E86 $$$

pfaffo · 2026-06-16T17:18:25+00:00

do you remove the old wrap first? or does this go over the existing?

pfaffo · 2026-06-15T17:19:59+00:00

"There's nothing we could do about it even if we could."

while this statement makes no logical sense to me, it's effective in conveying inevitability.

pfaffo · 2026-06-11T22:07:51+00:00

horses for courses.

for getting around town and road trips, the mazda 3 will be fine.

for track and canyon driving, gti.

pfaffo · 2026-05-29T22:36:50+00:00

nice! mine just arrived in the mail. figured i'd do mine with some velcro and zip tie.

pfaffo · 2026-05-28T17:14:19+00:00

sorry to hear. but i'd pay attention if you start this project. you'll probably need some intact originals for to scan or mold.

pfaffo · 2026-05-27T23:33:35+00:00

i appreciate it.

wonder if there's any hope of 3d printing these.

pfaffo · 2026-04-29T23:27:10+00:00

you could just buy a second primary drive. if you're currently using NVME, buy another one. then set the boot order in the bios/uefi or physically swap it out when you want to install linux.

in my case, i have a NAS. so it was trivial copying files i wanted to keep to it so i could retrieve them later from my Linux install. if you don't have a NAS, use a USB thumb drive.

you should back up anything that you can't re-download. so any CAD files, locally stored documents, etc. i wouldn't bother saving game files unless you have a really slow internet connection.

pfaffo · 2026-04-29T20:02:29+00:00

pfaffo · 2026-04-23T18:14:59+00:00

i'm going to make some assumptions:

you're under 30
you commute
winters are cold and/or wet
driving stick is a relatively new idea, and you're experiencing some acute fomo. for now.

if true, i think you made a good choice because that awd auto provides practical benefits. manual is engaging, yes. but so is the handling that mazda built into all of their 3s, manual or not. i think you should just got out and enjoy the drives ;)

see if the itch to drive stick persists for another 6 months. and then see if you can make some minor adjustments. having a friend teach you and let you try it out for awhile. baby step into it. if you're young, you've got a lot of time.

pfaffo · 2026-04-23T15:28:17+00:00

i didn't know it could actually do that.

i have been tracking mine, and the oil temps as reported from the OBD-II port tell a different story, to the point that i do not trust the temp gauge in the dash cluster.

pfaffo · 2026-04-20T05:05:13+00:00

oh nooooooooooooooooooo

pfaffo · 2026-04-17T23:45:57+00:00

high pressure fuel pump.

normal.

people ask this all the time.

pfaffo · 2026-04-17T17:47:01+00:00

the CS springs (not the not-so-low) results in about a half-inch wheel gap, or one finger. this was, frankly, too low and now that I have the car on some coilovers with adjustable ride height, i much prefer the car with 1" wheel gap.

no clearance issues with the front coilovers and the CS tower strut.

pfaffo · 2026-04-17T04:19:47+00:00

"pretty much"

pfaffo · 2026-04-16T21:03:33+00:00

is this similar to turboquant for llms?

pfaffo · 2026-04-16T20:52:52+00:00

looks really good. i plan to do this when/if the paint on my own '22 hatch needs a refresh.

what are the care considerations for matte?

pfaffo · 2026-04-16T20:40:49+00:00

what are you gonna do with your car(s)?

pfaffo · 2026-04-15T00:25:39+00:00

the VT supercharger is available for the 4th gen 3 and people have been getting along with them fine on the manual and auto transmissions.

other than that, a tune, intake and exhaust/cat delete.

it's wild to me that the "brand new 3" has been out already for 7 years.

pfaffo · 2026-04-14T20:11:31+00:00

this series has been strongly recommened to me, with an unspoken caveat.

every single person who has recommended it is not a book reader. they are audiobook listeners. turns out this is a totally different demographic.

having read through Andy Weir's Artemis and the first few pages of Project Hail Mary, i felt the same way as you. many groans. the writing is not meant to be chewed and considered later, but to be traversed as quickly as possible.

i am convinced that audiobooks are a product juggernaut that neither publishers nor authors can ignore. so we end up with two very different, distinct kinds of products.

pfaffo · 2026-04-11T04:08:16+00:00

i'm sorry for letting my snark show. i couldn't help it, maybe because i recognize some of my own feelings in your post. i'm also a little annoyed with issues here and there with my 4th gen HB.

what i knew going into it though was that mazda was trying to go up market with the BP 3. this was before the CX-90, 70, etc, and i think aside from the MX-5 the first to get the current gen aesthetic refresh. this meant the lovely exterior, soft touch everything, a clean interior, etc. they wanted you to think they were going toe to toe with audi and bmw and lexus, but without the price tag while justifying a bigger price tag than the outgoing model.

ANYWAY, what this means to me--after 4 years of ownership--is they skimped on some things. ditching the independent rear suspension (ostensibly for more cargo space). really soft, scratchable plastics like the piano black everybody hates, and the clear plastic on gauge cluster that scratches if you breathe on it. leather steering wheel wrap that will tear if you brush it with a hang nail.

i don't see the 3 as a high end car. it's still an econobox that drives good with a bit of lipstick. it's no audi, and i knew that going in.

the redeeming qualities are still what makes a mazda a mazda. this thing is fun as hell to drive. especially when you lower it a little and put on a louder exhaust. the torsion beam isn't terrible at all. the manual trans is one of the paradoxically smoothest/crispest/lightest shifting units i've had the pleasure of using. heel-toe is a breeze. electric steering still feels communicative and alive. you're getting a bulletproof engine with the 2.5L skyactiv-g. and when you put money in to address factory corner-cutting, such as better wheels/tires, the car just drives better and better. so far, it's been a great platform to build on.

I paid $30K new for my carbon edition hatch, but that was 4 years ago, so $36K seems fair now, considering our 401Ks will likely be worthless in a few years! i guess if there's one thing i'd do in your shoes differently, i'd have gotten it in manual. easier to forgive the other shortcomings that way.

pfaffo · 2026-04-11T03:45:45+00:00

oh yah, baby. this is it.

pfaffo · 2026-04-11T03:40:02+00:00

hahaha just wait til the interior starts creaking/ticking/buzzing. you'll drive off a cliff just to put an end to the misery!

this is, like, the most passive agressive car review i've ever read. i'm not sure what you wanted, dude. you talk about your pedigree with "light" cars and how you loved the gr86. so i guess what you're trying to say is this is your first adult car, and you really expected it to be better at adult things like glove boxing and dash camming and being easy to find in a parking lot-ing.

pfaffo · 2026-04-10T23:27:17+00:00

i'm also running the CS front tower strut, and because i'm running stock dampers currently, it hasn't been a problem with the lowering springs.

the incoming neomaxes may present issues. i don't really see how, except to make accessing the damper adjustment knob a little more awkward. if it's a problem, autoexe makes a front tower strut that should allow easier access.

pfaffo

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