Pipercross Intake Kit for Mazda Mk4 MX-5 ND - PK463

Pipercross Mk4 Mazda MX-5 2.0 Intake System

The Pipercross Intake System has been designed and engineered to directly replace the OEM airbox and corresponding intake plumbing on 2015-2025 Mazda MX-5 vehicles with the 2.0L engine.

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS

• Large filter heatshield featuring
• Bespoke Pipercross cylindrical air filter
• Thick-walled silicone hoses for optimal internal airflow
• Powder coated aluminium MAF pipe assembly, with CNC-machined MAF sensor 
• Designed, prototyped and iteratively refined using latest 3D scanning and CAD technology
• Flow tested for a 74.25% maximum increase in airflow vs OE

OEM INTAKE ASSESSMENT

The OEM intake system found on the 2015-2025 2.0L Mazda MX-5 features many design and engineering choices that illustrate the functionally focused nature of Japanese domestic market vehicles, including Mazda. While this functional design principle serves the MX-5’s 2.0L engine well in most all scenarios, it also presents several opportunities to enhance both the sound and performance of the engine, through select intake modifications.

The Pipercross engineering team identified the OE intake filtration media type/total surface area, OE airbox and the bellowed intake throttle hose as areas of potential system performance improvement. Additionally, the retention of the OE sound generation connection within the intake stream was slated as a design goal, to further enhance intake sounds. Similarly, the OE fresh-air ducting, OE airbox mounting points/grommets and OE MAF sensor location were deemed critical to utilise/reproduce in the Pipercross kit - based on specific part size/functionality and Pipercross engineers’ experience with overall performance intake design across a multitude of chassis/engines.

CYLINDRICAL AIR FILTER

The heart of the Pipercross intake kit is the Pipercross custom cylindrical air filter. This filter utilises Pipercross’ time-tested and proven air filter construction methods to achieve the targeted airflow performance of the kit, while maintaining the OE-tier air filtration required for the long-term health of the engine. The bespoke Pipercross foam mesh blend strikes the perfect balance between increased flow and air filtration, while the coated mesh backing and in-house cast polyurethane base draws from decades of successful in-house filter manufacturing at Pipercross. To increase intake performance, the Pipercross filter increases filtration surface area 113.71% over a typical foam airbox panel filter and features a 70.0mm inner diameter outlet – both serving as the foundation for all other performance enhancements of the kit.

HEATSHIELD

The Pipercross MX-5 heatshield was specifically designed to house the largest air filter possible, while adhering to the original five-sided enclosure and OE fresh-air fed design specifications set forth. The heatshield is CNC laser cut from corrosion-resistant 2mm aluminium sheet, then powder coated for additional corrosion resistance/aesthetic appeal. Functionally, the part utilises all engine bay volume made available by the OE airbox - to enclose the large 140mm outer diameter filter from ambient engine heat on five sides. The lower design of the heatshield is tailored to this OE fresh air feed, as the heatshield floor is designed to create a fresh air plenum volume for proper air distribution across the Pipercross filter. The included heatshield lid can also be installed or removed in minutes, via the (4) rivet-nut mounting locations. When installed, intake noise is slightly dampened, the filter is hidden from view, the overall engine bay retains an OEM appearance, and the fresh air feed is utilised more significantly. When the lid is removed, the Pipercross filter is notably less obstructed and 2.0L engine’s induction noise is amplified just enough to produce subtle, performance-focused intake notes during everyday driving.

INTAKE HOSE

The Pipercross intake hose bolsters the performance of the air filter and heatshield, rounding out the overall performance of the Pipercross kit. The part creates a smooth airflow transition from the 70mm outer diameter MAF pipe to the 65mm outer diameter throttle body, while the thick-walled, silicone construction of the hose is both more heat resistant and more flexible than alternative aluminium hard pipe options. The thermal resistance of the intake hose is crucial for this naturally aspirated application, so as to manage intake air temperatures during aggressive vehicle operation. The OE intake hose also features this type of heat-resistant polymer construction (though the flow-destabilising flexible convolutions are eliminated with the Pipercross part). Similarly, the Pipercross hose mimics the flexible characteristics of the OE hose, ensuring other Pipercross/OE parts do not contact or bind during engine movement. Unlike the OE hose, the exterior of Pipercross part is finished in a smooth, gloss black - adding a level of “OEM+” aesthetic to the MX-5 2.0L engine bay.

DETAILS

The subtle details of the Pipercross intake kit are what elevate it beyond the competition. The Pipercross heatshield reuses most of the OE vibration-damping airbox chassis mounts, in addition to a fixed mounting point (via an additional bolt-on bracket) for a blend of part stability and vibration tolerance, ensuring heatshield structural integrity throughout the life of the vehicle. All heatshield brackets are constructed of powder coated mild steel, which resist long-term cyclic loading fatigue markedly better than aluminium brackets. The Pipercross MAF pipe assembly is constructed of a CNC-machined sensor mounting boss and a single-piece, bead rolled aluminium tube, while the MAF pipe design specifically addresses the positioning of the OE sensor. The Pipercross part recreates the critical aspects of this OE sensor positioning; the sensor distance from the plumbing centreline and the distance from the filtration media (~70mm), to ensure consistent and accurate airflow readings with the Pipercross kit installed. The Pipercross throttle hose also features a provision to connect the OE sound generator device, so that this OE system does not need to be eliminated to install the Pipercross intake. All stainless-steel hardware is provided to ensure corrosion, oil and other adverse engine bay environmental factors have no effect on the Pipercross kit’s function or aesthetic – no matter how hard the vehicle is driven.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

All Pipercross products are designed in-house, utilising the latest 3D-printing, 3D-scanning, CAD, CFD, airflow testing and performance testing product development technologies. The Pipercross MX-5 Intake Kit saw several design stages/iterations, to integrate the largest air filter and heatshield possible, while adhering to required design criteria. Bench airflow testing was conducted on the full OEM intake system and the final Pipercross intake design iteration, using Pipercross’ in-house, custom designed and built airflow test apparatus inside a controlled environment.

AIRFLOW TESTING DATA

Two intake configurations were tested on Pipercross’ in-house, custom built stationary airflow test apparatus to acquire final performance data for the Pipercross kit. To develop an initial performance benchmark, the full OE intake system (complete OE airbox, filter and throttle hose) was flow tested to a maximum airflow value of 541 CFM. The entire Pipercross intake system was then tested, to gauge the resulting airflow and performance increase.

The graph below summarizes the results of this testing and serves to confirm the performance benefit of the Pipercross intake kit. In addition to the 74.25% maximum/ 68.62% average decrease in airflow restriction, the Pipercross intake can also support airflow values up to 731 CFM (to the OE kit’s maximum 541 CFM), allowing sufficient airflow for any number of future engine performance upgrades.