2010+ Mazdaspeed 3 performance air intake discussion

[MSMS3]

Originally Posted by Ckmazdaspeed3 I do have a true ramair intake, but thanks, you still answered my question... Just not the answer I wanted to hear.

Thanks. Just curious - what kind of true ram air intake do you have, sir?

To be true ram air it must feed the intake only. It must have an opening large enough to flow the maximum cfm and air mass requirements of the engine under maximum power. It must feed a completely sealed plenum chamber in which the chamber size starts small and the cross section gets larger as the air enters and expands. It is a form of very mild supercharging. What happens is that as the air enters through the smaller intake hole it is then allowed to expand in a controlled manner that allows the air velocity to decrease. When the velocity goes down, pressure goes up. This has to be done in a very precisely shaped and controlled chamber shape that prevents turbulence.

At somewhere between 100 mph and 200 mph these carefully designed scoops and chambers create about 1 psi of positive pressure in the intake manifold. Yeah, NHRA Pro Stock drag cars use these types of true ram air intakes, but only see about 1 psi of increased positive pressure beginning in the 100-115 mph range and increasing slightly with increased speed.

What we have is a cold air intake (not ram air) and it's for the intercooler. That's a good thing, but it's not ram air.

Here is what a ram air intake looks like. It is on Warren Johnson's Pro Stock GTO.

[Ckmazdaspeed3]

the corksport fmic w ram air. The ram air goes where the tmic did, and it is sealed off by the hood shroud.

[MSMS3]

Please read my edited post just above. What you have is a cold air intake. Cold air is very good. I like CAI's for that reason. But the CS "ram air" not ram air. A lot of companies call cold air intakes ram air, but unless they meet the design criteria, they are not.

And at best you get 1 psi of increased MANIFOLD pressure with the best designs and only realize that above 100 mph. In the case of our cars, the MAF sensor and ECU are going to control your boost to the mapped target level, so you'd not even see that one psi gain, if you had a true ram air system.

[wolly6973]

Please look at the Corksport FMIC kit.
The kit moves the air intake to where the TMIC used to be, and forms a seal with the hood there.
What he has is a ram air intake.

[MSMS3]

I'm familiar with the kit. Air comes into the intake from where the TMIC used to be. I fully understand that. Ram air design requires far more than that. What ram air is doing is increasing manifold pressure, not just providing cold air, as good as cold air is.

And the most exotic ram airs are on Pro Stock normally aspirated drag cars and with thousands and thousands of dollars of development and testing, they get 1 psi at 100 mph and above.

It's a good design - no - a great design to have cold air getting to the filter. But this is not ram air. There is no true ram air system for our cars and we wouldn't benefit from it with a turbocharger and intercooler between the air filter and the intake manifold and with boost pressure being targetted and controlled by the ECU.

Show me that boost is higher with this "ram air" intake compared to a good SRI or CAI. That's what it would have to do. And it would have to be higher at high speed and not merely high rpm. Difference shows up on the road or going down the strip but not on a dyno.

Sorry, guys I think we got off the topic. My bad.

[Ckmazdaspeed3]

You say that it must feed the intake only, but it does. The shroud pushes against the top of the filter cover.

I have no idea about the cfm and air mass requirements of the engine under load.

It is a small space which opens into a larger one.

And I have no idea about the rest of that stuff.

Anyway, 3 things.

1) I do get that it is not a ram air after your explanation, the above was just to point out a few similarities.

2) I guess, it really wouldn't matter anyway, because although I break the 100mph barrier from time to time, I don't spend enough time north of that mark to really get the benefit (which I don't have) anyway.

3) The intake which sits on top of the engine is heat shielded quite well and it does pull air in directly from the atmosphere and not the engine bay. Do you have any idea if this gives ANY advantage to a regular CIA? Either way, I guess it's a cool and unique way to make use of my hood scoop.

ah, your last post clarified more. I don't think we got off topic though. This is all helpful information about intakes.

[MSMS3]

I think it is a good design. The object is to reduce IAT's and therefore BAT's. It all starts with the temperature of the air the MAF sensor "sees." Since the air is coming in from the outside and straight to the intake, in theory the CS top mount "ram air" might be superior to what we call CAI's.

The truth is that a CAI for our cars is still in the engine bay, although the MSCAI and AEM CAI put the filter within about an inch of the outside air slots in the left front fender well.

True CAI's would actually isolate the filter from the engine bay entirely.

And as you point out, heat soak is not out of the question for you either, because it is sitting right on top of the engine.

