So, after reading about 300 posts about intakes and what to buy and gains, I decided to just open up the stock airbox a bit (tastefully) and see what happens. I cut a 3"x3" square hole in the backside of it adjacent to the stock inlet tube. Left everything else stock and reinstalled. I did not get too much noise increase at all and stock like driving is unchanged. However, talk about boost coming on hard and fast and pulling harder under boost as well. It's exactly what I was looking for, has a 100 on the stealth factor and the stock MAF and filter are still in place. I might combine this with a similar pipe to the RPMC turbo inlet and see what happens but for now, I am stoked. 15 min of taking your time cutting never netted me a noticeable gain like this!
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Who Needs an Intake
- Thread starter cboney
- Start date
JimsSpeed3
Member
- :
- 2007 Mazda3 s Sport Hatchback
Found your old post. Do you have a pic? I'm 48 and don't want a louder intake noise at all but I am looking for a performance gain if I can get one. I've modded other stock airboxes on cars and trucks I've owned to achieve this. Sounds like something I may try.
Jim
Jim
desperado-c
Member
- :
- Mazdaspeed3
Just FYI coming from someone who's about the same age, I just installed the Nano and I can say it's really not loud. As back up, my wife who usually notices when just about anything has changed hasn't commented on the increased sound. She definitely commented on the CAI I used to have when I installed it.Found your old post. Do you have a pic? I'm 48 and don't want a louder intake noise at all but I am looking for a performance gain if I can get one. I've modded other stock airboxes on cars and trucks I've owned to achieve this. Sounds like something I may try.
Jim
JimsSpeed3
Member
- :
- 2007 Mazda3 s Sport Hatchback
Thanks for the reply, it's appreciated. A Nano? Haven't heard of it or seen it mentioned in other posts. I've read and read posts about intakes using the "search" engine. I don't like loud anymore. I modded the airbox on my Hemi Ram truck and it really helped. Made the 3.5" opening for the stock airbox snorkle 5", hooked up a duct and made a true Ram-Air system. Looking to do the same to the Speed 3 but I'm new to Turbo cars. I know I don't want to hear the loud intake noise or the turbo whine all the time. Any information on the Nano would help.Just FYI coming from someone who's about the same age, I just installed the Nano and I can say it's really not loud. As back up, my wife who usually notices when just about anything has changed hasn't commented on the increased sound. She definitely commented on the CAI I used to have when I installed it.
Jim
The CP-E XCel Nano is a short-ram intake, replacing the airbox and snorkel. It's not really loud unless you mash on the throttle. If you wanna keep things lookin stock and are happy with an airbox hack, I would instead suggest replacing the stock turbo inlet with the RPMC turbo inlet (powercoated black). The stock piece is a pancaked joke.
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desperado-c
Member
- :
- Mazdaspeed3
The CP-E XCel Nano is a short-ram intake, replacing the airbox and snorkel. It's not really loud unless you mash on the throttle. If you wanna keep things lookin stock and are happy with an airbox hack, I would instead suggest replacing the stock turbo inlet with the RPMC turbo inlet (powercoated black). The stock piece is a pancaked joke.
He's still gonna have the tiny snorkel restricting intake unless he cuts up the box. As far as keeping things looking stock the R&R on the Nano/Cobb is about 20 minutes. Easy to make it look stock when it counts.
To the OP, ram-air doesn't really do much with a turbo since the pressure generated the ram-air is pretty low compared to the pressure generated by the turbo. Main thing is to reduce restriction both on the intake side and the exhaust side. On the exhaust side, I recommend the mid-pipe cat delete, but the stealth factor will take a hit since it sounds pretty rorty, actually.
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He's still gonna have the tiny snorkel restricting intake unless he cuts up the box.
That's why I said, if he's happy with an airbox hack.
desperado-c
Member
- :
- Mazdaspeed3
Oh, misread your instead. How's he gonna look stock if he hacks up the airbox?That's why I said, if he's happy with an airbox hack.
desperado-c
Member
- :
- Mazdaspeed3
I thought that name was familiar. To put it mildly, he kept going with the hacking. Here's what he ended up doing:Well the OP hacked the backside of it. That's, at least, a bit more stealthy.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123720328
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JimsSpeed3
Member
- :
- 2007 Mazda3 s Sport Hatchback
To the OP, ram-air doesn't really do much with a turbo since the pressure generated the ram-air is pretty low compared to the pressure generated by the turbo. Main thing is to reduce restriction both on the intake side and the exhaust side. On the exhaust side, I recommend the mid-pipe cat delete, but the stealth factor will take a hit since it sounds pretty rorty, actually.
Thanks for information about the turbo and ram-air. I realize even the system on my truck isn't a true "ram-air" since I don't drive fast enough to pressureize the airbox however it is a true "cold-air" system. I've taken temperature readings of the airbox and it's as cold as the ambient air after I stop and check the temp. I'm not talking about hacking up the airbox or the old "swiss chesse" look. I may simply remove the stock snorkel, open up the inlet hole more and attached a larger duct. Have the opening of the duct in an area where it will draw in cool air. May not help alot but it shouldn't hurt either. I know some here will say it's all in my mind but when I added a K&N drop in filter and removed the cover that is over the stock snorkel, I felt a power increase. That little cover over the stock shorkel inlet may have been resrticting air flow some. I say "I felt it" because on two occasions I spun the tires in 2nd gear when I didn't intend to. It was definitly easier to do after the little mod than it was before. Is this dyno proof? No! Do I know what I felt and how the car responded? Yes! I may try to find a stock airbox and try this mod, I won't do it to the only airbox I have. Anyone have a stock airbox they'll sell for cheap?
Jim
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