hello there,my name is joger,i live in indiana and grew up on the beach in california.i just bought a 2007 mazda 3 with 50,000 miles on it.what a joy to own,lemme tell ya.i am glad to be a new member and will post post post with the best of ya...i have questions like,i bought it at 50,000 what are the maintenence needs for that mileage.also upgrade questions.like,i would like to start with the suspension,it came with perrelli tires and mb wheels rims so i am not sure if those are better than the stock wheeles..which springs/struts would be the best,how can i make it stiffer.do they offer fog lights and side blinker lights in colored bulbs,what would be a fantastic exhaust.i would like to spend the next 2 years beefin her up so i hope im in the right place,virgin1,sounds like you're the wiz and should be able to help me..lol....i look forward to a long line of posts and help.i will post a pic of my mazda real soon.cheers

 

The Wiz? Well, I do have to pee.

I am the senior Moderator (I'm older than anyone else is) and Asst Admin here, but I certainly do not know everything... that I can assure you of.

First of all, where are the pics of what you have/are working on? 'Round these parts, no pics, it didn't happen, Dude!

What tranny is in the car? What, besides paint and speakers has been done already?

Also, I do not (RE: NEVER) recommend any mods that are dangerous to you or your fellow roadies. I am about performance, efficiency, economy and safety. I am also about keeping it as legal as possible... though a few of my own mods are admittedly borderline. I don't care about sounds systems. Gave up on that interest/expense a while ago.

Colored lights of the kind you mean, can be and usually are illegal and more often than not for good reason. Therefore I cannot condone them

Since asking about fog lights I can assume you have a 3i sedan, yes? Ebay would be the place to look for retrofit kits.

 

Well, my first post had no pics, i apologize. So, 2nd try.
I am new to the Mazda car, and forum world. this is my second car and my first Mazda. it is a 2007 MAZDA 3, 5 door. i love it.

i bought it used with 50,000 on it about a week ago, ive put 900 on it since. Im sure there is aftermarket parts on it, as it sits really low, all i know is Perelli low profiles, with 16 inch Mercedes wheels (MB wheels) but even after all that it is still drastically lower than others.

i met this woman at my job with a 2010 model. i drove it and the handling, acceleration, just performance over all was way better on mine, except the ride, i avoid little holes in the road as it is really bumpy, she can drive right over them in her model and it feels like they were not even there. So feast your eyes and gimmie some input, please.
I saw some awesome calipers somewhere on this site that said Mazda 3 on them, gotta have those, i would like to start with those, and some perforated rotors, but the ride is so smooth as it is.

I am open to ideas and thank you, virgin, your 3 looks dope bro, and i read all your mods, and wiz is short for wizard bro, not peeing, stereo means jack to me too so lets get started shall we.

So colored lights for the side blinkers above the front wheel well are illegal? How can i find out which parts are after market like the shocks, springs? i want a carbon fiber lip kit too, but i am open. Lets see what the pro mods can come up with shall we.

I thank all of you who will read this and those of you who will reply and anyone who puts forth time and effort out of their day to help my cause.thank you







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Whoa, whoa, whoa.... slow down, Man!! Your excitment is getting the better of you.

OK, first of all, and I couldn't figure out what you meant by your purple over teal car. I had nightmarish visions of a The Fast and the Furious revisit.
That is in fact a short-lived factory color, and a nice one too. It is called Phantom Blue Mica and it does appear to be different colors depending on the light.

Second, MB wheels have nothing to do with Mercedes Benz, another confusing point. They are an aftermarket wheel company only. http://wheelsbymbmotoring.com/

Quote:

MB Wheels are a line of wheels that are manufactured exclusively for Discount Tire/America's Tire.

So now you know where they came from.
BTW: In the US the OE wheels size for all S models (2.3L engine) is 17". I'm wondering why someone wanted smaller? Auto-X weight probably, or cheaper than 17-18", or a better ride.
What size tires are on the wheels? 205/55-16's?

Those calipers you saw were probably a picture of mine taken several years ago. Did it look like this?

The decals were had from here: http://www.xenonmods.com/xenonmods_mazda_items.htm but there are several sellers on eBay that offer their own versions too (and some that are using MY PICTURE!!!)

 

I knew this was going to be long, so I split up the posts.
Beginning of part #2:

Lights and safety equipment:
Check your State's DOT website to find out what you can, and cannot do legally. In some cases the laws are vague and there are ways around them. Others are more black and white and unless you want trouble from the law, I would suggest you follow them. This could take a while and you will often have to be patient to find the answer(s) you need, but it's a necessary step in any legal modding. It will save you a lot of aggravation and $$$ in the furture.

Things like add-on accent lights can often be "made" legal by connecting them to a separate override switch and keeping them out of sight, such as underneath the wheel well or under the car. Drive around with them on however, and you will likely get a visit from the man in blue.
When upgrading or replacing factory lights you must observe the proper use of colors. Generally speaking, yellow and white up front and red in the rear. Install anything green, blue or purple and your friend's will be back to let you know about it.

Why were you asking about fog lights in your OP? All "S" models (and up,) including yours, already have fog lights.

