2006 MazdaSpeed 6

[Shadow248]

Originally posted by BurgundyBeast
They were designed to meet the "fuel efficiency standards"? Standards eh? I guess thats why the Hummer's EPA window sticker (the sticker that on any other vehicle would state the estimated mpg) instead says "Data not available." I guess single digit numbers don't look very appealling on a window sticker

Geez...now you too?!

The H2's size and weight puts it in a classification that is not required to display EPA estimates on the window sticker. Nor is there any current restrictions in it's class. The thing could get 1 foot to a gallon and the government wouldn't care, however GM was nice enough to use the 6.0 LEV Vortec that gets the H2 at least over the 10mpg mark instead of the 8.1L which would have yielded much worse numbers.

Originally posted by Burgundy Beast
Besides, justice was talking about how Ford voluntarily reduced emissions (whether this is true or not, I don't know), not how they increased fuel efficiency.

Fair enough...all of GM's regular production vortec motors meet national "LEV" standards for emissions. Niether Ford nor Dodge can claim that.

Originally posted by BurgundBeast
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming, "Immaturity and the Internet"...

Wow...there's a winner. I don't know what's worse - immaturity, or ignorance. I've experienced enough of both on this site.

[SubaSteevo]

Originally posted by Shadow248
The H2's size and weight puts it in a classification that is not required to display EPA estimates on the window sticker. Nor is there any current restrictions in it's class. The thing could get 1 foot to a gallon and the government wouldn't care, however GM was nice enough to use the 6.0 LEV Vortec that gets the H2 at least over the 10mpg mark instead of the 8.1L which would have yielded much worse numbers

My question is, why is the Hummer so damn huge? If GM were truely concerned with fuel efficiency, they wouldn't have made such a monstrosity. I won't pass judgement on any other GM product, because quite honestly I'd prefer one over *most* Fords. But nothing says "I am an arrogant asshole with a small penis who doesn't give a **** about the environment" than buying a Hummer. And IMO, by producing them, GM gives off the very same attititude.

PS A fun video of a 20yo Jeep towing a Hummer off of a tree stump. Maybe his temporary ego boost gave him the illusion that his vehicle was actually cabable of being taken offroad. Even if "offroad" was only 2 inches from a port-a-potty.

Now how about that Mazda? Damn I love those headlights....

[Shadow248]

Originally posted by BurgundyBeast
My question is, why is the Hummer so damn huge? If GM were truely concerned with fuel efficiency, they wouldn't have made such a monstrosity. I won't pass judgement on any other GM product, because quite honestly I'd prefer one over *most* Fords. But nothing says "I am an arrogant asshole with a small penis who doesn't give a **** about the environment" than buying a Hummer. And IMO, by producing them, GM gives off the very same attititude.

I always said that making the H2 was a mistake. But we only have ourselves to blame. If we didn't buy it, GM would be happy to get rid of it. But it's a huge seller, so it's not going anywhere.

Originally posted by BurgundyBeast
PS A fun video of a 20yo Jeep towing a Hummer off of a tree stump. Maybe his temporary ego boost gave him the illusion that his vehicle was actually cabable of being taken offroad. Even if "offroad" was only 2 inches from a port-a-potty.

Makes me wish I had videos of all the Jeeps that I (or my dad) rescued with his Yukon(s). A buddy of mine has a 1998 Jeep 5.9 and got pulled to safety three times last year alone by the Yukon.

[SubaSteevo]

Originally posted by Shadow248
I always said that making the H2 was a mistake. But we only have ourselves to blame. If we didn't buy it, GM would be happy to get rid of it. But it's a huge seller, so it's not going anywhere.

Maybe....

...or maybe not

Atleast until the H3 comes out

[Royal Tiger]

The H3 might be the first sensible Hummer. But it was, uh, ford who started the size race after jumping up and down over how the Excursion was finally bigger then the Suburban which hadn't really gotten bigger since the 70's. But the Excursion is on the kill list at ford, and big SUV sales are down so we'll see. Also the H1 and H2 being over 6600lbs are not mandated to minium mpg by the EPA or required to do the EPA fuel milage loop. A system which is outdated anyway. There was a big to-do when people who waited 6 months for their Toyota Prius, then didn't get 51mpg in it.

[Chiketkd]

Originally posted by BurgundyBeast
Now how about that Mazda? Damn I love those headlights....

I love those headlights too!

-Chike

P.S. How about some pics in the wet?

