Mazdaspeed3

My daily driver from December 2013-March 2017 was a 2009 (generation 1) Mazdaspeed 3 in Metropolitan Gray Mica. It's currently for sale - contact me to inquire.

Right now, the motor is mostly stock, but when you look at what it comes with, you'll see why:

• 2.3L straight-four DOHC, turbocharged, 274hp
• Transverse mounted front-wheel drive
• Limited-slip differential
• Six speed manual transmission

Powertrain and chassis mods

I've made the following modifications thus far:

• Corksport Stage 2 short-ram air intake and turbo inlet pipe
• Corksport urethane race rear motor mount
• Corksport rear toe and camber arms
• Corksport rear sway bar, bushings and brackets
• Eibach 40mm lowering springs with Bilstein B12 shocks all around
• TWM short shift kit

The following are planned once the budget allows:

• Cobb Accessport tuner
• Front-mount intercooler (FMIC) swap or a scooped hood
• Corksport's turboback exhaust (maybe... I don't like it too loud/obnoxious)

Audio system

It came with the BOSE sound system, and I dislike BOSE, so I replaced the amplifier and speakers and added a sub, as follows:

• Amplifiers: Alpine MRV-F300 (mid/high); Alpine MRV-M500 (sub)
• Front speakers: Infinity Reference 6030cs
• Rear speakers: Infinity Reference 6832cf
• Subwoofer: Alpine SWS-12D4
• Currently running the stock head unit

The wiring job of course looks like it was done by a networking major. A specific wiring harness, Metra's model 70-2003, says it's made for GM vehicles but also functions as the "amplifier" side of the BOSE audio feed, meaning I was able to build a harness that plugs directly into the OEM connector. Buy two - it only comes with 14 pins and you need 17.