But it is a nice elegant way to get some cooler air while dressing up the ugly empty space where the old TMIC used to be.

Honestly, I think the difference, if there is one, is academic and theoretical. What matters is the air temp that the MAF sees. Get it down whatever way you can and you have the potential to make more power.

Just one opinion.

[Ckmazdaspeed3]

CIA... whoops. LOL

Thanks for the information. Even if it is just an opinion, it seems pretty educated, and there is very little of that with this set up.

[Silver Ecstasy]

Here's a question,

Can anyone take pictures of their intakes from directly above the engine? I've noticed that both Corksport, CP-E, COBB and K&N all have different mounting points and different angles of which they put their filter.

COBB - just about a 90* angled coupler that puts the filter right infront of the battery box

CP-E - seems to only be about 60* angle? Puts the filter closer to the chassis

Corksport - seems to just hang there, no mounting point at all actually

K&N - mounts to the bpv, almost identical to COBB's setup.

Can anyone take pictures of their setup's and post?

[BLK_MS3]

Okay, I have a general question.

Lets say you will not be monitoring anything since you car is strictly a daily driver and will be staying stock other wise. What intake do you think is the “safest” as far as keeping things where they need to be and not causing CEL's and issues?

[LakeSTLMS3]

Originally Posted by BLK MS3 Okay, I have a general question. Lets say you will not be monitoring anything since you car is strictly a daily driver and will be staying stock other wise. What intake do you think is the “safest” as far as keeping things where they need to be and not causing CEL's and issues?

I've been running the corksport SRI for a couple weeks now and probably 500 or so miles and I haven't had a problem. I know many other people on this forum will agree. I can hear the stock bov now and I definitely get boost faster. I recommend it!

[2010Speed3]

Originally Posted by BLK MS3 Okay, I have a general question. Lets say you will not be monitoring anything since you car is strictly a daily driver and will be staying stock other wise. What intake do you think is the “safest” as far as keeping things where they need to be and not causing CEL's and issues?

RMM is by far the safest, but you can't go wrong with an SRI. I have no way of monitoring and I've been running all my mods for atleast 2k miles with no CEL. I think it has a lot to do with climate, installation, and car. Hope this helps...

[MS33SM]

I love the Genpu crowd, we're still stuck on intakes

[kpacker51]

Sorry if I missed it in this thread, but the Cobb SRI DOES fit the 2nd gen, or no?

Are there other SRI's from the 1st gen that fit the 2nd gen?

[Silver Ecstasy]

It fits, and it's roughly the same size, although a few people have gotten CEL's from it. Then again, they've gotten them from SURE SRI's and initially the Corksport SRI's as well.

[kpacker51]

Originally Posted by Silver Ecstasy It fits, and it's roughly the same size, although a few people have gotten CEL's from it. Then again, they've gotten them from SURE SRI's and initially the Corksport SRI's as well.

Thanks for the input.


Unfortunately, I still can't make out from this thread which is the best.

I've narrowed it down to maybe the Cobb, cp-e or the Sure. Don't know, though.

[Silver Ecstasy]

Well, SURE is currently clearing up some CEL issues with a few owners who have had issues. COBB still only specifies on their site that the intake works with 07-09, even though much hasn't changed other than the intake on the +10 is a not even a few hundreths of an inch larger. And CP-E has a great setup, I just dislike the brand of filter they use. So i'm ultimately fucked trying to pick one as well.

FWIW, COBB's uses all the stock equipment, where it seems CP-E and Corksport utilize a different intake breather valve hose.

[2010Speed3]

Originally Posted by kpacker51 Thanks for the input. Unfortunately, I still can't make out from this thread which is the best. I've narrowed it down to maybe the Cobb, cp-e or the Sure. Don't know, though.

Lol trolls gonna troll

[MSMS3]

Delete. Sorry. Posted in wrong thread! My bad.

[kpacker51]

Originally Posted by 2010Speed3 Lol trolls gonna troll

Uh, what??

[2010Speed3]

^^^Oh my bad... I thought you were being sarcastic. Like as if you were following up MS33SM's post.

Oh yeah and I thought you had a Gen 1 for some reason.

[ClutchEngaged]

Originally Posted by Ckmazdaspeed3 If ur car has more than a few miles on it, unfortunately (I guess it depends on the dealer), but There is a very good chance It has seen that red line quite a few times. My buddy works for a Mazda dealership...did I say dealership, sorry I mean stealership... And they beat those new cars to shit! Again, I am sure there are a few stealerships where this doesn't happen..

