Hi folks,

I have a 2014 2.0 manual and just wish it had a little more power. I am aware of the 2 Corksport modifications available (CAI & exhaust) but not much else, or anything that could offer a substantial performance boost - bar adding a turbo. Apparently adding both the CAI and exhaust would increase noise levels substantially... I wonder which one would be be best bang for the buck. I hear alot about CAI that they don't do anything at all but yet some claim they do, especially the CAI manufacturers... That being said I'm guessing the exhaust mod could offer more reliable performance increases, but at a higher price, more work and potentially more noise.

I also noticed that the European specs for the 2.0 engine are at 165HP instead of North America's 155HP but requires premium gas. Next time I'm at the dealer, I'll ask if such an ECU remap would be possible.

If anyone can offer opinions and/or their experience with the above mentionned mods or others I'm not aware of, it would be greatly appreciated!

PS. I just noticed today that the 2010 BMW X3 had a 260HP AWD manual transmission available... but not anymore I believe... Why is it so hard to find a compact SUV with a bit of power, manny tranny and AWD?? Arghh!! Maybe I should have just found myself a used 2010 BMW X3 instead!

 

Don't waste your time or money on the Corksport intake or exhaust. They won't add anything performance-wise, though they may make you feel like you're going faster. This is a company that does not have a particularly good reputation for proper development of performance parts. Truth be told, there really doesn't seem to be much you can do to add any power to the SkyActive engine. If there had been, Mazda probably would have already done it. As for the increased power of the Euro-spec engine, it's because they use 14:1 compression (which requires premium fuel) while ours are 13:1 so that we can get away with regular.

 

This is the best video to describe the differences between stock, short ram and cold air intakes i've ever seen:
This must be properly tested with the hood closed and car very warm to see the difference. I've seen other test videos where this step was missed, overlooked.


So yes cold air does equate to slightly more power with it being denser.
However the drawbacks of a longer intake tube with an open air filter is that it is exposed to the elements like water, snow. On my Mazda 6 there is slots in front of the front tire so when I drive in to a puddle it splashes forward and on to that filter. I actually created a water deflector shield at that spot as i already have plenty of flow from my wide lower grille. It is important to isolate the hot air from the engine from the filter as the hot air causes loss in performance as is the case with a short ram filter which i originally tested personally and easily felt while cruising King, and this issue was confirmed by my boss who has 2o years experience with aftermarket intakes. What i did then, was also customize an engine baffle that is sealed to the hood as well as the front frame of the car to keep the hot air from engine bay out. Now i get performance all the time. Now i am sucking in colder air from the outside rather than hot air from the engine bay with a short ram!.
I have no idea how the CX-5 layout is, but now you know some basic understanding of how to properly install the best intake possible for your car, for all year long! I use a short ram with a custom barrier and water deflector.

Here is my layout, it isn't pretty but functional and easy to dismantle for servicing.

 

The best way would probably be to reflash the chip which would probably void the warrentee.

 

Flash the chip? It seems like the engine is already pretty maxed out as well as not being a turbo so I doubt many options are available or would do very much. The only reflashing I can think of would be to get the euro-specs with the 14:1 compression requiring premium fuel that would up your horsepower to 165. I will inquire with my dealer if this is at all possible in North America tomorrow when I go in for an oil change and a few other bugs...

 

wont work. first off, the dealer would never do that. second, unless you have access to the higher octane fuel used in europe, you would probably set off the knock sensors, and then the ecu will pull timing and fuel, resulting in less hp than you now have. and 10 hp? you would never be able to tell such a small increase. paris1 is right. wasting money on useless add ons like cold air and exhaust will just make more noise. any increase will be at or near redline, where most people never use their engines. more noise just makes people THINK there is more power. what you are looking for is more torque, not hp. there is a difference.

 

Just had a look at corksport intake for the 2014+ Mazda 3 SkyActiv Power Series Short Ram Intake 2.0. It does not have a heat shield/baffle and their horsepower gains must have been accomplished with the hood open and a fan blowing on it with a barely warm engine. When the engine is warm that intake would just suck in hot air from the rad causing performance loss.
For an aftermarket intake to perform correctly it must have a heat shield/baffle.

 

"Reflash" what to raise C/R?! This is not done electronically. It takes taller pistons or a shaved cylinder head to raise the ratio.

 

Flashing the pcm- this requires a computer and a modified program to replace the stock one. This can be dicey as a bad program can damage the motor. I know of no one in the U.S. who can do it and there is no way any dealer can or would do it. Don't even bother asking.
Now, I am a fan of reprogramming, all of my vehicles have had it done. But, they had good increases and there was a reason for the increase. Plus, I found people that could do it.
1) '06 GTO- was dyno tested and reflashed after getting headers. The reprogram made the most with the headers.
2) '03 Jetta tdi- the reprogram worked well with turbo to raise hp from 90 to 127 ish. Had it done 170k miles ago.
3) '96 Impala SS- too many mods, needed the reflash
'11 Kawasaki Concours 14. Bike has secondary flies for noise regs that kill power below 2500rpm, reflash took care of that and it has great grunt.

Now, enter the CX5. That exhaust is probably the freeist flowing ever seen on a mass marketed car. Don't count on finding better. I know this doesn't apply to you but some programs redo shift points for autos. Again, the CX5 is superb here.
Cams? Nothing on the market that is better, forget that. Air intake? Most if not all use cloth, don't like the reduced filtering, plus, again, they won't add power.
Of course, there is still a little room for more hp if someone could reflash. This is done by getting rid of excessive lean/rich spots in fuel curve and modifying the spark curve to the point just before pinging. However, the margin left is always small on non turbo cars that are stock- less than 10hp.
So, what can you do? Here are some common sense things that will help a little:
Keep tires inflated- get a good gauge (like a $30 analog dial one) and keep tires inflated 1-2 psi above sticker. Less rolling resistance means less power loss due to rolling resistance.
Use 0-20w oil. Yes, you can use 0-30, but that will slightly lower hp due to more fluid resistance. Also, don't futz around with over priced oil additives.
These two things might make it feel like the car has 2-3 more hp. You likely won't feel it but at least it is free.
This cx5 vehicle will remain the only one in my stable that stays totally stock.
FWIW, I think the the north american and euro motors are virtually identiical. The euro one probably gets the slight bump in cr via a thinner head gasket. It is easier and cheaper to change cr via head gaskets than with pistons. Changing them would be the only practical way of gaining more power but I wouldn't do that as I don't think it worth the effort.

 

Thanks for all the excellent input here... I don't pretend to know more than the little I've learned so far...

The service counter guy at my dealership said that it could be possible to get the euro spec 14:1 compression and squeeze out minor additional HP but that it wasn't offered through Mazda obviously... I would probably be hard pressed to find a place that could offer such a service.

I think I am leaning towards leaving it stock too... thanks for the confirmations. My only concerns are that I already find it has considerable engine noise when only a year old when it could get noisier and even lose power over the years I plan on keeping it...

I guess if I changed my mind, I could always look into getting a turbo added but I'd probably be better off just trading my 2.0L manual in for a trim with the 2.5L engine... I'd probably wait for a refresh and additional options to be released in North America before approaching any such possibilities seriously though... Like Mazda offering any other engine diesel or the 2.5 with manual transmission and hopefully even AWD but very likely not.