Author: CorkSport

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CorkSport 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 – The Tireless Worker

CorkSport currently develops parts to support 22 Mazda models and at times one of the trickiest parts of designing parts for all of these cars is finding a car to use during the development process.

Occasionally it can be hard to source a car and find someone who is willing to let you start cutting on their brand new car, which is why it is so great to have our 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 at the shop to use for product development.

Many of you have seen pictures of the CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3 and say how great it looks, but little do you know that it’s a true workhorse.

In the past few months I have seen more parts go on and come back off of this car than I ever would have guessed. Hardly a day goes by when something is not being done to it to further development of our Mazdaspeed 3 line. In the past couple weeks alone it has had three different exhaust combinations on it and at one point even had a TMIC on it for a day while the FMIC piping was still installed but disconnected.

One of the great parts of being an engineer for CorkSport is not spending all day sitting at a desk. I’m able to get out and actually work on a car, put it on the lift, prototype parts, test fit samples, and get some actual real world testing on our new parts. This allows us to develop top of the line parts that have been thoroughly tested in real world environments on a shortened development schedule because we don’t have to develop, send parts out to identified R&D cars, wait for feedback, then tweak the design and start the process all over again. Being able to just walk out into the shop to look at something or install a prototype for testing is great. We can get immediate results so we can get the product out to you, the customer sooner.

We recently released our Front Mount Intercooler Kit for Short Ram Intake and some of you with large power aspirations had questions about the fitment of a larger intercooler. The kit we released with the 24x 6x 3.5″ does not require you to remove the crash bar and in order to accommodate a larger intercooler, removal of the crash bar is necessary. Having our shop car not too far from my desk, I was able to go out and fit a larger intercooler onto the speed 3, prototype some brackets, test and then adjust the design to accommodate the larger intercooler core in just over a month. We now have an option for those of you that want to upgrade your turbo and run a CorkSport FMIC for SRI. The new larger intercooler core is 24x 11x 3” and can support up to 700hp.

Having the car here also means we get to drive it and experience how new parts will act in the real world. We can find out how it handles in stop and go traffic, how comfortable it is on the freeway, and how it looks driving down the road. A couple days this week I was able to drive the car to and from work and I can definitely say that even with all of the performance parts installed, the car is still a great daily driver.

I must say having a car like the CorkSport 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 available to use as a development tool really helps us create the best possible product for CorkSport customers.

Andrew-

Current List of Performance and Accessory Parts on the CorkSport 2010 Mazdaspeed 3

Engine and Drivetrain
CorkSport Short Ram Intake
CorkSport FMIC for SRI Kit
CorkSport Cat Back Exhaust
CorkSport Racepipe
Corksport Motor Mount Inserts
CorkSport Lightweight Crankshaft Pulley
CorkSport Silicone Radiator Hose Set
CorkSport Aluminum Skidplate

Suspension and Wheels
CorkSport Adjustable Rear Swaybar
CorkSport Front Swaybar
CorkSport Lowering Springs
CorkSport Trunk brace set

Interior/Exterior Styling
CorkSport LED Light Kit
CorkSport Stub Antenna
CorkSport License Plate Frame
CorkSport Mud Flaps
J-Spec LED Tail Lights
AutoExe Front Bumper
Advan RZ 19×8.5 wheels
Yokohama S-drive 235/35/19 tires

In Prototype
CorkSport Shifter Base Bushings
CorkSport Front Adjustable End Links
CorkSport Oil Catch Can
CorkSport Camber Plates

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Quality Improvement through Product Redesign

CorkSport is dedicated to providing top quality, reliable products to our valued customers. To ensure that our products can keep meeting the demands of the market and adopting forward-looking design techniques, CorkSport may periodically announce product changes or cease product on obsolete models.

One such example of this is the CorkSport Mazdaspeed 3 Front Sway Bar that was released in March of this year. The bar had gone through several design iterations and had been tested on the CorkSport 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 to ensure fit, form, and function during the development phase, however once the product was released, one of our customers identified an issue, and with his help, we took steps to update the design.

Long time CorkSport customer and autocross enthusiast Steve Kritzberg was one of the first to purchase the sway bar. Upon initial installation of the bar, Steve immediately noticed the difference in handling over OEM bar, “The bar was a big improvement over the OEM bar in handling,” Steve recalled, “It kept the car flatter in the turns, as well as quicker turn in.” Unfortunately the stress that Kritzberg’s sway bar was under during autocrossing and his daily commute to and from work on the pothole and crevasse strewn roads of NYC, caused the bar to fail.

Steve immediately got in touch with CorkSport, “I got on the phone with Derrick and dropped him an email with photos.” CorkSport’s customer service manager, Kelly, then kicked into action and sent a stock bar to Steve to put in while engineering worked with him to identify the issue.

“The original design was pretty unorthodox,” said Steve, “The welds and finishes were nice, but during the CorkSport redesign process, I recommended they go with a more conventional design.”

As part of CorkSport’s design procedures, any major change that may impact form, dimension, quality, function, endurance or reliability, will be directly communicated to customers affected, so while CorkSport worked with Steve to improve the design of the bar, our customer service department reached out to each of the other purchasers to make them aware of the potential problem and CorkSport put out a public statement regarding the product issue.

“As soon as the problem was identified, CorkSport posted on the Mazdaspeed Forums and put the issue on the table,” Steve stated, “That is just good business!”

The redesign took approximately six weeks to complete. “I was contacted by Kelly and Derrick several times during the process to ensure the problem was being taken care of to my satisfaction,” said Steve, “The service was awesome. Not only did CorkSport send out a thank you gift in consideration for helping them with the redesign process, but also contacted me once the new design was completed to ask if I would be willing to test the bar.”

