2023+ Mazda CX-50 Turbo 2.5L

Enhance your Mazda CX-50s power with the CorkSport Catted Downpipe for 2023+ models with a 2.5T engine. Enjoy the increased power potential and growl sound with the downpipe. The 80mm downpipe comes with a modular cast stainless steel bellmouth and provides an easy installation. Add the CX-50 cat-back exhaust to complete a turbo-back exhaust system for even more performance!

The new downpipe comes with an updated high-flow catalytic converter to reduce potential check engine lights for the CX-50. In our first iteration, we included a standard Euro 3 300cel high-flow catalyst, which provided mixed results with the check engine light during our testing. This meant we needed an improved catalyst, so we opted for the Euro 6 500cel catalyst.

Read The BlogThe Wait is Over for the Best 2021+ Mazda Turbo Downpipe V2

The CorkSport Advantage

Fitment:

We designed the CS Downpipe with 3D scan technology, and CAD rendered it for a perfect OEM fitment! We included our 2-piece modular designed bellmouth to fit perfectly with OEM and aftermarket exhausts and the stock turbocharger. This provides you with the easiest path for installation regardless of what parts you have on your CX-50.

High Flow Catalyst:

As mentioned earlier, the CS downpipe for the CX-50 includes a Euro 6 500 high-flow catalyst. We opted for this option to keep performance at the forefront while keeping the emissions and CELs in check. It was the best overall option in our testing.

The benefit of the Euro 6 is that it is the emissions standard for Europe. Although the 500cel is stricter than the USA, the denser option gave us no check engine light during our testing. We adjusted for this by increasing the diameter to 5" to prevent airflow restrictions. There was no power difference between the 300cel and 500cel in our testing of the original.

We put the downpipe through ~10 months of testing and 14,000 miles of driving without a check engine light. Despite our extensive testing, we cannot guarantee a NO CEL offering since we cannot replicate all possible climates, driving conditions, local fuels, and/or elevations. However, we've not had any reports of customers receiving check engine lights since the release in 2024!

Mazda CX-50 Turbo performance catted downpipe upgrade

Materials:

Each CorkSport downpipe uses high-quality materials and manufacturing processes. At the turbo, a cast 304 stainless steel bellmouth is used for its durability and flexibility in manufacturing.

The cast bellmouth provides a smooth transition from turbo to piping, with 80mm piping providing enough flow to efficiently support 500+ HP, giving plenty of headroom for tuning and future upgrades, such as our FUTURE Drop-in Turbo UPGRADE.

The 65mm OEM piping is replaced by 80mm mandrel bent and TIG welded piping, again for long-lasting durability. The sections are joined together using CNC machined v-band flanges for a leak-free seal.

Hardware and Accessories:

The CX-50 Downpipe comes with all the necessary hardware for installation. We've included high-strength studs and crimp nuts to replace the OEM Turbo studs, which are prone to breaking.

Attaching the downpipe is easy with all new hardware included. A V-band clamp secures the connection between the top and bottom halves of the downpipe. A Remflex Gasket and new hardware connect the downpipe to the OEM midpipe or an aftermarket exhaust system like the CX-50 Cat Back Exhaust.

As a bonus, we've even included a custom heat shield to protect surrounding engine bay components!

Power Potential

Limited Tune* vs Factory Stock Tune

Green = wTQ & Blue = wHP on all Graphs

The CorkSport downpipe offers bonus power potential for your CX50! By eliminating the poorly bent piping of the OEM downpipe and the restrictive catalytic converter, the CorkSport downpipe offers minimal restrictions and greater peak flow with a high-flow CAT.

The dyno graph compares a vehicle with CS Short Ram Intake (SRI), Turbo Inlet Pipe (TIP), 80mm Cat Back Exhaust (CBE), w/CS Downpipe running a "limited" tune* vs the vehicle running the same bolt-on parts w/the stock downpipe and the factory ECU tune.

*This is not a full custom tune, nor does it indicate final HP/TQ gains expected. This limited/rudimentary tune only removed the torque limiter and raised the load limiters. Due to the increased flow of a full bolt-on car, this was necessary to prevent the vehicle from bouncing off the limiters set by the factory tune, as seen in the dyno graph below.

