1st Mazda (and 1st new car to boot)!

[wannamazda]

Hello. Just purchased a 2012 Mazda3 iTouring Hatchback 6-speed Manual last week. Coming from a 2000 Saab 9-3 and this is the first new car I have ever owned. Absolutely love the vehicle. Driving a Mazda really is a whole different experience. The only upgrades I am getting from the dealer are the fog lights and rear bumper guard. I'll be installing a hitch and bike rack soon as well as I am a pretty serious mountain biker.

There is a big adjustment period as I am not used to steering and braking being this sensitive. The gearing is strange to me too, but I am adjusting. I have never done any mods before (unless replacing a broken turbo counts ), but I am interested in acquiring an intake and exhaust upgrade if I can get some reasonable performance boost. I don't really like to drive that fast, but I do like to accelerate quickly . Looking forward to reading the posts here and learning everything I can. Thanks. Here she is:

[Frnchplayr15]

Welcome to the forum! Nice looking 3 and congrats on the purchase. There is so much info here just make sure to search before posting something because most likely your questions have already been asked and answered. Happy modding!

Curious is it your neighbor that gave you the decision to go Mazda lol?

[OrangeVirus1]

whoa... you GOTTA get some side skirts.. it looks so bleh without em.

also welcome to the forums.

[wannamazda]

Originally Posted by Frnchplayr15

Welcome to the forum! Nice looking 3 and congrats on the purchase. There is so much info here just make sure to search before posting something because most likely your questions have already been asked and answered. Happy modding!

Curious is it your neighbor that gave you the decision to go Mazda lol?

Thanks mate. I will definitely search before cluttering up the board. That pic is from my gym and ironically it was another person's Mazda 3 (hatch) at the gym that reminded me when I was thinking about getting a new car. I have actually had my eye on this model for at least 5 years now. It was the Skyactiv that put me into the buy column though.

[wannamazda]

Originally Posted by OrangeVirus1

whoa... you GOTTA get some side skirts.. it looks so bleh without em.

also welcome to the forums.

Sure, where do I get them from?

[3i2011]

I'm a mtb'er too! I'm running a full rigid ss 29er right now. Rim brakes ftw! I have a slx/xt 27 spd with tora u turn and juicy 3's collecting dust. I dont really like it as much as the ss for some reason. I also do cyclocross. Ridley Xbow (Tiagra).


On to the car, Congrats! great color! :P Intake and exhaust are definitely worth getting. You'll be looking at mid to low 7 sec 0-60.

[wannamazda]

Originally Posted by 3i2011

I'm a mtb'er too! I'm running a full rigid ss 29er right now. Rim brakes ftw! I have a slx/xt 27 spd with tora u turn and juicy 3's collecting dust. I dont really like it as much as the ss for some reason. I also do cyclocross. Ridley Xbow (Tiagra).

I don't know how your bodies can handle that? Rim brakes?!? I have some friends who are into that as well. To each their own

I ride a 2011 Giant Trance X2 (26"). I ride mostly all-mountain trails and some light downhill. I ride XC trails too, but that depends on what your definition of XC is. I live in Pittsburgh and there are a lot of nice trails within 30 min of here and some great ones within an hour.

Originally Posted by 3i2011

On to the car, Congrats! great color! :P Intake and exhaust are definitely worth getting. You'll be looking at mid to low 7 sec 0-60.

Drool. So much for all that money I thought I saved.

[Frnchplayr15]

Originally Posted by wannamazda

Drool. So much for all that money I thought I saved.

Whats your budget?

[wannamazda]

Originally Posted by Frnchplayr15

Whats your budget?

Well, I'm flexible. I got 0.9% APR for 3 years financing with no money down so I didn't even have to touch my savings. I'm trying to be practical though with some modest performance gains while retaining at least the option of saving MPGs (easier said than done I know). Also, I'm an Environmental Engineering PhD student so I'm not looking to add any additional pollution to the air either (yes, I actually care about those things). Other than that, I have A LOT to learn about this process. Fighting the temptation not to pull the trigger already on some of the upgrades I've seen. Any guides you can recommend on not only what works but HOW it works in terms of performance? Thanks!

[swsmailman]

Congrats on the purchase!

I just did an CorkSport intake on my skyactiv and love it! Next up is the exhaust to have even more of a bark!

300th Post FTW...