Cobb Tuning Inlet Review Discussion

[Haltech]

Discuss the review here.

[rodrigo]

Good write up. I will have to meet one day the guy that writes these things for you man.

For those contemplating buying an inlet, it's worth it. It ain't going to give you the gains of an intake but after the install we went out for a test drive and the difference in "dead" time between gears was obvious, I shift at the same speed but the car gets going sooner on the next gear, what tripped me out teh most was 3-4 gear chnage (obviously the easiest of them all) felt like a seamless semi automatic shift, and that is all inlet there, boost just comes sooner and you just get going that much quicker.

Hurray for second gear wheelspin now!!!!!!!!!

[Haltech]

The guys a real asshole, i hope you find him.

[m4tic]

so ummm.... let me have one Hal

[GQ_WhiteMS3]

I have a question .. My SRI bracket is broken already, and the sri is just supported by the stock inlet really. How will this inlet effect my intake system this as it's clearly less rigid and has no mounting point of it's own. Will it flop around and bang under the hood like mad?

[bova]

i have an extra ms3 bracket if interested. i'll being doing a how to for the speed6.

[GQ_WhiteMS3]

I have the bracket as well ... but the mounting point on the car is what broke off like everyone elses.

[LBV]

Any sound difference at all or does the silicone do a better job than metal at that?

[Haltech]

I was unable to detect any difference in intake sounds, but lenny may notice some now that he has had more driving time with it.

Metal tubes by nature make more audible sounds then that of composite or silicone.

[bova]

i hope it makes less sound. i like the noises but sometimes i just want to quiet it down a bit. i get mine monday from cobb.

[LBV]

Originally Posted by bova80 i hope it makes less sound. i like the noises but sometimes i just want to quiet it down a bit.

Ya me too ... looking fwd to your comments on that!

[SgtP]

Good review. When i took off the stock inlet during my FP install I was amazed that the turbo got any air at all lol...

[VTEC_EATER]

Nice writeup.

My only complaint would be looks. I know people say function over form, but seriously, that's a whole lot of blue silicone. Not to mention, you wont be foolin' anyone when you open the hood. That inlet stands out like a sore thumb.

Personally, I prefer a metal inlet pipe, especially when its painted black because I could take it into the dealer for an oil change and they would never notice it. You cant even tell its there. This piece, and the CP-e one will definitely draw attention.

As a guy who likes his warranty and doesn't want to change out everything every time he goes to the dealer, I am straying away from the silicone inlet pipes. I'm sure the silicone 'insulating" design holds some merit, but for the split second the air is flowing through the inlet pipe, how much heat transfer do you really think can take place? My guess would be, at worst, a half degree difference from intake to turbo.

But that's not to discredit the product. I'm sure it works just fine and provides greater benefits that just its "insulating" properties.

[Speedie6]

Originally Posted by VTEC_EATER Personally, I prefer a metal inlet pipe, especially when its painted black because I could take it into the dealer for an oil change and they would never notice it.

Well, there are or were several metal products on the market. I probably won't be selling any more of mine I don't think. I wouldn't be surprised if some people who have one of mine decide they want silicone and sells theirs off. I sold mine raw aluminum, but several customers either had theirs ceramic black coated, or bought black ceramic paint and did it themselves.

[bova]

people don't mod their car cause they want to keep their warranty, well maybe some, but you know what you are doing when you are adding the part, most of us who add this anyways are so modded that thats not the first thing the dealer would notice. if you know you are going to the dealer just swap it out.

[whoosh@Realtune]

looks like a nice piece

of course I would go with the blue color

[VTEC_EATER]

Originally Posted by bova80 people don't mod their car cause they want to keep their warranty, well maybe some, but you know what you are doing when you are adding the part, most of us who add this anyways are so modded that thats not the first thing the dealer would notice. if you know you are going to the dealer just swap it out.

Most people do not want their warranties to expire the second they start doing any modifications to their car. Most people realize that whatever work they do to their car could cause a potential warranty issue, however, they do not want to lose their warranties hence the reason a lot of people keep their cars "slightly" modified and do not go crazy.

Fact is, these silicone inlets stand out big time, especially when they are "Cobb Blue". I would bet that if it were black it would be a little more under the radar but it would still stand out a lot more than a simple black pipe that gets completely hidden by all the wiring.

I would bet that even a trained eye would not even see that I have a turbo inlet pipe on my car if I didn't tell them. The silicone is a dead give away. And I do not want to have to keep taking my battery out of the car every time I have to go to the dealer just so I can get an oil change. If a Mazda tech sees you have a nice shiny silicone turbo inlet they may flag you.

But its to each their own. If you feel that the silicone will actually give you a performance advantage over a pipe, then you are crazy. If silicone actually gave a significant advantage over metal, don't you think intercooler piping would be entirely made of reinforced silicone?

