2016 CX-9 performance upgrades?

sm1ke

2018 Mazda CX-9 Signature
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Canada
Hi everyone, this is my first post here and my wife and I are seriously considering a 2016 CX-9 for our next vehicle. We're coming from my wife's 2006 Honda Civic. We have test driven a GS, and loved how the car handled, but I personally felt that it's performance on the highway was only marginally better than the 08 Lexus IS250 AWD I had before I moved to Calgary. I know that the CX-9 (and Mazdas in general) are meant to be more agile than powerful, but I have a feeling that it will nag at me over time, and once the car is out of warranty I'll be tempted to fiddle with the engine.

I realize that the car/engine is still fairly new, but I was wondering if anyone here has considered upgrading the turbo/engine to get a little more out of it? My assumption is that options would be very limited as the turbo is new and unique, and any engine modifications could throw the balance the car has out of whack.

Also, can anyone with the Signature trim comment on the interior, specifically the seat stitching? The exterior and the engine are what drew me to the CX-9, but the interior is what keeps me interested. Thanks for any input you can provide.
 
No, you do NOT want to mess with upgrading such a finely computerized turbocharged engine. If you want an upgrade, put expensive premium fuel into it.

Remember, you have 310 lb-ft of torque at 2000 RPM regardless of the type of fuel used.
 
No, you do NOT want to mess with upgrading such a finely computerized turbocharged engine. If you want an upgrade, put expensive premium fuel into it.

Remember, you have 310 lb-ft of torque at 2000 RPM regardless of the type of fuel used.

There is plenty of room for improvement in any mass produced vehicle. These are made for the masses where people want to get from A to B. Intake and exhaust noise is tuned out, suspensions is made soft so the majority of the people that buy them will be happy. If Mazda built the engine right a good tuner can pull another 40hp/tq easily and it will still be reliable.
 
Turbos are easy to get a little more out of. I would suggest an ECU tune. More boost and fuel. Pretty safe as long as keep it reasonable.
 
you need :

1- bigger IC cuz the stock unit heat socks very bad after few runs.

2- hard IC pipes cuz the rubber one are not good for high boost.

3- DP (off road DP).

4- tune to keep the boost stay high past 4kRPM.

this engine is like fords 2.3 EB on the 'stang, a tune will get you high tq and some HP.
 
Just speculating and comparing apples to oranges: When the CX-5 Diesel begins to sell - do you have any opinions on the driving characteristics of these two vehicles and the output of each motor after a tune? Just curious to hear some thoughts.

you need :

1- bigger IC cuz the stock unit heat socks very bad after few runs.

2- hard IC pipes cuz the rubber one are not good for high boost.

3- DP (off road DP).

4- tune to keep the boost stay high past 4kRPM.

this engine is like fords 2.3 EB on the 'stang, a tune will get you high tq and some HP.
 
(flame2) alright, both have valid points, but obly one user decides to make a personal attack and 3 posts out of it hmm... anyways lets move on. I'm curious to find someone who has had their 2.5T tuned. I haven't come across anyone yet.

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I've not seen any real difference using premium.
As has been mentioned, the peak torque is not impacted by using premium.
It might allow higher torque at faster RPM's, but it's nothing appreciable I can feel by the "seat of the pants dyno."
Ditto for HP. The extra HP comes at such high RPM, you'll not notice.

See the graph below...

It's NOT an actual dyno run, but a simulation approximating the power curve based on known engine principles and Mazda published figures.

But it shows where peak 250HP comes into play.
And note where approximately the regular gas 227HP would be.
Next time you are in your car, note how often you are hitting 5000rpm.

Also, the car doesn't MAKE more HP with premium gas.
It's actually RETARDING performance with regular gas.
There has been some discussion about how this is done (timing, fuel delivery, valve/turbo control, some combination, etc.) but nothing conclusive.
I suspect that performance is only retarded at the edge of the envelope, to protect the engine.
READ: High RPMs where peak is made and pedal to the floor accelerating.
So in day-to-day driving you'd see absolutely NO difference in performance because the engine is operating exactly the same despite the gas in the tank.

(the image would not display correctly, see link below.)

http://www.automobile-catalog.com/curve/2016/2407130/mazda_cx-9_grand_touring_awd.html
 
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They do not list anything on their site as being compatible with the 2.5 turbo in the new CX9 and multiple email requests as to which products work with the new 2.5 turbo have gone unanswered.
The product named Mazda Tuning Kit has the option to select "2017 SKYACTIV CX9 2.5 TURBO" under Vehicle Selection.
 

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