When asked how the new product is performing for Steve, he had this to say, “I really like it! I especially like the combo of the bar and the CorkSport Lowering Spring Set. The new bar is definitely stiffer than the first bar and the car feels more balanced.”

When asked if Steve had it to over again, would he still purchase from CorkSport, he responded with a resounding, YES. “Without a doubt! Great product and great service!”

Every product that is developed by CorkSport is handled with personal accountability and though we develop, design, and test our products thoroughly prior to release, from time-to-time, it is our dedicated customers that help us to refine and perfect our products to the uncompromising standards people have come to expect in CorkSport products.

A special thanks to Steven Kritzberg for working with us to develop a top performing Mazdaspeed 3 Front Sway Bar and for taking time out of his busy schedule to co-author this post!

Gwynne-

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CorkSport Parts, Local

Our list of Mazda dealerships that sell and install CorkSport brand products in the US has seen amazing growth over the last 8 months. In the blog post, Dealership Friends of CorkSport, posted in January, we had a list of just 6 dealerships who were modification friendly. Today, the list has now grown to 20 Mazda dealerships nationwide with more to come.

In an effort to make it easy for you to locate a dealership that offers CorkSport brand products near you, we have added a map on our dealership page that identifies the locations and provides information on CorkSport brand dealers in your area.

To get a dealers information click on the blue “button” next to their name and it will display their address and contact information. You can see the example below for Cardinale Mazda in Salinas California.

We are always on the lookout for more Mazda dealers so you know of one who doesn’t mind a modified Mazda send me an email and I will be in contact with them. If anyone has any questions please feel free to contact us.

-Derrick

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Product Release! – CorkSport Lightweight Extended Lug Nuts

CorkSport Performance would like to announce the addition of the 20 piece Extended Lightweight Lug Nut Set to its line of high performance Mazda accessories.

Crafted from 7075T6 aluminum, aerospace quality alloy that boasts an impressive ultimate tensile strength of 74,000 – 78,000 psi and minimum yield strength of 63,000 – 69,000 psi., the CorkSport Extended Lightweight Lug Nuts are guaranteed to hold up even under the most demanding driving conditions and weigh-in at a mere .8 ounces each, 29% lighter than the Mazda OEM lug nuts, making this an easy way to enhance the look of your car while losing unsprung weight.

Each lug nut is meticulously crafted from an extruded aluminum billet and CorkSport utilizes CNC machinery to ensure the highest grade of precision quality during production. The CorkSport Extended Lug Nuts come in black with CS laser etched logo for a long lasting, durable finish.

“Many of CorkSport’s customers spend good money on their wheels and want a good looking lug nut to compliment them”, said Rich Harris, President of CorkSport, “The CorkSport lug nuts are not only lighter-weight than traditional lug nuts but help to enhance the overall look of the vehicle, making this a styling upgrade that possesses performance benefits as well.”

The CorkSport Extended Lug Nuts have been developed specifically for Mazda and Mazdaspeed vehicles with 12mm x 1.5 pitch thread for exacting fitment and require a standard 19mm socket for installation. They are available for purchase at https://www.corksport.com/corksport-lightweight-lug-nut-set.html for $99.00.

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Product Sneak Peek – CorkSport Fall Line-Up

I attended my first research and development meeting at CorkSport a couple weeks ago and spent the morning and well into the afternoon reviewing product submissions and discussing the viability and potential demand for each of the ideas that were submitted to us.

We reviewed over forty-five product submissions and ranked them on feasibility, development time, demand, and the value it would provide to our customers. Coming out of that meeting, I think customers will be pleased with some of the fantastic products coming to market over the next six months and though we are keeping our cards close to our chest on some of the exciting products we have in store for all you Mazda performance enthusiasts, I will divulge some the new products you can expect to see released in the coming weeks.

Lug Nuts – As early as next week, you can expect to see new CorkSport Extended Lightweight Lug Nuts added to our list of performance accessories. Thanks to the feedback from our Facebook Fans, we will be offering them in black as the overwhelming color of choice. More to come on this product soon!

Shifter Bushings – Coming up before months end will be the CorkSport Shifter Bushings. Removing unwanted play in your car’s shifter mechanism, our bushing kit will greatly improve the feel of shifting in your vehicle.

Gen 1 Mazdaspeed 3 FMIC kit for SRI – Expanding on the success of our recent Gen 2 Mazdaspeed 3 release of a FMIC kit for SRI, CorkSport will be releasing a version for Gen 1 Mazdaspeed 3 drivers by the end of the month! Like our Gen 2 version, the FMIC kit for SRI will provide solid power gains without the lag commonly seen in larger FMIC kit’s that require removal of the crash bar.

Mazdaspeed 6 Rear Sway Bar – Currently on a fall release schedule, the CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Rear Sway Bar will greatly improve handling by tightening up the rear suspension. The Rear Sway bar can be purchased stand alone or can be used to compliment the CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Front Strut Bar.

CorkSport LED Under Hood Lights – Also on the fall release schedule is a kit that will illuminate your entire engine compartment. The CorkSport LED Under Hood Lights are a low power draw kit that will attach to your battery, includes an automatic on/off switch and will cast a cool blue/white luminescence on your engine bay.

These represent just some of the products you can expect to see in CorkSport’s fall line-up. More will be introduced as the development and testing process winds-up.

Interested in submitting a product idea? Fill out a product idea form for consideration at our next development meeting, https://www.corksport.com/product-ideas.html

Gwynne-