Stickers are worth 5hp right?…So it was only logical to wrap the whole car in a GIANT sticker! Anyways, on a real note we knew that the @Halfmilespeed3 couldn’t just be fast, it had to look good and what Car Guy or Gal doesn’t want their car to look good?
We have a plan at CorkSport to wrap all of our R&D Shop Cars with an awesome blue that aligns with our “CorkSport Blue”, but we want each car to have a little unique character to it. Thinking about the halfmilespeed3 build and goal we had the brilliant idea of a split wrap…seems fitting right? Half and Half…
So what did the car look like before the wrap?
Metro Grey Mica is the color name and its pretty bland in my opinion. I added the white roof and hood accents along with white wheels to help brighten up the car, which it did, but it was time for change. Oh yeah; white wheels and track spec brake pads don’t mix, just an FYI.
So what is like to get your car wrapped? What’s the process? I can’t personally give you details as I did not do the wrap myself, but I was close to the action and watched it all come together. Respect to those that take this on themselves and to the professionals out there. It is a tedious process that requires attention to detail to get a great final result.
A local friend is a professional and was open to doing the work in the CS shop since the Speed was not in a running and driving state at the time.
Saul S. (@saulywood) did the work over a few weeks’ time in evenings and weekends. He kicked a** on a project that turned out to be a bit more difficult than expected.
Installing a wrap is a process of pulling, stretching, heating, cutting…lots of different skills and abilities to get the job done. All this has to happen without damaging the vehicle you are wrapping. It’s quite a feat.
Going through the process the build kind of evolved if you will. Luckily Saul was very open-minded to it and even a bit eager to try some new things.
Probably my favorite aspect of the wrap is the unique and new wrap from 3M. Called “Shadow Black” this wrap has a slight texture to it that depicts patterns sort of like camouflage.
We used this on the roof and in a narrow strip over the seam between Satin Black and Blue Gloss; it really added a unique aspect to the look and style and brought the two colors together. Pictures just do not give it justice nor can you feel the texture.
So let’s wrap this up (see what I did there?) with some finished images.
I have to admit I’ve fallen in love with my car again. The exterior of my car was pretty beat up and neglected with rock chips, scuffs, and just generally not well taken care of paint. With the new wrap there is a whole new rush of pride and enthusiasm to keep it looking amazing.
Lastly, and this is bit cheesy, I requested Saul to match my helmet to the car…
Why not right? It’s not just another black helmet and I love it.
With that I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek into wrapping a Mazdaspeed. Stay connected as we share more and more about the @halfmilespeed3 build…engine, seats, roll-cage, and power! At some point this season an event will open and we can actually race!
Safety first right? As much as I want to survive an unfortunate incident while racing my 650+whp Mazdaspeed3…I have a bone to pick with safety. Sometimes it’s a real pain in the A**.
Let me explain…and hopefully help you learn from my experience.
Today we are talking about how to paint a roll cage, specifically one that has been custom built to fit tightly inside the cab of a GEN1 Mazdaspeed 3. How does this relate to safety? Well…a cage is made from raw steel in “mild” or “chromoly” materials. Both of these metals will corrode/rust over time. Not only will this result in a very ugly cage inside your car, but it could eventually affect the structural integrity of the roll cage, and that would defeat the whole purpose of it.
With that I decided to paint the roll cage in my Mazdaspeed 3. I daily drive and race the car AND I live in the PNW which has lots of rain and moisture. In fact, in the couple weeks that I did drive the car with the raw cage, I was already getting surface rust build up…gross.
To add to the difficulty, the cage in my Mazdaspeed was custom built from scratch vs a kit so it was very tight fitting and I have extra “X-bracing” added for increased roll over protection. This just added to the amount of surface area to paint and the number of locations with bars very close to each other.
