Ok I bet this has been asked but I don't want to search for an old thread. I want a new take on the issue. The MSP is rated at 170 v Mazda3 is 160. Althought the speed has 10 more it has to spoil up to get there, the 3 hits peek power first. Has anyone ran the to stock for stock to see whos quicker.

And the other question or comment is why does it show that the 3 doen't come with ABS. I really miss that.

 

our 3S came with ABS as an option.

I think the MSP would win. it is a lighter car. Also the duratec 2.3L is kina a peaky motor meaning you have to really wind it up to make it pull good...kinda like a CivicSi engine.

 

Coming from a car that had as much torque as it did horsepower, I was a little surprised at how much I had to crank my 3 to really lay down some rubber. I don't burn out that much, as I try to find a perfect rpm to launch at without losing that power to the ground.

So far I've found that if I drop it at about 3800 rpm I can lay down a good amount of rubber. If I launch her at about 3400 to 3500 the tires stretch to hang on but they don't usually slip.

My other car I could launch at 2750 and the tires would just let loose... I couldn't keep those monsters stuck to the ground.

I haven't stretched out my 3's legs too much, but I can tell you that it does take a serious amount of RPM to make the 3 shoot of the line, which is a big downfall to a car that you might be able to launch at lower rpms...

 

Well it's a good thing I don't totally trust MSN. It shows ABS as N/A for all 3s.

That kinda sucks as far as the power band goes. But maybe they did that with the idea of a turbo to come out and help.