 

i looked at the tire size and it was 205 50, and the ride is awesome by the way. can u tell me what air pressure to fill these to? they are perelli p6 four seasons.
when i hit a little bump in the freeway as im turning at 60 or so, she feels loose. what entry level shocks/stuts or bars would you recommend? my steering wheel shakes at 65 and over,mildly, i hit a pothole 5 hours after i bought it, so maybe thats it, or air pressure, maybe rotors? the ride is still really really smooth so, i dont know as im a manager at a steak house not a mechanic. maybe hub, rack n pinon?

thank you for the info on the mb wheels, and the dot info, looked it up and im okay with whatever color i want on the front only, as indiana is way behind the times.

thank you as well for the color, phantom blue mica is awesome sounding. sorry so long on the response. i broke my computer.i look forward to all your help.

and one more, for now, hahaha...looking at all the perfomance parts,would you recommend mazda speed for most upgrades or do you have some favorites?thank you, untill next time.....

 

1st: 205/50-17's are OE, and from the look of your wheels they might be 17's, not 16's?

2nd, tire pressure: The recommended pressure from the factory is 32/32, however, that is generally based on the tires a manufacturer intends to use on that vehicle, as well as other design/weight factors. Use a different brand of tire and some adjustments may need to be made.
Example: W/the Continentals I am running (great tire, but w/softer sidewalls,) I experimented (as I always do) and discovered that I like running them @ 38/35.

3rd, vibration: It sounds like you may have bend a wheel, but you might also have lost a wheel weight or even have an out-of-round tire. Only a trip to a qualified shop can verify that and suggest a repair.

4th, For shocks and struts and based on the last time I looked, you may be somewhat limited. I run Koni Sport Shocks, Yellows as they are known. Koni also offers a complete setup called the FSD "system," lowering springs w/self-adjusting sport shocks/struts and by most accounts its a very good system... if you can afford the $6-$700 entry fee.
Bilstein is probably the second most available, but again a bit pricey.
KYB used to offer an upgrade "replacement" shock, the GR2 which is a twin-tube (OE style,) not mono-tube ("sport")design, but they only offered rears(?).

5th There are a number of different options for sway bars, especially the rear bar. If this is your only vehicle and it will be used primarily as a grocery getter, a 22mm-27mm solid rear bar should be plenty of an upgrade from the 20mm OE. Progress, Whiteline, Racing Beat, COBB, JBarone Racing, Tri-Point Engineering are all places to look. Some of these are bigger in diameter because they are made from hollow stock and need the extra diameter to make up the difference.
If going over 22mm though, you should consider an upgraded "link" as well to handle the extra load. The OE's could be overtaxed by adding that much extra stress to them.
Some simply upgrade to the OE Mazdaspeed 3 links, while others like me went with the AWR (or equivalent) adjustable links.

6th, performance parts: No I don't think Mazdaspeed has a lock on performance parts. All of them are made by other companies like Racing Beat, Tein or AEM, then re-badged/resold through the Mazdaspeed accessory catalog... often at a higher cost that you could buy them from from the original manufacturer.
As you can see from my own mod list, I haven't stuck w/one manufacturer but instead after researching things pick and chose what I think I would like on the car. If we all just bought MS parts, there would be little individualism and we wouldn't know if something works or holds up better than something else.
But it's always a bit of a crap-shoot too. All you can do is read and research, payz ur money and takes ur chances. If something doesn't work out you can try something else and sell what you originally purchased. Somebody will want it, but at a financial loss to yourself. That's the price we pay for knowledge.
Example: I am on my second replacement rear sway bar and forth set of tires.

Last: VIN #, build date, tire pressure and weight limits AND your paint code should all be found on a sticker on the "B" pillar just below the striker inside the driver's side door. And BTW: the paint code for Phantom Blue Mica is 32C.

P.S. I hope I've given you enough to think about for a while?

 

The wheels are 17's.my bad.and yes that last one was alot of food for thought.thanks.im in debt to you.am i able to get 18 inch rims for my 3?if so what would the tire size be and air pressure?
i have narrowed it down to a few intakes and exhausts i would like to purchase.after lots of youtube and reading,a header would be fun but not atop my list,still would be cool though.but i dont know how hard it would be to install a header(easy or no?)
my question is,
if i purchase these parts to upgrade,(exhaust,intake)what ecu changes do i have to make to make the new components mesh with my ride?as i have read,the check engine light will come on unless i change some thing in the ecu.i have heard this, and read that, but i thought my best answer would be here.i am hoping this ecu flash or dyno run is not to expensive,as it would disparage my hopes and dreams.....hahaha.what are your favs as far as exhausts and intakes go?....i have it narrowed to,about 3 for each and will decide when i am finished saving the money.that stainless works really catches my eye.thank you for all your help thus far and thank you to any one who reads this with input.

untill next time oh,i asked about the fog lights earlier on the first post because i wanted to change them,but now i just wanna change the bulb and color nd place the grill foglight hiders.and i am not sure which tranny the car has,as you asked that too.gotta slap stick,if that helps.suppose i could look in the manual.