Last September I bought a CX 5 Grand Touring Reserve in "Soul Red Crystal". (I call it Candy Apple Red, like the hot rodders name for the color.) Despite the low mileage - I was coming from a Prius v wagon - I loved the power which was even more than that of my 2007 RAV 4 V-6.

But having owned an RX-7 (FD) I wanted more power, enough to spank an Audi A3.
1. K&N drop-in air filter (A cold air intake induction noise is too loud.)
2. Cork Sport oil catch can to keep the intake valves cleaner and maintain performance
3. 100 octane gas mixed with 91 octane "premium" as they call it east of the Mississippi. (I was used to 93 octane premium in Pennsylvania.)

Did these performance upgrades help?
-> Well definitely a tank of 100 octane "racing gas" (pump label) had a definite increase in HP above the HP I got from 91 octane gas. I'd say at the least a 10 HP gain.
BUT... at $8.00 per gallon I won't do a fill-up like this often. Instead I usually do a 1/4 to 1/3 tank of 100 octane and it does help acceleration. I'm spending my kids' inheritance. So what?
-> According to Youtube tests K&N filters give the greatest gain in HP of all "high flow" drop-in air filters with up to 10 HP gain over OEM filters. Can't say I felt any difference.
-> The oil catch can is a preventative measure to keep most of the crankcase emissions from reaching and depositing on the back side of the intake valves, a common problem with GDI engines. Then every 30,000 miles my dealer will give it an intake valve cleaning with BG fluid. BG seems to work better on carbon deposits than SeaFoam cleaner according to garages I've talked to here in the Las Vegas valley.

For handling:
-> Sometime in 2022 the OEM 225/55/19 tires (tyres?) will need to be replaced so I'll get 245/50/19 All Season Michelin Pilot tires. This will give a bit better dry weather handling and a bit less mileage.
-> I won't lower my CX 5 B/C I use it on rough roads when hunting and sometimes in deep snow to get to ski areas. Hey, it's an AWD SUV and that's why I bought it.
-> And the handling is already nicely firm so no stiffer adjustable shocks (dampeners).

Eric B.

 

1. K&N drop-in air filter (A cold air intake induction noise is too loud.
This conflicts with a couple of your reports about what you "felt the increases were. The stock box was designed specifically to maintain a constant and warmer air environment. Your ECU is mapped for a specific IAT for best engine output. While there are benefits for a larger surface area air filter keeping the stock box and increasing engine output dont play well together.
Advertised products that have a claim of gains are on specific model cars and the DYNO operating condition during the day the test was performed. Most engine that are at least producing 90whp at the designated engine top safe speed(red line) producing a 10hp increase there are very few in the world that can feel it. However small amount or torque increases on a "butt" dyno can at least be felt. Most of the time when my friends or other claim they feel a HP increase when we DYNO thier car it is the Torque not hp. FYI you feel the torque generally from the start and progressing upward maximizing at at 5000-5300 RPM on most every engine. Most HP increase changes are predominately felt at or near red line. Any less those RPM ranges it is generally the torque you are feeling.
2. Cork Sport oil catch can to keep the intake valves cleaner and maintain performance
These catch cans like most all are good at reducing some level of vaporized oil being introduced into the intake manifolds. There is no way to totaly prevent carbon from forming on the back of the intake vales over time. Water injection can keep them continually cleaned or you can do a drastic walnut or complete induction system cleaning in the future. Or sell your car before you have to have it done! intake
3. 100 octane gas mixed with 91 octane "premium" as they call it east of the Mississippi. (I was used to 93 octane premium in Pennsylvania.)
You engine is not yet broke in. doing this mix does not in any way increase the engines output. The use of a specif fuel octane rating has to do with resistance to engine knock. While many of us will choose to use the highest available octane all the time it is not necessary to do this with the Skyactiv Mazda Engines and their very advanced ECU. The power you may feel does not exceed any of the engines factory output and what you may be feeling is a change in the adaptive in the ECU to change fueling and timing under a load. I doubt that you would see even a change in MPG with your normal driving habits and area using the lab rat mixture of octane fuels. Typically....in performance application we like to use a "SINGLE" high octane fuel (not mixed) as an added safety factor that under load (driving spiritedly) should the ECU not react fast enough or goes out of limits to i.e. reduce timing and increase fueling or what ever to protect the engine from "KNOCK. Technically there is even more to this but for the sake of me having to do a 101 What fuel to use for Dummy's" I will end now!


