have access to a dyno equipped with a wide-band o2 sensor. Incorrect adjustments can result in a minimum of worse performance to damaging your engine.

Personally I haven't seen any numbers on the airfilters to suggest that there's any reason to get one, other then a drop-in replacement filter. 1-3hp for $40 isn't a bad deal, but it's not a noticeable gain. Small gains do eventually add up though. I have the K&N because I could go to the local Autozone and get it off the shelf. I don't know how much the PiperX version is. I also see no reason to move to a open style filter. The cost of those filters are WAY to high for what you're getting. And the small gain in horsepower (~5hp claims) isn't worth the money or the potential problems some people are having with those filters (IMHO). Maybe the open airfilters would be more beneficial with more mods such as both cams, exhaust, head work....