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1.8 V6 - Engine Tuning

Posted: July 8th, 2009, 4:45 pm
by the_kid
Hello eveybody,i am new here and i am coming from Romania..my car is MAZDA MX-3 1,8 V6 from 1991..I was wondering if someone know`s more things for tunning for this type of engine besides swaps and all kinds of manuals :lol:
Thanks ...

Re: 1.8 V6 - Engine Tuning

Posted: July 8th, 2009, 7:42 pm
by mitmaks
not really worth it. However you can do headers, intake, and some other basic bolt on stuff.

Re: 1.8 V6 - Engine Tuning

Posted: July 10th, 2009, 7:36 pm
by the_kid
Well,i know that i will not get too much from these things,but every hp is good welcomed in my engine:P .. I am racing my car every week,so thats why i need something extra!
Till now i am playing with BMW E36 COUPE 2.0,Mitsubishi Eclipse 2.0 16v,Opel Calibra SFI 2.0 16v,etc,but i need more
Can you tell me where i can get racing headers only for MAZDA MX3?!I was looking on ebay.com but nothing interesting about headers...
Thanks

Re: 1.8 V6 - Engine Tuning

Posted: July 10th, 2009, 8:13 pm
by hgallegos915
Turbo it!




Yeah just type ford probe gt headers.. the headers are the same.


to squeeze every little pony out of that k8.. you need

headers, lightweight flywheel, cold air intake, do the external coil mod.

remove power steering and replace with manual steering rack, remove the ac compressor, get a fiberglass or carbon fiber hood, fiberglass or carbon fiber hatch(very hard to come by unless you buy in this site)



I think thats pretty much it.. I tried an underdrive pulley and it failed.. it made my car run rough...


Interesting enough.. if you swap the engine for a 2.5l from a probe gt.. it will be cheaper and you will be making MUCH more power than with all the mods I mentioned...

Re: 1.8 V6 - Engine Tuning

Posted: July 10th, 2009, 8:28 pm
by Inodoro Pereyra
hgallegos915 wrote:Interesting enough.. if you swap the engine for a 2.5l from a probe gt.. it will be cheaper and you will be making MUCH more power than with all the mods I mentioned...
Yep. Of course, then you'd be seeing that nasty four letter word every time you open the hood...(where's a "yuck" smilie when you need it?) :lol:

Re: 1.8 V6 - Engine Tuning

Posted: July 10th, 2009, 9:34 pm
by the_kid
Until now I have: sports air filter, full stainless steel exhaust, but no headers!
The "volant"(dont know the exact word:P) will be modified, Injun modified, racing headers and a chip / unichip.I had in my mind to change the engine with a 2.2 Ford Probe GT 147hp TURBO,2.5 v6 24v 163cp from Ford Probe or Mazda MX-6 .. the engine from probe 2.5 its the same like mx6!
But i think this 1.8 engine can do a lot,so thats why i`ll keep this one!
About addind a turbo kit on this 1.8,i`ll get my a-- kicked on legal racings .. u see guys,here in Ro we have some different rules when we play legal with our cars ...
Anyway,thanks a lot for advises,we keep in touch .. also more opinios are good welcomed

Re: 1.8 V6 - Engine Tuning

Posted: July 10th, 2009, 10:50 pm
by fowljesse
Welcome to the forum :) There is alot of information here! Just click on the word "search" in the red banner ^^ under the MX-3 on the top of the page.

Re: 1.8 V6 - Engine Tuning

Posted: July 10th, 2009, 11:00 pm
by Nd4SpdSe
the_kid wrote:Until now I have: sports air filter, full stainless steel exhaust, but no headers!
The "volant"(dont know the exact word:P) will be modified, Injun modified, racing headers and a chip / unichip.I had in my mind to change the engine with a 2.2 Ford Probe GT 147hp TURBO,2.5 v6 24v 163cp from Ford Probe or Mazda MX-6 .. the engine from probe 2.5 its the same like mx6!
But i think this 1.8 engine can do a lot,so thats why i`ll keep this one!
About addind a turbo kit on this 1.8,i`ll get my a-- kicked on legal racings .. u see guys,here in Ro we have some different rules when we play legal with our cars ...
Anyway,thanks a lot for advises,we keep in touch .. also more opinios are good welcomed
No, the 2.2 is an F-series. Unless you've got some fabrication skills it's not easy. Only one person has done that swap and it was with the FE3T I believe.