I suggest before you start to comment on any of these to do some research. You may strongly consider about buying an ULTRA Gauge plug it into your OBDII diagnostic connector and start watching different operation, increases and decreases in your engine operation!
ULTRA GAUGE
UltraGauge OBDII Scan tool & Information Center


The MAZDA ECU will only allow for most of these.


But you can see that you can find out factually if anything you do to your engine increases it output either torque or HP testing the them and also visually monitoring on a constant watch things like IAT knock voltage, TB % etc., what ever you are likely to either need or want to monitor.
While not comprehensive, the Gauge Availability Estimator can potentially provide an estimate of the gauges available for your vehicle. The estimator can be found here: Gauge Availability Estimator
Gauge % Engine Load Engine Coolant Temperature (ºF) Engine Coolant Temperature (ºC) Short Term Fuel Trim Bank 1 Long Term Fuel Trim Bank 1 Short Term Fuel Trim Bank 2 Long Term Fuel Trim Bank 2 Fuel Pressure (PSI) Fuel Pressure (kPa) Intake Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP)(PSI) Intake Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP)(kPa) RPM MPH KPH Timing Advance Intake Air Temperature (ºF) Intake Air Temperature (ºC) Mass Air Flow Sensor 1 (g/s) Absolute Throttle Position 1 % Bank 1 0xygen Sensor 1 Voltage*** Bank 1 0xygen Sensor 2 Voltage*** Bank 2 0xygen Sensor 1 Voltage*** Bank 2 0xygen Sensor 2 Voltage*** Run time since last start (hours:mins) Miles traveled with Check Engine Light On. Kilometers traveled with Check Engine Light On. Fuel Pressure (Diesel & Direct Injection) (PSI) Fuel Pressure (Diesel & Direct Injection) (10kPa)
Bank 1 Wide 0xygen Sensor 1 Lambda (voltage based)*** Bank 1 Wide Oxygen Sensor 2 Lambda (voltage based)*** Bank 2 Wide 0xygen Sensor 1 Lambda (voltage based)*** Bank 2 Wide Oxygen Sensor 2 Lambda (voltage based)***
Bank 1 Wide 0xygen Sensor 1 Lambda (current based)*** Bank 1 Wide Oxygen Sensor 2 Lambda (current based)*** Bank 2 Wide 0xygen Sensor 1 Lambda (current based)*** Bank 2 Wide Oxygen Sensor 2 Lambda (current based)***
EGR Flow % EGR Flow % Error Evaporative Purge % Fuel Level % of full Number of Warm-ups since Check Engine Light Cleared Miles traveled since Check Engine Light Cleared Kilometers traveled since Check Engine Light Cleared Evaporative System (PSI) Evaporative System (Pa) Barometric Pressure – Inches of Mercury (inHg) Barometric Pressure – Inches of Mercury (kPa) Catalytic Converter Bank 1 Sensor 1 Temperature (ºF) Catalytic Converter Bank 1 Sensor 1 Temperature (ºC) Catalytic Converter Bank 2 Sensor 1 Temperature (ºF) Catalytic Converter Bank 2 Sensor 1 Temperature (ºC) Catalytic Converter Bank 1 Sensor 2 Temperature (ºF) Catalytic Converter Bank 1 Sensor 2 Temperature (ºC) Catalytic Converter Bank 2 Sensor 2 Temperature (ºF) Catalytic Converter Bank 2 Sensor 2 Temperature (ºC) Battery Voltage (Measured by ECM) UltraGauge Battery Voltage (Measured by UG) Load absolute % AFR Commanded Ratio Relative Throttle Position % Outside Ambient Air Temperature (ºF) Outside Ambient Air Temperature (ºC) Absolute Throttle Position 2 % Accelerator Pedal Position 1 % Accelerator Pedal Position 2 % Command Throttle Position % Fuel/Air Commanded Equivalence Ratio (v1.4) Engine Oil Temperature (ºF) (v1.4) Engine Oil Temperature (ºC) (v1.4) Fuel Injection Timing (v1.4) Exhaust Pressure PSI (v1.4) Charge Air Temperature (ºF) (v1.4) Charge Air Temperature (ºC) (v1.4) Boost Pressure, (Relative Pressure) (PSI) Boost Pressure, (Relative Pressure) (kPa) Brake Horsepower 1 Brake Kilowatts 1 Torque 1 (ft lbs) Torque 1 (N.m) Brake Horsepower 2 Brake Kilowatts 2 Torque 2 (ft lbs) Torque 2 (N.m) Mass Air Flow Sensor 2 (g/s)– Calculated Instantaneous MPG Instantaneous KPL Instantaneous L/100Km Average MPG – General Average KPL – General Average L/100Km – General Average MPH – General Average KPH – General Run Time – General Miles – General (miles) Kilometers – General (miles) Fuel Used – General (gallons) Fuel Used – General (liters) Average Gallons/Hour - General Average Liters/Hour - General Fuel Level (gallons) Fuel Level (liters) Instantaneous Gallons/hour Instantaneous Liters/hour Distance to Empty (miles) Distance to Empty (kilometers) Time to Empty Volumetric Efficiency (MAP vehicles only)

