Author: Derrick Ambrose

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600hp Mazdaspeed 3 Build Path – CorkSport Barett’s 2009 Mazdaspeed

If you haven’t heard already, the CorkSport Dyno Day and Summer Event was a blast with food, friends, raffles, a Show-N-Shine, and the continuous string of dyno runs.  The highlight of the dyno runs came when one of the CorkSport Engineers, Barett, put his car on the rollers.  With a few minutes of warm up and anticipation building, it was finally time to see what the “CorkSport Speed” could do. 

600+ WHP Mazdaspeed 3 on Dyno

Getting past the ecstatic crowd to see the dyno screen showed an impressive 620whp/530wtq.  Now, whether you were at the show or not, you may be wondering what Barett’s setup is to support these numbers.  It’s not a short list but is simpler than you would expect. 

In this blog, we are going to layout the WHOLE build to show you how your Mazdaspeed can make 600+whp.  

Dynograph data of Maszdaspeed 3 625 WHP

The engine was built by CorkSport in preparation for setting up the Dankai Engine Program.  It features Manley Connecting Rods and Platinum Pistons, head work very similar to the Dankai 2 Built Longblock, along with the CS BSD (balance shaft delete) and CorkSport Camshafts.  Holding the block together are L19 head studs and ARP 2000 main studs.  

To get the air in and out of the engine efficiently we have an assortment of bolt-on parts and some prototype parts because what kind of CorkSport R&D car wouldn’t have some prototype performance parts on it?  To break this down in the simplest way possible, we have laid out a full build list:

600hp Mazdaspeed 3 Build List:

  • CorkSport Built Engine:
    • Manley Pistons – 0.5mm overbore @ 88mm
    • Manley H-Beam Connecting Rods
    • CS Balance Shaft Delete
    • “Dankai 2” Ported Headed: Single Runner Intake, Bowl Work, Combustion Chamber Touch Up, Exhaust Porting
    • CS Camshafts
    • Stock Valve Springs (We would recommend upgrading these and plan to do so ourselves)

Now, this isn’t the complete list, but it does lay out most of the essential parts to get your Mazdaspeed 3 over 600whp.  You might have picked out a couple “prototype” mentions in that list above…well we can share a bit on the new CorkSport Mazdaspeed Turbo.  You’ve seen the power it can make…and it still has some more left in it up top, now check it out some sexy billet and massive turbine.

Mazdaspeed 3 Turbo for making 600 WHP
Mazdaspeed 3 Turbo Turbine Closeup for 600+ WHP

Lastly, none of this power would be possible without the fuel to support it.  As you may know already, the OE direct injection fuel system taps out around 380whp on an efficient build so how do we make another 240whp?  Auxiliary fueling is the key my friends, and we recently posted a blog to help you explore Methanol Auxiliary Fueling that I invite you to read.  To stay focused on Barett’s 600+whp build we have made an auxiliary fueling build list below:

Upgrade Your Turbo with the CST4

Methanol Auxiliary Fueling 600hp Mazdaspeed Build List:

  • AEM Boost Based Pump Controller
  • Snow Performance 5 Gallon Cell Trunk Mounted w/CS Prototype Mounting Bracket
  • AEM 80 micron in-line filter pre-pump
  • ProMeth 220psi Pump (Essential for flowing this volume of methanol)
  • Snow Performance Solenoid
  • Devil’s Own 1in/4out distribution block
  • 4x Devil’s Own 90degree nozzle holders
  • 4x ProMeth Compact Check Valves (Essential for proper AFR control between shifts)
  • 4x Devil’s Own D07 Nozzles (One per intake manifold runner; each flowing ~10gph)

Despite that this auxiliary fuel setup is providing the fuel required to support just over 600whp; it is at the ragged edge of what can be supported.  Looking at the dyno graph further up you can see torque decline after 6000rpm and horsepower go flat. This is due to the auxiliary fuel system reaching its maximum fueling capacity and thus forcing us to reduce boost pressure as engine RPM goes past 6000rpm.  

