So, I got a 2012 Mazda 2, I see all these cool things you can do to them but idk what to do or if it’s worth doing, she runs good and everything but has 135,000 miles, I want to do something to add more power but don’t know if it’s worth putting money into with that amount of miles, also don’t know what to do, the only thing I could think of would be turbo charging it but I thought maybe one of y’all might know a specific turbo or maybe something else I can do to get more power from the engine
I hate to pile on to what this is probably going to become, but I wouldn’t go hard on mods. Especially if it’s a manual, a simple car like the 2 is becoming very rare. Major mods will either be crazy expensive and disappointing or cheap and disastrous.
I believe there are some suspension mods that will bring the top-heavy feeling down. That and better wheels and tires will make the car feel more sporty without tearing into the powertrain.
the minute you start modifying your 2, an econobox remind you, you are going to start causing more harm than good to the car, especially if you are not familiar with how cars respond to mods. the more you modify the running components of any car, you run the exponential increase in risk to making your car more unreliable. if you want more power, get a more powerful car. tik tok instagram influencers are not going to pay for any damages to your car with clever transitions and cuts. there is a lot more involved in modifying cars that pictures and 1min shorts will not cover.
if you want to still modify your ride, stick with the easy basics, lower it a bit (not slammed to the ground), wheels and better tires, and a not obnoxious exhaust.
Don’t.
You’re seeing all these IG mods from people that are just pissing money into the wind.
Dollar for dollar, if you want something faster, you are better off selling the car and buying a faster car.
You’ll be $7k+ into the hole putting a turbo, tuning it, just to end up with a less reliable car and still slower than a clapped out base Mustang.
As per your other post asking about adding a turbo to your 2: my reponse is still the same: don’t bother. Just buy a faster car. It’ll just be an expensive lesson in how to break your fuel-efficient little grocery getter.
Source: modifying underdog Mazdas to barely outperform non-performance cars followed by wearing the car out prematurely. Repeatedly.
I have one too. I wouldn’t mod it. It has decent power and great handling. I’d advise to invest in good tires. That’s all.