Yes, you can swap in the 2.5L from the Probe/Mx6/626/Millenia. It's very common.


No, the 1.8 doesn't do alot. But if you want to learn the hard way, have fun. A turbo kit will work, but it's not that strong, so don't expect big numbers.

Re: 1.8 V6 - Engine Tuning

Posted: July 11th, 2009, 7:52 am
by the_kid
With this engine i have won some races
Me VS 320 e36 150hp = Winner ME
Me VS Mitsu Eclipse 150hp = Winner ME
Me VS Calibra SFI 150hp = Winner ME
Me VS Alfa 147 130-135hp = Winner ME
Me VS Mitsu Colt 120hp(800kg) = Winner ME
Me VS BMW 520d + chip 163cp = Winner ME
Me VS Opel Astra Bertone 130-135hp = Winner ME
Me VS Audi A4 130-135hp = Winner ME
And more more ...
So thats why i said this engine can do a lot .. i supose with a plus of 15-20hp i can kick a-- a lot of strong cars .. And as i said,if i add a turbo kit or swap the engine with a bigger one,i can get my a-- kicked at legal racing .. because if i`ll have like 163 or 180hp,there will be cars with more than 200hp .. so it sucks :?

Re: 1.8 V6 - Engine Tuning

Posted: July 13th, 2009, 6:26 pm
by the_kid
Soon i`ll have a STAGE 3 KIT CLUTCH,short shifter,and LSD :x ,and possible the chip

Re: 1.8 V6 - Engine Tuning

Posted: July 13th, 2009, 6:29 pm
by Nd4SpdSe
What kind of clutch?

Chip?

Re: 1.8 V6 - Engine Tuning

Posted: July 13th, 2009, 6:49 pm
by traecrad
Hey guys, I just joined today and was wanting to know all the secrets to getting my Mazda MX-3 a little more boost.. It is the 1.8L V6 with just the cold air intake and full carbon fiber exhaust.. Basically stock.. Any tips??

Re: 1.8 V6 - Engine Tuning

Posted: July 13th, 2009, 6:57 pm
by umcamara
For starters if your "cold air inake" consists of a cone filter attached to the end of the rubber intake tubing, replace it with the factory airbox.

I'm not sure if I'd call a full carbon-fibre exhaust completely stock. That's pretty damn cool!

Welcome to the forum. Your K8 tuning options are rather limited.

Re: 1.8 V6 - Engine Tuning

Posted: July 13th, 2009, 7:00 pm
by Nd4SpdSe
traecrad wrote:Hey guys, I just joined today and was wanting to know all the secrets to getting my Mazda MX-3 a little more boost.. It is the 1.8L V6 with just the cold air intake and full carbon fiber exhaust.. Basically stock.. Any tips??
Carbon Fiber exhaust? lol!

Intake and exhaust is the best you can do. Next step would be turbo, but don't expect much more than 200whp. It's not a strong motor for boost and there's no aftermarket internals, so custom parts would be expensive. Ideally it would be best to swap to the 2.5, either the 165/170hp KLDE ot the 200hp KLZE, than if you want turbo those later. The DE is easier for boost because it's lower compression.

Re: 1.8 V6 - Engine Tuning

Posted: July 14th, 2009, 6:23 pm
by traecrad
Yeah, the WHOLE exhaust system is carbon fiber... But was it worth it for all the money?? I was looking into getting the KL-ZE but havent had any luck, and I dont want to put a turbo on the 1.8L that I have... And where can I find a good performance chip at??