Hey everyone, this is a great place and Im glad I found it. You guys seem to know a hell of alot more about cars than I do .<P>Ive got a 94 V6 MX-3 with 138k KMS on it and Ive been very happy with it to date. Aside from having to replace the CV joints twice and the rear suspension its been a solid ride. Ive always liked the solid power the car has but I wish that 5th gear was a bit taller so I could get a decent idle at highway speeds(3000rpm is a little 'busy' for my tastes).<P>Anyways to my question: I have absolutely no aftermarket/custom parts on my car. Id like to know if there are any simple and effective methods to increase power even a little bit(intake system, air filter, anything?). <P>I've also got the nagging lifter noise problem that seems to plague alot of us. I use Mobil 1 Tri-Synthetic which is thinner and doesn't seem to reduce the noise at all . But that oil is *very* kind to my engine so Im not changing it (a friend suggested a synthetic blend to reduce the noise). <P>Perhaps my largest complaint about my mx3 is the godforsaken road noise! My god its like a storm inside the car at speeds greater than 80km/h. Is there ANYTHING that can be done about it? Id probably be willing to spend a little more to fix that, as its truly ridiculous.<P>I apologize to anyone thats annoyed by my simplistic questions. And thanks to anyone who takes the time to answer!<P>Cheers,<P>Atlas
What weight of Mobil 1 do you use? You might try switching to 5w30. I ran 0w30 for quite a while with good results.<P>You can swap in a MX-6 or 626 V6 tranny [93+] for better gearing on the highway, at the cost of acceleration. My MX-6 gearbox with stock tires cruises ~3800RPM @ 80mph. The 626 gearbox would have a lower 5th gear as well as the 4.111 final gear [4.388 stock for MX-3 GS]<P>A PRM intake system would be a good investment for easy, simple power increases. I made my own intake system, and plan to construct another one using as much of the stock induction system as possible [for the sleeper look].<P>I've never noticed the road noise. There are sound dampening sprays and mats you can buy from places like Crutchfield and other car audio supply warehouses.
David Coleman
I used to know alot about MX-3's, but not so much anymore. Oh well.
Hi Dave, would it be possible to put the taller fifth in an MX-3 Box to just get a nicer cruise and better fuel mileage without killing acceleration in the other gears? or put a MX-3 Diff in a 626 box for a similar effect?<P>Road noise, The worst culprit for that is usualy tires, next time you buy tires you could ask your tire shop guy about it. Mine isn't at all bad by my standards, I get wind noise from a couple of breaks in the window rubber, but not road noise. It could just be those fancy NF roads too, if I remember right they aren't too smooth.
Hey For killing out road sound i found that phat mat. works ten times better than a dynamat. and is much cheaper to install not only is this good for a increase in SPL but if you do the whole car it helps with the noise a bit.
No such thing as simple, economical performance upgrades. People may suggest intake, exhaust, weight reduction...etc...however I bet if you were to dyno a stock k8, then throw on an aftermarket intake and exhaust, there would be no more than 5-7 hp gains at most.That increase would not even be noticable to you. Intake and exhaust mods will compliment OTHER mods more than help out by themselves. With the road noise, is it your hatch? If so, throw a layer of weatherstripping in the back. It will make the hatch harder to shut but it will not creek or squeak ever again.
Combat kit, Spectra blue paint, shaved, Black ADR flite 4 17's/ Yokahama ES 100's, straight through 2.5 inch cat back exhaust, CAI, Straight neck IM KLZE, poly filled motor mounts, Kl48/ Eprom chip, black altezzas, Wet Zex 75 shot, Walbro 255 fuel pump, Cosmo AFPR, GS SE all black interior, RF 1kbd amp, RF 12 HE2's (2), US acoustics 4 channel amp My Cardomain site
Originally posted by Atlas: I wish that 5th gear was a bit taller so I could get a decent idle at highway speeds(3000rpm is a little 'busy' for my tastes).
3,000 RPM on the freeway? What're you? Driving Miss Daisy?
5-7HP is a 3-5% gain, a fair amount for the $$ spend on an intake/exhaust.
With the exception of replacing the engine there is little else that gives you that much bang for your buck.
Other things I would do though include sway-bars (front and rear), and if possible, a sport clutch and good tires.
I hate my dunlop tires, however they were on the car when I bought it..but M+S tires in the wet of vancouver suck. twice in the past 2 days I have almost slid into another car when they cut in front of me and I hit the brakes and my wheels slipped.
.<P>Ive got a 94 V6 MX-3 with 138k KMS on it and Ive been very happy with it to date. Aside from having to replace the CV joints twice and the rear suspension its been a solid ride. Ive always liked the solid power the car has but I wish that 5th gear was a bit taller so I could get a decent idle at highway speeds(3000rpm is a little 'busy' for my tastes).<P>Anyways to my question: I have absolutely no aftermarket/custom parts on my car. Id like to know if there are any simple and effective methods to increase power even a little bit(intake system, air filter, anything?). <P>I've also got the nagging lifter noise problem that seems to plague alot of us. I use Mobil 1 Tri-Synthetic which is thinner and doesn't seem to reduce the noise at all 
1993 Mazda RX-7 Touring Edition