Mazda 6 MPS (2007)
Discussion
I went to Litchfield Imports a couple of weeks ago to have them fettle the MPS. First impressions were that it is a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, but once through the gates it looks like a very professional place indeed with more Nissan GT-R's and Subaru STi's than you can shake a stick at. They even had a Bugatti EB110 in the workshop.
Coming from the Subaru community as I do, I know Iain Litchfield is highly rated as a tuner so I was happy to hand over my car to him. The car is totally standard at the moment as I don't have the big money to spend on exhausts & CAIs
After verifying the model year and the correct map for my car he took the car out for 30 minutes or so to do the remapping and then showed me the traces on the laptop of the boost pressure and air flow which indicated I now had about 290-295bhp under my right foot.
Handing over nearly £600 for 30 minutes work seems a lot but I know the Ecutek licence is a large part of that, plus the expertise of developing the maps in the first place.
On the short trip back to the motorway the car felt much more lively and urgent. The massive weight of the 6 MPS was less apparent going through the gears.
The map doen't seem to have affected economy, I got over 33MPG on a long motorway run at 75-80 ish.
So, time will tell how reliable the map is, but my initial experience is very positive and I recommend it. Now to find some roads where I can really open it up and give the car a damn good thrashing.
Coming from the Subaru community as I do, I know Iain Litchfield is highly rated as a tuner so I was happy to hand over my car to him. The car is totally standard at the moment as I don't have the big money to spend on exhausts & CAIs
After verifying the model year and the correct map for my car he took the car out for 30 minutes or so to do the remapping and then showed me the traces on the laptop of the boost pressure and air flow which indicated I now had about 290-295bhp under my right foot.
Handing over nearly £600 for 30 minutes work seems a lot but I know the Ecutek licence is a large part of that, plus the expertise of developing the maps in the first place.
On the short trip back to the motorway the car felt much more lively and urgent. The massive weight of the 6 MPS was less apparent going through the gears.
The map doen't seem to have affected economy, I got over 33MPG on a long motorway run at 75-80 ish.
So, time will tell how reliable the map is, but my initial experience is very positive and I recommend it. Now to find some roads where I can really open it up and give the car a damn good thrashing.
winstonfrnk5 said:
I am taking my 6 mps to Litchfield for a remap and have a few questions.
i) Are you still happy with the remap.
ii) On another forum there was some debate that your car hit max bhp at too high revs, (6.5 ish I think). Did you get anywhere with this point.
i) Yes I'm still happy with the remap but most of my driving has been motorway so I haven't had a chance to have a run on some good B roads yet. On the motorway it pulls nicely in 6th gear - plenty of torque at around 3000rpm.i) Are you still happy with the remap.
ii) On another forum there was some debate that your car hit max bhp at too high revs, (6.5 ish I think). Did you get anywhere with this point.
ii) I don't remember any debate about my car bhp/rpm - have you a link to the thread or maybe you're thinking of someone else?
Gary,
Thanks for the response.
You are right, it wasn't you that the issue of bhp to rpm was raised. I am getting old !! Anyway it was on the MPSOC a chap called dannyd under the thread, "Litchfield imports".
He made the mistake of publishing his dyno and his remapped 6 hit peak bhp at 6,700. Amazingly for the interweb everyone had a view on this dyno and some felt this was too high revs to be hitting max bhp.
Have you had a dyno, and were you told anything more than the Litchfield homepage re. the map power deivery profile ?
Winston.
Thanks for the response.
You are right, it wasn't you that the issue of bhp to rpm was raised. I am getting old !! Anyway it was on the MPSOC a chap called dannyd under the thread, "Litchfield imports".
He made the mistake of publishing his dyno and his remapped 6 hit peak bhp at 6,700. Amazingly for the interweb everyone had a view on this dyno and some felt this was too high revs to be hitting max bhp.
Have you had a dyno, and were you told anything more than the Litchfield homepage re. the map power deivery profile ?
Winston.
Time for an update.
Since buying the car in March, I have done 10,000 miles and the car has been great. The mileage at motorway speeds is around 32 MPG using Tesco Momentum 99.