At this power level, true port injection auxiliary fueling is the correct step to take.  Lucky for you guys and gals, we are currently exploring this path with our product R&D. We plan to give you guys and gals a full breakdown of our experience and how we built a full port injection auxiliary fuel system that can support over 600whp.  

AND…I forgot to mention one very critical aspect of this entire build.  Professional Tuning! This specific build was E-Tuned on the CorkSport in-house dyno by Dale Owen of Gem Tuning.  E-Tuning is a great way to set up your car with the tuner that is the best suited for your platform and vehicle build because it doesn’t require the tuner and the vehicle to be in the same place at the same time.  

Hang tight for more on the PI Auxiliary Fueling and thanks for tuning in with CorkSport Performance.

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CorkSport Throttle Body Spacer

We are proud to introduce the CorkSport 72mm Throttle Body Spacer for Mazdaspeed 3, Mazdaspeed 6, and Mazda CX-7 Turbo.

This is a great product for those Mazdaspeed owners who want to push past the limits of their OEM fuel system. We’ve carefully chosen nozzle locations, upgraded the inside diameter, and added an O-ring for quick and easy sealing. We designed the CS throttle body spacer to eliminate a lot of the headaches that come with adding extra fuel.

Aftermarket Throttle Body Spacer for Mazdaspeed Engines

The area where the throttle body mounts is pretty tight on the Mazdaspeeds which leaves few options for adding methanol nozzles, especially the tall AEM ones. We realized right away that nozzle orientation was critical.

To prevent any modification, the top nozzle location sits at an angle that perfectly clears both the OEM & CorkSport Intake Manifold to provide an access port for most meth nozzle styles on the market. For more stealthy setups, there are two ports located on the bottom side of the CS spacer, one straight down and once again at an angle for easy usability without further modification.

Throttle body installed on Mazdaspeed engine

We also considered nozzle depth when designing the CorkSport Throttle Body Spacer. Most nozzle styles will sit flush to the inside surface of the spacer. This prevents any irregular airflow around the nozzle locations without affecting the spray pattern of the nozzles.

Mazdaspeed Throttle body spacer

Just like the CorkSport Performance Throttle Body, we enlarged the inner diameter of the throttle body spacer to 72mm. This is the maximum size that can be used with the OEM bolt pattern and ensures optimal best airflow. The OEM throttle body & gasket can still be used with no issues.

Upgrade Throttle Body Spacer designed for CorkSport Throttle body

Each CorkSport Throttle Body Spacer is precision machined from 6061-T6 aluminum before being anodized black for a clean and durable look. An O-ring groove is added during machining to allow the spacer proper sealing to your intake manifold. Rest assured, the O-ring is safe with all fuels and even oil. Finally, the spacers are laser etched with a CorkSport logo for a subtle finishing touch. The entire package is wrapped up with hardware, including extended-length throttle body mounting bolts & two NPT plugs for the nozzle/injector ports you are not using.

Throttle Body Space for Mazdaspeed Engines

If you’re running out of fuel in your Speed and we can make installing a methanol system much easier, pick up a CorkSport Throttle Body Spacer.

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Creating CorkSport Parts with 3D Scanning

While creating a new CorkSport part, we sometimes run into issues where calipers, bore gauges, and angle finders are simply not enough to get the measurements we need.  We’ve discussed how we use 3D printing in a previous blog, but today I thought I’d go over the opposite: 3D scanning.

Where 3D printing takes a CAD design from computer to physical part, 3D scanning takes a physical part and converts it into a computerized model. This is especially useful for things like intercooler piping, intake design, and even creating exterior body parts. What these components all have in common is that they are a complex, difficult to measure, shape where fitment is critical. Check out the 3D scan below from the development of our GEN2 Mazdaspeed 3 front lip. While not a perfect replica, this 3D scan information was vital for designing the CS front lip to ensure great fitment and stylish look.

At CorkSport, we do have a small 3D measuring arm that can take measurements of 3D objects and input them directly into a CAD program. The arm does this by first having a “home” position established that the arm can measure from. Then as the arm is moved around, it knows how far the tip of the arm is from the home position in x, y, and z coordinates. This is a very basic form of 3D measurement as the arm must actually touch the surfaces of the part. Mostly simple information like mounting surface locations, angles, and hole sizes can result from this arm. While not a full 3D scan, it is especially useful for things like the GEN3 Transmission Motor Mount that have mounting planes at different angles.