The roll cage/hoop in my #halfmilespeed3 is technically a 8-point cage with an added X-brace in the main hoop and between the rear strut braces. The X-bracing is what helps with high speed roll over protection, but with a weight penalty. Go look at any modern rally car and you’ll see X-bracing plus lots more.
Ok, time to get our hands dirty. Here are the major items you will need to paint your cage:
Paint – I used a rust-oleum paint & Primer Combo. Make sure it works with a metal surface. 2-3 cans will be needed to complete the job and I’d suggest a high gloss enamel finish. It will be much easier to clean.
Safety Equipment – Goggles, Face Mask (a real one with a rating for fine dust), Bunny Suit (because you will get paint ALL over you), Gloves
Scotch Brite Pads – You will need this so you can remove any rust build up (assuming it is minor, if you have a heavily rusting and rough cage then you will need to get far more aggressive)
Cleaner and Rags – Gotta clean the cage after the scotch brite process
Plastic Wrap – This is like industrial size cling wrap. Easily found at Home Depot or other hardware shops in the painting isle.
Blue Tape – A few rolls of the 1.5” will do.
Step 1: Remove everything you can from the interior (which may not actually be much if you have a cage. Take your seats out, carpet (what’s left), center console, …etc
When I had the cage installed I decided I wanted to keep the front two seats as factory as possible. With that I have kept my carpet, center console, dash, door cards, roof upholstery…other than the door bars from the cage, you would have no idea the car has a cage when sitting in the front seats.
Step 2: Scotch Brite Time! Grab a pad and start giving your cage a nice rub down. You need to go over all surfaces of the cage if you want good adhesion of the paint to the metal surface. Once done, do a quick check and I bet you find some missed spots. Get those also…
Step 3: Clean up time! Grab some clean rags and a cleaner that does not leave any residue. Clean all the cage surfaces to remove any dust and/or oil. This is equally as important for good paint adhesion.
Step 4: Time to seal up the car. My number one advice here is avoid wind if possible. This plastic sheet loves to blow away in the wind…it can be very frustrating. If you have a friend that can help, that would be a great idea.
You basically want to cover all exposed surfaces inside the car and a lot of the outside of the car. While you are spray painting, you will be creating a lot of overspray mist floating in the air. This will settle on all surfaces inside and out.
I completely wrapped my doors and door edges, inside and outside of the car a bit.
I completely covered my dash and shifter assembly.
For the roof upholstery I did not use the plastic wrap, I actually used a piece of cardboard to act like a shield. I held the cardboard with one hand, shielding the roof while I sprayed the upper sections of the cage. It was effective and much easier than plastic wrap for that area.
Step 5: Time to actually paint. First you need to get into your bunny suit, get your gloves on, your face mask and goggles. Be proud of how ridiculous you look!
Before you start spraying, make sure you are in a well ventilated area and do not have any other cars or items in close proximity; they will get paint on them.
Actually Painting: I would advise starting with the hard to reach arrears first. You are essentially painting inside a jungle gym so get to the hard to reach areas first so you don’t have to worry about touching wet paint later. I started in the center and top of the cage because I had to be in the car to do so. Then was able to get to the more outer parts of the cage while outside of the cage.
Applying the paint is a bit of an art. You want to apply smooth and consistent layers. Your hand is always moving side to side as you spray. Don’t point and shoot or you will get runs in the paint.
Do a first coat that mostly covers all the surface area, then let it tach up for about an hour or reference the instructions on the can. Then apply another coat of paint. Trust me you will find thin or missed spots.
Step 6: Get out of the bunny suit. Hahaha ya this can be a process
Anyways, I pushed my car back into the garage and let the paint cure overnight before removing the plastic wrap. I didn’t want to risk the plastic wrap touching/sticking to the fresh paint. You may not have that luxury and if you don’t I would at least give the paint a couple hours to cure before removing the plastic.
