I took my car in today and all they ended up doing was inspections. Then they told me that the control arms were fine and I needed the fuel tank insulation, but they had to order the parts. I'm not very happy right now. It is a 150 mile round trip and a day off from work.

 

had the fuel issue recall about 3 weeks ago...felt much more responsive...another 5-10 hp? i didn't want to seem like an idiot(difficult for me not to!...lol) so i didn't say anything to my dealer about it...but today i will as i am going in for the control arm recall this morning!

 

Just a reminder as cooler weather approaches - Have you had the dipstick tube mod? Supposedly keeps older (04) 8s from producing so much "peanut butter" on the dipstick when it's cold.


It also gives you at least 15 more HP!!!!!!!!!!

 

I don't notice any difference other than the normal increase you get after resetting the nvm and knvm. I do notice a lot smoother idle and it's below 900 instead of up at 1100.

 

the idle should always have been at ~900

 

Mine wasn't, it's part of the reason for the recall. Mine sat around 1100-1200.

 

The only thing I noticed was a smoother idle. I guess I drive my car aggressive quite a bit so I didn't notice an immediate power increase. I could tell it was different to a degree but certainly not a kick in the pants. I seriously doubt they unlocked any hidden power like many seem to think

 

It's also fun to read the posts from those that haven't done the flash in discussion and then do the armchair quarterback routine about it. lf I have learned nothing from this forum it's that facts speak most, and experience-less opinion isn't worth the electrons wasted to spout it.

 

Had mine done on wed- Had a Rototest Dyno on sat.. while I too felt the recall fix had made the 8 a bit more spirited, my numbers before (188, 190) hp, and after, (187, 190) hp-do not support this, so while hp really has not increased, I the thepower curve might be a little better for evryday driving.

 

I already had the R flash but after the recall it felt slower at first. After a few high reving drives it's back to where it was. The car seems to rev out more smoothly with better respnsiveness. Also starts right away on second or 3rd crank. It definately feels like 238 hp to me. I think the car now runs the way it it was designed to. Drivability is excellent after the latest flashes.

 

I had the recall done last Wednesday on a group 1 car (11/04 build date) and there has been a definite and very noticeable increase in the low RPM (sub 4K-5K) throttle response and perhaps the HP/torque. It feels so much better than it ever did.

What is even more interesting is that the gas mileage seems to have improved though I won't have exact numbers until I go through a full tank under my normal conditions with the recall. I had about 1/2 tank left and about 90 miles on the trip odo - yes, I was getting 13-15 mpg before. In the half tank since the recall I got 110 miles. My driving during this time was also atypical - more acceleration (playing with the new throttle response), more stop and go traffic (I left work earlier than usual and had to go through the late rush hour), and a few more small short trip errands. So, under my normal driving that should have been even more miles on that half tank. It's looking good for a possible boost in MPG. I won't know for sure until the next full tank of gas though.

 

Update to my last post. So I finally got the R flash. At first I was skeptical, but I did notice a slightly better feel in the mid range throttle response as soon as I left the dealer. It was very subtle however.

But what I forgot was that the ECU had been reset as well. Now that I've driven the car for a day and half the ECU has relearned my old aggressive style again. And now there's a very distinct change in feel to the power. There's no question it feels stronger and more torqey in the mid-range and seems to pull even stronger from 7000 to redline than it did before.

I'm very happy with the R flash. Me thinks the Mazda boys got this one right!

 

I'm on board with that ... my car feels distinctly stronger, especially from 3000 to 7000 RPM. My G-Tech is showing about a 10 hp increase - god knows if that's accurate at all or not - it measures supposed "road horsepower" - which is wheel horsepower with the road/air resistance et. al. also factored into the equation. I'm thinking it measures the "feeling of horsepower" more than actual.

Whatever the hell, and if you have read my posts before, I'm not one of those **** who obssesses about the horsepower number, I'm just happy it feels like it has a bit more "Zoom-Zoom" and idles more smoothly.

Stew

 

Everyone else- show me the data (Dyno-numbers-do not support any additioanl HP. with the r-flash

 

So what does your G-tech tell you for total HP?

 

Prior to the flash, the most repeatable number I was getting was 186 HP - again this is ROAD horsepower. You drive into a headwind, you get a lower number. Any slope on your road affects it, etc.

Post-flash, I've done about 8 HP runs (you basically accelerate at best possible rate from a standing stop for as long as you can, and through as many gears as you can, and when you lift it flashes an HP number). Out of those 8 runs, I've seen 194 three times, one 196, two 192s and one 193.

In the documentation that comes with it, it does say that this is not based on anything but the ability to accelerate a given weight at a measured g-load for a measured amount of time. It just uses accelerometers to do it. How, I don't know.

It's not accurate to anything but itself, but it is a good meter to see if things you're doing make any difference at all in the performance of the car. I think the 0-60 measurement is uncannily accurate - and I have no freaking idea how it knows you've hit 60 mph out of an equation that says "x-amount of accelerative force over x-time = 60 mph" but it does. It also does 1/4 mile measurements and again uses nothing but an accelerometer to do it. But again is uncannily accurate. To check it, I've done moderate-speed acceleration runs over a measured 1/4 mile and by god it calls the 1/4 mile point within feet of the actual line.

As I said, the HP measurement is "road" horsepower. All manner of drag/power chewing stuff measured. OH, here's an interesting thing. I've noticed that in the HP measurement, I can get an extra 2 road HP on a repeatable measurement by simply having the car sparkling clean and freshly waxed. Additionally, making the run with the windows up and the roof closed is good for another 3 HP on a fairly repeatable basis.

My test protocol involves going to a very quiet, smooth, secluded and relatively level road, early on Sunday morning when the weather is cool and there's no traffic at all. At that road (no, I'm not saying where), I can test 1/4 mile, 0-60 and HP runs. I typically make 4 back and forth runs - 4 runs each way for a total of 8 passes, and then average the passes between the directions when I get back home. For 0-60, 1/4 mile and HP runs, I run with the DSC on full off (a 10 second button push), rev the car to 4000 RPM and then launch it. I lift with shifts. I make the runs with the sunroof closed but the driver's window open so I can hear the tires if I'm getting wheelspin.

Hope this helps.

 

I have a 2005, and had the recall done last week. I also noticed that at the low bandwidth, that the car is less responsive...apparently, other drivers are experiencing this too...my next question is, should I ask the service guys to show me what flash it is on? Supposedly, I should get the E flash..another note, should I also inquire about the thermo heat-shield?? Is it mandatory this do this?? Since I couldn't "watch" what they were doing during the service, I don't know whether they did this at all!! From other threads I have read, some were done half-*** patch jobs!! WTF??? Any ideas on this, because I'm suppose to drop it off for a lens replacement this Friday...

 

Had mine in for the 2 recalls yesterday. the car definately feels more responsive, but not necessarily more powerful. Feels like something changed for the better in the midrange. Gas mileage seems to have improved a little also, but it's probably too soon to be sure.

 

Just filled up for the first time after the recall and I got my regular mileage. I had filled up just before I took it in for the recall and for an oil change. I usually average 16-16.5, got 15.9 on this tank, which makes sense since there was a little more revving than usual this time.

I can't tell if the response is better or not. It felt a little better, but nothing more than the improved response I feel after waxing the car.

 

had mine done a few weeks ago... logged a/f ratio's, timing, made hp runs.... nothing changed as originally expected