Airbox Mod

just curious why not just buy and intake? Does it make a differance in performance? Thanks
 
yeah, i've had it in favorites for a long time......



it's still cool in a retarded sort of way
 
The resonator that sits below the airbox can also be taken out, but you have to go into the bottom splashguard to access it. When I used to rock this mod, I duct taped the opening where the front tuba used to be and the opening for the VAD flapper. There's not a lot of gains, but it sure made the V6 sound like it had more grunt. Also, when done on a MS6 the mod supposedly increases the intake noise, and makes the turbo spool more noticeable in 3rd and 4th.
 
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Forgive me for reviving an old thread, but has anyone with a Speed6 done this yet? Any CEL issues? How does it sound? All I'm looking for is a little more growl -- something different than the "psychotic vacuum cleaner" sound. :)
 
I haven't done this exact mod... as I went right to a CAI system.. However I can tell you now... Any modding... as far as opening the intake up... is going to give you louder turbo spool... and higher pitched sound...

Our air is sucked in through the turbo setup.. so thats what you'll hear... And its a 4 cyl engine to boot.... Even on my 2.0L civic swap.. my intake gave it a higher pitched sucking sound (but no turbo spool)....

if you want deep growl.. leave intake as in... as mess with the exhaust... But i'd be careful doing that even.. stock exhaust is really nice... smog control sux... but other than that its a good setup....

The only aftermarket MS6 exhaust i've heard clips of was magna flow I think... And to be honest... sounded almost like the stock exhaust does... Not worth the money unless a huge performance boost is gained....
 
Was the CAI difficult to install? How much time would you say it took?

thanks!

PerfectXtreme said:
I haven't done this exact mod... as I went right to a CAI system.. However I can tell you now... Any modding... as far as opening the intake up... is going to give you louder turbo spool... and higher pitched sound...

Our air is sucked in through the turbo setup.. so thats what you'll hear... And its a 4 cyl engine to boot.... Even on my 2.0L civic swap.. my intake gave it a higher pitched sucking sound (but no turbo spool)....

if you want deep growl.. leave intake as in... as mess with the exhaust... But i'd be careful doing that even.. stock exhaust is really nice... smog control sux... but other than that its a good setup....

The only aftermarket MS6 exhaust i've heard clips of was magna flow I think... And to be honest... sounded almost like the stock exhaust does... Not worth the money unless a huge performance boost is gained....
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I have this mod done on mine from the 1st week of the car. Love the improve sound and no CEL whatsoever. It is kind of a cheapskate for those still saving up for a proper CAI.
 
M6GR8 said:
I have this mod done on mine from the 1st week of the car. Love the improve sound and no CEL whatsoever. It is kind of a cheapskate for those still saving up for a proper CAI.
Click to expand...

Can you do your best to describe the difference in sound? When I mentioned "psychotic vacuum cleaner," I was referring to the infamous review, and probably should've chosen a more accurate phrase.

I think the car just sounds very tame as is, and I totally understand Mazda's reasoning for that. I guess I'm just looking to hear the engine a bit more, to not feel so isolated from it.

That said, I am leasing this car with a plan to buy when my time is up (so far), and I don't want to void the warranty, throw any codes, or run into ANY issues that might open me up for any sort of long-term damage or trouble.

My thought at the moment is much like I have with my classic VWs -- engineers spent a lot of time reviewing the design they settled on, and it was subject to mega testing. If the only reason they settled on one solution over the other was due to harshness, noise & vibration, then I have no problem replacing a part to make the car sound better and act better. However, I have to find myself wondering why auto manufacturers don't automatically put CAI's in their cars from the factory if they offer so much. Is it just because of the sound? Is that really all it is?
 
The sound of the ms6 (or should i say the lack of) is the only thing that bothers me outside of our seats not having much upper body support. It just sounds so pussified. I mean you cant tell the diff from the sound of the ms6 from a normal 6. IM not big on just increasing the sound so that you hear the high pitched noise louder, id really like to hear an exhaust on this car give a nice deep rumble.

The magnaflow exhaust is a ton of money, they have no dynotests up to show if it helps performance, and it isnt much louder or deeper then stock. Is there any other way to get a deeper louder sound out of this car, or are we just stuck waiting for an aftermarket exhaust that acctually gets the job done?
 
CreatureCore said:
The sound of the ms6 (or should i say the lack of) is the only thing that bothers me outside of our seats not having much upper body support.
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It's odd that you metion the upper body support. I have never had back pain, and recently my whole upper back has felt totally messed up. Now that you mention it, the onset seemed to coincide with my buying the car...

Uh oh...
 
stillflat4 said:
It's odd that you metion the upper body support. I have never had back pain, and recently my whole upper back has felt totally messed up. Now that you mention it, the onset seemed to coincide with my buying the car...

Uh oh...
Click to expand...
I did the mod and I think there is a noticeable but marginal difference in sound. Kind of a PITA removal since access to the bolts is pretty convoluted. Much harder than shown in instructions the regular 6 which I had in hand. I'm leasing too, and the only reason I haven't put it back is I figure it will be an equal PITA.

If you want more sound, it seems like the CAI install might be too much. One guy on the on the Mazda 6 forum said it was so lound his neighbors were looking at him when he pulled out of his garage. He likes that but I'm not looking to draw that much attention. New mufflers look like serious $$, so I'm at a loss. Maybe there's a mod that opens up the airbox to let some noise out but keeps things clean and dry, and can be put back together for service visits to the dealer?
 
I don't know where everyone is getting the idea that the catback for the MS6 is ultra expensive. Reasonably priced Magnaflows are easy to find.
 
It's a good mod, I pulled the Lower Res out of my car (Mazda 3) and although it isn't an intake it buys time until you can get one if your fanancially challenged, or just lazy.
 
I just did the full mod the lower rez and everything for the MS6. Not too hard of a job about 10-15 minutes total. Splash guard has to come off and it will help if you jack the front up alittle bit. Just wondering If I should tape the tuba area back up? More air the better right? I have air from the front of the engine bay and the wheel well now. Just wondering what everyone else has done. I can hear my HKS BOV in RECIRC barely. Can't wait to get a REAL CAI but you know I in the military and need to save moneys.
 
VinnieBeachbum said:
Just wondering If I should tape the tuba area back up? More air the better right? I have air from the front of the engine bay and the wheel well now. Just wondering what everyone else has done.
Click to expand...

It's a matter of personal preferance. I duct taped the box so that it only draws air from the bottom.
 
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