Other takeaways – this was an ALL DAY PROJECT. I thought I could get it done in half a day, but with the concerns about keeping the still installed interior looking good, I was extra cautious with the plastic wrap which added time. I also did not want to do this again later so I was extra detailed with the painting process. Checking for missed spots and thin areas after each coat.
However, the result was well worth the work and I have no regrets about painting the cage. I can now drive my car without worry of the cage getting ugly or losing strength due to corrosion. I highly recommend that you take the day or so to make this happen in your car.
I hope you enjoyed this blog and thank you for following along with the @halfmilespeed3. Stay connected (instagram, blog & “Built With Barett” video series) as we share more and more about the @halfmilespeed3 build…engine, seats, roll-cage, and power! Rolling into the Shift Sector 2021 season we will have more great content to share!
I haven’t written any blogs in a while as there hasn’t honestly been anything from Mazda, which has made me stop and go WOW. Most people who have interactions with me would have thought I would be interested in the Mazda 3 TCR. The TCR car looks great, but when I learned Mazda went with the “Spec” engine for the series, it became a “meh” for me. Having an engine that is based on more or less a VW power plant pulling a Mazda around the track made it a lot less interesting. I do know why Mazda chose to go that path, but that is another story.
Mazda Rotary GT3 Concept Car
What did make me go WOW recently was at the Grand Turismo Championships when Mazda announced the RX-Vision GT3 concept! Mazda loves a sexy race car, and if you look at the past two, they have both come out of the Mazda North American studios. This concept is no exception as Julien Montousse, the design chief for Mazda North America, was present during the announcement of the car.
This is a big deal in my mind, we have just seen a change at Mazda USA with Nelson Cosgrove now appointed as the new director of Mazda Motorsports. Mazda has done everything except come right out and say we are going to build another rotary, and that message looks to be getting stronger. We have seen more patents popping up, calling out more tech and drawings of rotary goodness, including my favorite the top-mounted turbo rotary engine from years back.
Like anything Mazda teases us with, we will have to wait and see what happens. On a personal level, I hope Mazda gets us a 2020 Mazda 3 AWD turbo MT, but that is another one of those “wait and see” dreams from Mazda.
We hit a great balance between a street and track setup so you can have plenty of fun whether your corner of choice is on a backroad or an autocross course and still be comfortable on the daily commute.
Along the same line as our Mazdaspeed 3 kit, we diverged from the normal spring rates chosen for 3rd GEN coilover setups. We really wanted to strike a good middle point between a basic street coilover and a full race setup.
With that in mind, spring rate selection was critical to ensure a stiff enough setup for good track handling but soft enough for regular roads.
Shop All 2014-2018 Mazda 3 Parts
The final rates we ended up at were 7K linear front springs and 8K linear rear springs. We prefer linear springs so that the car will react the same no matter the corner or bumpiness of the road. This provides a ride that is stiffer than stock but is not harsh or uncomfortable. This is coupled with more neutral handling (less understeer) and a suspension natural frequency that is slightly higher in the rear than the front for added driver feedback and comfort.
Racing Inspired
To further add to the handling benefits, the CS coilovers have 15-way adjustable rebound damping in both the front and the rear. This allows you to tune your ride to exactly how you like it, whether you’re going for comfort or handling. It’s even easy to use one set up at the track and then soften things up for the ride home! The front also comes with adjustable camber plates for fine-tuning camber for handling or fitment.
Long Lasting Quality
Obviously, there’s one big component that we haven’t talked about yet: ride height! The CorkSport Coilovers offer approximately 2 inches of ride height adjustment, with the highest option being roughly 0.5” lower than the OEM suspension. This is enough adjustment to go from an “OEM+” setup to a low setup that will turn heads and everything in between. This isn’t just about looks though as a lowered ride height offers a lower center of gravity, reduced body roll, and improved driver confidence.