Additional running expenses have been:
- Xcarlink iPod adaptor was about £80 and was a doddle to fit. I never bothered to get the Bose HDD fixed as the cost was too high.
- 4 new tyres. The MPS has an odd tyre size 215/45R18 XL and the best value seemed to be Kumho KU31 from Camskill at £90 per corner. So, these were bought and fitted. However it turns out that as they are not XL rated, they have a more flexible sidewall which makes the steering even more vague. On the plus side, motorway cruising is quieter and smoother.
- 36K service - Major service including change of Oil & Filter, coolant, brake fluid, transmission fluid. Cost was reasonable at £313 from JCT600 in Leeds and the car was returned washed and vacuumed.
Expenses coming up...
- 12 months tax - £425 Ouch!
- Front brake discs need replacing, JCT600 has quoted £240 incl parts labour & VAT. I was considering doing this job myself but then heard on the MPSOC forum that the old discs can be a pig to remove, and I'd be spending £150 on parts anyway.
So, all in all I'm still very happy with the car. If you compare the equivalent Audi with 300bhp and 4WD I reckon it would be easily twice the price to buy and in servicing costs.
Downsides? No one knows I'm a petrolhead car nut anymore. When I used to have a WRX people would like to talk cars, turbos, trackdays etc but now when I say I have a Mazda 6, the usual response is something like "Oh yeah I had the diesel one, it was ok I suppose"
Since buying the car in March, I have done 10,000 miles and the car has been great. The mileage at motorway speeds is around 32 MPG using Tesco Momentum 99.
Additional running expenses have been:
- Xcarlink iPod adaptor was about £80 and was a doddle to fit. I never bothered to get the Bose HDD fixed as the cost was too high.
- 4 new tyres. The MPS has an odd tyre size 215/45R18 XL and the best value seemed to be Kumho KU31 from Camskill at £90 per corner. So, these were bought and fitted. However it turns out that as they are not XL rated, they have a more flexible sidewall which makes the steering even more vague. On the plus side, motorway cruising is quieter and smoother.
- 36K service - Major service including change of Oil & Filter, coolant, brake fluid, transmission fluid. Cost was reasonable at £313 from JCT600 in Leeds and the car was returned washed and vacuumed.
Expenses coming up...
- 12 months tax - £425 Ouch!
- Front brake discs need replacing, JCT600 has quoted £240 incl parts labour & VAT. I was considering doing this job myself but then heard on the MPSOC forum that the old discs can be a pig to remove, and I'd be spending £150 on parts anyway.
So, all in all I'm still very happy with the car. If you compare the equivalent Audi with 300bhp and 4WD I reckon it would be easily twice the price to buy and in servicing costs.
Downsides? No one knows I'm a petrolhead car nut anymore. When I used to have a WRX people would like to talk cars, turbos, trackdays etc but now when I say I have a Mazda 6, the usual response is something like "Oh yeah I had the diesel one, it was ok I suppose"
Glad you have had a good time with your car so far! I find it quite interesting you came from an subaru to this as I want a blob eye sti with ppp but I couldn't justify the cost, 1k to chande discs and pads, silly pices for replacement suspension bits and service costs, not to mention insurance was very high with the o/h on the policy! Wish I had the sti most the time but I know I would be annoyed with thr costs!
The guys you use for servings are they a mazda main dealer or a indy?
I find the brakes on mine pretty poor, did you find the fluid change made mch differance and how do you find the brakes?
I also can not for the life of me get near 30mpg! I get low low 20's! Is there something your doing I'm not lol I use the same fuel and in not a nutter driver really?
Tyres I was told you can change them to goodyear f1's in 215/40/18 and they are cheaper and give much better turn in and handdling over the stock tyres! I find there. Not that grippy and not suited to the type of car?
Where did you get your xlink ipod adaptor as I really want one as I have the 6 disc changer
The guys you use for servings are they a mazda main dealer or a indy?
I find the brakes on mine pretty poor, did you find the fluid change made mch differance and how do you find the brakes?
I also can not for the life of me get near 30mpg! I get low low 20's! Is there something your doing I'm not lol I use the same fuel and in not a nutter driver really?
