Which reliability mods would you pick on a budget?
 

So, this spring I'd like to give myself about $500 to put towards one or two mods with the goal of improving engine life/reliability. I'm thinking I'll mostly focus on cooling, but I'm open to any suggestions as to where my time and money might be best spent. I'm not at all interested in trying to chase down what few extra HP there are to be squeezed from the Renesis; rather, I'd prefer to focus on the areas that will keep my car healthy and happy for as long as possible. That said, here's the short list of what I'm considering in no particular order:

1. Remedy water pump/thermostat combo
2. BHR radiator
3. Revi RAM air duct (attached to stock intake)
4. Remedy oil pressure kit
5. Cobb AP

My car is a 2004 GT MT with 68k and is mostly stock with the exception of the BHR ignition kit (fantastic) and a drop in K&N filter that I'm still on the fence about. No problems with the K&N filter so far, but the use of "wet" filters in these cars is debatable from what I've gathered.

Given a $500 budget, what single mod or combination would you most highly suggest? As much as I'd love to go ahead and spring for the Cobb, would it be best to maybe proceed with some other mods before having the custom calibration performed?

Thanks in advance, and feel free to suggest anything I haven't included, as I highly value the opinions and advice that comes from this forum.

the coils(which you have), removal of the cat(can be free), and the AP w/proper tuning - paid for itself in my car in fuel mileage alone in ~1 year

1. RE Medy Oil pressure mod.
2. BHR Ignition
3. Catless
4. SOHN adapter
5. Cobb AP

Factory radiator is more than sufficient and if you have a reman you have the upgraded water up from Mazda.

I do have a reman, installed at 48k before I bought it. 2004 GT MT with about 68k, which I should have mentioned. So that makes the water pump less critical then? Good to know.

So that's two for going catless, but to be honest with you, it kind of weighs on my conscience. I also don't know how I feel about the additional noise and smell. However, KY doesn't have emissions testing should I decide to go that route, and I do keep seeing good things about BHR's midpipe.

Good stuff, guys. Thanks already!

The AccessPort allows one to alter the fan turn-on temps, so that may help address your heat concern. It also allows for more OMP volume, which would address reliability. The way MM tunes you will have improved torque across the entire RPM range, which enhances driveability.

id say u dont need the RB airduct... Change to better ventilated bumper :)

You're right, I probably don't, but it's a lot cheaper than a vented bumper + spray + fitting. It gets HOT here in the summer with miserable humidity so I'm willing to take whatever gains I can get.

Based on some of these comments I think the Cobb, Remedy OP adapter, and then perhaps the Remedy thermostat are going to get me closest to where I want to be. In spite of the initial investment, it's hard to look past the configurable flexibility the Cobb allows.

You may wish to look at:

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/my-sneaky-plan-extend-engine-life-series-i-190372/

where I've tried to compile various suggestions and mods - some are even free!

Thanks HiFlite. I know I've browsed that post before and there's some really good stuff in there I'll have to revisit. I'm probably thinking about this more than I should be, but I tend to overthink things. The only presumable "hot" condition that I've encountered was a stop and go traffic disaster last summer that had me tied for an hour up on a scorching hot road surface during a 105 degree day. The AC kind of cut out and started blowing hot and my idle became slightly erratic. Temp gauge never climbed, though. Luckily, this happened just a few minutes before I reached the point where they were diverting traffic into the opposing lane and it straightened out once I started to get some airflow again. Coincidentally, my O2 sensor was found to be bunged shortly after and was replaced, so hopefully that was the culprit. I was hoping that if I increased and/or moved the intake position it would help ward off any similar occurrences, hence my consideration of the RB duct. However, I think changing the fan speed or turn-on intervals via the Cobb AP would be more suitable for this application.

As far as the most bang for the buck, I think the AP is my best starting point. After looking into the Remedy thermostat, I'm undecided based on concerns it might not let the operating temps become "warm enough" during winter conditions. The Remedy waterpump on the other hand still looks promising, so I'll be upgrading to that eventually.

The stock temp "gauge" on the dash is essentially useless. Under stopped + 105F heat circumstances, the WT is gonna go up big time. A scangauge or the like is an easy way to read the OBDII parameters including water temp. A minus of the RB air duct is that it blocks some of the useful part of the grill opening (though the bigger problem is that so much of the back side of the radiator is blocked). The AP is quite pricey if all you want it for is to lower the fan turn on temp. In the DIY section there is a mod to add a manual switch on the fan allowing you to turn it on when you see a problem coming up. It's easier to prevent the temp rise than to cool it off after it's already risen. As soon as the car is to the point it starts misbehaving, the smart, though uncomfortable, thing to do is shut off the AC.

I've scanned around a lot, read a lot of articles and the one mod that keeps popping up (unfortantly for me) are the BHR Ignition coils. Unfortante because I have yet to find a flat parking spot that I don't need to worry about kids.

Okay, wow, that's really helpful. I never would have realized until after purchase and installation. I guess I'll be scratching that off the list of "eventual possibilities".

And yeah, despite the high entry cost, I'd be using the AP for far more than adjusting fan speeds, not to mention the custom tune, so that's still at the top of my short list.

I feel your pain. I too am constrained by a sharp uphill driveway, and my street simply isn't suitable or safe for working on a car. The BHR coils honestly only take about an hour your first time through it. After you run through it once, you can get them in/out in less than 30 minutes. I'd just find a parking lot and do it there.

I'm in Louisville, so if you ever need a parking lot and/or an extra set of hands give me a pm :)

Aw, thanks man. Me too -- I'm in the historic Crescent Hill area, so if you've ever been through there you probably know what I'm talking about. Driveways and garages on those old houses are more like vestigial remnants moreso than anything functional. Fortunately, I know enough people with flat driveways or garages larger than a one-cart carriage house where I can actually work if need be.

In return, if you ever need someone to stand around stupidly or maybe drop something...

Lots of Pre Mix gets my vote.

idemitsu premix !!!:yumyum: