We all start by saying “its gonna stay stock,” but eventually with time we realize that statement won’t really happen. I am Alec Lessard, and I am from the capital city of Canada; Ottawa. I personally was not thinking of modifying my sedan when I purchased it. In the Mazda community having a Mazda 3 sedan was kinda rare, and seeing one done-up nicely was like seeing a unicorn. I eventually decided to be different from the masses, and dump all my money into my 2006 Carbon Grey Mazda 3 sedan GT 2.3L.
It started off on coilovers like most people, and eventually ended up going with air suspension. I found a deal that fit my budget and decided to convert to air ride.
The front end was kept simple with a mesh grill and a urethane lip to match the OEM side skirts. Also yellow Lamin-X fog overlays were added to match the yellow center caps on the wheels.
The front air suspension is equipped with Airrex front air struts with adjustable camber plates. And decided to go with a set of 17×9 +21 Weds Kranze ERM wheels with 205/40/17 tires all around.
My favorite part of the car has the be the rear end; fitment is paper thin. The rear wheels are sitting at -9 degrees of camber at drive height.
Recently decided to shave the rear side reflectors on the rear bumper as I am trying to keep the car OEM clean.
Trunk is fully shaved, the third brake light was deleted, and emblem holes were filled. The exhaust is from CorkSport, and was one of the first modifications I had done to the car. It was worth every single penny and still sounds like new. The rear air suspension is equipped with Dominant Engineering toe arms, camber arms and lower control arms.
Interior is fully leather, black suede pillars, and chocolate brown suede headliner. Kept it classy with a Grip Royal steering wheel with gold flakes mounted on NRG quick release and hub adapter. Are you wondering what the head unit is doing up there? Its a OEM deck insert from Japan, and that hole where the OEM radio is the place I put my wallet, phone, etc…
Never been a fan of excessive stickers, aftermarket bumpers, and other excessive items. I am the kind of guy who likes to keep a car simple and clean with the OEM look/feel of a car. Sometimes adding too many parts for appearance is just not the right way, especially on a simple car like this.
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Modification List
Bag Setup/Suspension :
-Airlift V2 Management
-1/4” Air Lines
-Dual Viair 400cc Compressors
-5 Gallon Tank
-Airrex Bags & Struts (Adjustable Front Camber Plates and 12-click Damper Adjustment)
-Dominant Engineering Camber Arms, Toe Links and Lower Control Arms
-3.5 Camber in Front and -9 Camber in the Rear
Wheel/Tires:
-17 x 9 +21 Weds Kranze ERM
-Hercules Ironman iMove 205/40/17
Additional Modifications:
-Lamin-X Yellow Fog Light Overlays
-Mazdaspeed Cold Air Intake
-CorkSport exhaust
-Grip Royal steering wheel
-Shaved trunk / bumper
-Rear window visor
-Door molding delete
-DDM Tuning HID kit
Written and owned: Alec Lessard.
Instagram: @A__lessard
Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed this one!
