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Supercharged CX-3

4562 Views 25 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  discere
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Just finished installing the VT-Racing supercharger on my CX-3 (the new 2.0 model they now make.) Was a bit of a challenge to do myself and it's also designed for the Mazda 3, so took me a few days but it's running well now (just waiting for my tune to arrive from DR Tuned.)

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Since it's for the Mazda 3 I had to make some adjustments, like the intercooler mounts not quite lining up, and I'll be having my friend make some brackets for the coolant reservoir. Added a catch can as well but need to install the oil cooler soon
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Will be real interesting to see what difference you notice when it is tuned. Looks great, so well done.
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Will be real interesting to she what difference you notice when it is tuned. Looks great, so well done.
Much appreciated! I'll keep you updated on the tune, doing back and forth over email so it's taking a while
Nice! I never imagined a supercharger in one of these. It looks excellent, looking forward to updates.
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Wow…looks amazing. May I ask how much did the modification cost?
Wow…looks amazing. May I ask how much did the modification cost?
It was about $3500usd with shipping, I got it in a group buy deal so not sure what retail cost is at the moment.

Still waiting on my tune but hopefully will be back with some good news shortly!
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Definitely one of the more exciting posts lately.
Excited to find out progress and the results!
That looks like a very clean mod! Well done...
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If I can find even a shred of reliability in this I'll probably end up with one on mine :cool:

Question though: it appears to be a roots style supercharger....how is there an intercooler when it blows directly into the manifold?
If I can find even a shred of reliability in this I'll probably end up with one on mine :cool:

Question though: it appears to be a roots style supercharger....how is there an intercooler when it blows directly into the manifold?
It's actually water/antifreeze-cooled, pretty interesting setup (comes with an additional waterpump):
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Currently my car is in the shop for probably a bad low-pressure fuel pump (hopefully). Either it was going bad and the supercharger exasperated it, or couldn't keep up. But I'll update once I get it back on the issue.
There's been some really great success stories:
And you can join us all talking about it over on the Skyactive-G Super/Turbo facebook group if you want more info: Skyactiv-G Super/Turbo Community | Facebook

I didn't realize at first but seems mine is the first CX-3 with this kit installed in the states so I'm sort of the guinea pig lol 😶
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Hmmm... I'm not the technician working on it, but I believe your car got towed into my dealership today. Very curious about it. How much boost are you running? How long has it been tuned? It's got spark, it's got fuel, but no start. What happened when it stopped running?
Keeping an eye on this for now since I’d like to supercharge mine at some point too. Godspeed
Keeping an eye on this for now since I’d like to supercharge mine at some point too. Godspeed
Thanks Blaze. Car is still in the shop, seems they are having difficulty finding the culprit of why my ECM isn't communicating with the powertrain. If I don't hear back in a few weeks I'll probably take it home and work on it myself again. Maybe take it back to stock and then add from there. Determined to make it work, however. Probably some random grounding issue. (I also bought the car used a few months before I installed so not sure if it had a previous history of this issue or not)

I'll keep you updated
Thanks Blaze. Car is still in the shop, seems they are having difficulty finding the culprit of why my ECM isn't communicating with the powertrain. If I don't hear back in a few weeks I'll probably take it home and work on it myself again. Maybe take it back to stock and then add from there. Determined to make it work, however. Probably some random grounding issue. (I also bought the car used a few months before I installed so not sure if it had a previous history of this issue or not)

I'll keep you updated
Taking it back to stock should hopefully confirm if it was an issue with SC or with the car itself.

About the kit, have they started making one for the CX-3 or do we still have to adapt ones made for the 3(or other models)
Taking it back to stock should hopefully confirm if it was an issue with SC or with the car itself.

About the kit, have they started making one for the CX-3 or do we still have to adapt ones made for the 3(or other models)
I think we still need to adapt the one for the 3, I think aftermarket mod demand for the CX-3 is just not where it is for the 3/6's

The SC itself fit perfectly, was more just adjustment for the brackets for the intercooler/coolant reservoir. Some people with Mazda 3's (depending on model) had to shave down the metal bracket on their alternator to get the SC to fit, so I think we are lucky in this regard at least
I think we still need to adapt the one for the 3, I think aftermarket mod demand for the CX-3 is just not where it is for the 3/6's

The SC itself fit perfectly, was more just adjustment for the brackets for the intercooler/coolant reservoir. Some people with Mazda 3's (depending on model) had to shave down the metal bracket on their alternator to get the SC to fit, so I think we are lucky in this regard at least
the shaving one was on Gen 4/BP iirc

I honestly thought VT racing accepts "custom" order that's tailor made for each car, looks like it wasn't the case I guess
A little update. Finally got my car back a few weeks ago after being in the shop forever (was a fried ECU. We're still not sure how that happened) and everything is running great now.

In the middle of the tuning process with DRTuned and I can say it's been so fun driving this car around now, super zippy, sounds WILD. I've only driven turbocharged cars before so the instant pull of the supercharger is cool.

Going to install an oil cooler soon before the weather gets too hot here down in the South (not necessary but figured it wouldn't hurt)

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An update for anyone who is interested. So far have put in around 2500 miles with the supercharger installed.

Tuning is going well, on my last datalog. Using MazdaEdit with Tactrix cable for flashing and logging and sending that over to DRTuned for adjustments.
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Also installed this honeycomb air-straightener from Performance MRP in front of my MAF, was a night-and-day difference in smoothness in acceleration. Highly recommend if anyone decides to go this route. (2.75 Mass Air Flow Straightener Honeycomb Screen | Performance MRP)
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Still figuring out where and how to install the oil cooler. Not much room at the front anymore with the SC cooler installed...
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All-in-all, having a great time driving it. Makes the car feel like it's so much lighter
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Hi Allie! I’ve got a 2016 cx3 that I’m supercharging as well. My tinder is RAF and I’m friends with Dan and all the other supercharger guys. You are the only cx3 I know who has done the install and would like some more info before doing mine (shops here in AUS think it’ll be a huge/ expensive job) please DM on IG @suave.rico_ I’ll appreciate it hugely!
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Hey Allie,

I'm in the process of getting a VT Supercharger for my 2017 CX-3 AWD, and I'm wondering if you used the tune that came with the VT Kit?
Did it work alright? Or did you jump straight into getting DRTuned to tune it?

I appreciate any input you can give!
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