Optimized Spring Rates
One final unconventional touch is the inverted monotube design of the front coilovers. Instead of a more conventional and cost-effective design, this uses a 180° rotated damper design. This improves the rigidity and reliability of the strut while also removing a little bit of unsprung weight. You get great driver feedback from this style of design, which is why we specifically chose it!
Adjustability for Street and Track
The CorkSport Coilover kit is a great upgrade for whatever corner you want to throw at your GEN3. Be sure to check out the product listing for more details and images.
Shop All 2014-2018 Mazda 3 Parts
Don’t hesitate to call us with any questions you may have as well, we’re happy to help!
Searching for more power for your speeds MZR engine?
Are you building your DISI motor, and trying to figure out your next setup? Say no more…
This next Mazdaspeed-focused blog is going to focus on making some big power numbers, and what it takes to get there. Now is the time to go beyond the scope of the 400-wheel horsepower to look at what it takes for 500 horsepower at the wheels.
In our 400 WHP blog, this is not an all-inclusive guide and the only way to achieve these power levels… However, it’s something that’s been tried and tested for years and proven to be a reliable method of making the power you’re after. We are aiming to educate you in the best way to make the most out of your MZR engine.
Let’s get started
With the MZR engine being out for over 10 years, it’s had a lot of time under the knife. We know how the engine responds to different airflow mods, tuning characteristics, fuel, etc.
We also know that 400 Whp is about the limit of the stock bottom end on the Mazdaspeed 3. If you have a Mazdaspeed 6, then you can assume it’d be a bit less given you have AWD and need to account for further drivetrain loss.
It is beyond this point that the motor is in danger and could potentially let go. Keep in mind that at 400 Whp you are nearly doubling OEM power output, and that’s a lot of strain on those pistons and rods that were never designed to endure that power long term. If you are wanting to go beyond 400 Whp then you should know that you are also looking at the price tag of a Built motor.
CorkSport
Now, if you are relatively new to this, and aren’t very familiar with the basic building blocks of the platform such as the Cobb Accessport, and Upgraded Fuel Pump Internals, then I invite you to read our 400 Whp Blog to build a good foundation. Do you feel you have a good understanding of what it takes to get to 400 Whp? Then you are ready to read on!
When you’re at a point in your build that you are seeking 500 Whp then it’s safe to say that you probably have gotten the more tedious stuff out of the way… You probably have about every bolt-on modification, and you understand what it’s like to work with a professional tuner.
That being said, let’s do a bit of a recap on the 400 Whp mods, so you have a good idea of where we need to go from here.
These are all the recommended/required mods to increase engine airflow and efficiency to make 400 WHP.
– Stock Fueling on Pump Gas usually nets around 330-350 Whp depending on octane and gas quality.
– Stock Fueling on E85 blend fuel usually nets around 370-390 Whp depending on Tune aggression and also Quality of the gas and E85.
– With Aux fueling such as port fuel, or methanol you can easily bump up over the 400 Whp mark and beyond. (I’ll get into the differences more in a bit)
Putting down 500 Whp pretty much requires many of the same mods that 400 Whp does, BUT the primary game changers are the Advanced Bolt On’s and Fuel.
(If you’d like to refresh your memory on the basic bolt-ons and how they affect your Mazda please refer to the 400 Whp blog.)
I’m ready for more POWAHH
In the grand scheme of things, making the 400whp is relatively easy and affordable considering it can be done on the stock block. With bolt on parts, fuel, and a tune you can easily hit that number. But as soon as you want to make more, you’re looking at a built engine, as previously mentioned, And that’s a whole new can of worms.
So, what’s all involved in a built motor? That’s a bit of an open-ended question as there are so many variables to take into consideration. However, “built” engines usually contain forged pistons and rods with upgraded bearings to handle more abuse. From there, the complexity increases as you get into port work, cams, etc. I will touch on that a bit more later.
Fortunately for you, most engine builders have their entry level engine ready to handle 500 wheel horsepower and it’s a pretty basic build that features stronger internals. But, the tedious stuff like port work is usually reserved for the higher tier engines that are usually built for more power.