Like I said, I think the real benefits of the inlet is that it is larger in diameter, and smoother flow characteristics than the crappy stock plastic pancake. But people really should not buy into the whole "silicone will give you lower intake temps" jargon.

[smakdown61]

Originally Posted by VTEC_EATER Most people do not want their warranties to expire the second they start doing any modifications to their car. Most people realize that whatever work they do to their car could cause a potential warranty issue, however, they do not want to lose their warranties hence the reason a lot of people keep their cars "slightly" modified and do not go crazy. Fact is, these silicone inlets stand out big time, especially when they are "Cobb Blue". I would bet that if it were black it would be a little more under the radar but it would still stand out a lot more than a simple black pipe that gets completely hidden by all the wiring. I would bet that even a trained eye would not even see that I have a turbo inlet pipe on my car if I didn't tell them. The silicone is a dead give away. And I do not want to have to keep taking my battery out of the car every time I have to go to the dealer just so I can get an oil change. If a Mazda tech sees you have a nice shiny silicone turbo inlet they may flag you. But its to each their own. If you feel that the silicone will actually give you a performance advantage over a pipe, then you are crazy. If silicone actually gave a significant advantage over metal, don't you think intercooler piping would be entirely made of reinforced silicone? Like I said, I think the real benefits of the inlet is that it is larger in diameter, and smoother flow characteristics than the crappy stock plastic pancake. But people really should not buy into the whole "silicone will give you lower intake temps" jargon.

Techs are not retarded. They can tell you have an inlet even if its black.

[bova]

ok so they also come in black, there ya go. point being a dealership might not like parts regardless and if you go for major warranty work you are better of putting it all back to stock anyways.

and silicone will resist heat better than aluminum so being that it connects to the hot turbo is a good reason for silicon. but whatever i'm not getting in a battle with you and your measily 12 posts after being a member for almost 6 months.

[VTEC_EATER]

Originally Posted by bova80 and silicone will resist heat better than aluminum so being that it connects to the hot turbo is a good reason for silicon.

Funny how you would then hook up an aluminum pipe to the outlet of the turbo and route it OVER the engine. I'm sure you don't have any concern over the heat gain from that...

but whatever i'm not getting in a battle with you and your measily 12 posts after being a member for almost 6 months.

Who cares how many posts I have? It wouldnt matter if it were my first post or my 10,000th, my response would still be the same. Your gain is not going to be from the silicone, but from the flow characteristics over the stock pancake. The silicone should be of your last concern. Even if the pipe is metal, how much of a temperature difference do you think a one foot metal pipe will make on air that flows through it at 400cfm? And if heat gain from underhood temperatures was of such a concern, why aren't more people heat wrapping their intercooler piping? Why are more people opting for short ram intakes over cold air intakes?

I'm not here to get in an argument here either, but the Silicone "insulation" factor is moot.

[bova]

Originally Posted by VTEC_EATER Funny how you would then hook up an aluminum pipe to the outlet of the turbo and route it OVER the engine. I'm sure you don't have any concern over the heat gain from that... Who cares how many posts I have? It wouldnt matter if it were my first post or my 10,000th, my response would still be the same. Your gain is not going to be from the silicone, but from the flow characteristics over the stock pancake. The silicone should be of your last concern. Even if the pipe is metal, how much of a temperature difference do you think a one foot metal pipe will make on air that flows through it at 400cfm? And if heat gain from underhood temperatures was of such a concern, why aren't more people heat wrapping their intercooler piping? Why are more people opting for short ram intakes over cold air intakes? I'm not here to get in an argument here either, but the Silicone "insulation" factor is moot.

um it doesn't matter when its coming off the turbo because it has to go through the intercooler. the fact that colder air going into the turbo not only helps keep the charge cooler but you can compress it more than warm air. either way yes it will flow better since the design is better but the silicon does help as well. having aluminum off the turbo helps get rid of some of the heat prior to the intercooler.

[cxz]

The black (Cobb) inlet pipe is definitely the way to go if you want to stay under the radar from the Mazda dealerships. The dealership I go to doesn't care to much about the performance parts unless they are causing a problem to the car. I have been told a few times now that if something does go wrong with car and I have performance part in the car at that point in time I am saying bye bye to my warranty.

So..for the people that don't want to be noticed the Cobb Black Inlet Pipe is the way to go.

[MadOzodi]

Nice review "Mr. Burgundy!"

[skeeter149]

gonna have to cover up or remove that white cobb lettering on the black for that to work. havent seen it so dont know how, but cant be too hard i imagine. lol

[Phantomspeeds]

sub

[DaleNixon]

Subbin' I might get one as I suspect a boost leak in my system and wouldn't mind correcting it with a better part anyway.

I wonder if this would make my LTFT's any better with the Cobb intake.