For intercooler piping with completely round surfaces and bends, CorkSport’s 3D measuring arm has its limitations. We typically get a full 3D scan performed on the OEM piping to give us solid locations and a great visual reference to design from. The 3D scanning arm bounces a laser off the part to determine its shape and size. Then, software that accompanies the 3D scanner stitches all the information together into a full 3D CAD model. The scans achieve great accuracy; check out the embossed writing and even texture on this OEM intercooler piping for the SkyActiv 2.5T.

From this point, we design the new CorkSport parts. In terms of intercooler piping, we analyze where the larger piping will fit to get the performance gains we want. In some cases, we can also simplify the pipe routing to get smoother airflow than the OEM piping. Having a full OEM piping scan makes this much easier as we can easily double check our measurements with the OEM parts on the car. As a result, our first 3D print can often be the final version before having metal parts made. An early design for an upgraded Mazda 6 SkyActiv 2.5T hot pipe is shown below (blue) with the OEM part scan (gray). The routing was carefully chosen to achieve our desired piping size within the constraints of the OEM engine bay.

 

3D scanning has a huge range of uses and we are just beginning to explore the full capabilities. Be sure to share your ideas on how we should use this technology and what new CS parts we should make with 3D scanning’s help!

-Daniel

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Mazda’s Dynamic Pressure Turbo – A Closer Look

There has been a lot of buzz about the new(ish) turbocharged SkyActiv-G 2.5L first found in the Mazda CX-9 and now in the Mazda 6.  Along with all this buzz, there are a lot of unknowns as well. Here at CorkSport, we’ve taken the step to try and address some of these unknowns.  What is Mazda’s “Dynamic Pressure Turbo” and how does it work? There have been diagrams bouncing around on the internet, but no close-up view of the turbocharger itself.  That’s about to change.

Mazda 6 Turbo

If you haven’t already read Daniel’s first installment, “Mazda Dynamic PressureTurbo an Introduction.” You wouldn’t want to miss out on the extra information before reading on.

Mazda 6 Turbo

The turbocharger found in the 2.5T equipped CX-9 and 6 is quite complex in design.  There are many aspects to the OE turbocharger we could discuss, but today we are going to focus solely on the dynamic pressure system and turbine housing.  

If you are reading this, then you’ve probably already seen various diagrams depicting how the dynamic pressure system works and showing Mazda’s clever 3-2-1 exhaust port design.  If you haven’t, check it out below.  Image credit to Car And Driver Magazine for the fantastic diagram.  

The Mazda Turbocharger 4-3-1 design

Mazda’s 3-2-1 exhaust port design takes full advantage of the engine cylinder firing order.  The advantage is improved exhaust gas scavenging for the adjacent cylinder (more or less the cylinder that just fired helps pull the exhaust gases out of the next cylinder that is about to fire).  Ok, moving on; this is great, but how does the dynamic pressure system come into the mix?

Mazda 6 Turbo Skyactiv design

Shown here are the turbocharger assembly and the dynamic pressure valve assembled as one unit (the first two images also showed the fully assembled setup).  The three ports are clearly visible along with the “vane” that passes through the three ports. This vane rotates depending on the engine RPM to control the exhaust gas velocity entering the turbine housing.  The vane itself is controlled by the larger blue-colored actuator.

Mazda 6 Turbo design for exhaust velocity

Now let’s take an even closer look.  The vane does not open until approximately 1600rpm, but the engine cannot run if there is no exhaust gas can flow out of the engine.  To resolve this Mazda has designed a dynamic pressure system with two exhaust gas paths.  Looking at the above image you can see a small opening just above the vane. This is the sub-1600rpm exhaust gas path.  

By reducing the cross-sectional area of the exhaust gas path, the exhaust is forced to accelerate through the dynamic pressure system and into the turbine wheel.  This effectively reduces turbo lag, improving the vehicle’s response at low engine RPM. Once the engine revs past 1600rpm the vane opens, allowing the larger path to be used.   