Tyres I was told you can change them to goodyear f1's in 215/40/18 and they are cheaper and give much better turn in and handdling over the stock tyres! I find there. Not that grippy and not suited to the type of car?
Where did you get your xlink ipod adaptor as I really want one as I have the 6 disc changer
I got the Xcarlink direct from the seller - http://www.xcarlink.co.uk/
JCT600 are the main Mazda dealer in Leeds, but the prices seem OK for standard servicing. The trouble with a rare and complex car like the MPS is that you wouldn't want an indy to do something like a clutch change, but a main dealer would charge an arm and a leg.
I think at least 95% of my mileage is motorway, so that's how I get low-30's MPG. I'd probably be low-20's like you if it was town driving.
Where do you get 1K for STi brakes? £73 at Camskill.co.uk for STi front discs and pads are under £50. I think the MPS brakes are OK, certainly not as good as the WRX ut it is a much heavier car to stop.
JCT600 are the main Mazda dealer in Leeds, but the prices seem OK for standard servicing. The trouble with a rare and complex car like the MPS is that you wouldn't want an indy to do something like a clutch change, but a main dealer would charge an arm and a leg.
I think at least 95% of my mileage is motorway, so that's how I get low-30's MPG. I'd probably be low-20's like you if it was town driving.
Where do you get 1K for STi brakes? £73 at Camskill.co.uk for STi front discs and pads are under £50. I think the MPS brakes are OK, certainly not as good as the WRX ut it is a much heavier car to stop.
garycat said:
I got the Xcarlink direct from the seller - http://www.xcarlink.co.uk/
JCT600 are the main Mazda dealer in Leeds, but the prices seem OK for standard servicing. The trouble with a rare and complex car like the MPS is that you wouldn't want an indy to do something like a clutch change, but a main dealer would charge an arm and a leg.
I think at least 95% of my mileage is motorway, so that's how I get low-30's MPG. I'd probably be low-20's like you if it was town driving.
Where do you get 1K for STi brakes? £73 at Camskill.co.uk for STi front discs and pads are under £50. I think the MPS brakes are OK, certainly not as good as the WRX ut it is a much heavier car to stop.
Whay wouldn't you want an indy to do a clutch change? In my experience decent specialist independants can be staffed my manufacturer trained mechanics anyway. SaabTech in Stevenage certainly is. JCT600 are the main Mazda dealer in Leeds, but the prices seem OK for standard servicing. The trouble with a rare and complex car like the MPS is that you wouldn't want an indy to do something like a clutch change, but a main dealer would charge an arm and a leg.
I think at least 95% of my mileage is motorway, so that's how I get low-30's MPG. I'd probably be low-20's like you if it was town driving.
Where do you get 1K for STi brakes? £73 at Camskill.co.uk for STi front discs and pads are under £50. I think the MPS brakes are OK, certainly not as good as the WRX ut it is a much heavier car to stop.
I can relate to audio problems. I checkd my recently purchased Saab as thouroghly as I could, but forgot to ckeck the stero beyond turning it on. I does work, but on occasions the CD changer doesn't like my CDRs and and there is a funny phut noise coming from the right speaker.
The stereo on cars are just never on my priority list when it comes to looking over a prospective purchase!
I think that is the main thing I dislike about the mps is it weight, makes it feel very wobberly and top heavy and understeery, just feels like its weight wants to pushy you on throught the apex of a conner and where in used to light fwd or rwd cars I can't adjust the back end to counter it!
The price I got for the brakes was sgt subaru but then they seamed expensive for everything and the insurance was a joke now! Had a skyline 400 bhp at 20 and they want for for me now with 9 years ncb and 27 on a standard sti!
I'd love to make the mazda handle and feel a lot more involded as other than that its been the most reliable and decent car I have had!
I was thinking of full over haul of the brakes including uprated pads and fluid and uprating spring and maybe shocks and better suspension bushes and bracing?
The price I got for the brakes was sgt subaru but then they seamed expensive for everything and the insurance was a joke now! Had a skyline 400 bhp at 20 and they want for for me now with 9 years ncb and 27 on a standard sti!
I'd love to make the mazda handle and feel a lot more involded as other than that its been the most reliable and decent car I have had!