[rodrigo]

Here are my impressions. Sound is less than stock because silicone absorbs the sound...the stock plastic inlet or the metal ones reflect the sound so u hear more. As far as looks...my car (that was mine in the pics) already looks liek a smurf took a dump in it so i like it. (besides, the Cribs in my hood outnumber bloods 2-1) as far as broken brackets.......the single nut that holds the stock piece is not used but u could rig up a clamp with a nut welded on it to use that as a mounting point.....I like cobb s design because i will have no broken bracket now...the inlet and sri will give to the engines torquing.

Bottom line..its quieter////performance is greatly improved on shifts because of noticeably quicker spool up, good buy..u want stealth?? get the black one guys and it will look more stock than metal...the black one prolly dont come with cobb logo..if they do...paint over it.

[rodrigo]

well....babcox put on a different inlt yesterday and his stocker came out without touching the clamp........thats what happened to me and i had a shitload of KR because of it........cobbs piece fits like a charm and is on super tight. I didn t notice ltft chnage from inlet

[qwerty4550]

Originally Posted by lenny127 well....babcox put on a different inlt yesterday and his stocker came out without touching the clamp........thats what happened to me and i had a shitload of KR because of it........cobbs piece fits like a charm and is on super tight. I didn t notice ltft chnage from inlet

Have you noticed your KR going down after replacing the stock inlet? Also, what size are the hose clamps? I have always wanted to put t-bolt clamps for all of my intake/intercooler hoses, but i dont think it is worth the $5 a clamp cost. Do you know any place that sells t-bolt clamps for cheap or as a set?

[Cobb Tuning]

Originally Posted by qwerty4550 Have you noticed your KR going down after replacing the stock inlet? Also, what size are the hose clamps? I have always wanted to put t-bolt clamps for all of my intake/intercooler hoses, but i dont think it is worth the $5 a clamp cost. Do you know any place that sells t-bolt clamps for cheap or as a set?

T-Bolt clamps are not necessary on the intake side since everything is under vacuum. T-Bolt clamps are appropriate for pressure carrying hoses.

Gary Sheehan
Director of Marketing
COBB Tuning

[qwerty4550]

Originally Posted by Cobb Tuning T-Bolt clamps are not necessary on the intake side since everything is under vacuum. T-Bolt clamps are appropriate for pressure carrying hoses. Gary Sheehan Director of Marketing COBB Tuning

Alright thanks. I wasnt worried about t-bolt clamps for the purpose of getting it really tight, but because I hate how the worm clamps can start to dig into the hoses.

[Haltech]

Originally Posted by qwerty4550 Have you noticed your KR going down after replacing the stock inlet? Also, what size are the hose clamps? I have always wanted to put t-bolt clamps for all of my intake/intercooler hoses, but i dont think it is worth the $5 a clamp cost. Do you know any place that sells t-bolt clamps for cheap or as a set?

I brought t bolts with me, but they were to big... When i clamped it to his turbo with the worm drive, it locked good and its tight as a mofo, so its not going anywhere. The tube is under vacuum anyhow, therefore a t-bolt is overkill, but if you feel you need one, just make sure you get the 2".

[jdmjerry]

with my basic mods catback cobb sry and bov.. if i got this would i need a tune with this yet? or would it just furthermore be helping the intake and not need to worry..

[Unoriginalusername]

Originally Posted by jdmjerry with my basic mods catback cobb sry and bov.. if i got this would i need a tune with this yet? or would it just furthermore be helping the intake and not need to worry..

no, you'll be fine

[bnoon]

I can't believe nobody has said anything about this yet... You're supposed to line up the heads of the worms clamps on the same side of the pipes guys!!! I mean come on!

Other than that, nice write up.

[Haltech]

Originally Posted by bnoon I can't believe nobody has said anything about this yet... You're supposed to line up the heads of the worms clamps on the same side of the pipes guys!!! I mean come on! Other than that, nice write up.

That was lenny's job to install his intake back and i mentioned it, but.. as always.. he didnt " give a fuck."

[rodrigo]

bnoon...we got lazy when we noticed and didnt want to take it out.lol as far as my knock..my problem was that the stock inlet was loose from the factory..so was babcox......i never checked it cuz i figured it would be fine from factory......but now we know better.

In my opinion , another simple but great design by Cobb.

[GQ_WhiteMS3]

No replies to my above concern?

How will this hold up with the SRI hanging loose because of a broken bracket?

[Haltech]

Originally Posted by GQ_WhiteMS3 No replies to my above concern? How will this hold up with the SRI hanging loose because of a broken bracket?

Its solid, once it was clamped to the inlet of the turbo, we yanked on it.. its not going anywhere and the sri will be supported better without a brack then with the stock inlet piece.

The stocker piece is TOO rigid and the Cobb piece adds a little needed flex into the joint. This is why i feel the brackets will no longer break.

[DaleNixon]

Ok I'm curious as to what this does to the sound. Does it mute the WHOOOOOSH sound of the intake and the Forge BPV "Mario Coin"?