PNY

Is anyone familiar with the flywheel that Mazda offers for the 3s? What will I gain/lose? I like to keep my warranty.

Roddimus Prime

You should read the pamphlet that comes with the mazdaspeed parts. It'll explain your warranty options but that means nothing. It's all dealership discretion.

Here are the advantages and disadvantages to a lighter flywheel.


pros:
Less rotating weight means more power transfered to the wheels
Better Throttle response
in long road trips will give better mileage


cons:
makes shifting smoothly difficult
$$$ (cost)
makes starting on hills slightly more difficult
$$$ (labor)
Possible loss of warranty


If you plan on racing the car on road courses or driving for extended periods of time at highway speeds then I'd say do it. If you do a lot of stop and go city driving I'd say to forget it.

For the cost of the parts and loabor you'd be better served to buy a few other parts. Intake, header, exhaust, short shifter, mazdaspeed suspension, mazdaspeed brakes, etc.

PNY

I have an automatic...do I even have a flywheel? I already got the mazdaspeed intake and exhaust done. What headers do you recommend for an 07 2.3L GT?

Roddimus Prime

no, you don't. Mods to help make automatic cars faster would be weight reduction mods.

Check with Ken @ Protegegarage.com or Gary (Kargoboy on this forum) in the vendor section for a header for your vehicle. Not recommended if you have emissions testing int your state.....unless you don't have to do it for so many years then it's cool.


I'm personally waiting for someone to bring me a new 2.3L duratec 3S and letting me install the Cosworth parts on it to see how similar it is. I don't know why people haven't tried yet.

PNY

Thanks a ton for the help and just fyi Mazda did a great job with the intake and exhaust...they sound great together.

Roddimus Prime

oh yes. I had the MS intake on my MS6 and it sounded amazing. I liked buying the MS accessories just for the nameplate but there are some great alternatives out there if you look.

PNY

I agree...you seem to know quite a bit about this stuff judging from the number of posts. Is there any real performance or sound (to me less header output noise would be better at this point) difference on 4-2-1 or 4-1 headers?

Roddimus Prime

typically a 4-2-1 will give you better mid-range torque while a 4-1 will give you better overall top end.

Honestly the difference is pretty minimal and I'm pretty sure you'd be happy with whatever you choose.

If you're interested in spending money on the car the first few things to do are replace your fluids with good synthetics like Royal Purple oil and their ATF fluid in the tranny. Just make sure you get the right ATF so it doesn't cause problems.

Then I'd suggest a good set of NGK Iridium IX's spark plugs if you're just looking for stuff to do.

PNY

Thanks...I will probably go with the 4-1 especially after I get the speed govenor removed. I have changed oil to a Mobile 1 full synthetic. Do you know which headers work well with the M3 oxygen sensors?

Roddimus Prime

none.

You'll need a signal modifier for the rear O2 to keep the car from noticing the missing cat.