Mazdaspeed Acronym Cheat Sheet

New to the Mazdaspeed world, or cars in general? Wondering what someone is talking about when they say they are FBO except for a DP, or their CEL is on for high LTFT after changing their SRI? Well, struggle no more. Here’s a cheat sheet to that gives you a quick introduction to the Mazdaspeed world. Hopefully it will help you figure out what people are talking about, and start sound like a pro yourself.

If you have more that we missed, feel free to comment to help others out, and we’ll get it added to the list.

• ABS - "Antilock Braking System," a safety feature that prevents the wheels from locking up during heavy braking, allowing the driver to maintain steering control. The ABS system also handles traction control duties.
• AFR - "Air/Fuel Ratio," the ratio of air to fuel in the engine's combustion chamber.
• AP - "Accessport," a handheld device used to tune the engine control unit (ECU), made by COBB. It’s the most popular tuning solution for the Mazdaspeed platform. 
• AWD - "All-Wheel Drive," referring to a car that sends power to all four wheels.
• BAT - "Boosted Air Temperature," referring to the temperature of the air entering the engine after being compressed and heated by the turbocharger. Managing BAT is crucial for maintaining optimal engine performance and avoiding detonation. Also see TMIC and FMIC.
• BCS - "Boost Control Solenoid," a device that controls the amount of boost pressure allowed by the wastegate (also see EBCS).
• BOV - "Blow-Off Valve," a valve that releases excess boost pressure from the turbocharger or boost pipes when the throttle is closed. A BOV releases the air to the atmosphere, while a BPV allows the air to go back into the intake. Here’s a link to some BOV and BPV options.
• BNR - "Bryan Nickell's Rotary" referring to an aftermarket company that started with rotary engines, but now makes turbos for many cars including Mazdaspeeds. 
• BP - "Boost Pressure," the amount of pressure generated by the turbocharger.
• BPV - "Bypass Valve," a valve that releases excess boost pressure from the turbocharger or boost pipes when the throttle is closed. A BPV allows the air to go back into the intake. Also see BOV. 
• BSD - "Balance Shaft Delete," A modification where the balance shafts in the engine are removed to reduce rotational mass and free up some horsepower. This power comes at the cost of soul-tickling vibrations.
• BT - "Big Turbo," referring to a larger aftermarket turbocharger installed to replace the stock turbo. Also see ZZB.
• CBE - "Cat-Back Exhaust," an aftermarket exhaust system that replaces the stock exhaust from the catalytic converter back.
• CAI - "Cold Air Intake," an aftermarket intake system that brings in cooler, denser air for better performance. On the Mazdaspeeds the CAIs generally end up in the bumper area in front of the driver front wheel. Also see SRI.
• CAT - "Catalytic Converter," a device that reduces emissions in the exhaust system.
• CEL - "Check Engine Light," referring to the warning light on the dashboard that illuminates when the car's onboard diagnostic system detects a problem with the engine or emissions system.
• DI - "Direct Injection," a type of fuel injection where fuel is directly injected into the combustion chamber of each cylinder. The Mazdaspeed 3/6 are DI, so the stock injectors are installed in the head, not the intake manifold like a PI car. Also see PI.
• DIY - "Do It Yourself," referring to performing modifications or repairs on the car without professional assistance.
• EBCS - "Electronic Boost Control Solenoid," an electronic device that controls the amount of boost pressure allowed by the wastegate (also see BCS).
• ECU - "Engine Control Unit," the computer that controls the engine's operation and can be modified for better performance.
• EGR - "Exhaust Gas Recirculation," a system that recirculates exhaust gas back into the engine to reduce emissions. Many people block off or remove their EGR valve.
• EWG - "External Wastegate," a type of wastegate that is mounted separately from the turbocharger. EWGs give you better, and more control of larger turbos. This si largely because IWGs have to fit within the turbo housing, while EWGs can be significantly bigger.
• FBO - "Full bolt-on," referring to a car that has all possible bolt-on horsepower upgrades installed. Intake, exhaust, FMIC/TMIC upgrade,HPFP, tune, etc. Everything short of a turbo is what is usually meant.
• FMIC - "Front-mount intercooler," a larger intercooler mounted at the front of the car for better cooling and improved performance.
• FSB - "Front sway bar," a suspension component that helps reduce body roll and improve handling during cornering. Here’s a link to some FSB and RSB options.
• FPRV - "Fuel pressure relief valve," a valve that regulates fuel pressure in the fuel system.
• FWD - "Front-wheel drive," referring to a car that sends power to the front wheels only.
• HPFP - "High-pressure fuel pump," a pump in direct injection engines that supplies fuel at high pressure to the fuel injectors. You should upgrade your HPFP internals if you’re doing anything more than adding a stock-size intake to your car. The stock Mazdaspeed internals don’t have much headroom to add power. Here’s a link to one of the most popular options on the market, Autotech.
• IMAP - "Intake manifold absolute pressure," a sensor that measures the pressure within the intake manifold. In the Mazdaspeed world, we generally refer to it as boost pressure.
• IWG - "Internal wastegate," a type of wastegate that is built into the turbocharger itself. The wastegate helps reduce and control the amount of boost the turbo compressor makes. The stock wastegate on Mazdaspeeds is an IWG. Also see EWG.
• ITFP - "In-tank fuel pump," a fuel pump located inside the fuel tank that delivers fuel from the tank to the engine. This pump often needs upgrading when going to a larger turbo, or if the factory pump is getting old. Here’s a link to a great drop-in pump option, made by AEM.
