Ok I have decided to go turbo, I would like some advice on a decent clutch and a lighter flywheel since I am in there. also Should I go with a 3 inch pipe and how should I do that custom or not. if I go costom I dont want the second cat, should I also get rid of the resinator or expand that to a three inch opening also and leave it in? Back to the clutch, ceramic? or heavy duty kevalar? could you give me some names, prices, and where to get them. I also think when I go with the lighter fly wheel that is going to efect my gas milage should I go with the lightest one or the second to lightest and who should I get that from? Please help I would like to get started ASAP and I hate waiting for parts so I want to get them on order.

 

if you are getting a big turbo go with the 3 in. if its a fairly small turbo get a 2.5 in. scratch the resonator and got a test pipe to replace the cats. if your looking at clutch's i would look at the ACT 2100. if you are getting a fairly big turbo get the 2600. i don't know about the fly whell but i'm sure clutch masters makes a good one. if you lighten the flywheel, when you come to a stop and push the cluch in your RPM's will probably drop to almost stall but that is normal. what turbo are you getting and are you getting a front mount or side mount. i would go with the front mount as it'll benefit in the long run.

 

now the act 2100 will fit the MP3 correct? Is it ceramic, and I was also wondering if anyone knew the wieght on the stock fly wheel? thanks for the help. O yea about how much will it cost for this install I would do it but I take forever to put things on even with simple bolt ons. and I need my car. so if anybody has an approx. price for a clutch and fly install (labor) I would appreciate it.

 

Weight on the stock flywheel is 18 lbs. Mazdaspeed makes a lightened flywheel that is 15 lbs and it's even inexpensive! There is also a 9 lb aluminum one available from SR Motorsports. They have a kit that includes the 9 lb Indigo aluminum flywheel and an ACT clutch kit with alignment tool for $699.

MazdaMotorsports has the 15 lb flywheel for $139.05. It's from the JDM MP3. They also have the ACT pressure plate for $181.45. The torque rating for the ACT pressure plate with the stock factory clutch disc is 268 lb/ft. There is also a 4 puck copper/ceramic disc available that will take the rated torque to 343 lb/ft. They also have an aluminum flywheel for $406.65. The ACT clutch will work on any of these flywheels.

Looks like the least expensive way to go would just be to put the ACT pressure plate on the stock disc with the JDM 15 lb. flywheel. That would only cost a little over $300 and give you a 34% increase in torque rating as well as a lighter flywheel that is still very durable. It would also engage smoother than a 4 puck.

 

Ok on that 15 lbs flywheel from mazda motorsports should I get that from Corksport I have heard bad things about shipping on there products?

 

my only advise to you on the clutch and flywheel is: FAST GOOD CHEAP. choose 2. the tranny is easy to pull off and the clutch is even easier to install. i know you don't live anywhere near me so i can't help but with my awd eclipse i could pop the tranny off and change the clutch in about 3 hrs at the most. of course i have air tools at my expense to if your not using air tools then i guess you got your work cut out for you

 

Ok can you give me some directions or instructions I have only changed a clutch in a 4wd pickup toyota is it hard to do if you have done it for the first time on a FF. would air tools be a must? O yea and what would you say is a harder job doing the clutch or putting on coil overs? what do you mean by choose 2? thanks for the help justin

 

air tools aren't a must but i wouldn't do it without air tools. to be honest i have never changed the clutch on a mazda MP3 so i'm not sure of what all is involved but i've changed the clutch on a fwd eclispe and it took about 30 minutes to get the tranny off. basically you have to disconnect the axels and pull them out, disconnect all the shifter linkage's to the tranny and anyhting else connected to it, then unbolt the the tranny from the motor. on the eclispe there were 4 bolts, i'm not sure how many are on the mp3. make sure you have atleast a partner but 3 would be best. as when you put the tranny back on its hard as **** to do bny youself. you'll see the clutch and there are some bolt you'll see holding all that just in, just unbolt that stuff swap in the new and then put it all together. it osunds easier than it is especially on your first time doing it so you may wanna get a friend with a little experience to help guide you. choose fast and cheap and that what you get, choose good and cheap and thats what you get, choose fast and good etc..., usually thats how it works out someitmes it doesn't i guess you just gotta ask around. i would go with ACT cause i have been very pleased with their clutches. go with the 15lb lightened flywheel cause it is cheap and i'm sure since you wont have a ton of power you wont need the 9lb. i may and probably have missed some stuff so if anyone else wants to chime in and correct me feel free. also make sure you drain the tranny fluid first.