I was thinking of full over haul of the brakes including uprated pads and fluid and uprating spring and maybe shocks and better suspension bushes and bracing?
pitbull turbo said:
I think that is the main thing I dislike about the mps is it weight, makes it feel very wobberly and top heavy and understeery, just feels like its weight wants to pushy you on throught the apex of a conner and where in used to light fwd or rwd cars I can't adjust the back end to counter it!
The price I got for the brakes was sgt subaru but then they seamed expensive for everything and the insurance was a joke now! Had a skyline 400 bhp at 20 and they want for for me now with 9 years ncb and 27 on a standard sti!
I'd love to make the mazda handle and feel a lot more involded as other than that its been the most reliable and decent car I have had!
I was thinking of full over haul of the brakes including uprated pads and fluid and uprating spring and maybe shocks and better suspension bushes and bracing?
The price I got for the brakes was sgt subaru but then they seamed expensive for everything and the insurance was a joke now! Had a skyline 400 bhp at 20 and they want for for me now with 9 years ncb and 27 on a standard sti!
I'd love to make the mazda handle and feel a lot more involded as other than that its been the most reliable and decent car I have had!
I was thinking of full over haul of the brakes including uprated pads and fluid and uprating spring and maybe shocks and better suspension bushes and bracing?
you're breaking my heart, I am just about to push the button on one of these next week, is it that bad? Should I be looking at 330's instead?Sorry for the slight hijack OP
I actually had a 330 msport convertible last year! Cost me 6k in repairs to broken auto box, roof, heater pannel so on and so on! Its not great drive either, no lsd makes wet driving a chore if your not careful! Brakes where worse than the mps's! Interior was nice but seats hurt my back! List goes on! I have driven a m3 e46 plenty of times and love it though.
I'd say for the price these are they are a great car but there more exec car rather than b road blaster and could do with some little upgrades!
I'd say for the price these are they are a great car but there more exec car rather than b road blaster and could do with some little upgrades!
pitbull turbo said:
I actually had a 330 msport convertible last year! Cost me 6k in repairs to broken auto box, roof, heater pannel so on and so on! Its not great drive either, no lsd makes wet driving a chore if your not careful! Brakes where worse than the mps's! Interior was nice but seats hurt my back! List goes on! I have driven a m3 e46 plenty of times and love it though.
I'd say for the price these are they are a great car but there more exec car rather than b road blaster and could do with some little upgrades!
So for instance I could take it on a PH kent run and it would do ok?I'd say for the price these are they are a great car but there more exec car rather than b road blaster and could do with some little upgrades!
If a mx5 can do fine then this would be quite happy lol
Its faster than a 330 ci msport and handles better its just not a sti or evo!
The problem is expect it to be expensive, £415 TAX LOW 20'S MPG! Insurance isn't to bad but still bad enough and if the vvt or clutch/flywheel fail you be digging deep! 2k for clutch/ flywheel! Engine out for vvt problem and again 1k for turbo to be fixed
Its faster than a 330 ci msport and handles better its just not a sti or evo!
The problem is expect it to be expensive, £415 TAX LOW 20'S MPG! Insurance isn't to bad but still bad enough and if the vvt or clutch/flywheel fail you be digging deep! 2k for clutch/ flywheel! Engine out for vvt problem and again 1k for turbo to be fixed
pitbull turbo said:
If a mx5 can do fine then this would be quite happy lol
Its faster than a 330 ci msport and handles better its just not a sti or evo!
The problem is expect it to be expensive, £415 TAX LOW 20'S MPG! Insurance isn't to bad but still bad enough and if the vvt or clutch/flywheel fail you be digging deep! 2k for clutch/ flywheel! Engine out for vvt problem and again 1k for turbo to be fixed
Its faster than a 330 ci msport and handles better its just not a sti or evo!
The problem is expect it to be expensive, £415 TAX LOW 20'S MPG! Insurance isn't to bad but still bad enough and if the vvt or clutch/flywheel fail you be digging deep! 2k for clutch/ flywheel! Engine out for vvt problem and again 1k for turbo to be fixed
Rather than continue to hijack, any chance you could check my what car thread and offer an opinion?
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
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