I won’t get into the engine building side of things, as that could turn into a whole other tangent. But you can assume that a built motor may cost you anywhere from 5k and up dependent on the level of motor you go with. From there we can start piecing together our 500 Whp build.
CorkSport
Let’s Talk TURBO’S (Crowd Cheers)
The turbo is the heart and soul of the Zoom-Zoom, so it seems like a suitable place to start.
CST5 Turbo Upgrade – 2006-2013 DISI MZR
As we know, the CST4 is happy up to around 400+ Whp. Which is why it was the recommended turbo in the 400whp blog. But now we are ready to take a step up to the CST5 Turbo for the Mazdaspeed which is happy up to… You guessed it! 500+ WHP. With the ability to hit 20 PSI by 3500-3600 RPM and Carry out 30 PSI it really packs a punch for its size. You may be needing to upgrade your intake to pair to the T5, I’d recommend our Power Series 3.5” Intake I mentioned earlier. It will come with the 4” coupler required to mate up to the turbo.
The turbo is available with an internal gate, or an External Gate so you can choose what works best for you. Both options can hit the same power numbers.
Let’s Talk Fuel
HPFP System
“What options do I have for bigger injectors?”
At CorkSport I get this question rather often. Unfortunately, I must tell them “There aren’t any”
Without going too off topic here I will explain why.
Our cars feature a Direct Injection fuel system or DI… And by today’s standards, it’s a bit primitive. The MZR DISI was one of the first pioneers of modern DI, which is probably why the OEM high-pressure fuel pump can’t even sustain the full potential of the factory injectors. Don’t worry, the CorkSport Fuel Pump internals fixes that problem.
Port Injection is simple and easy to maintain. It works by spraying low pressure fuel into the intake runner where it atomizes in the air stream before entering the combustion chamber. For car guys, it’s fantastic and easy to swap out injectors when you are ready for more fuel.
Direct Injection takes a whole new approach. Instead of the fuel going in through the intake manifold, it goes DIRECTLY into the combustion chamber.
In order to overcome the force of compression, the fuel must be highly pressurized in order to atomize correctly. It also must deliver more volume in a shorter amount of time. This is why your Mazdaspeed has a high-pressure fuel pump.
This causes a whole lot of complications for injector developers because things like fuel pressure also become a huge variable when attempting to create a larger Direct Injector. The bigger the hole on the injector, the more fuel pressure is required to create adequate atomization. Combining that with the rarity, and size of the Mazdaspeed platform, it’s just not worth it for any manufacturer to develop one.
So, what’s the solution to getting more fuel? Well… As previously mentioned, you pretty much have 2 choices Port Injection or Methanol. Since both of these are considered Auxiliary fueling, they are controlled by separate controllers, unless you want to ball out and get a Motec ECU that can control the OEM engine systems, as well as your port fuel.
Choosing which system, you want to go with solely depends on your power goals, and how much money you have to spend. Those 2 factors are pretty much the only question you need to ask yourself.
Leo dropping that cash on a port Injection fuel system
Methanol – Cheap and simple
Port Injection – Expensive and Reliable
You must remember that the OEM fuel system, even with E85 in your tank is only good up to around 370-390 WHP. So, everything beyond that is supported by your AUX fueling. If your extra fuel system stops spraying for any reason, that could lead to catastrophic damage depending on how much you’re relying on it. When you’re just trying to nudge over the 400 whp mark on a CST4 or CST5 then Methanol is usually fine in my opinion. But beyond that, I’d be concerned with the reliability aspect.
When you have a properly set up port fuel kit (Manifold with fuel rail required) it behaves almost as if there is no AUX fueling system. This is especially the case when you have it all integrated into your factory gas tank and don’t need to fill up a separate cell. A quality Port Fuel Kit is pretty full-proof.