Factory Stock Tune Comparison

The dyno graph shows a direct comparison between an OEM and CS downpipe, utilizing a stock tune and the following CorkSport parts installed; Short Ram Intake (SRI), Turbo Inlet Pipe (TIP), 80mm Cat Back Exhaust (CBE).

The CS downpipe, due to its increased flow, shows both wHP and wTQ gains over the OEM downpipe starting at ~2300 RPM until the factory tune's airflow/torque limiters start pulling back HP/TQ.

With the CS downpipe installed, limiters start to pull HP/TQ at approximately 4200 RPM, which explains the sharp downturn in HP/TQ. The ECU tries to feed the power back in but it hits the limiter again, which repeats and repeats, explaining the oscillations above ~4300 RPM.

The OEM downpipe suffers from this effect as well, but it's not nearly as aggressive or severe since OEM downpipe's flow is much more restrictive compared to the improved flow of the CS downpipe. Installing a CS Downpipe on a vehicle running fewer mods or more restrictive mods, such as the OEM or CS 63.5mm CBE may still hit the limiters, but will be more reflective of the OEM dyno run.

With the CS Downpipe installed, coupled with the mods outlined above, and running the stock tune, the maximum HP/TQ improvements are at ~4000 RPM and highlight gains of ~18wHP and ~24wTQ.

Factory Stock Tune vs Custom DISI Tune

The dyno comparison shows the difference between a factory stock tune and a custom DISI tune after installing the same CorkSport parts; Short Ram Intake (SRI), Turbo Inlet Pipe (TIP), 80mm Cat Back Exhaust (CBE), and CS Downpipe (DP).

The DISI tune shows significant gains across the rev range and does not have the oscillation present with the OEM tune. This graph is the best comparison why we recommend that customers get a tune after downpipe install.

This DISI tune is from late 2023, and further tune development has been made since. This specific run produced 268.9wHP @ 4480 RPM and 355.6 wTQ @ 2159 RPM.

Limited Tune* vs Custom DISI Tune

The dyno graph shows a comparison between the original limited/rudimentary tune (only removing the torque limiter & raising the load limiters) compared to the same 2023 DISI tune from the graph directly above.

In each case, the car is running the full CorkSport catalog of parts; Short Ram Intake (SRI), Turbo Inlet Pipe (TIP), 80mm Cat Back Exhaust (CBE), and CS Downpipe (DP).

The DISI tune shows significant gains between the 2000-3000 RPM range and gains above the 4100 RPM threshold. Gains are likely to improve with a 2024 DISI tune, as tuning for this platform continues to evolve.

Off road/motorsport use only.
A check engine light (CEL) may be illuminated on your vehicle as a result of installation.
- This warning is primarily for legal reasons as we cannot replicate every possible driving condition; climate, local fuels, and/or elevation.
- We have NO recorded CELs during our testing; ~10 months and 14,000 miles of driving on this catalyst without any issues.
- Returns/product exchanges will not be accepted due to a CEL.
Ensure car is completely cool before working on the exhaust system to prevent injury.
An ECU tune is recommended after installation to take full advantage of the high flow of the downpipe.
While you can run the car without a tune, and it will operate without damage, depending on your mod list you may experience some surging or “hiccups”, especially at wide-open throttle. This is simply the car hitting airflow & torque limits in the ECU and pulling power back.
For Dyno purposes, a limited* tune was installed due to the nature of surging/ECU limitations present with a stock tune, in order to show the power potential of the product while paired with our SRI, TIP, and CS CBE. Individual results may vary.

Additional Features

Vehicle Fitment: 2021+ Mazda CX50 Turbo, running stock, CS 63.5mm, or CS 80mm Cat Back Exhaust.
Developed in America: Designed, tested, and validated in Vancouver, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest.
CorkSport Service and Support: Receive a 2-year warranty, full-color installation instructions, all of the needed installation hardware, and knowledgeable telephone installation support.