New member here. I just bought a 2016 CX5 Touring AWD a couple of days ago from a fleet vehicle sales dealership. I'm nearing 60 in age and this is the first Mazda I've ever owned. This will primarily be my wife's car but, I've been able to drive it a bunch and, I have to say, I'm in love with it! Question for you all: Are there some good, effective and simple upgrades I should add? I already have a K&N air filter on order and I'm going to switch the oil over to full-synthetic. Anything else you would recommend doing? For frame of reference, we live in Utah at around the 5,000' elevation level so, high altitude.

 

 

I've had my 2014 6 Touring with the same 2.5L motor for the past few years. The general consensus on the 6 boards is there isn't a whole lot more you can do performance-wise to this motor that is cost effective. Best dollar-to-performance ratio would be a tune from the guys at orange virus - everything else like exhaust, intake, etc. doesn't net you very much and can hurt overall driveability. That and drain your wallet. Mazda engineers did a pretty good job with the intake and exhaust from my experience.

Having said that I've got a Racing Beat exhaust on for about 10,000 miles. It's a little louder than stock, especially on warmup, but is adding more "character" as I put on more miles. There really wasn't any noticeable performance difference, although it does look pretty good out back. In the end though, this is an automatic 4-banger - it's only going to sound so good. I didn't weigh them, but it did feel like it weighed a few pounds lighter than stock. I also had a short 2 month stint with an Injen cold air intake. Looked neat enough in the engine bay, but totally screwed up low rpm driving. Not enough to make it undrivable, just not nearly as smooth as stock. Sounded cool with the intake growl, but that got old pretty quickly honestly. Combine that with the potential for water intrusion and I decided to go back to stock. Throttle response is back to normal.

Also, FYI, 0W-20 oil is synthetic by design.

If you want an immediate upgrade both you and the wife will notice I'd start with the tires and get something nice and grippy. If you want more handling improvement maybe look at an aftermarket rear sway bar to help with the lean.

 

i personal am NOT a fan of K&N air filters. even though i have them on my motorcycle... i remember a few years ago on a Corvette forums there were many people that did they own testing of the k&n air filters.. some of them went to great lengths and risks to test the over all filtration of the air filter.. and 1 common thing was found.. k&n does NOT filter as well as OEM.. but of course oem doesn't breathe as well as K&N .. but in our application , k&n would provide NO measurable benefit in performance that would be worth ingesting above average amounts of dirt into the engine .

on a personal note.. With my motorcycles i use 2 air filters, both are k&n style.. (wash and reuse) in 2016 i started to develop a cold start vibration on my motorcycle, over time it got worse and worse.. so to cut to the chase. i had premature engine wear caused by something getting into the intake track and sucked down into the engine.. slowly over time.. it was discovered after the engine was removed and torn down that, my 1 cylinder had lower compression that the other, due to have many fine micro scratches on the cylinder wall, which only got worse over time as i wasn't aware my air filter which DIDNT have any holes, but was letting in way way way too much dirt as well as what ever well.. it was so bad that i was able to wipe the grittiness from the intake with a finger and feel the grit between my fingers. when they inspected my air filter they found nothing wrong with them.. ( no rips or holes etc) its just in order for me to get the performance i needed with having new Cams, ignition timing , fuel controllers and so on , i needed more air.. and thats how i got it.. with a k&n air filter.. and with that comes risk.. and i paid the price for that risk..

 

Interesting. I'll have to research the K&N more.

 

I added aftermarket mud flaps to mine for $35. You should buy my set of Coverking neoprene front seat covers for $50, $150 new retail. They are in great shape since only 1 was used. I already put over 100k on my 2016, so it's due for a trade-in. Still has original brakes and battery!

 

So do you love that exhaust? Much better sound? Others have said not to mess with the stock exhaust on this car. Did you notice any mileage changes? Does it "drone" at highway cruising speeds?

 

K&N work great if you follow the instructions.
Not going to argue on yet another forum about K&N the WORLDS BEST AIR FILTER.
Basically and a shorten version comment, I will say my experience generally on many newer cars from say 2010 and newer the advantage on a stock engine using a K&N is one time purchase. When it gets dirty or you feel the need to make it look new again service it. Its not likely that you are going to see gains in power over a stock filter unless you are drag racing 1/4 mile or road racing at very high constant engine speeds. This is really applies with any filter you choose to use on a stock engine.

A ECU Performance calibration should be the last thing you do to tie all the other parts together. Add parts and then calibrate the ECU to make the parts work together.
The inductive system and exhaust is great for a factory system but by far not the best for optimum performance. The engine was specifically engineered and design for the best MPG and the lowest achievable emission with a budget limitation.

If you decide to change the exhaust I suggest go to a shop that specializes in custom performance exhaust systems. Cookie cut exhaust systems do have short comings and piecing together something unless you understand what your are doing will generally add to the responses of don't mess with the exhaust system.

 

Do I love it? I mean, it's a bit different and slightly more aggressive. The exhaust tips definitely look cooler than stock. But I wouldn't say I "love" it. I'm more of a V8 or sportbike vtwin kind of guy, so I don't expect my 4-cylinder family sedan to sound too menacing.

You'll be fine just changing out an axle-back exhaust like this. The stock system really isn't all that restrictive to begin with, so something like a Racing Beat Power Pulse exhaust really doesn't make a huge difference in back pressure. Once you start cutting out resonators or your catalytic converter - then you'll start getting longevity issues.

No discernible fuel economy difference and performance really isn't that much different. Maybe a bit more pull at higher rpm according to my butt dyno. The exhaust does not drone, especially when new. I can hear it more now that I've had it installed well over 10,000 miles (my car currently has 125,000 miles) though.

If you're on the fence and can't stop thinking about it, then just pull the trigger and get one. Just don't expect it to transform your car into a land rocket and you won't be disappointed.

 

Another issue people have had with oiled filters like a K&N is over-oiling them or installing before they're fully dried. This in turn can cause the MAF sensor to get gummed up. Oiled properly and according to the instructions and there shouldn't be an issue.

Because of this potential issue I installed an AEM dry-flow panel filter. No more oiling, just occasional cleaning with their cleaning solution. Again, no huge performance difference, but you shouldn't have to buy another air filter again. I can attest it's a solid air filter with what feels like a more substantial build than other standard paper filters.

Oh look, it's for sale too (and way cheaper than buying new!): https://www.mazdaforum.com/forum/pri...cleaner-40893/