[Landshark]

Originally posted by Chiketkd

I love those headlights too!

the headlights are awesome.


the wheels on the other hand.......yuk. they look fun to clean, too.

[Chiketkd]

Originally posted by Landshark
the wheels on the other hand.......yuk. they look fun to clean, too.

Not the biggest fan of all the spokes on the wheels either. It'll be a pain to clean the brake dust off of all the little crevices...

The wheels are 18x7" and the tires are 215/45's. Would be nice if some 225's could fit on there.

-Chike

[Landshark]

Originally posted by Chiketkd

Not the biggest fan of all the spokes on the wheels either. It'll be a pain to clean the brake dust off of all the little crevices...

The wheels are 18x7" and the tires are 215/45's. Would be nice if some 225's could fit on there.

-Chike

the wheels on the regular 6 are very nice - i came extremely close to getting some on ebay for my SVX. they look kinda 90's 911 Turbo-ish.

[Chiketkd]

Originally posted by Landshark
the wheels on the regular 6 are very nice - i came extremely close to getting some on ebay for my SVX. they look kinda 90's 911 Turbo-ish.

Agreed. The base Mazda 6 wheels look much better. The wheels are 17x7" and use 215/45 wide tires. When I get my MazdaSpeed 6, I'll definitely look into getting a set of 17's. Will need to run a slightly taller sidewall to keep my speedo accurate though...



-Chike

[Landshark]

Originally posted by Chiketkd

When I get my MazdaSpeed 6....
-Chike

oh, so its confirmed! the new Chikemobile.

[Chiketkd]

Originally posted by Landshark
oh, so its confirmed! the new Chikemobile.

Yeah, you can say that. My wife is in full agreement and that's the biggest hurdle.

I'm thinking of April of '06 being the date when I'll start shopping for one. The car would have been out for 9 months at that point, so all of the 'evil dealer' mark-ups would be over.

It'll also be the time of year when news should be leaking in car mags of any major improvements in the '07 model. If there's nothing major (other than color options, etc.), I'll probably pick one up later that summer when dealers start to receive their '07 stock.

I want a sport model with cloth interior as it's ~60lbs lighter than the touring version. If I put 6-7K down on a 29K car, our monthly payments would be in the sub $500/mo range that I want (over 60 months). Did the same thing when I bought my Lightning a few years back...

-Chike

P.S. Just learned today that Road & Track in their write-up on the MS6, gave a 0-60mph estimate of 5.5 seconds. This is exactly what I was thinking all along, since Car & Driver got a 0-60 of 5.7s for the 250hp 5spd Legacy 2.5GT. Figured the MazdaSpeed 6 would be at least 0.2 seconds faster...

[thundering02]

eww to the million spoked wheels and hat d4mn on those 5 spokes though headlights are nice but I would like it a little more without so much of the hoods upward "bulge"

[Landshark]

Originally posted by thundering02
I would like it a little more without so much of the hoods upward "bulge"

that's to feed air to the TMIC without using a hoodscoop.

[Chiketkd]

MAZDASPEED6: POWER ON A HIGHER LEVEL



2005 LA Auto Show
IRVINE, Calif.

– Direct-Injection Turbocharged Drivetrain Powers the Ultimate MAZDA6 –

Turbocharged. More than 270-horsepower. Stylishly elegant. Separately, each term has the power to stimulate the inner racecar driver in each of us, but together, they establish the newest dimension of Zoom-Zoom. The 2.3-liter, direct-injection turbocharged MAZDASPEED6 is the ultimate MAZDA6, adding a sense of refined bravado to the Mazda family.

With output pegged at 272-horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque, the six-speed manual transmission MAZDASPEED6 will be the most powerful, fastest and best-handling car ever sold by Mazda in the United States. The MAZDASPEED6 powerplant also enjoys the distinction of being the first gasoline direct-injection turbocharged engine available in the United States — paving the way for many more accolades to the already critically acclaimed MAZDA6 platform.

"Mazda engineers established a new level of excellence with every component of the MAZDASPEED6," said Weldon Munsey, vehicle line manager for Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). "With abundant top-end performance and ample torque at medium or low revs, the MAZDASPEED6 receives all the benefits of a turbo with amazing fuel economy and eco-friendly emission levels."