You’ll have to make the decision that’s best for you, but I’d recommend a port fuel kit to support 500 Whp, vs a heavy spraying methanol kit.
CorkSport Manifold With Fuel Rail For Port Injection
Let’s Talk Manifolds
Manifolds are responsible for transferring all the air in and out of the motor from their respective cylinder. This job is an important one as it needs to distribute the gases as evenly as possible. The more even the flow, the better the performance!
On the Mazdaspeed Platform, the OEM intake manifold is known to be the bigger restriction over its exhaust counterpart. With very unequal flow distribution across the 4 runners, it has been proven not only to restrict power but also cause premature wear and tear on cylinder #3; here’s why.
This is caused by “over-feeding” air to #3 in comparison to the other cylinders. Over time this #3 is actively running leaner than its counterparts which is why it’s been deemed the most common cylinder to blow if an engine does give way.
CorkSport Intake Manifold shown to provide example of even Flow
It is because of this, that I always recommend a CorkSport intake manifold for even stock power levels. It may not be required to make 500 Whp, since you can essentially just turn up the boost to counteract the restriction. But in the name of reliability and efficiency, you should always try to help your engine breathe with the most minimal effort while also helping it maintain its health.
CS manifolds, FMIC, and 3.5” intake in picture
The OEM Exhaust manifold may not be as bad as the intake manifold, but it’s still not ideal, especially at this power level. A performance exhaust manifold needs to be designed with exhaust scavenging in mind.
Exhaust scavenging is a very cool effect. The exhaust gases leaving the combustion chamber travel out the individual runners and enter the collector. It’s at this point that it creates a vacuum-like effect on the runners, assisting the exhaust gases to escape from the other cylinders. This constant scavenging helps improve exhaust flow dramatically, especially when you start making power over 400 Whp.
You can learn more about exhaust Scavenging in our Blog that dives deep into it and shows examples comparing our Exhaust Manifold to OEM!
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CS Exhaust Manifold vs The OEM Manifold
When you replace both the Intake and Exhaust Manifolds with a performance unit you are drastically helping your motor improve its efficiency, which can mean 3 things.
1. Make the same power on less boost. 2. Make more power on the same boost. 3. Make Way more power on way more boost.
When you have to push your car less to make the power you want, reliability improves, and it also needs more room on the table for when you want to make even more power later on. That leads us to our next topic, Efficiency Mods.
The Cherry On Top
With a built motor, full bolt-ons, fuel, and a big enough turbo you can easily hit 500 whp.
However, efficiency mods such as Camshafts or Throttle Body will help you make more power easier, or really push the limits of your turbo by improving its ability to perform.
Our CS Camshafts are ideal when you start getting into this power range. It helps with everything from turbo spool, midrange power, and top end. Even on K04 powered speed 3’s / 6’s our cams netted around 20 Whp. You can imagine the kind of exponential improvements it can make as you move up in power.
Mazdaspeed Camshafts for DISI MZR Motor
That being said, if you’re already having a motor built, or you happen to be going inside your motor, its not a bad idea at all to toss these cams in. They will only help you, and if anything, help your car to not need to work so hard when you’re pushing its limits.
Performance Throttle Body for 2006-2013 DISI MZR Mazdaspeed
To top that off something like our CorkSport Throttle Body has been proven to make more horsepower and flow 33% more CFM than the OEM unit. Up until recently, no other throttle body has been a viable option due to drivability issues. But CS now offers a drop in plug and play unit that doesn’t come with the problems and utilizes OEM ECU logic to function. Modifications like the throttle body are the awesome little bonuses you can do to help the car hit that 500 Whp mark even easier.
Let’s Recap
So, to cover everything that we’ve learned: This is what we recommend to achieve 500 WHP
We hope you enjoyed reading this blog, and now have a better understanding of the details that go into making 500 whp. Next, we will be reviewing the in’s and out’s of 600 whp!