• JDM - "Japanese Domestic Market," referring to vehicles and parts designed to conform to Japanese regulations and to suit Japanese buyers.
• KR - "Knock retard," a measure of engine knock or detonation detected by the ECU, which then retards ignition timing to prevent engine damage.
• LCA - "Lower control arm," a suspension component that connects the wheel hub and steering knuckle to the vehicle frame.
• LPFP - "Low-pressure fuel pump," a fuel pump that supplies fuel to the high-pressure fuel pump. The LPFP is inside your fuel tank.
• LTFT - "Long-term fuel trim," a measure of how much the ECU adjusts fuel delivery over time to maintain the correct air/fuel ratio.
• MAF - "Mass airflow," a sensor that measures the amount of air entering the engine to calculate the correct amount of fuel to inject.
• MAP - "Manifold absolute pressure," a sensor that measures the pressure in the intake.
• MS3 - "Mazdaspeed3," a high-performance version of the Mazda3 compact. Also see MPS.
• MS6 - "Mazdaspeed6," a high-performance version of the Mazda6 midsize sedan. also see MPS.
• MPS - "Mazda Performance Series," another name for the Mazdaspeed series of vehicles in certain markets.
• MPS3 - "Mazda Performance Series 3," another name for the Mazdaspeed3 in certain markets.
• MPS6 - "Mazda Performance Series 6," another name for the Mazdaspeed6 in certain markets.
• MZ3 - "Mazda 3," a compact car made by Mazda. Talking about the non-turbo versions here.
• MZ6 - "Mazda 6," a midsize car made by Mazda. Talking about the non-turbo versions here.
• NA - "Naturally aspirated," referring to an engine that takes in air without the assistance of a turbocharger or supercharger.
• O2 Sensor - "Oxygen sensor," a sensor that measures the amount of oxygen in the exhaust gases to help the ECU maintain the optimal air/fuel ratio.
• OCC - "Oil catch can," a device installed in the PCV system to capture oil vapor and prevent it from being recirculated back into the intake. Here’s a link to the best catch can kits and accessories available for these cars 😉.
• O2 Sensor - "Oxygen sensor," a sensor that measures the amount of oxygen in the exhaust gases to help the ECU maintain the optimal air/fuel ratio.
• OTS - "Off-the-shelf," referring to pre-made tunes for the ECU that can be loaded using an Accessport, Versatune, etc.
• PCV - "Positive crankcase ventilation," a system that recirculates gases from the crankcase into the intake to be burned off, reducing emissions. An Oil Catch Can may be installed in between the crankcase and the intake to catch the oil vapors that may travel with those gases. See our blog on that, Crankcase, Under Pressure.
• PI - "Port injection," achieved on Mazdaspeeds by adding 4 injectors (such as those made by Injector Dynamics) in the intake ports on the intake manifold of the engine, in addition to the DI injectors that are already in the head.
• PMM - "Passenger motor mount," an aftermarket mount that reduces engine movement for improved throttle response.
• POS - "Piece of shit," slang used to describe a car (or part of a car) that is in poor condition or doesn't perform well.
• RMM - "Rear motor mount," an aftermarket mount that reduces engine movement, leading to improved throttle response and more direct power transfer.
• RP - "Race pipe," a test pipe or catalytic converter delete pipe, often used for improved exhaust flow and sound.
• SRI - "Short ram intake," an aftermarket intake system that is shorter and has less bends than the factory intake. SRIs are far more popular than CAIs for Mazdaspeeds. 
• SSP - "Short shift plate," a modification to the shifter mechanism that reduces the distance the shifter needs to move between gears, resulting in quicker shifts. Still one of our favorite mods.
• STFT - "Short-term fuel trim," a measure of how much the ECU adjusts fuel delivery in real-time to maintain the correct air/fuel ratio.
• STS - "Short throw shifter," an aftermarket shifter designed to reduce the distance that the gear lever needs to move between gears.
• TB - "Throttle body," the component of the air intake system that controls the amount of air flowing into the engine, based on the position of the accelerator pedal.
• TBE - "Turbo-back exhaust," an aftermarket exhaust system that replaces the stock exhaust from the turbocharger to the tailpipe.
• TIP - "Turbo inlet pipe," the pipe that connects the air intake system to the turbocharger, often upgraded for better airflow and performance.
• TMIC - "Top-mount intercooler," an intercooler mounted on top of the engine, found in the stock configuration of Mazdaspeed vehicles. The whole point of the intercooler is to cool your BATs after the turbo has compressed the air, which causes it to get hot.
• TMM - "Transmission motor mount," an aftermarket mount that reduces transmission movement for improved shifting.
• VVT - "Variable valve timing," a system that varies the timing of the engine's valves to improve performance and efficiency. The Mazdaspeeds only have VVT on the intake camshaft.
• WG - "Wastegate," a valve that controls the flow of exhaust gases to the turbocharger to regulate boost pressure.
• WGDC - "Wastegate Duty Cycle." This refers to the percentage of time that the wastegate control solenoid is energized or active. More WGDC generally means more boost. Also see ZZB.
• WMI - "Water/methanol injection," a system that injects a mixture of water and/or methanol into the engine to reduce combustion temperatures.
• WOT - "Wide open throttle," a term used when the accelerator pedal is fully depressed, allowing maximum airflow into the engine for maximum power output. Again, also see ZZB…
• ZZB - Short for "Zoom-Zoom-Boom," what will inevitably happen to the engine in your in your Mazdaspeed3 or Mazdaspeed6. It will eventually go kaboom. This is often due to issues like detonation/pre-ignition.