By introducing direct injection to turbo applications, Mazda has circumvented the usual drawback of turbocharging – poor low- and mid-range torque – while meeting strict exhaust regulations. By injecting fuel directly into the combustion chamber and allowing it to vaporize under more controlled conditions than in the intake tract, fuel mixture loading efficiency is improved and torque is increased by up to 10 percent at around 3000 rpm over a conventional intake system. Direct injection also yields an internal cooling effect within the combustion chamber, allowing a high 9.5:1 compression ratio. The turbocharger delivers significant boost from the moment the accelerator is engaged at approximately 2500 rpm.

A single-scroll turbocharger, lightweight and simple in construction, allows not only enhanced reliability, but also reduces greatly the required thermal capacity of the exhaust system. In turn, this reduced thermal capacity maintains the overall temperature of exhaust gasses and aids in minimizing catalyst light-off times, helping comply with increasingly strict cold-start and running emission regulations. Injecting atomized fuel directly into the cylinder causes a fine fuel mixture to form around the spark plug, which prevents engine-damaging misfires. The mixture allows a delay in ignition timing without risk of misfire, which also helps maintain exhaust gas temperature. The end result is an impressively efficient catalytic converter that minimizes harmful emissions and allows MAZDASPEED6 to meet both LEV-II state and Bin 5-A Federal regulations.

Mazda engineers began with a clean slate when designing the six-speed manual transmission. Engineers chose gear ratios to exploit the power band of the direct-injection turbocharged engine, allowing low gears for strong acceleration and high overdrive gears for effortless high-speed cruising. To ensure a pleasing balance between responsive shifts and smooth gear changes, and sufficient strength to cope with the power generated throughout each gear, the MAZEDSPEED6 employs triple cone synchronizers for first, second and third gears, with a double cone synchronizer for fourth gear. The synchronizers also help minimize shift effort.

Since 270-plus horsepower through the front wheels would cause inevitable torque steer and difficulty putting power to the ground, the MAZDASPEED6 employs an all-new Active Torque Split All-Wheel Drive system, which yields a superb balance between Zoom-Zoom driving excitement and assured stability under all road conditions. Unlike many competitor offerings, the torque transfer system found in the MAZDASPEED6 — which adjusts front/rear torque distribution between 100:0 and 50:50 for optimum drive power to each wheel — seamlessly integrates the inherent stability of all-wheel drive. Active Torque Coupling is controlled electronically and can react to wheel slippage much more quickly than conventional gear- or fluid-controlled systems.

Incorporating real-time input data on steering angle, yaw rate, lateral G force and engine status to determine road surface and driving conditions, the Active Torque Split system selects between three modes of front/rear torque distribution, allowing the driver an exceptionally pleasurable driving experience.

Normal, Sports and Snow (slippery) modes encompass the full range of potential driving conditions and ensure the MAZDASPEED6 delivers consistent performance regardless of the situation. To ensure consistent power delivery under all weather and driving conditions, the Power Take Off center differential aggressively distributes torque to the rear axle and is water-cooled.

Filling out the torque transfer system is a beefed-up rear differential that delivers unparalleled reliability. Increased torsion rigidity of the propeller shaft and rear differential mount enhances torque transfer noticeably more than competitor’s vehicles. Integrating a limited-slip differential optimizes torque transfer to the left and right rear wheels and ensures excellent power delivery when cornering or on slippery surfaces.

Every component of the MAZDASPEED6 has been optimized for strength and reliability to cope with the added load and heat of forced induction. Mazda engineers applied proprietary Advanced Precision Mazda Casting processes to the cylinder block and head to drastically improve strength, and cross-drilling between the block liners and between the valve bridges on the cylinder head improves the overall resistance to heat by providing greater surface contact area for the engine coolant. Other enhanced components include a crankshaft and connecting rods made of steel, increased diameters of connecting rod pins, optimized rod shape and the introduction of full floating pistons. Each and every moving part is stronger, more rigid and more durable.

To complete the Zoom-Zoom experience, engineers tuned the exhaust for optimized torque output and an exhaust note that is both subtle and aggressive with a pleasing linear curve at high engine speeds.

The thorough attention to detail that is synonymous with Mazda has yielded a 2.3-liter, direct-injection turbocharged MAZDASPEED6 drivetrain that further establishes Mazda on the front lines of automotive design and performance. With every component enhanced for strength and durability, and every aspect optimized to ensure seamless performance, the MAZDASPEED6 powertrain propels the newest member of the MAZDA6 family to a higher level of automotive excellence.

Mazda North American Operations is responsible for the sales and marketing, customer parts and service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., MNAO has more than 700 dealerships nationwide.





-Chike