Cold air intake?

[cdnballer]

Hey guys,

Are there any kits out there right now for the Mazda 5 2012? I'm interested in doing some mods that will help improve MPG on the highway, although not sure how much it would actually benefit, given the engine's pretty small.

 

[Orangutan]

I had a Corksport intake on mine for a few months. My mileage actually went down while I was using it. Also, you can use a variety of Mazda3 parts without any need for modification on the Mazda5.

 

[cdnballer]

Thanks for quick response. Did it go down because you drove it harder due to fun factor or was it because of the CAI?

 

[Orangutan]

Good question. I definitely liked the sound better when I got into it. But I also know that I struggled to hit 30 MPG no matter how gently I drove it. Once I took the intake off, I had three tanks over 30 MPG driving the same way.

 

[cdnballer]

That's good to know, thanks! I guess I'm skipping the CAI then. Wondering if there's any way to bump up my MPG's on the highway, since I do take a lot of road trips.

 

[MarkVII88]

I wish I could see 30MPG on the highway. I know that in the last few years, the government has changed the way they report the projected city/hwy mileage for new cars so that it will more accurately reflect what you'll see in real-world driving. The 2012 Mazda5 is rated for 28MPG highway, and that's what I saw on a recent trip from VT to NY. I have only put about 2500 miles on the car since I bought it and I have been averaging 23MPG over that time. The car is bone stock right now and I have been running snow tires for basically the whole time so that may account for perhaps 1MPG, maybe. Corksport's short ram conical intake for the Mazda5 is very reasonably priced (about $175) and I would be quite interested to install one if it didn't bring my mileage down. I had a 2004 Corolla onto which I installed an AEM cold air intake which did not negatively impact my mileage but did improve the power a little and the sound by a lot. So...do you think your mileage dropped due to a change in your driving style with the Corksport intake or did it drop due to how the intake functioned on the car? How much of a drop did you see?

Good question. I definitely liked the sound better when I got into it. But I also know that I struggled to hit 30 MPG no matter how gently I drove it. Once I took the intake off, I had three tanks over 30 MPG driving the same way.

 

[acouto92]

Hey guys, your intakes were fitted on the Auto transmission right? cause I was looking into getting that intake for my 2 Touring since it fits a wide variety of mazdas and wasn't sure if it fits the auto tranny.

 

[eyeballs]

How fast are you guys driving on the hwy? When driving the speed limit (65-70) I was getting 34 mpg. Goes down to 30 when I at 75+ or with the roof rack on.

Acuoto92 - I'd imagine the throttle body position and intake plumbing would be the same on the auto and manual.

 

[MarkVII88]

I don't drive over 75mph on the highway because that's just inviting a ticket from the state police. I peg the speedo at about 72 and set the cruise when on the highway. I live in Northern VT and so on any highway trip there's a lot of different elevation changes so that may account for the 28MPG highway mileage in my 2012 Mazda5. My wife drives a 2008 Mazda5 with the 5spd automatic and we've never seen above 29MPG on the highway with her car either. I imagine that if I was driving on long, straight, flat highways, that I'd see better mileage. I just got a ScanGaugeII for Christmas and so now I'll be able to track my real-time mileage on the highway.

How fast are you guys driving on the hwy? When driving the speed limit (65-70) I was getting 34 mpg. Goes down to 30 when I at 75+ or with the roof rack on.

Acuoto92 - I'd imagine the throttle body position and intake plumbing would be the same on the auto and manual.

 

[eyeballs]

I got 31 mpg average on a paddling trip recently. All windy mountain roads, elevation changes, roof rack, and a whitewater kayak and paddle on the roof. I find I do well driving in the mountains despite the elevation changes, as there are very few traffic lights and speed limits max out at 55. Of course the mountains in the SE are not as high as up there. Maybe its my ultra-advanced hypermiling techniques, lol.