I just purchased a Mazda3 Turbo 2.5 Hatchback. I love it. I am new to the car game and basically know NOTHING about this sort of thing. However, I was wondering what I had to do if I wanted to make it faster. It has 250HP, 300lbs Torque. If i wanted to double the HP, how do people go about doing this and how much does it typically cost? Thank you.
I guess you did not buy the Charger . Double the HP ? Not a chance unless you have 10 to 20 thousand dollars just waiting to be wasted. Where do you plan to use this power and speed anyway. Just curious , how old are you ?
I did not buy the Charger due to the feedback/help from this forum, thankfully.
Again, I am complete novice when it comes to any of this stuff, so I’m sure my questions sound ridiculous to someone like you. I just want the car to be faster is all… I’m 37.
Then buy a Porsche or a Corvette . That will give you all the speed you need at less money.
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You want double the horsepower? Buy as brand new Dodge Herllcat. It would be much cheaper than trying to get 500-600 hp out of a Mazda 3 and it might not break something the first time you put your right foot to the floor. Teaching someone just what E=MC squared means who does not understand math or physics, would be easier than explaining why trying to do this to a Mazda 3 is such a bad Idea if you are 37 years old and know nothing about cars.
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Are you guys always this condescending here? I’ll go to a different forum. A simple explanation would suffice…
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Find a Mazda3 turbo forum, I bet they’ll have some tips for minor bumps in power. Forget about doubling hp without BIG money. Not only engine upgrades are needed, also transmission and suspension.
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Perhaps you were misled, I would have bought it.
Yes, you can expect a negative response to any question asked.
Turbocharged engines can easily be modified for more power but don’t set your goals so high, start with a 40 HP increase.
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To be fair, it is certainly possible to modify an engine for more power. In fact, the last time I used the services of an automotive machine shop, when I had the cylinder head for my Daewoo reconditioned, I noticed a large poster hanging on the wall for a company which manufactures custom pistons and connecting rods for street and performance applications. I did not bother to ask what those kind of modifications cost, but obviously it can be done.
If I was having an engine rebuilt, I would be looking to improve durability, not to increase power or performance beyond stock levels. And of course, once you start adding power, you need to upgrade your steering and suspension, brakes, transmission, etc.
Turbo cars respond well to requests for more power. Better than non turbo cars. A re-programming of the cars engine computer… a “tune”… as it is called can increase the turbo pressure limits. 40 hp and 40 ft lbs of torque is quite possible. ($)
More likely requires a bigger turbo, bigger intercooler… basically parts on the engine ($$). Might get you 100 hp. More require stronger internal parts ($$$). More power means a shorter life for everything attached. More power will find the weak link.
Double the hp is possible, but very expensive and impractical. After all, you still have the same tires and can only upgrade them so much.
This work requires a specialty shop to install the parts if you are not an experienced DIYer. There is likely a business that has worked through the parts it takes for each stage of additional power and sells kits. A local specialty shop would install these for you. Search the internet for each. Also search for Mazda 3 forums. It will help you find GOOD shops and suppliers.
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Here’s my simple explanation:
Let’s say you manage to double engine power.
You’ve made one link of the chain stronger.
That extra power will quickly break something in the transmission.
Then you beef up transmission.
You’ll find that much power is useless and downright dangerous applying it to only the front wheels at less than highway speeds.
So you get a limited slip differential, which helps somewhat.
After a bit of spirited driving you find that the brakes easily overheat and fade.
If you survive that you get bigger brakes.
Soon you realize the tires and suspension are not up to the task; your reliable little Japanese econobox has become a fickle money/time pit.
Many years ago I went down this road with a 1981 Accord.
Major engine mods, including a JDM cylinder head with bigger valves, performance cam, Weber carb, exhaust header, re-curved distributor, and more.
All for about 20HP, using premium gas.
I was eating transmission bearings every 6 months until I put in a stronger transmission from a Prelude.
I did enjoy tinkering more back then, but I value my time more now.
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+1–on all counts
Additionally, if the OP lives in a state with emissions testing, those modifications might make it difficult to pass the test.
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You’d probably have to rebuild the engine from scratch, new internals,etc. You’d also probably need a huge turbo that would take ages to spool up, and render the car pretty tepid in normal driving. If you have to ask about the cost, you probably can’t afford it or are unwilling to pay for it. But start thinking about however much the car cost new, and that’s going to be your best-case scenario starting figure. Getting another 50-100 HP out of it wouldn’t be too difficult or expensive though.
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You want a simple explanation? Here’s one:
You can’t do it!
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Double the horsepower is a bit of a large goal. Cheaper and easier to start with a car that has more horsepower already. But, like others mentioned, you can get more HP out of a turbo car with aftermarket computer tuning. That would be the most bang for the buck. You’d need to do some research on Mazda specific forums to find out what tuning companies are legit and which ones aren’t.
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Advice is free
Includes a bit of financial advice.
The engine power is proportional to the compression ratio and the rate the gasoline is burned, in ml/second say. The gas burn rate in turn is directly proportional to the airflow rate into the engine, and the exhaust gas flow rate out the tailpipe. To get more power, besides increasing the compression ratio, you’ll need to get more airflow into the engine, and more exhaust flow out the tailpipe.
- Less restricted intake path
- Bigger intake & exhaust valves
- Higher turbo flow rate
- Larger exhaust pipe diameter, or multiple exhaust pipes in parallel
All that can be done (for a price), but you’ll still have the constraint that the cooling system has to dissipate the increased excess heat to deal with. And you’ll probably have federal & state emissions issues to resolve as well.
It seems like if you want to slightly increase the engine power starting with a bigger diameter exhaust system is probably your best path.
Or maybe stop watching those Fast and Furious movies … lol … just kidding, I enjoy them too. I recently watched F & F Tokyo Drift, pretty good movie.
The Mazda 2.5 turbo power can indeed be increased simply with an ECU “tune” BUT the Mazda 2.5 turbo is also not the most robust engine, in fact they’ve been called rather delicate. They are already very sensitive to oil type, service interval and mileage. Boost it beyond standard and guaranteed it will cr*p itself in short order. As mentioned above, it will require $$ spent to support any increase in power.
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Double the HP? It’s a Mazda 3. Even if you could do it, how do you plan to stop? You are pinning your hopes on the wrong vehicle.
Is it pointless to ask for advice about a 2010 Mazda 3s 2.5l regarding increasing hp/torque just to make it a bit more fun to drive? The responses above seem overwhelmingly condescending. I know a great many individuals like to stroke their own egos by making others feel stupid but this is a forum for people to discuss various topics about their cars isn’t it? So then if you’re all so smart why aren’t you giving any solid advice if you know so very much?
I love the comment mentioning E=mc2 given that it made zero sense. Oh well.
I have a similar question about a relatively inexpensive way to increase the performance of my mazda 3s 2.5l. I’ve read a little bit about tuning the vehicle as well as adding cold air intakes/camshaft upgrades/etc. and I’m simply trying to determine if simply buying and adding a tuner will make any difference in performance at all by itself, or if it will only increase performance once I have also added some performance parts/upgrades?
I know that I’m only looking at maybe a 20-40 hp increase but if I can accomplish this without spending a great deal of money I’d be quite happy. I’ve also wondered if adding a turbocharger kit is worth the $ for the gains received? I’m merely looking for it to be more fun to drive. No ideas of anything major otherwise I’d have bought a different vehicle. Any info would be appreciated.
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