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2010 Mazda3 Intake & Exhaust Test Results

60mm SS Exhaust
We just received our first production test exhaust systems for the 2010 Mazda3.ย  These are fully polished T304 stainless steel, mandrel bent 60mm exhaust systems in a single resonator, single muffler system.ย  This combination produces a subtle but noticeably lower tone at cruise/partial throttle and a pleasantly authoritative note at wide open throttle (WOT).ย  We have fabricated both a single exit and dual exhaust configuration, either of which can be used with the 2.0 or 2.5 liter engines (contingent on compatibility with bezels in the rear valence).

The systems will be available in production quantities in the next 2-4 months depending on configuration, and will ship with a race pipe option that will allow the aft catalyst to be removed for racing applications.

The installation is very straightforward โ€“ a bolt up for the race pipe to the factory manifold downpipe or a slip compression fitting to the piping aft of the secondary catalyst.  The system uses all of the factory exhaust hanger points and allows you to simply unbolt the factory exhaust system and extract it for installation of the full race CS system (although the factory aft muffler heat shield requires a small trim or optional full removal for fitment of the dual exhaust system โ€“ a paper template will be included for easy trimming of this heat shield, should you want to retain it in the car).  Street legal installation with the factory catalyst requires the pipe to be cut aft of the catalyst for connection to the slip fitting.

Short Ram Intake
In tandem with the exhaust installation on one of our local customersโ€™ 2010-2013 Mazda3 w/ 2.5L engine, we installed our prototype short ram intake, featuring a fully molded silicone coupling that locates all of the factory induction fittings in the factory locations, a billet aluminum MAF housing and AEM DryFlow Air Filter.ย  We also had the opportunity to test an intake on another local 2.0L 2010 Mazda3.

Baseline Dyno Pull
Before we even breathed on either of the naturally aspirated 2010 Mazda 3โ€ฒs, we took them for a spin on the DynoJet to get a baseline for the engines.  While Mazda claims 167hp@6000rpm and 168lbft@4000 rpm for the 2.5, the results of three baseline dyno pulls show that the car puts down 154hp and 160lbft of torque right out of the box.  Conditions were 73ยฐF and 51% Humidity.

First Run & Diagnostics
After getting the exhaust installed, I plugged in our MSD DashHawk OBDII logger and display and took a drive.  Modifications to the induction system can often times wreak havoc with the fuel system depending on design considerations and location of the Mass Airflow (MAF) sensor relative to the laminar flow of air through the intake pipe and sensor housing.  We take great care to engineer our induction systems to function as stock and the DashHawk allows us to monitor the fuel trim variables and MAF details at a variety of driving conditions.  This attention to detail gives us the ability to release products with the confidence that they will not flag a check engine light or negatively impact fuel economy due to the computer trying to counteract or overcorrect for the increased airflow into the engine.

The numbers on the DashHawk looked great, and as the day was nearing to an end we handed the car back over to our customer for some longer term evaluation.  Five days later we got the car back to check through the datalogs and perform dyno testing.

2.0L Dyno Results
Utilizing theย single exit exhaustย and theย Short Ram Intake, we went from a baseline of 118hp/110lbft of torque to a respectable 135hp and 123lbft of torque at the wheels.ย  Weโ€™re still working with the intake on this one to get the most out of it while retaining factory fuel trims.ย  The 2.0L results were moderate (with around a 4-5hp/tq gain) below 4000rpm with the majority of the gains came on rapidly at around 4500rpm and held steadily to the 7000rpm redline.ย  This really shows how constrained the stock system was for the smaller 2.0L engine.

2.5L Dyno Results
This car finally sounds like it should have from the factory.ย  I almost just chose to drive it home instead of returning it to our customer.ย  Unfortunately my conscience got the best of me, and he drove off excited to test the car out for the weekend.ย  The dyno results on this combination ofย intakeย andย exhaustย were equally as impressive, but dynamically speaking were a bit different from the 2.0L.ย  Where the 2.0L opened up quite a bit at the top end, the stump pulling 2.5L exhibited up to 20lbft of torque gains in the midrange with a consistent 10-12hp gain through the entire powerband.ย  Stock Peak HP & Torque were 158/161, and the intake and exhaust built 171hp and 171lbft of torque.

Future Developments
We are excited to work on a number of further developments with the two naturally aspirated Mazda 3โ€ฒs and would like your feedback on products that you would like to see on the market.ย  Weโ€™re hoping to find some time to develop a cold air box for our 2010 Mazda 3 Power Series Short Ram Intake as wellโ€ฆstay tuned for details on what a dramatic impact these cold air boxes have on actual inlet temperature as well as shielding the higher flowing induction system from the hot underhood environment through the use of a well sealed and tested high temperature fiber reinforced polymer.ย  We are also considering offering a high flow spun metallic media catalyst with some of our exhaust systems and would like your feedback on such an offering.

Iโ€™m eager to hear of your ideas in the future and will tell you a little more about myself in my next blog post.

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54 Replies to “2010 Mazda3 Intake & Exhaust Test Results”

  1. SOUNDS LIKE YOU GUYS ARE HAVING A LOT OF FUN. I OWN A 2010 3 S HATCH. I LOVE IT I WORK FOR MAZDA AND THEY DONT HAVE ANY SPEED ACCESORIES OF FOR IT YET. ITS DRIVIN ME NUTS. I DO HAVE A K&N FILTER AND A BUDDY OF MINE HAS A BENDER SO I ALSO HAVE AN EXHAUST. I HOPE YOU GUYS CONTINUE WITH WHAT YOUR DOING THE INFORMATION IS HELPFUL AND INSPIRING.

