Installed CP-E Cold Air Intake in 2010 Speed3

[Aetherfury]

I had already posted this on the MazdaSpeed Forums, but I thought I would share my CP-E CAI Install post here too!

Oh boy! CP-E got me their 2nd gen CAI intake basically next day, and I finally got to put it in this evening.

My friend has access to a lift and the whole thing took less than an hour (would have been shorter, but he was doing most of the install and I was getting in the way probably =).

The CP-E instructions were great and there was no bumper or wheel removal needed which was awesome. Just moved the splash guard and we only moved the small flap closest to the wheel, not the entire section like the instructions show, although my hand was a tight fit.

I was worried about the shifter cable "thing" I don't know the technical term, but the t-bone shaped thing, but we followed the instructions and made sure to install it while the car was in third gear which has it VERY close as you can see on one of the pictures. No "gonging" sound and no marks on the pipe, so it must not be rubbing and I was ragging the car hard on the way home.

Performance - Wow. Seriously if you don't have an intake (which it seems like everyone already has but me) you have no idea the joy you are missing. With DSC off I can barely stop spinning on shifts and it feels like it pulls like a freight train all the way up to and seemingly a little PAST 6k rpm. The sound is incredible too, I was getting major looks from other drivers. It was fun to blow past someone that had just cut me off and their windows were down. After I blew past with a well timed "Psssshhhh" I saw them rolling their window up. =) Another cool thing is that I sat in major traffic on the way home, creeping in 1st, but when I had an opening I gunned it and I really feel like the cold air intake made a difference, even when sitting at idle for almost 45 minutes.

All in all I HIGHLY recommend CP-E both as a company and a product. Josh & Paula over there were great and answered all my questions, got the CAI out with everything bolting up perfect and got it shipped to me in one day. (I'm in VA they are in MD)

Here are some pics:

Intake in my kitchen on Wednesday.


Tough to see in the picture but inside is the built in air straightener (no CEL for meeeee)


Installed








MAF bolted right in, be BOLD with the hex screws, they feel like they are going to strip because it's such a tight fit but just go for it


The shifter linkage thing. That's how close it is in third.


Shameless picture of my car which I have grown to love like an "unconventionally beautiful" family member


CAI Installed Video

YouTube - 2010 MazdaSpeed3 CP-E Cold Air Intake Installed CAI

YouTube - 2010 MazdaSpeed3 CP-E Cold Air Intake Installed CAI

[Mazdaspeed Joel]

Sounds great, CP-E always makes quality parts. I like your plate by the way

[trev0006]

Looks like a very high quality pary, I like the sound.

Originally Posted by Aetherfury

I had already posted this on the MazdaSpeed Forums, but I thought I would share my CP-E CAI Install post here too!

Oh boy! CP-E got me their 2nd gen CAI intake basically next day, and I finally got to put it in this evening.

My friend has access to a lift and the whole thing took less than an hour (would have been shorter, but he was doing most of the install and I was getting in the way probably =).

The CP-E instructions were great and there was no bumper or wheel removal needed which was awesome. Just moved the splash guard and we only moved the small flap closest to the wheel, not the entire section like the instructions show, although my hand was a tight fit.

I was worried about the shifter cable "thing" I don't know the technical term, but the t-bone shaped thing, but we followed the instructions and made sure to install it while the car was in third gear which has it VERY close as you can see on one of the pictures. No "gonging" sound and no marks on the pipe, so it must not be rubbing and I was ragging the car hard on the way home.

Performance - Wow. Seriously if you don't have an intake (which it seems like everyone already has but me) you have no idea the joy you are missing. With DSC off I can barely stop spinning on shifts and it feels like it pulls like a freight train all the way up to and seemingly a little PAST 6k rpm. The sound is incredible too, I was getting major looks from other drivers. It was fun to blow past someone that had just cut me off and their windows were down. After I blew past with a well timed "Psssshhhh" I saw them rolling their window up. =) Another cool thing is that I sat in major traffic on the way home, creeping in 1st, but when I had an opening I gunned it and I really feel like the cold air intake made a difference, even when sitting at idle for almost 45 minutes.

All in all I HIGHLY recommend CP-E both as a company and a product. Josh & Paula over there were great and answered all my questions, got the CAI out with everything bolting up perfect and got it shipped to me in one day. (I'm in VA they are in MD)

Here are some pics:

Intake in my kitchen on Wednesday.


Tough to see in the picture but inside is the built in air straightener (no CEL for meeeee)


Installed





tires cars


MAF bolted right in, be BOLD with the hex screws, they feel like they are going to strip because it's such a tight fit but just go for it


The shifter linkage thing. That's how close it is in third.


Shameless picture of my car which I have grown to love like an "unconventionally beautiful" family member


CAI Installed Video
YouTube - 2010 MazdaSpeed3 CP-E Cold Air Intake Installed CAI

[Andy]

Nice review and pictures. Thank you.

[2fast4u]

how tough was the installation? just a bolt on? i heard from someone you had to take off the bumper in order to install it, but im skeptical, it seems like it would just be an easy install

[nosubstitute959]

Originally Posted by Aetherfury

The CP-E instructions were great and there was no bumper or wheel removal needed which was awesome.

There u go...no bumper removal

[2fast4u]

yea i just saw that....now i feel retarded.....1 quick question: i go to school in colorado, not a whole lot of rain, but obviously snow, how much 'stuff' will be kicked up into the intake? i really would like the cold air intake, but if it is going to be too much ofa hassle to clean then ill just go with an SRI

[edhuang04]

if your worried about hydrolock the best CAI to get i think is the AEM/mazdaspeed CAI. those are 2 piece sets that can be changed. so you can put on the second piece of tubing and then the filter and its a full on CAI. when it starts to rain just pull the filter off and then the second tubing piece then rebolt the filter on the first section and its an SRI and you wont get hydro lock. best of both worlds though i dont know if the 2010 versions are ready yet. i had a buddy that sold his MS CAI on the 2009s and he sold it to a 2010. the only thing that doesnt match up is the bracket on the second piece of tubing. he said it was like a few mm off.

ed

it's either this or the AEM CAI, i'm hearing CP-E is better. Anyone had both?

[Aetherfury]

Originally Posted by edhuang04

if your worried about hydrolock the best CAI to get i think is the AEM/mazdaspeed CAI. those are 2 piece sets that can be changed. so you can put on the second piece of tubing and then the filter and its a full on CAI. when it starts to rain just pull the filter off and then the second tubing piece then rebolt the filter on the first section and its an SRI and you wont get hydro lock.

Actually I think that would be less safe imo. Reason- every time you change the setup (which is kind of a pain) you risk not tightening something down good. Also- look at the design of the AEM/Mazdaspeed one vs the CP-E.

The CP-E angles the filter upwards towards the headlight which even a Mazda tech I talked to agreed the angle looked better than their own MazdaSpeed one.