Just sold my CRX SI, and Bought a MX-3 GS, questions?

[Diablo]

Hey guys, im a new MX-3(1993 GS) owner.I had my CRX for a long time (7years) and i was happy with it. but the look was getting old, even with a kit, and i think the mx-3 still looks amazing for a decade old style.<BR>I have a few questions if someone would be kind enough to answere.<P>1. I don't know if any one has driven a crx but I found that the shifter on the mx-3 is much heaver. you need to really push it from gear to gear. is that how they are made?<P>2. Also i noticed the car does not have any real power until 3rd gear. is that also common? the first 2 gears really rev up fast to 3000rpm+ but the car doesn't go anywhere.<P><BR>3. I guess the one question everyone asks, but i want to know what is the best value for the money in terms of upgrades for additional power. turbo? new engine? new engine with turbo? and what price would someone would be looking at for them. <P>i don't race much but i was planing on adding the kit for the mx-3 and it would be lame if the looked really sharp and sporty, but couldn't catch anything. =)<P>I would greatly appreciate if anyone takes the time to answere any of the question. <P>Cheers<BR>Sal

[Jayrykes84]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on buying your mx-3!<P>To answer your question about best power-to-money upgrade... the answer would definitely be to do an engine swap... and the best engine to drop into your car is the 2.5L KL-03 which you can find in any one of these cars:<P>- Mazda 626<BR>- Mazda MX-6 GT<BR>- Ford Probe GT<P>Once the engine is in, you should be pushin bout 170 horse and 150-60 lbs torque... this is the best mod you can possibly do for just raw performance. <P>There are no turbo's made for the 1.8L v6, atleast none that are worth the money (theres a shitty kit built for 6 grand that really isnt worth the money)<P>so, to summarize: go with the KL-03 swap

[OsoSlo z28]

what about the ze?

[SmokyMcGee]

hope you have good luck with your mx-3, i know i havent. watch for oil leaks, distributor problems and god knows what else went wrong with my car.

[VizualXTC]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by John Rykes:<BR><STRONG>Once the engine is in, you should be pushin bout 170 horse and 150-60 lbs torque... this is the best mod you can possibly do for just raw performance. </STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>The KL_03 is rated 164HP and 160TQ to the crank. The KL_ZE engine is rated 200HP 160TQ, and only about $400 more. The KL_03 engine will hold more boost than the KL_ZE (03 = 12-14psi ZE = 7-8psi) under forced induced applications, but the KL_ZE will produce more HP than the KL_03 on stock internals with maximum boost applied. Next would be turbo or nitrous. You could custom build a turbo for under $2K with intercooler, BOV, and off e-bay. NOS has a setup for the MX-3 GS for under $500. David Coleman said he once saw a ZE spraying 125HP but I'd stay under 100. Intake and exhaust make your car sound good, but without a turbo you won't see much real gain from them (maybe 10-15 to the wheels). With a turbo those gains will increase. Engine mounts won't increase power, but it will put more to the ground. Hope I helped a bit.

[David Coleman]

Moved to the V6 performance forum.<P>Welcome aboard!

[Sonicxtacy02]

As everyone here has said. Your first step should be to decide if you wanna go N/A or Forced Induction. if you go N/A, swap in the KL-ZE for an automatic 70hp. Add an exhaust and intake (PRM seems to be everyones favorite), and you'll be pushing +200 for less than 2000 invested. <P>If you want to go forced induction, swap in the KL-03. Before you choose turbo/SC, have someone check the block for possible probs. There are several turbo'd 03's out there, and only one supercharged (mazdamaniac.com). <P>Good luck whatever you decide to do, this site has all the info you could ever need on the mx-3, sometimes it just hard to find it

[Diablo]

thank you,John Rykes, cre8v mx3, SmokyMcGee, VizualXTC, Sonicxtacy02, for the great info. <BR>after reading your msgs i looked into the kl-ze engine and it does seem to be a diffecult engine to find. the one auto salavage shop i did call didn't even know what that was. (anyone know where i could find them in Ontario) <BR>I think for the time being i was looking into the NOS kit available for the mx-3 1.8, does anyone have any experience with the kit on the 1.8? and does it require any modifications, or the stock engine is fine.?<P>Thanks again. <BR>Sal

[KNOCKOUT]

Check these sites: <A HREF="http://www.streetimports.com" TARGET=_blank>www.streetimports.com</A> (got mine from Sean there) <A HREF="http://www.nipponmotors.com" TARGET=_blank>www.nipponmotors.com</A> <A HREF="http://www.corksport.com" TARGET=_blank>www.corksport.com</A> (they also have ecu reprogramming for the ZE as well. These guys know there stuff, but will be the most $$$ and there service isn't the greatest either.)

[macnwigs]

go to <A HREF="http://www.a-spec.ca" TARGET=_blank>www.a-spec.ca</A> it's a local shop in Etobicoke that specializes in mazda performance...They do the KL-03 and KL-ZE conversions for a reasonable price

[Sonicxtacy02]

GREAT PRICES. <P>hmm lets see.. pay 1200us to buy the ZE and install it myself, or 1900us to buy and have it installed by someone that would know what the hell they were doin.. easy choice

[Diablo]

Wow perfect, close to where i live too. thats the best option for sure. thanks for the link

[Sonicxtacy02]

yes