I work at a GM dealership (just a Hydrotech) and I see the salesmen drive all of those cars so brutally.

[spizot555]

I have a K&N Typhoon. Got a great deal on it. It works fantastic, the gains were immediately noticeable, and the sound is lovely.

I also have CS TIP that I installed months later. The TIP (I don't see why aluminum or silicone would be better when you consider the volume of air getting sucked in per minute) markedly increased the sucking/whooshing sound and you can clearly hear the turbo winding up.

Both are great. Are there better intakes for cheaper? Probably. But at the time I knew the K&N name, reviews promised an easy install, with no CEL's.

I did have a CEL the day after I installed it, but I pulled the code and the code was a 1000tightenthegascapidiot code.

I like how the KN has a boxed area to prevent the hot air from getting sucked in.

[Postulio4joo]

Originally Posted by Silver Ecstasy Well, SURE is currently clearing up some CEL issues with a few owners who have had issues. COBB still only specifies on their site that the intake works with 07-09, even though much hasn't changed other than the intake on the +10 is a not even a few hundreths of an inch larger. And CP-E has a great setup, I just dislike the brand of filter they use. So i'm ultimately fucked trying to pick one as well. FWIW, COBB's uses all the stock equipment, where it seems CP-E and Corksport utilize a different intake breather valve hose.

Indeed CP-e with no cel and call it a good day.

[R.MS3]

cp-e, k&n, or corksport for intakes right now. Sure aeros after the issue is sorted out (which i think it is). You could try the Cobb but even on Gen 1's, they can give you a CEL.

[BLK_MS3]

Guys running the CP-E, how are your readings? All good?

[indianaryan]

Originally Posted by BLK MS3 Guys running the CP-E, how are your readings? All good?

I bought Aetherfury's CP-E CAI (after I said I would probably get an SRI) when he traded in his MS3 for the STI. I've had it installed for about a month now and no CEL's. I don't have anything to show fuel trims or anything though.

[BLK_MS3]

Originally Posted by indianaryan I bought Aetherfury's CP-E CAI (after I said I would probably get an SRI) when he traded in his MS3 for the STI. I've had it installed for about a month now and no CEL's. I don't have anything to show fuel trims or anything though.

Cool, how does it sound?

[indianaryan]

Originally Posted by BLK MS3 Cool, how does it sound?

It sounds about the same as stock when you lay off the boost. But as soon as you hit the boost, you can really hear the "whoosh" sound.

It's a nice setup for a CAI because there's really no way water would ever get to the filter unless you were sitting in a 2 foot deep puddle. The filter is angled upwards, and it's pretty well isolated from the elements with the splash guards.

[Monotonous ONE]

i said it on the first page


but i just wanna reiterate that i absolutely love my nano. never had a cel. never had any issues.

the quality is obvious upon close inspection.


zero complaints aside from needing a TIP to complete the setup and not havin no money yo

[indianaryan]

Originally Posted by Monotonous ONE i said it on the first page but i just wanna reiterate that i absolutely love my nano. never had a cel. never had any issues. the quality is obvious upon close inspection. zero complaints aside from needing a TIP to complete the setup and not havin no money yo

I'd like to get a TIP also, but I just can't justify spending $200 on it.

[Teethkikr]

I have a COBB SRI from a Gen 1 and have had 0 problems for about 10k now..

[Silver Ecstasy]

Originally Posted by Monotonous ONE i said it on the first page but i just wanna reiterate that i absolutely love my nano. never had a cel. never had any issues. the quality is obvious upon close inspection. zero complaints aside from needing a TIP to complete the setup and not havin no money yo

Save yo money, it's not that drastic of an improvement and a total pita to install imo.

[rfinkle2]

note on tip / aka tih design...

Corksport relocates the valve cover vent onto their tip, intake combo (it is your choice {the default I believe} ).

This does 2 things. It deletes the fitting from the silicone 45 degree elbow after the maf housing, and relocates it onto the tip.

That may sound like nothing, but your tip will need to be capped, or your sri silicone tube for that matter if you mix intakes and corksport's tip.

Again, just keep in mind you can order the Corksport set-up the traditional way, or with the valve cover vent on the tip.

This is very specific to Corksport's tip and intake, all others use the stock valve cover vent plumbing locations.

[shaftyella]

Okay, I've been following this tread for a while now and think that it's time that I contribute a little. Let me caveat by saying that I am in NO way and automotive engineer and all the knowledge I have on this subject came from this tread. Now to the business...

