Perhaps you've seen my wife's
Mazda3 GT...well here's my own 2010 MazdaSpeed3 in Black Mica.
I've already taken the liberty of painting the brake calipers red and have tinted the windows as well. I've also added an aftermarket security system and upgraded the audio system to something more suited to a vehicle with the Speed's performance capabilities.
I decide I wanted a nice combination of semi-stock looks and high fidelity aftermarket audio performance, so I opted to keep the stock CD/MP3 Player. This also allowed me to retain steering wheel controls and all BlueTooth capabilities. Signals from the stock head unit flow to a JL Audio Cleansweep OEM interface. The Cleansweep equalizes out any artificial "boost" applied by the stock head unit and leaves a nice flattened frequency response curve afterward.
The CleanSweep was mounted under the passenger seat and Audison Connection signal cables are routed to the Arc Audio KEQ7 7-Band Graphic Equalizer with Subwoofer level control located in the glove compartment. The auxiliary volume knob for the CleanSweep was mounted to the left of the stock radio's volume knob near the ignition switch to keep it immediately accessible.
The Hertz ML28 Tweeters from a Hertz Mille MLK165 component set are mounted in the factory location in the sail panels. The factory location was modified to accommodate the tweeter's size yet the installation maintains a stock appearance.
The Hertz ML165 Woofers from the aforementioned component set are mounted in the factory location in the doors. The woofer was mounted on custom spacers due to the depth necessitated by the woofer's magnet structure. Custom adapter plates were also used to ensure proper fitment of the 6 1/2" woofer into the factory 5"x7" location. Crossovers for the component set will reside next to the Audison LRx3.1k on a custom amp rack.
The amp rack for the Audison LRx3.1k amplifier and passive crossovers from the Hertz Mille MLK165 component speaker set is mounted on the opposite side of the subwoofer enclosure and remains hidden unless the rear seats are folded down. All power and signal wiring was hidden for a clean, attractive appearance.
The completed custom MDF/Fiberglass subwoofer enclosure houses a 12" Hertz HX300 High-Energy Subwoofer and is covered with charcoal gray automotive carpet to match the trunk interior. The custom MDF/Fiberglass subwoofer enclosure will not impede access to the spare tire. The factory trunk floor was modified slightly to accommodate lifting.
The stock hatch cover was modified to accommodate a custom grille that allows output from the subwoofer to vent into the vehicle's cabin. The grille is a perforated metal framed by an MDF trim ring carpeted to match the hatch cover and secured to the hatch cover with machine screws.
The installation of the security system and audio gear was all performed by
Car Audio Innovations, Roseville, CA.
I could not be more happy with how everything turned out...the guys at
Car Audio Innovations are the best...passionate about what they do and very willing to work within a budget to give the customer exactly what they need. Top notch shop.
As far as me and my Speed3, I love this car!!! It really is a logical refinement of last generation's Speed3. It's got "zip" and it handles very nicely...never feels "out of control" or "unmanageable". I've read the various reviews by Edmunds, Car & Dive and MotorTrend and all of them seem to have it spot on from my perspective.
In any case, hope you enjoy the pics.
08-24-2009, 02:16 AM
E. Tinker's Black Mica 2010 MazdaSpeed3 
. (EDIT: I forgot to mention that Charlie from Rod's shop did the actual install on my vehicle...the conceptual stuff was Rod, but Charlie put in all the sweat to make the system what it is).
Linear Mode
