Intro

10-20-98

We have begun the Cork Sport MX-3 project car. We have many extensive modifications on tap for our project car. Over $10000 in parts already available on the market and a few products we are developing will be installed.

The Car:

We are starting with a 1993 MX-3 Special Edition. To date the car has 53,000 miles. There are a few modifications that have already been completed which are listed below:

DINAN ECU -- This is a very similar product to what SUPERCHIPS offers. HP gains in the 10-15 range which are acheived by tuning the engine to run off high-octane gas. There is a definite 'seat of the pants' improvement to the power and throttle response on an otherwise unmodified MX-3. We recommend this improvement as the best 'bang for the buck' modification for power increase on the MX-3. The advantages of the DINAN and SUPERCHIP ECU's will be negated to a certain degree if the engine is heavily modified.

HKS Super Mega Flow Intake -- There are quite a number of intakes available that can be fit on the MX-3. This was one of the first mods to the car a few years ago. There were not many options back then and we went with HKS based on reputation. The HP gains have been reported around 8 on this intake. We cannot feel much of a performance increase. Until there has been a dyno comparision of the intakes available it is tough to prove whether the 8 hp gain is realistic or not. In any case, the sound of your engine sucking in air is quite impressive. The money was well spent just for the aggressive sound and the less crowded engine compartment.

SUS TECH Lowering Springs -- These springs lower the car by about 1.3" and improve the handling of the car at the same time. 1.3" is enough to remove a good portion of the stock MX3's large wheel wells but does not look 'slammed'. The combination of performance, visual improvement, and price is tough to beat with these lowering springs.

BF GOODRICH comp T/A ZR tires -- These are great tires. The street price is about $109 via mail order for the MX-3 GS's stock tire of 205/55/15. The performance improvement is comparable to the lowering springs. Less tire roll and better traction combine to make an MX-3 'stick to the road like glue'. When they do break traction upon heavy cornering they let out a chirp to let you know you are pushing the traction limits. Tire wear is more extreme with Z-rated tires. These tires will last about 20-25 thousand miles if you avoid spinning. We definately recommend upgrading from the stock tire to the performance enthusiast.

This car with these mods gives us a good starting point to build one of the fastest, best handling, and good looking MX-3's in the world.


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