I took delivery of my Sure Aeros on 9 Feb but did not get around to installing until 18 Feb. I am currently using PLX kiwi wifi with my iphone and REV for data logging. Since installing the only issue I have had with my trims was on the initial drive home. After driving 80 mph constantly for about 10 miles I exited the freeway coasting in neutral and I had +11SB1 and +20LB1. This is the only time that this has happened. Since my 50 mile break in period I have not seen my trims this high since.

Today I drove in to work (about a 59 mile drive) and I kept a close eye on my trims. Since install I have driven 220 miles with no CEL or pending trouble codes (knock on wood).

The temp was 31 degrees.
Idle - 0SB1 +12LB1
WOT - -7SB1 +11LB1
Medium Acceleration (3000rpm) - [-3 through +7]SB1 [+5 though +10]LB1

My trims did not surpass this range even when coasting off the freeway in neutral.

I know that this is probably a jumbled mess, but I did want to contribute. I attempted to export this data to export and share but it is way too much info to be of any benefit.

If you have any pointed questions I'll do my best to answer them. Thanks

[scorch whammin]

Originally Posted by MSMS3 I have tried to avoid this "safer" stuff and did NOT want to have this degenerate into a "my filter/intake/location/shape" beauty contest. I really have in the above posts and elsewhere. I am 60 years old. I've owned many, many high performance cars and modded them over a career going back to my first musclecar in 1970. I've run off road lifted Jeeps in mud for years. I've used just about every kind of intake configuration you can imagine. I live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast where we get a LOT of rain, some of it in the form of 20 foot hurricane surges. I have had both SRI and CAI intakes and have used both dry and oiled filters. I have never experienced hydrolock on anything. Not on my own vehicles or on anyone else in any car club or off road club. I have laid a jeep on its side in mud. The intake (a K&N filter on top of a Weber carb) went under water). It just killed the engine from lack of oxygen. We righted the jeep, pulled the wet filter off, started the engine and drove it off. I've seen numerous other vehicles with soaked filters. They just stopped running. No water ever got past the filter and no damage done to any of them. This hydrolock hysteria is about as senseless to me as the "compressed air gets hot" argument. Can you hydrolock an engine? Especially a boosted and intercooled one? Yes, if you are stupid enough to go through very deep water at WOT and produce enough vacuum to both fill up the filter and pull that water all the way through the intake to get to the turbo compressor, then after that water has ben vaporized, through the intercooler, cooled back down to water and finally into the engine. I guess anything is possible and if you try hard enough and are stupid enough in your driving habits you can hydrolock a turbocharged and intercooled engine before it shuts down from lack of oxygen. Nor have I ever experienced a maf failure or malfunction from an oiled filter. I've been running K&N filters on many different vehicles for about 30+ years now. The cleanable dry filter on my MSCAI is the first filter of its type I've used. I would not have hesitated to purchase the intake with an oiled filter if it had come that way. Now, if you want to get a SRI because it is generally cheaper, that's a valid reason. If you want to get one because it is easier to access for cleaning, that's a valid reason. If you want to get one because it comes with or has available a "matching' TIP, that would be a valid reason. Differences in sound level, or whether you can hear your bpv/bov better, might matter to some. There are others, just as there are many valid reasons someone might choose a CAI. But risk of hydrolock is like risk of getting struck by lightning (and you can put a hydroshield sock on if if your really obsessed about it). And the "air gets heated up" argument is just bad science. BTW: attached are two photos. One shows a 32 degree differential between underhood temp right at the maf sensor compared to ambient after only four minutes of sitting at idle from a cold start. The other shows where the remote sensor was located next to the maf sensor.

Good post and points!...I too am looking for an aftermarket intake..and not sure which one to get yet...money is not an issue, so the CAI may be the way I go...and I appreciate your points...all valid..

[oh10speed3]

can someone tell me what the actual part number is on the K&N?

I know it is a 69 series, but what is the full part number?

[wolly6973]

Originally Posted by oh10speed3 can someone tell me what the actual part number is on the K&N? I know it is a 69 series, but what is the full part number?

double post...

Let's see... If I was trying to find out something about K&N, where would I look?
Maybe their website?
Oh, look! They let you put in the year, make, and model, and give you all parts that fit your car!

K&N Products by Vehicle Search - Year, Make, Model, Engine Search

[v277480]

did any of you guys with aftermarket intakes suffer power loss on part throttle driving? this what really concerns me

[GPrestonMoto]

All of your posts are moot, because someone has done "CAM SWAPS". Incredible... I didn't even know cam swaps were possible! Holy crap. You go to MIT?