  4. cant wait for the 2.5 exhaust, I have the short ram intake and it sounds/works great, though it admittedly tanked my avg mpg from 28 to 21. :< This is (I'm sure) partially due to the fact that it is no longer summer, but still; ouch.

  6. i have a new 2010 mazda s3 and im planing to put more power in it? i just wana ask if u guys have a exhaust and cold air intake for it? to gain more power.

  8. I have a 2010 Mazda 3 (Not a Mazdaspeed) and am looking for a CAI. Anything in the works for us non-turbo owners?

  9. You bet. We have a 2010 Mazda3 Short Ram Intake and Single or Dual Exhuast (depending on whether you have the 2.0 or the 2.5 liter engine). We also have braided brake lines, urethane exhaust hanger bushings, urethane motor mount inserts, full coilovers or lowering springs as well as the E-Code Mazda Japan taillights. Check them all out here: https://www.corksport.com/2010-mazda-3/

  10. I have a 2010 Mazda 3, 2.5 liter, non-turbo. How much of an improvement will the CAI give without adding the exhaust? Thanks!

  11. Could you tell me if you have an SRI developed for the generation one 3i? More specifically I have a 2009. Thanks.

  12. What about the Ford Fusions with the 2.5 and 6 speed manuals? My 2010 would like an exhaust upgrade.

  13. I have a 2010 Mazda 3s GT and I want to purchase the corksport dual exhaust. I just dont know if I should purchase the racepipe. Would that make me fail emissions in PA?

  14. hi, i just installed the 2.5 exhaust system, today, the sound is great, but when i went home, i smelled like rubber burning, and the part at the front when u cut the oem exhaust, sound like a whistle. when u see the exhaust, from the back its like the left one is not symetrical like the right one, its bizarre. im from montrรฉal can u please tell me if somebody here used to intall some of the same corksport 2.5 mazda3 system. Thank u very mush, this is my phone number 1 514 862 8917. my name is Amine.

  15. Do you guys do installs for customers at your shop as well? I’m thinking about going on a road trip this summer to near where you guys are and thought I might pay you a visit!

  17. Hi, can I install the intake and exhaust alone at my home with basic tools or do I need a professional installation? (to be street legal of course!).

  18. Hi Im from chile and I have a Mazda 3 sport 1.6 … I wanted to know if the short ram intake works on that engine too.
    Thanks !

  19. Hey. I have a 2011 Mazda 3 automatic. I already installed the short ram intake and I was questioning, is the dual exhaust really worth the money? Will I actually notice the difference in performance?

  20. You should see a gain in horsepower from the exhaust. There is a big weight savings and sound difference when compared to stock. It is absolutely worth the money!

  21. Hi I have a 2010 mazda 3 hb, is this exhaust leagal in all 50 states? The last thing I need are the cops saying that i have an exhaust too loud.

  24. hey, i want to know when someone will make a ecu upgrade to make the car faster. i have a takeda cold air intake and i am pushing 170 hp when i had it dyno’d. i want to get new headers before i get a new exhaust but i do not want to do all this work and not be able to tune it with a new ecu. any thoughts?

  25. We are awaiting for several ECU tuners to come out with programming for the 2010+ Mazda 3s. When they get the parts developed we will get them listed.

  26. These guys can tune your ECU for your 2.5L for $500 . https://www.dptune.com/

    I put a 2010 2.5L motor from a Mazda 3 in my 2006 Mazda MX-5, but kept the stock 2.0L head. My car runs nice. Now I want to improve my fuel injection and am researching a intake manifolds. Anyone have any suggestions on an intake mainfold and or injectors?
    Thanks,
    Methos

  27. Excellent submit and straight to the point. I donโ€™t know if this is truly the best place to ask but do you folks have any thoughts on where to get some professional writers?

  29. The SRI is compatible with the standard 2.0 Mazda 3, but is not compatible with the Skyactiv version. We are presently working on developing an SRI for the Skyactiv.

  33. I read the questions and answers and did not see a response for the question of if you install exhaust/intake systems at your location? I have a 201 Mazda 3 2.0 Thanks.

  35. Thanks for the info. I’ll probably wait for another year so the car will be out of warentee period.Will reach out then.

  38. I see you guys didn’t respond to somebody’s question which is similar to mine. I have a 2011 mazda 3 2.5 hatch, I’m wanting to buy the exhaust system w/ the race pipe, will I have problems with emissions? Also, I know this may be a stupid question, but would the warranty of my car be voided if I install the exhaust?

  39. Hey guys I have your SRI on my 2012 Mazda6 2.5L. When can i expect a cat back exhaust for my vehicle? There is a ton of 2nd gen Mazda6’s that would love this. Making this would be a serious jolt of income to you all’s company ๐Ÿ˜‰

  44. I plan on getting the exhaust with raxepipe and intake, but was wondering why dont you make headers as well ?? Or intake manifold?? I would love to buy trusting your knowledge you would put into it. .

  50. I am definitely interested in purchasing for my 2010, 2.5, dual outlet. Please send info. I am currently enjoying your air intake.

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