Mazda 3 MPS wolf in sheeps clothing??

[danneth]

oj121 said:

How does your mates CTR compare to your mean machine? They both now fall into the same price bracket and the same loose description as a 'hot hatch'. They are both cars id consider looking at in the summer. Be interesting to hear your views on the comparison as there are loads to CTR owners shouting how good they are. You rarely hear from an MPS owner.

I came from a CTR to my MPS mk1 aero the only advantage the CTR had was the gearbox everything else the MPS does twice as good imo

[jamieleehodgson]

Oj got an email but doesnt have a reply option as its forwarded via pistonheads

[oj121]

Thanks for the vids mate. Im absolutely speachless. That was not even funny! (all obviously done within the NSL)
I didnt realise just how quick those cars were. A car length pulled every second is very very impressive. What was the starting speed? around 30 I take it?

[jamieleehodgson]

55 ish in 4th against clio and 50 in 3rd (to give the torqueless ctr a chance)

Reeled in a new FRS easily too yet to compare against a mountune one

[oj121]

Yeah its stuff like that that makes them really really interesting.

How much did your upgrades cost in total?

[jamieleehodgson]

To get similar performance it would be about £2k (about 310-325bhp) or just a £450 map will get u to around 300.
Mine has a lot more spent on it due to the forge rebuild, upgraded turbo internals and b16 coilovers etc
The forge rebuild was done in case i want a big turbo in future.

[oj121]

So essentially you get a FRS buster for £7-8k plus a remap?

[jamieleehodgson]

Yup!
Dont get me wrong i would love a FRS but for value .... MPS wins over any other hatch

[oj121]

Haha your def selling it to me.

[jamieleehodgson]

Got some new shoes on and a FMIC but now it seems to be burning oil
Looks likely to be valve stem seals so strip engine down again....

[F1GTRUeno]

Not usually a fan of aftermarket wheels but they really suit it, nice choice.

Always been a fan of the original 3, when they brought out the MPS I loved it even more, don't see many around either.

[Speed_Demon]

That looks EPIC. at the power too.

[_dobbo_]

Two engine rebuilds in one year? Can these cars reliably make the power you're making, or have you just been unlucky?

[GaryST220]

Brilliant car! Much better than any of the alternatives. I'd have a Mazda 6 MPS in a heart beat if I didn't like my ST220 as much as I do.

[jamieleehodgson]

_dobbo_ said:

Two engine rebuilds in one year? Can these cars reliably make the power you're making, or have you just been unlucky?

Tbh mine is the highest powered mk1 3 mps that i know of and has 73k on it. Its not so much another rebuild but evidence points at the valve stem seals which maybe should have been replaced during the rebuild considering the mileage?!
Also there are very few tuners who have exceeded 310bhp mine recently got 355 on the dyno so its a relitively new territory in UK.

Thanks for all the nice comments.

The mazda 6 mps is such a good value cruiser specially with its 4wd!

[Sammyturbo]

Looking nice mate !!! will have to get out on another run next summer

[mwstewart]

There's plenty more to come. It's a shame you're having issues.

The guy who is building my 2.0 Zetec project engine built an 800bhp 2.3 Duratec Turbo, and that was on pump fuel:

[jamieleehodgson]

Thanks sammy... Going on a run this sunday (check scotland region) on the ecosse gumbaw, but might be a little too far for u?

Mwstewart that engine is ridiculous! I would be more than happy with half that horsepower! Is that the same engine as the mps's then???

[mwstewart]

Yes, it is. Probably a bit OTT for road use

[jamieleehodgson]

Who is it that built that and wheres he based?