You have probably heard us mention the new Turbocharger Mazda 6 in recent weeks and months and have probably been wondering; “what’s going on?” Well, today we’d like to share a little bit about what’s been going on at CorkSport HQ with our very own 2018 Mazda 6.
Right off the bat, I can say we have a handful of exciting performance products in the works and will be sharing info on them as we make progress. Today we want to talk about the intercooler piping, specifically the cold side piping and the parts of the system. This is the piping that connects the outlet of the intercooler and the throttle body. It is commonly referenced as the “cold side piping” because the charge (boosted) air has passed through the intercooler and is therefore cooler.
The OE cold side piping consists of three main components. Starting on the right side of the image; we have the hard piping that connects to the intercooler and a soft rubber hose. Next is the soft rubber hose itself, which we will talk more about later. Lastly is the throttle body connection, which is the oddest part of this system. You can see why in the next image.
The above-mentioned intercooler hard pipe and the rubber hose are pretty common parts on modern turbocharged vehicles, but the throttle body connection is unusual from our experience. The throttle body connection appears to be designed for a quick connection (and not-so-quick disconnection) during the vehicle assembly process. Unfortunately, this leaves a very odd connection flange on the throttle body itself. Lastly are the fins inside the connection part; other than straightening the airflow entering the throttle body we don’t see many purposes these. We will be testing the effects and need for these in the near future.
Now let’s get to what we really wanted to talk about; BIG Silicone Performance Parts.
Mazda designed the Turbocharged 2.5L SkyActiv-G to function at a specified boost pressure and no more. However, we fully intend to change this set boost pressure for increased smiles per gallon. With increased boost pressure comes more force and strain on the OE rubber hose. Eventually, the OE rubber hose becomes too flimsy for the increased boost pressure and may expand or fail completely via a rupture.
So how do we develop a performance part to replace a rubber hose? Well, there is one obvious improvement and another not-so-obvious change that can be made. First, we use silicone as the prominent material for its excellent heat resistance and durability. Next, the silicone is reinforced with five layers of fabric braiding to withstand the increased boost pressures. Compare this to the OE single layer of reinforcement and you can see why this would make a big difference.
Now for the less obvious performance improvement; the CorkSport 3D Printed prototype is larger in diameter than the OE rubber hose. Leaning on our experience with past intercooler piping development, we have found that increasing the charge air volume directly in front of the throttle body increases throttle response and helps spool the turbo faster, reducing turbo lag.
Currently, we are still in the development phase but will be testing soon. Stay tuned for future updates on the CorkSport Performance Boost Tube and other exciting products for your 2018 Mazda 6.
-Barett @ CS
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