bboyalan

Hey guys!

My name is Alan, and I recently acquired a 2006 MY. These cars have always interested me with their balance, styling, and comfort despite being slightly underpowered for the given fuel economy. Nonetheless, the right one finally surfaced while I happened to be browsing for a newer daily for work and such. At 82k with lifelong dealer history under four (4) previous owners, I was finally willing to go down this path.

I already did a thorough inspection of the vehicle and knocked out some maintenance items to have a clean, documented slate for my own records. While I did applaud the OEM 18x8's for being ~20lbs, the factory tire size and high-offset fitment left much to be desired. Since I currently work for a wheel and tire company, I decided to go with a more aggressive, staggered setup with quality rubber (did much research on the overall consensus with 235/45 and 245/40 square setups).


A few pictures:







(18" x 8"/9" +35mm MRR Eurotek UO2 with 235/45 & 255/40 Falken Azenis FK450)


I have been SD's tuner for the 3/S (3000GT/Stealth) platform for many years now. I guess you could say SoCal as well with a few out-of-state clients to boot. From mild to wild, I am the go-to guy but have kept things more exclusive in recent years. I intend to apply what I know while learning more and adapting - cup is always half full.

Ideally, I would like to see some proven reliability for a few months to a year with increased service intervals and religiously performed maintenance. Should that be the case, I may opt for the GReddy turbo kit (already read the FAQ's) but tuned from scratch with the EMU unless the other, better options are just as easily available e.g. MazdaEdit, Cobb, etc. Acquiring management does interest me first though.

Anyway, that is it for now! I am looking forward to staying around for a while as the odometer climbs lol.

-ALan

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

The EMU is a poor choice for tuning these cars. MazdaEdit or a Used Cobb are much better choices.

bboyalan

Hey! Haha it is funny that it is received that way. The EMU has the same reputation for the BP motors (MX-5). I went that less traveled path and successfully tuned my 1.8 both naturally aspirated and with a homebrew turbo setup (both had Supra injectors dialed-in).

BUT! I will say that I JUST placed my order for MazdaEdit; I have had my Tactrix cable for like 6-7 years since I also tune Evos, DSM, etc The Cobb AP is more user friendly, but the bang-for-the-buck factor of MazdaEdit is more attractive with seemingly greater potential.

-Alan

wcs

iTrader: (2)

sub'd

Welcome

bboyalan

About two weekends ago, I quickly knocked out the plugs with NGK replacements (anti-seize, dielectric, etc.). I have been striving for better than the current 17MPG w/ mixed driving even with CC always enabled on the freeway - oh well! Torque output improved noticeably afterward as typically reported by others.

MazdaEdit was easy to navigate and similar to what I am used to working with. That initial flash took quite a long while though lol!









I also brought her to San Diego's June 3rd RaceLegal (eighth-mile) event to support another car from my camp (best 8.2s @85 before clutch slave rod snapped LOL!)







Other than that, I am just addressing small things here and there. For example, I just received and added my new set of OEM carpet floor mats - anniversary edition. The passenger's sun visor had its infamous failure where the plastic breaks off of the hinge; new OEM is also enroute. I managed to cop a complete and minty owner's manual with case and every insert + booklet for $20. I may opt for a FSM (factory service) too, if available.

The only other items that I still want to knock out are RedLine fluids for the drivetrain and inspect a secondary? valve for sticking underhood (read that it was better to catch this sooner than later for cleaning). I am open to other suggestions! =]

-Alan