General Trip Gauges Average MPG Fuel Used Average Gallons/hour Average MPH Distance (miles) Run Time
Average KPH Average KPL Average L/100Km Liters Used Average Liters/Hour Distance (kilometers)

Short Trip Gauges** Average MPG Fuel Used Average Gallons/hour Average MPH Distance (miles) Run Time
Average KPH Average KPL Average L/100Km Liters Used Average Liters/Hour Distance (kilometers)
Vehicle Manufacturer Proprietary Gauges Transmission Temperature (See Ultragauge MX) Other Gauges (See Ultragauge MX)

 

Callisto,
-> I said I didn't notice any difference when I put in the K&N air filter. An IC engine is an air pump. More air in requires a higher flow exhaust unless the OEM exhaust can handle the higher air flow.
-> I said the OCC would keep the intake valves cleanER, not clean.
-> I said I would get a BG intake valve cleaning every 30,000 miles. Not a walnut shell cleaning but still very good, and this is in addition to using the OCC.
-> If 87 octane gives the XC-5 turbo 224 HP and 91 to 93 octane gives it 150 HP (MAZDA numbers) then pray tell why would 100 octane gas give even more HP?? I felt it and I know there IS an increase in HP but I haven't had it on a dyne with a pull on 91 octane and a 2nd pull on 100 octane. But I will do this at 10,000 miles and publish the results here, even if there is no difference between the two octane levels.

I have a ScanGauge II to plug into my OBD II output and it will read out everything my computer will send - everything. So I will put the SCAN GAUGE II link on this thread and ask you what readings you feel are pertinent to power output.

Best, Eric

 

I would suspect unless Mazda programmed another step in the ECU, 93 is the only octane known to increase hp to 250. I may be wrong, but I wouldn't expect to see another jump in hp at 100 octane unless there was a new program added to the ECU. Mazda would certainly publish this if it was possible as hp numbers sell cars.

 

ECU programming does not work that way. The octane is a small part of the programming and ultimately as we are trying to convey has to do with knock resistance not power producing.
If it were only that simple I could be making "BANK" with my ECU/ECI Performance Calibrating I offer on a couple other platforms. LOL.

 

Well, that is the way Mazda puts it for the 2.5T motor. 87 octane gives you 227hp and 310ft/lbs and 93 octane gives you 250hp and 320ft/lbs so it appears octane is the trigger for more power and I would assume (maybe incorrectly?) the ecu or or some other part of the fuel system recognizes the octane present to adjust the power output? That being said if 100 octane would make even more power, I would expect Mazda to indicate it in the literature.

 

LOL...... you are not going to get more HP then what is calibrated in the ECU from the factory for the normally supplied fuel. 100 octane fuel is NOT normally supplied for automobiles use anywhere that I am aware of? The ECU gets information from sensors that indicate changes in fuel burning and exhaust temperature to run the different fuels without harm to the engine.

In Turbo Charged engines the boost is also controlled by the ECU on some platforms. In some models the ECU will control the engine output under boost for best economy and lowest emission output. Many refer to these models as TURBO Lites. Just like BEER, not as much of anything! LOL

Besides at this point you are not either reading my information , reading it correctly or just not understanding what octane in gasoline does in the combustion chamber when ignited?
And you really do not know much about what an ECU does for operating a vehicle?

 

well there you go... you can qualify by real world information a couple informational responses I have been posting!
You can even check when you upgrade parts that "may" improve your vehicles handling ?
The *ScanGauges are "OK" but very limited in a few area's and I still recommend the investment of an Ultra Guage.




*I own 2 scan-gauges one is their original when first offered and that last is their updated version (given as a gift ) and no longer use either comparing the several used Ultra Gauges which are IMHO better overall.