Hello
Im new to the Mazda line of cars. I just purchased an '04 Mazda 6 with the 3.0 24v engine. I have been a VW Vr6 guy for many years, and after looking for another VW to replace my last wrecked one, I was told by a car buddy to look at Mazda.
I did alot of research about this model and wanted to keep the V6 thing going, while keeping the fuel economy decent (my vr6 Jetta got 28-30). I also wanted good, sporty looks and above all, good handling. I found a one owner 6 locally, with 46,000 miles. It was immaculate and gorgeous .After a long test drive and was hooked. This is one sweet ride with just the right look and oomph (or should I say "zoom..zoom"-).
Im looking forward to learning more about the car and how to sublty' tweek' it. I had my previous car ' tweeked' with grounding kit,K&N filter, in a modified airbox (added a 3 inch hose to the front valence to increase airfolw and cleaned out the airbox). I ran iridium plugs also.
So, I was looking at making these same mods to the new Mazda so that I can gain a little performance increase w/o CEL's and other nasties. Can you guys give me some pointers as to these mods? Any help will be appreciated and Im gald to be a part of this forum.

 

welcome bud glad you decided to go away from the dark side haha. Im going to be honest with you there are not that many parts available for the 6 if your looking to really max it out but there is some support for the basic I/H/E and some suspension mods, its a little on the price side as well and you will have to do some mods to prevent the cel from coming on, but other than that the 6 is a great car if you got it in the 5spd manual you will be able to have a little more fun with it, the 6 and 5spd auto severely limits that cars capabilities.

 

Thanks for the welcome Traker. Im not interested in expensive upgrades and messing with the chip set,etc,etc. About all I did to my Vr6 was to clean out the airbox, route a hose to the front valence area, install a K&N and switch to Iridium plus. I also swear by Auto Rx engine cleaner and have used it for years, as well as synthetic oils.
Any input you guys can give me as to the plus and negatives of similar upgrades/mods on this Mazda would be appreciated.
The mods mentioned really helped the the overall performance of my last ride and boosted my mpg by a couple. What are your thoughts on running a hose to the lower bumper area and removing the resonator 'tuba' and 'tray' ? Ive also not been able to locate a manual for the car yet, so was wondering about the plugs-what type,lifespan,etc.

 

i think that on the v6 the maf sensor is even more of a bitch than the 3's there is no harm in trying and depending on what dealer you go to they shouldnt have a problem with a simple mod like that if your worried about that. I know for a fact you should def feel a difference is performance and mpg, if you havent taken apart the airbox yet you will find that the airflow is EXTREMELY restricted so every little bit helps.

I believe the plugs are the standard pos bosch and if you go any auto parts store you should be able to look up the part #, if you get plugs from like advanced or pepboys MAKE sure the threads are the same length as the ones you are pulling out.

 

Ok, thanks again for your input. I think I'll try taking out the tray and tuba and installing a hose from the bottom box to the front valence to increase airflow. I dont seee how this could cause a CEL, but maybe if I disconnect the battery and then run it, it can re learn the new flow? I didnt have any isses with the VW when I did this mod and it definately make a big difference in that car in acceleration and mpg.
The car has 46,000 , so I was wondering if its time for plugs and if so, I'll go to iridium type.

 

well my boschs went out in less than 30k but if your not having a problem (you know when you will) then there is no need to change them yet, it would never get to the point where the car wont start cuz of bad plugs unless you let it.

The thing is the 6 is a first generation car meaning it has nothing to build from so everything is new meaning there is alot of parts are very touchy and dont like to messed with even it for the better, i know my friend tried to do something similar to his 6 and it immediately threw a cel...i cant remember if it made it worse i think it made it better but the cel got annoying.