 

also the coilover job is easier trust me

 

I thought it was pretty easy after I got into it. Thanks so much for all the help buddy you are awsome

 

no problem

 

Expect labor to be $400+ for a mechanic to change your clutch/flywheel. I have paid about $650 on my old car for a used flywheel and $200 factory clutch.

When I get a new clutch for my P5, I will attempt to do it myself. Definately consider air tools. I tried to change the Diff seals on that same Probe GT and could not even get the axle nuts off with a 3 ft breaker. I also snapped a smaller breakers elbow joint and nearly blew a hole in the side of the fender. A lot of places will rent the compressor, Impact gun, and air wrenches for pretty cheap. It is a pretty simple job, with a few tricky parts, which is mostly getting the gearbox to line up properly. Take Lupus' advice about getting a friend with some experiance, and one preferably that has a hydraulic garage lift.

If you have decent amounts of cash you may want to consider an LSD. They are not cheap but would aid in getting the power to the ground. I have no clue how hard it is to crack open and switch stuff around inside the gearbox though. I could not imagine a shop charging to much though if you take the gearbox in seperately and just ask them to do it. Again I am only suggesting things if you have the money.

Also, what route are you taking with you turbo? Are you making a custom setup or considering an upcoming kit?

 

www.mazdamotorsports.com That's the place that I've been ordering from. Fast as you want it and if they have it in stock when you call, you WILL get it. They've been great with me so far. Bit easier to work with than Corksport.

To Pseudoreality: Only drawback to a 3" system is noise. Sound propogates better in larger pipe. Back to back testing on different size systems shows that 3" will be several decibels louder than 2.25" given the same style of muffler. Other than that, oh yeah baby, it will definately flow better! Plus think what everyone will be thinking when they glance under your car....

 

Yeah, it will flow better, but it will gut your torque. It's not like you are going to run 15psi or anything. This is a 2.0L motor, not a 5.7. A 3" exhaust is too big. I'll be done with my turbo project in about a month and I'm only using 2.5". That's the size I suggest. Just my educated opinion though, take it or leave it.

 

Going large won't gut the torque. This is a forced induction application so the big enemy here is restriction. You don't want any. In a normally aspirated engine you want a certain amount of velocity in the early part of the system to help scavenge the gases out of each cylinder. This is what a header with a tuned collector accomplishes. All the individual exhaust pulses use their velocity to help scavenge air out of each cylinder. Once it gets past the tuned point, usually 6-14 inches of collector depending on the # of cylinders and state of tune, all you want is NO RESTRICTION as the initial velocity slows down. The remaining energy will continue to dissipate all the way to the end of the system. This is not as critical on a forced induction engine as part of the exhaust scavenging is being done during overlap by the incoming pressurized intake charge. Also, the one thing that kills power on a turbo engine is ANY exhaust restriction after the turbo. It slows the turbine wheel down which drops intake pressure as well as increasing lag. Since a turbo quiets down the exhaust some anyway, just use 3", a good 3"inlet/outlet muffler and be done with it.

I've seen dyno graphs of the same engines run with 1 1/2 inch headers to 2 1/8 inch headers and different size exhaust systems from 2.25 to 3.5 inch. The larger headers made more power, and they didn't lose torque until they were huge. The exhaust systems worked fine up to 3" and then showed no gains. 3" is fine unless you have 800 cubes. Hell, I had 5" on my 800+ cube diesel with 42 psi of boost in a big rig and it wasn't restrictive even as a single. The major gain seems to be using an 'X' crossover between duals as it leads to resonance tuning that aids scavenging on a V-8. Can't do that on a 4 cylinder since we only have one bank of cylinders. The torque difference between the 2.5"and 3" pipe was minimal and that was on normally aspirated engines.