Mazda 6 turbocharger

Here we show the turbocharger assembly (right) and the dynamic pressure valve assembly (left) separated.  Looking at the dynamic pressure valve assembly, you can now more clearly see the three small paths above the larger path with the vane inside.  Then look at the turbocharger assembly and you will see the small upper path and the larger lower path.

The fact that these two assemblies are separate systems is great news for the enthusiast.  The development of a performance turbocharger will be much more feasible and the dynamic pressure valve can be retained with the performance turbocharger.  One more detail to point out.

Mazda 6 turbocharger design for exhaust pressure

Mazda put a lot of thought into the design of the wastegate port; let me show you why.  First, looking at the inlet of the turbine housing you can see a small vertical wall in the large path.  This wall creates a completely separate path to the wastegate port which is very unusual on an OE turbocharger. Combine this design with a very large wastegate port and you get a design that can “waste” or divert an excessive amount of exhaust gas.

Mazda 6 turbocharger design for skyactive-g 2.5l

This tells us the SkyActiv-G 2.5L engine is creating a lot of (currently) unused exhaust gas energy.  Again this supports the feasibility of a performance turbocharger suiting Mazda’s new turbo engine quite well.  

Great things are on the horizon for the Mazda 6, now if only Mazda would put this engine in the 3 paired with a 6-speed manual transmission.  Oh, one can dream.

-Barett @ CS

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Mazda’s Dynamic Pressure Turbo – An Introduction

The SkyActiv 2.5T has been around for a few years in the CX-9 however, things started to get interesting when the engine was dropped in the Mazda 6 for 2018+ models. While lacking a manual and not a true Mazdaspeed, it’s a step in the right direction for the enthusiast. With one of the new Mazda 6s in the CorkSport garage, we’ve been getting curious about where all of that 310lb-ft comes from. Well, we decided to call up Mazda and purchase a turbo to see how it all works.

Mazda 6 Turbo

There’s a lot to take in on the turbocharger and there are quite a few things that have changed from the K04 that made its home in the Speeds.

For starters, this turbocharger is pretty big. The wheels themselves are not large, with the compressor wheel very close in size to the old Mazdaspeed K04 & the turbine wheel only slightly larger than the K04 Turbo. However, with the dual inlet turbine housing, 90° compressor outlet, and lots of attached electronics, the whole package takes up a lot of room in your engine bay.

2018+ Mazda+ Turbo housing and

The turbine housing is not far from the old K04. A large five-bolt inlet flange has two rectangular inlets to work with the dynamic pressure system (more on that later) and even a port where the EGR system sources its exhaust gases. The outlet is much simpler, using a five-bolt flange to mount to the downpipe, yet does house a surprisingly large wastegate port.

From a performance standpoint, the large wastegate should help eliminate boost creep but the turbine housing will likely need a larger scroll to get some more serious power out of the engine.

OEM Mazda 6 Turbo

The compressor side is packed full of features. As usual, the wastegate actuator bolts to the compressor housing, however, Mazda has switched to an electric actuator. Interestingly, the bypass valve is also electric and is even mounted to the face of the compressor housing.

Some fancy casting design leaves a pathway between the high and low-pressure sides of the compressor and let the BPV decide when the passage is open or closed. These two electric actuators will mean easy and consistent boost control. The final plastic component on the housing we believe is a boost-assisted vacuum source for the vehicle. Finally, the inlet is a typical clamp connection while the outlet uses a 90° turn and two-bolt flange for better accessibility around the wastegate actuator.

2018+ Mazda Turbo Housing

With the housings removed, the CHRA of the dynamic pressure turbo is very simple & standard. Oil feed in the top, two-bolt oil drain in the bottom, and standard crossflow engine coolant ports. The compressor wheel is a cast 6×6 unit and the turbine wheel is a basic 11-blade unit.

Mazda 6 Turbo Turbine

We are looking forward to waking up the Sky-T in the coming months and making the 2018+ MZ6 into something a little closer to a Speed. Stay tuned, there’s much more fun to be had from the 2.5T!

-Daniel

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